The Saffron Tales: Recipes from the Persian Kitchen

by Yasmin Khan, Shahrzad Darafsheh (Travel photographer), Matt Russell (Recipe photographer)

'Barberries, fresh herbs, date molasses, dried limes, saffron; Yasmin's Persian pantry staples are a roll call of my favourite ingredients. Her recipes are a mouthwatering showcase of a beautiful country' Yotam Ottolenghi

'Not just a great cookbook but a book full of stories - a love letter to Iran and its people' Diana Henry

Armed with little more than a notebook and a bottle of pomegranate molasses, British-Iranian cook Yasmin Khan traversed Iran in search of the country's most delicious recipes.

Her quest took her from the snowy mountains of Tabriz and the paddyfields of Gilan to the cosmopolitan cafes of Tehran and the pomegranate orchards of Isfahan, where she was welcomed into the homes of artists, farmers, electricians and teachers. Through her travels, she gained a unique insight into the culinary secrets of the Persian kitchen and the lives of ordinary Iranians today.

In The Saffron Tales, Yasmin weaves together a tapestry of stories from Iranian home kitchens with exclusive photography and fragrant, modern recipes that are rooted in the rich tradition of Persian cooking. All fully accessible for the home cook, Yasmin's recipes range from the inimitable fesenjoon (chicken with walnuts and pomegranates) tokofte berenji (lamb meatballs stuffed with prunes and barberries) and ghalyieh maygoo (prawn, coriander and tamarind stew). She also offers a wealth of vegetarian dishes, including tahcheen (baked saffron and aubergine rice) and domaj (mixed herb, flatbread and feta salad), as well as sumptuous desserts such as rose and almond cake, and sour cherry and dark chocolate cookies.

With stunning photography from all corners of Iran and gorgeous recipe images, this lavish cookbook rejoices in the land, life, flavours and food of an enigmatic and beautiful country."

Genres: Cookbooks, Food, Cooking, Nonfiction, Iran, Foodie, Middle East

240 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 14, 2016

About the author

Yasmin Khan is a best-selling and award-winning author, broadcaster and campaigner, who is passionate about sharing people’s stories through food.

Her work sits on the intersection of food, travel and politics and her critically-acclaimed books, The Saffron Tales and Zaitoun, use everyday stories to human connection to challenge stereotypes of the Middle East.

Yasmin has worked as a presenter for BBC R4’s Food Programme and CNN’s Perfect Dish series. She is a regular media commentator, appearing on flagship programmes such as Newsnight, the Today programme and Women’s Hour, and writes for a variety of publications including the Guardian, the Telegraph, the New Statesmen, Saveur, Afar, Food52 and Roads and Kingdoms. Prior to her writing career, Yasmin trained in Law and was a human rights campaigner for a decade, running national and international campaigns on poverty and human rights.

Yasmin is also a sought after public speaker who has delivered hundreds of motivational and inspiring speeches around the world on issues relating to activism, creativity, burnout, career change and human rights in the Middle East.

Reviews

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

It took me a long time to read this cookbook, not because there was anything wrong with it, but because it was SO GOOD! I read it from cover to cover, trying a few recipes along the way. At the end I still had 12 page markers in place for recipes that I want to make, which I believe is way above the average for a book like this.

[Savindi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this cookbook! It's one of my favourites and I enjoyed reading Yasmin's personal stories throughout the book. The Persian Love Cake is a must try! It's so simple to make and so delicious. The Shirazi Salad is also great. If you want to know more about Persia or are curious about the culinary delights of this country, be sure to check this book out.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent cookbook! I feel like I have been searching for a Persian cookbook for years, and never quite connected with the others I have read. Ms. Khan's recipes are approachable, attractive, and perfectly suit my wishlist combination of classic Persian recipes with ingredients I understand and can find. I am going to make a chickpea soup for dinner tonight, and eggs with spinach later this week. And the desserts! Oh my goodness. I want to make *every one* of her dessert recipes right this minute and then eat them all. I think this book is going to be purchased, and then frequently consulted.

[Sarah Nealy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've never read a cook book from cover to cover before! I found it to be a very warm, cozy and a therapeutic read. The recipes are enticing and enchanting. I can't wait to try them all!

[Stephen Simpson · Rating 5 out of 5]

All around, an excellent cookbook.

