Betty Crocker's Indian Home Cooking

Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Delicious!
Review: As an Indian who grew up in India and migrated to the U.S a little over two years ago, my knowledge of cooking was limited to instant noodles. Being a passionate foodie on a student budget and a new wife (double whammy, my husband was also a student at the time), I taught myself to cook by watching food TV. but my husband , a vegetarian (I've now taken care of that, whew!) missed his simple dal chawal subji (rice, lentils and usually dry vegetable--a regular everyday meal in every Indian household), and food TV wasn't much help! I started surfing the internet for recipes until a friend gifted me this book. What a lifesaver! I highly recommend it to anyone interested in learning the fundamentals of Indian cooking (since then I've bought and sampled several cookbooks from renowned Indian chefs and nothing stands up to this in-depth and enriching culinary must-have)The introduction and explantion about each spice and its use was an eye-opener, and the recipes are not limited to one region of India. You won't find any use of generic curry powder-- all the ingredients are exactly what an Indian housewife in India would use, and the proof is in the eating. Forget the heavy cream sauces of mughlai food and the sad massacre of South Indian Sambhar and dosas that that have come to represent Indian cooking in the U.S-- this is as close to the real thing as you can get. Even now I turn at least twice a week to pick out a recipe for something as simple as making paneer or as complex as a biriyani. The text is simple, the pictures are wonderful and the English names of Indian ingredients make it easy for someone shopping in an ethinic section of say a New York gorcery store. Moreover Raghavan is helpful with tips and substitutions and I love the little nuggets of culinary history and information (I'm a culture buff and food is the best representation of any culture!), about the origination of a particular dish. I would gift this truly delightful Indian Cooking experience to any new cook in a jiffy!

Rating:
Summary: Betty Crocker &Raghavan Iyer a dynamic duo.
Review: Betty Crocker's Indian home cooking-recipes by Raghavan Iyer.
This cookbook can definately hold it's own against any others on the market.I own several Indian cookbooks and this was a refreshing addition to my collection.I especially enjoyed the garlic potato croquettes,they made a big hit in my home! sort of--- a sophisticated hush puppy.the minted blackeye peas and rice casserole was also nice,easy to make but with a complex,nicely spiced flavor.
I appreciate the time and effort Betty Crocker and there staff took with the beautifully breathtaking photography&to help demystify what different indian utensil look like.also the info on spicing will be helpful to all who are new to indian food.Mr.Iyer is very clear and precise in his recipes and information so you don't have to worry if your desserts or main dishes will come out true to form or not.speaking of desserts,they have a great indian version of bananas Foster in the book not to mention ice cream(they have eaten that in India for century's)a really great find!! of a great cuisine.BUY the BOOK or say good bye to some good eating.

Rating:
Summary: Easy to make, Tastes great!
Review: Finally an Indian Cook book that covers the varied regions of India in a tasteful and colorful manner. I have been using this book for several months and have found it to be indispensible. Having grown up in Bombay and now a resident of the US, I find this book very easy to follow and the results have always been authentic and mouthwatering! It is such a breath of fresh air to work with recipies that don't have a laundry list of ingredients that are hard to find in this country, and still have the recipies turn out spectacular. Raghavan always seems to know which ingredients may be hard to find and offers easy to get substitutes. He has clearly demonstrated that Indian food doesn't have to be complicated to be good. What makes this book a resounding success is that it gets the intimidation factor out of Indian food. Now people from all over the world can enjoy Indian cuisine without all the stigma that the word "curry" brings. Thanks Raghavan for bringing Indian Home cooking into the mainstream. In closing I just want to add that not all Indians are as naive as the last two reviewers, who seemed to have completely missed the point of this book.

Rating:
Summary: Betty gets exotic!
Review: Finally an Indian Cook book that covers the varied regions of India in a tasteful and colorful manner. I have been using this book for several months and have found it to be indispensible. Having grown up in Bombay and now a resident of the US, I find this book very easy to follow and the results have always been authentic and mouthwatering! It is such a breath of fresh air to work with recipies that don't have a laundry list of ingredients that are hard to find in this country, and still have the recipies turn out spectacular. Raghavan always seems to know which ingredients may be hard to find and offers easy to get substitutes. He has clearly demonstrated that Indian food doesn't have to be complicated to be good. What makes this book a resounding success is that it gets the intimidation factor out of Indian food. Now people from all over the world can enjoy Indian cuisine without all the stigma that the word "curry" brings. Thanks Raghavan for bringing Indian Home cooking into the mainstream. In closing I just want to add that not all Indians are as naive as the last two reviewers, who seemed to have completely missed the point of this book.

Rating:
Summary: disappointing and...
Review: I bought this book since it had the Betty Crocker name attached to Indian cooking. However the book is a huge disappointment, to say the least. It is a mish-mash of North and South Indian recipes, some vegetarian, and some meat dishes, with no demarcation between anything. Recipe titles are poorly translated into English, and the Indian names are sometimes in Hindi and sometimes in tamil. While the pictures are tastefully done, seems like Raghavan iyer is otherwise confused. If you are Indian, you definitely can do without this book. And if you are a non-Indian looking to buy a good Indian cookbook, feel free to pass on this one. There are better books out there.

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful and complete Indian cook book
Review: I bought this book this week and was very impressed with the content and helpful comments. Indian food is so flavorful and I wanted to know more about the different spices and dishes. I was not disappointed in this book. Gives the reader many excellent tips. Even the presentation dishes are beautiful examples of fine ceramics.

Rating:
Summary: An excellent book on Indian cooking atlast
Review: I found this book easy to follow, recipees were innovative and wholesome. Format is good, pictures attractive and enticing. It has become my favourite cook book. Look forward to more books by Raghavan Iyer. Radhika Sekar

Rating:
Summary: If you order, be sure to check your copy for defects.
Review: I ordered this book in July of 2002, and unfortunately I had to send it back because it was defective. Twenty pages were missing and twenty pages had been duplicted in their place. I asked that the book be replaced if a non-defective copy could be found, but instead my money was refunded. Just be sure to check your copy if you order this one. Otherwise, it looks like a great book and I hope I can eventually find a good copy.

Rating:
Summary: Top notch cookbook
Review: I stumbled on to this wonderful indian cookbook while attending a cooking class taught by the author. I have found the recipes to be well documented and quite wonderful. This book has quickly become a favorite, and I can hardly wait for his next book to come out. If you like Cooking and love Indian Food, this is the book for you.

Rating:
Summary: Top notch cookbook
Review: I stumbled on to this wonderful indian cookbook while attending a cooking class taught by the author. I have found the recipes to be well documented and quite wonderful. This book has quickly become a favorite, and I can hardly wait for his next book to come out. If you like Cooking and love Indian Food, this is the book for you.