Best Ever Curry Cookbook

by Mridula Baljekar

The 150 best-loved hot & spicy dishes made simple, with more than 700 color photographs. The definitive guide to mouth-watering, authentic curries from all corners of the Indian subcontinent, & from Thailand, Burma, Vietnam, Malaysia & the Islands of Indonesia & the Philippines. In-depth reference sections focus on the cultures of India & Southeast Asia, & demystify curry with essential guides to classic techniques & to using & preparing key ingredients such as herbs, spices, curry powder & pastes. Contains traditional dishes including recipes for meat, poultry, fish, & vegetarian curries, rice, noodles, & breads, pickles, chutneys, raitas & samals. Easy-to-follow presentation with stage-by-stage photography & sumptuous full-color pictures of every featured dish. Includes world-renowned classics as well as unusual regional specialties & exciting, newly discovered treasures.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Food, Nonfiction, Reference

Hardcover

First published January 1, 2001

Reviews

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not really a veggie cookbook, but there are many vegetarian/vegan recipes in here, usually in the form of bean curries, dhals, and vegetable dishes. Not everything in here is a curry - there are also recipes on chutneys, breads, etc. as well as a number of vegetable dishes that don't seem to me to be curries. However, the majority of the recipes are curries. To my knowledge this is pretty authentic Indian cooking, and beginning of the book is full of pictures and explanations of ingredients, which is really helpful if you are unfamiliar with some of the ingredients (especially spices) used in Indian cooking. You can definitely cut down on the oil in these recipes though - I always halve it without any negative results.

It should be noted that I used soy products to make a number of the recipes in here veg-friendly (and some of the recipes, like any of the seafood ones, I would not even attempt that with). If you are a veggie who is unable or unwilling to use soy, making this cookbook worth you while would be a far greater challenge.

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Curries, chutneys, southeast Asian laksa lemak soup. All these recipes are a delight, and in my kitchen they get a kosher twist. I like to substitute anchovy paste for the shrimp paste... it works just fine that way! With everything from hot madras curries, to kormas, to meat dishes and vegetarian delights, this book is certain to please the spice lover in every family.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really in depth look at curry. I love how the book breaks down recipes from all the regions of India, as well as Filipino, Indonesian, and Thai recipes. It breaks down the ingredients from each region and explains what they are and what flavors are comparable.

[Lindsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great Lahore-style Lamb curry recipe in here, along with info on spice basics and chili varieties.