Too many cookbooks that interweave personal stories/histories become bogged down by them, but this is a rare case where it makes it superior and offers pleasant interludes between the sections. The pictures are likewise good; I'm not a cook that cares too much if cookbooks include recipe photos, but these are quite good.

The recipes themselves are excellent. They work and they're tasty (well, assuming you like Persian food ... and if you don't, why are you even reading the reviews for a Persian cookbook?). The author did a pretty good job of trying to cover a very wide topic and include some important representative dishes, as well as less common/more esoteric dishes that she just happens to like.

I wish the book would have included more recipes, but that's always a trade-off, right? More recipes, more pages, more weight, more cost, much higher cover price...

[Rachael · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful book with delightful insight into a place seemingly so fraught to Western eyes. The recipes are exotic yet approachable and she explains the flavors and ingredients so well. Truly a lovely cookbook.

[Offbalance · Rating 3 out of 5]

As much a travelogue as a cookbook, this was full of stunning photographs and great stories about the author's travels. The recipes, however, seemed a bit intimidating to try at home, both from an ingredient standpoint and a technique one.

[Sydney Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Where has Persian cuisine been all my life? So many great recipes and lovely snippets about popular ingredients or techniques in Iran.

[Lili · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book as an advance reader copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is the second Persian cookbook that I’ve reviewed in two months; my third if you count the Middle Eastern cookbook that had recipes some Persian influenced recipes in their collection. The first book set a very high bar: it had gorgeous photographs, great recipes, and educational interludes about travel in the greater Persian region. It was a wonderful introduction to Persian cuisine. My hope was that this book is as good as the previous one, with excellent photographs, recipes, and education.

I adore that this book begins with a map of Iran, which is so important to understand how the geography influences the national cuisine. Because the book is based on the author’s travels through Iran, each section of the book is followed by an interlude about a particular city: Rasht, Tehran, Isfahan & Shiraz, Tabriz, Bandar Abbas. These interludes discussed the culinary characteristics of the regional food, as well as the author’s interactions with people in the region during her travels. In general, these interludes leaned heavily toward memoir and travelogue.

Additionally, I was happy to see that the first chapter of the book was The Persian Store Cupboard, which gives an alphabetical listing of the key ingredients in Persian cuisine. The short ingredient paragraphs describe the item and its importance to Persian cuisine, and sometimes describe how to cook with the item. There is seldom any sourcing information offered for specific ingredients, other than the generic recommendation that you can find the item in a health food shop and many larger supermarkets. There is no list of specific websites from which one can acquire the ingredients.

Saffron Tales has six different sections: breakfast, mezze and sides, salads, soups, mains, desserts. The recipe selection ranged from traditional dishes to Persian interpretations of Western dishes (although the interpretations were mainly in the dessert section). The recipes for the traditional dishes seemed to be very similar to those in the previous book. Each recipe had a sidebar that spoke to the author’s experience with the recipe, and sometimes offered tips in preparation or modifications for a vegan or vegetarian preparation. These sidebars were often quite interesting, although more than a fair number of them were predominantly autobiographical.

The book ends with two pages of typical Persian menus to aid in meal planning, a list of gluten free recipes, and a list of dairy free recipes. These were nice touches to round out the author’s intent that everyone could enjoy Persian food.

Overall, Saffron Tales felt like a very personal cookbook. Most of the recipes seemed to be either foods that evoked a particular childhood memory or foods that the author learned from an acquaintance during her more recent travels to Iran. I learned much more about the author herself than I did about Iran as a country or Persia as a culture.

I have yet to prepare any recipes from this cookbook. When I do, I will update this review.

[Dettie Leestafel · Rating 5 out of 5]

De in Londen geboren op getogen Yasmin Khan neemt ons mee op reis door dit land van haar ouders en grootouders. Het land dat ze dankzij de vele familiebezoeken heel goed heeft leren kennen. Ze vertelt over de steden en gebieden die ze bezoekt en over de bezienswaardigheden en gebruiken aldaar. Maar natuurlijk vooral over het eten dat vele variaties per regio kent. Ze bezoekt restaurants, kennissen en vriendinnen die haar nog meer met de fijne kneepje van de Iraanse/Perzische keuken laten kennismaken.

