Awarded "Best Vegetarian Book in the World 2006 by the prestigious Gourmand awards, this cookbook features more than 60 traditional vegetarian recipes. It is a tribute to an illustrious Indian Grandmother , Mrs Subhadra Rau Parigi (aka Pedatha). She was the daughter of India s former President Bharat Ratna Dr. V V Giri. Her recipes, much sought after by friends and relatives, retain the regional flavours of Andhra Pradesh, a state of India known for its delicious chilli-hot food. Intrigued by her passion which had not diminished with age, Jigyasa and Pratibha took the initiative to record this culinary legacy for posterity. Some special features of this book Traditional recipes with interesting variations, Guidelines for tempering or tadka, Vegetarian meal plans, Photo glossary of spices, lentils and vegetables, Exquisite food photography, and Special tips by Pedatha throughout the book. Recipe sections are divided into Chutneys (Pachchadi), Powders (Podi), Rice (Annam), Vegetables (Koora), Dals (Pappu, Chaaru), Yogurt (Perugu), Sweets (Theepi), and Crispies (Vadiyalu). With attention to detail and an easy-to-follow format, the book is a treat to the novice as well as the veteran. The excellent photography & layout add to the aesthetic appeal of this tribute coffee table book. Book Design by Prabodh Jain & Kavitha Shivan Photographs by Srivatsa Shandilya
After reading through this book, I come away with the same satisfaction that one gets from reading a beautiful coffee table book. In fact, I can say that I have never experienced such a beautiful cookbook. You can be sure that it will not be sitting around in the kitchen. If anything spilled on it, I would just die. To use the term cookbook seems insufficient. Every page is an experience. Reading through it was like reading a novel set in India. To read of something as austere as curry leaves, and be able to smell the curry simply based on the description, is evidence that Jigyasa & Pratibha set out to write a book that is truly worthy of Pedatha's genius, and the traditions and generations of the heritage from which it sprang. The muted colors and the sepia toned pictures, the transliteration guide, and the collection of wise sayings all come together to create an experience, in exactly the same way that all the different foods come together to make a meal.
This is a lovely cook book for people interested in Andhra vegetarian cooking. Well organized and includes wonderful pachadis and kooras and charus. A must-have for those interested in expanding their Indian and vegetarian cooking repertoire. My only mild complaint is that this book doesn't cover any of the Hyderabadi recipes like Bagara Baingan but again that may be understandable as recipes like the BB are influenced by Nizami cooking.
This book is so beautifully written and the recipes are fairly easy to follow. It does not get more authentic than this when it comes to Indian Andhra cuisine. The photos are amazing- they make this book a classic. Made a few dishes so far and they turned out delicious.
We are all aware of Andhra food , fiery and mostly nomvegetarian with their gongura chicken and biriyanis.This book was an eye opener which showed me that there is more to Andhra vegetarian food then pappu ,avakai and gongura chutney.This is a cook's delight with simple and easy to follow recipes and the instructions and measurements are so accurate that just by blindly following the recipe the dish does turn out good.
I LOVE Indian food! this is a beautiful Vegetarian cookbook which seems to focus on South Indian cuisine.It has a picture for every recipe as well which entices you even more.
This is no doubt a very pretty book but it did not help me cook anything at all. The glossy pages and the very light colored font for measurements make it very difficult to read the recipes.