Ze vertelt dat in de Perzische keuken veel vers fruit (vooral granaatappel) wordt gebruikt, zowel bij het ontbijt, de lunch als het avondeten en wordt ook aangeboden als tussendoortje. De lunch is overigens de hoofdmaaltijd van de dag. Maar ook het ontbijt krijgt ruimschoots aandacht. Het bestaat op zijn minst uit geroosterd platbrood, waarvan het recept in het boek staat, zoute feta en romige boter. Dit wordt al dan niet geserveerd met zelfgemaakte jams, honing, dadels en/of tahin (sesampasta). Daarbij amandelen en walnoten, verse kruiden, dunne plakken tomaat, komkommerschijfjes voor de liefhebbers van een hartiger ontbijt. Eieren bereid in allerlei variaties zijn ook geliefd bij het ontbijt, waarvan heerlijke recepten zijn te vinden in dit boek.
Overigens worden bij elke maaltijd altijd diverse verse kruiden geserveerd. Iedereen kan zijn eten dus zo kruidig maken als ze zelf willen.


Daarna volgen duidelijke recepten van zeer smakelijke salades, soepjes, bijgerechten, hoofdgerechten, afsluiters enz.

Het fijne van dit boek is dat, naast de mooie reisverhalen, bij elk gerecht ook een kort verhaaltje is geschreven over de herkomst of het gebruik van het recept of waarom juist die kruiden gebruikt zijn, etc.. Persoonlijk vind ik dat een erg leuke toevoeging en het lijkt me ook een goed idee om deze verhaaltjes bijvoorbeeld aan de gasten te vertellen, daardoor krijgen de gerechten nog meer de aandacht die ze verdienen.
De ingrediënten zijn overigens allemaal goed verkrijgbaar, hetzij in winkels hetzij via internet.

Heel prettig is, dat achterin het boek staat aangegeven welke recepten glutenvrij en welke zuivelvrij zijn, dat scheelt een hoop uitzoekwerk voor degenen die daar rekening mee moet houden. Verder geeft Yasmin Kahn ook enkele aanwijzingen welke gerechten goed bij een bepaalde gelegenheid passen en welke vegetarisch of veganistisch zijn.

Kortom, een fraai, duidelijk, kleurrijk. mooi uitgevoerd kookboek, zelfs aanbevolen door Yotam Ottolenghi himself!

Zie ook haar website http://www.thesaffrontales.com waar o.a. ook enkele recepten (Engels) op te vinden zijn.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

"There is nothing speedy about this recipe, but sometimes the best dishes come to those who wait." [Stuffed eggplants Dolmeh, p.146]

What a lovely book! It is full of page after page of immediately bookmarked recipes, each one very personally introduced with a brief memory of Yasmin Khan's travels and/or family life in Iran.

There are four things that were somewhat startling: 1.) Yasmin Khan recommends using tinned pulses, rather than soaking them overnight; 2.) several recipes call for "cilantro seeds" and "cilantro", rather than "coriander" and "coriander leaf"; 3.) several recipes call for "cornflour", rather than "corn starch" (there is no glossary at the back to explain regional differences for ingredients' names); 4.) there is a persistent call for the use of a non-stick pan and no explanation about what was used before the invention of teflon.

Surely well-seasoned cast-iron, or glazed cast-iron - or perhaps glazed clay - would work just as well. All of those last a lot longer than no-stick pans too.

But these are minor points.

Almost with each page, we would exclaim, we have to have that!

In the summer evenings, one of the most popular activities in Tehran is to wander through the neighbourhood of Darband [...] feasting on barbecued meat from the dozens of street stalls that line the tiny cobbled roads. You select the meat you want to eat [...] and then watch as the vendor threads it onto his skewer and cooks it on hot coals in front of you. [Chicken livers with pomegranate molasses, p.68]

Many of the ingredients we already have. But we immediately added the following to our grocery list:
• more pomegranate molasses
• barberries
• golpar "its deeply aromatic, bitter, musky, and citrusy aroma gives many Persian dishes their distinctive flavor"
• walnuts
• dried limes

And we will be sure that the following are growing in our garden this year:
• radishes
• chives
• basil
• mint
• parsley
• tarragon
• coriander
• carrots

bookmarked and/or already made:
• Mixed Herb Platter Sabzi khordan, p.54
• Olives marinated with walnuts and pomegranates Zaytoon parvardeh, p.56
• Persian flatbread Lavaash, p.60
• Yogurt with beets and mint Borani-ye laboo, p.62
• Yogurt with pomegranate and mint Mast-e anar, p.65 (Delicious!! ...this is a keeper)
• Burnt eggplant and walnut dip Kaleh kabob, p.67
• Chicken livers with pomegranate molasses, p.68 (why is there no instruction for how to barbecue these?)
• Gilaki pinto beans Loobia pokhte, p.70
• Corn with sumac and za'atar spiced butter Balaal, p.71
• Watermelon, mint, and feta salad, p.94
• Carrot and pistachio salad, p.96
• Red cabbage, beet, and date salad, p.99 (Delicious!! ...this is a keeper)
• Fragrant mixed herb and flatbread salad Domaaj, p.102
• Legume noodle soup Aash-e reshte, p.114
• Butternut squash and dried lime soup Soup-e kadoo halva-ee, p.122
• Eggplant and mushroom tahcheen, p.142 (saffron-infused savory rice cake)
• Rice with lentils, dates, and walnuts Addas polo, p.148 "is one of life's simple pleasures: a lightly spiced, deeply comforting rice dish cooked with lentils and topped with dried fruit, nuts and crispy fried onions."
• Lime and saffron chicken kebabs Jujeh kabob, p.164 (question: why call for plastic, foil, and give no instruction for how to barbecue this?!)
• Apricot and prune chicken stew Aloo mosamaa, p.166
• Chicken with walnuts and pomegranates Fesenjoon, p.170
• Barberry and saffron rice with chicken Zereshk polo baa morgh, p.172
• Roast chicken with pomegranate and za'atar glaze, p.175 (insanely delicious! - both in the oven and on the barbecue, even though there are no instructions for cooking this on the barbecue...)
• Slow-cooked lamb shoulder with dried lime and split peas Gheimeh, p.178
• Dr. Asaf's juicy lamb kebabs Chenjeh, p.182 "My dad lives to eat, and is one of the best cooks I know. [...] His special bite-sized kebabs are [...] the best Iranian kebab recipe you'll find"
• Rice with lamb, tomatoes and green beans Loobia polo, p.184
• Rhubarb and cardamom cheesecake, p.204
• Saffron, rose water, and pistachio ice cream Bastani sonnati, p.213
• Sour cherry and dark chocolate cookies, p.217
• Date and walnut squares, p.218

See what I mean? Along with the vivid descriptions of Iranian culture, there are great looking recipes galore!

At a roadside café, we breakfasted on kaleh parcheh, [...] Some freshly baked flatbread and halved Seville oranges completed the meal, and Babak showed me how to squeeze the juices into the broth. [...] No sooner had I laid my spoon down in my empty bowl and wiped the corners of my mouth with my now greasy napkin than Babk insisted we try another breakfast spot. we waddled across the road to a café serving Loobia pokhte (page 70), a rustic dish of beans infused with citrus and golpar served with a fried egg, tomatoes, cucumber and flat bread.
      Mid-feast, Babk patted his belly: "I love that feeling you get when you are eating something really tasty and can't stop, even though you are full." I told him that the Georgians have a word [...] which is not too dissimilar to the Farsi word for a person who eat too much. and I reached for another piece of bread... [Rasht, p.51]
~ ~ ~ ~
This time, we ordered the kashk-e badinjooon, a smoky eggplant dip topped with fried onions and kashk (fermented whey); as well as the restaurant's speciality, Mast-e anar (page 65), a side dish of yogurt and pomegranate and mint that was a delight alongside our lamb fillet kebabs. [Isfahan & Shiraz, p.110]
~ ~ ~ ~
"[...] When I was a child, no matter how hungry we were, we would always wait for r all the members of the family to be together before eating. Nowadays, the [...] concept of gathering to eat a family meal is gone."
      Parveen laments this change, "You see, eating isn't just about filling your stomach," she points out. "It is an opportunity to sit with one another, to talk about your day, to share your problems, your thoughts, your feelings. This is one of the most important reasons why we cook — so we can share our food and our time with our loved ones." [Tabriz, p.131]

+++++++++++++++++++++++

Bread: There are only a couple of bread recipes included; they look perfectly fine. Unfortunately, the measurements are by volume, and the cooking methods neglect to include instruction on how to proceed using a barbecue - or on a stone in the oven, rather than using a frying pan on top of the stove.

[Jill Blevins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Obviously written by a scholarly, brilliant artist of the written word. That said, as someone who enjoys reading memoir-laden cookbooks for the memoir aspect alone, this was one I just couldn't latch onto and feel excited or compelled to finish. The recipes are stunning but I'll never cook any of them. They do open a huge, beautiful, richly-curtained window into a deep and historical culture, and that is worth wading through all the (in my simple mind) overly elaborate descriptions on the memoir side of the book. Sometimes you want a sentence to end without so many adjectives.

Again, I'm not interested in scholarly tomes, so this wasn't written for my demographic. But I can appreciate lush and gorgeous writing, especially when it has to do with out-of-my-experience gastronomic culture and history. And this is certainly one of the best. But Martha Stewart, Julia Child or even Gabriella Hamilton it is not. Which is not a bad thing. Am I protesting too much?

[Critterbee❇ · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Saffron Tales: Recipes from the Persian Kitchen is a lovely collection of Persian recipes, simple enough to be recreated at home with little fuss, and with some great photographs for how to make Persian Rice (a favorite of mine and my family's).

The flavours are traditional Iranian ones, and the recipe directions are clear and easy to follow. This is a cookbook for the home cook, who wants to try some new flavours without the intimidation of mastering a new cuisine or cooking style.

I especially liked:
- The many recipes with Pistachios!
- The painless recipes
- The bright photographs of both the food and sights from around Iran

**eARC Netgalley**

[KayW4 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

As a home cook born and raised in northern Europe, I've been exposed to little, if any, Iranian cooking. Even during my time living in London and New York I somehow avoided tasting any food from the Persian tradition. But even as such a novice of this cooking style and flavors, this book has blown my mind! It somehow manages to both be helpful to a beginner, and a very sophisticated journey into the kinds of kitchens that use saffron, rosewater and persimmon on a daily basis. I loved so many recipes and many are surprisingly easy to do well. I suppose the only drawback here is that some of the meals do get a little expensive - but for entertaining, or for slightly fancier versions of weekday family meals, you can't beat this book!

[roxi Net · Rating 4 out of 5]

An incredibly beautiful cookbook. Amazing photos, background of Persian Food and culture, and recipes. I thought I was fairly familiar with Persian food, but this book proved I wasn't as savvy as I thought I was (and I'm okay with it!). The Persian cupboard description was wonderful and I was so happy to find an "Easy naan bread" recipe that I will be trying out this week; I've tried several recipes and nothing works for me (maybe I have to take in consideration that it might just be me!). I'm also eager to try the Pomegranate Soup recipe and the Pomegranate and cherry sponge cake recipe (yep, I'm all about pomegranates!).

This book would make a great gift for yourself or for another food lover.

[Marisa Manghelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful pictures. And the stories are wonderful, and remind me of some of the stories my family have shared from their time living in Iran. Yasmin Khan is a very evocative writer. I had to force myself not to read this when I was hungry, because then I would end up depressed that I couldn’t try the recipes RIGHT NOW since I don’t regularly stock half these ingredients. I’m definitely planning to get a physical copy for myself, and it might just show up as Christmas gifts for half my family too.

[Gem ~ · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful book featuring delicious Persian recipes with very detailed and comprehensive instructions but also written with amazing stories of the author's own childhood and family memoried as well as tales collected from her travels around Iran dining with families. Beautifully presented with colourful photography and design this is a stunning book to have on your shelf as well as packed with delicious ideas for dining. As a vegetarian I loved the variety of veggie and vegan dishes featured and can't wait to try many of them.

[Teacup · Rating 5 out of 5]

The only cookbook I've ever encountered that made me feel safe and reassured even when facing complicated cooking challenges. The recipes never hid how much time and effort was actually involved, and there was a coherent narrative throughout the book that made me feel as though I were participating in Khan's journey and her sensory experience.

[Labiba Khan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the recipes in the middle of the stories/background of Iran. I learned more about common ingredients we see in Persian dishes - specifics of how and why they are used. As an avid reader and cook, these stories hold my fascination. I'm looking forward to incorporating some Persian cooking techniques in the Pakistani - American dishes that come out of my kitchen.

[Terri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful photographs and interesting recipes There are combination of spices that i have never thought to try . I am a vegetarian and there are a couple in here for my to try. IF you have never had Persian Rice you must! I think i have made it six times already

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a beautiful book. Nice pictures of the food and life in the places the author was visiting. But the stories really help.you feel the nature of the culture of Iranian food. Can't wait to try the recipes!

[Diana Bliss · Rating 4 out of 5]

I copied several recipes into my person recipe box. It's a beautiful book with easy to follow recipes and lovely descriptions of the different regions of Iran.

[Wdmoor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommended.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I reviewed this cookbook on my blog https://www.annaandeleanor.com

[Mirella Ducasteele · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gelezen en 17 recepten getest. Lekker en duidelijk!

[Colleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simultaneously had me jumping into the kitchen to cook (homemade naan!) and think about when I should travel to Iran. A truly amazing cookbook filled with stories and travels.

[Choyang · Rating 5 out of 5]

'The Saffron Tales: Recipes from the Persian Kitchen' written by Yasmin Khan

This is a wonderful cookbook with beautiful photos and delicious recipes, in addition to the author's useful commentary. This one is a keeper!

I've been cooking Persian and other Middle-Eastern type foods since I first learned from my college friends who were from those areas, eventually ending up cooking in a Middle-Eastern restaurant for a while before moving away.

I only mention that info because I love and cook foods from lots of different cultures and have the experience to rate this book from a professional POV, as well as personal.

It's a great cookbook, with useful information on how to make some really tasty dishes! I highly recommend it! Take some time to immerse yourself in cooking these dishes and treat your family & friends and yourself to some delicious feasts!
Your body will thank you!

PS. if you live in an area where it is difficult to aquire some of the ingredients, there are places on-line to buy them. I'd recommend a couple of places to buy spices, but not sure I can do that in here?
(Btw, I don't own them, or get kick-backs, lol)

Two thumbs up! 👍👍

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another wonderful cookbook from Khan, which offers a glimpse into the rich and varied Iranian culture. Iranian cuisine is as varied as the country is large, and the interest is in the regional differences in ingredients and spices. One will have to order some of the spices online, but it is worth it to achieve an authentic flavorful dish. Vegetarians will appreciate that more than half the recipes are meatless, and carnivores will be surprised that they don’t miss the meat. Khan has modified recipes for the American kitchen and has substituted really hard to find ingredients with ones that don’t take away from the integrity of the dish.

Khan’s writing about the history, the people and the evolution of Persian food offers an additional culture layer, expanding the reader’s understanding past what the news presents to us. After all, the best way to get to know strangers is to share a meal and a conversation. I hope Ms. Khan will give us more cookbooks like her current two. No doubt, preparing and sharing each other’s food is a path to peace.

[Pamela N. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Gem of a CookBook

I have studied art and the art of cooking almost my whole life. I have collected and used cookbooks from nearly every culture and country, as well as corresponding ingredients and spices. But I lacked a good Iranian cookbook, and wondered what I would find in this one.

Well, I am not only impressed, can hardly wait to get into the kitchen to try some of the recipes I've bookmarked. It will be fun to use some spices and ingredients have been waiting their turn.

But what really recommends this book are the gorgeous photos and the well-written prose. There is a certain warmth to the details giving context to each Ingredient and recipe. I felt sun shining on the kitchen, and was amazed by the colors and combinations of foods.

This is a cookbook that is organized, well edited, and has all the necessary parts, such as a glossary, sections for categories, and references. I'll be reading this In place of my typical novel, for quite a treat.

[Africache Gastineau · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was listening to the podcast Fierce and on the first episode she mentioned Ms. Yasmin Khan and her books. So I looked them up and decided to start with this one. Needless to say I have bookmarked several recipes and will start making a list on things I can make in Freetown Sierra Leone where I am currently working.

The book is a great combination of stories interwoven with the recipes and the instructions seem easy enough even for the not so switched on cooks like myself.

I purchased this on Kindle but when I settle down someday I will get this as a proper book. An wait to read her second book.