The Indian Spice Kitchen

Rating:
Summary: Recipes for all occassions!
Review: Excellent book. Has recipes of delicious foods that my mom cooked/made for me when I was young - Oondhiya, mango shrikhand, dal dhokli, etc.

The author deserves a big thank you for doing such a great job.

Rating:
Summary: Spices, Recipes, Beautiful Photos: All in One
Review: I too am another satisfied reader of this wonderful book. It has so many appealing features. First of all, the book is worth the price just for the information it contains not only on spices but also on rices, legumes, flours, etc. But in addition it gives you many outstanding recipes that are well thought out, easy to make, and most importantly, achieve the desired results: delicious Indian food.

I am a Novice Indian cook with a capital N and yet I have succeeded in turning out great-tasting dishes one after the other. I have tried 8 so far and I am pleaseed with them all. I will definitely try many more.

Now on top of all this, the book is filled with mouth-watering and artfully presented color photos that are in themselves a treat for your eyes. All in all I can recommend this book as a valuable addition to any cookbook collection.

Rating:
Summary: For the SERIOUS Cook
Review: If you are just looking for recipes, don't bother with this book. This FANTASTIC publication is geared toward the serious 'cuisine-o-phile', who loves to read about food, not just eat it. I have at least a hundred books about food and this is a gem. It gives a few pages on dozens of spices, rice types, pulses, and other basics of Indian cooking and provides interesting information on each along with a couple of example recipes. Well worth the very reasonable price.

Rating:
Summary: An essential supplement for your Indian cookbooks
Review: Indian cooking can be simple and quick provided the right ingredients are at hand. In this day and age, most of these can be easily found even in western countries. The key is to know what to look for and how to use them to create just the right taste. The title of this book is a misnomer in the sense that this comprehensive book not only helps understand spices but also herbs, nuts, vegetables, fruits, lentils, cereals, flours etc., all of which are critical for creating magical flavor and zest of Indian dishes. Each ingredient has vivid color pictures that will help reader identify it, followed by details about its appearance, taste, medicinal uses, culinary uses, buying advice and storing tips. Finally two recipes are given that are meant to reveal the versatility of the ingredient. Though more than 200 recipes are given in the book, some of them are not be what may be considered "mainstream" recipes in western countries. The chefs at Recipedelights.com highly recommend this book to novice cooks or those just starting this journey of discovery to one of the most delectable cuisines of the world. As the author says "...consider this book only as a starting point..."

Rating:
Summary: Great recipes - great information
Review: The Indian Spice Kitchen is a lush, full-size Indian Cookbook with over 200 recipes to demonstrate the use of a complex variety of wonderful exotic Indian spices and foods. Each spice or food is headlined by name, displayed in vivid color photos, and amplified by brief categories of information including how it grows, appearance and taste, buying and storing, medicinal and other uses, and culinary uses. This is followed by a couple of easy to prepare recipes to demonstrate the spice, showcased by yet more breathtaking photo compositions of the prepared food. The Indian Spice Kitchen is a treat to the eye with multisensory appeal. You can almost smell the fragrances! All recipe photography is by Julie Dixon, and extensive photographic acknowledgements are given at the end of the book. The text is descriptive, educational and contains just the right amount of anecdote to add pungency to the mix. The recipes themselves are simple and wonderful. Some examples are Bharwan Tamater (Stuffed Tomatoes), Channa Pulao (white chickpeas and rice). Pavta Patties (Lima Bean Patties), Bombay Pudding, Komdi Vindaloo (Spicy Goan Chicken Curry), Mooli Ka Salaad (white radish salad), and Lucknow Murgi Biryani (chicken Biryani Lucknow style). Chapters cover spices, herbs, vegetables and fruits, nuts, breads and cereals, and lentils/legumes as well as occasional treats and miscellaneous ingredients such as pappadams (thin fried bread wafers), jaggery (a sugar cane by-product), and edible silver foil used to garnish Indian treats. From start to finish, The Indian Spice Kitchen is a feast for the senses. Its fragrances waft out, tempting readers to try their hand at this exotic, ancient, rich cuisine.

Nancy Lorraine Reviewer

Rating:
Summary: A Good Introduction to Indian Cooking
Review: The Indian Spice Kitchen is a good reference book for learning about the spices that are common in Indian cooking. The information is classified by spice or ingredient type. Each spice is given a two-page spread in which information is given about the taste, appearance, source, history, and cultural signifigance of the spice. Also two recipies are given which use the spice mentioned. The recipies are nice, but I think that the main function of this book is to introduce the spices common in the Indian kitchen. The book is filled with full-color pictures throughout, and it will please any serious foodlover. If you already know a lot about the spices used in Indian cooking and are more interested in recipies, perhaps you should look for a more focused cookbook. For beginners to Indian cooking, this is a perfect introduction.

Rating:
Summary: A Good Introduction to Indian Cooking
Review: The Indian Spice Kitchen is a good reference book for learning about the spices that are common in Indian cooking. The information is classified by spice or ingredient type. Each spice is given a two-page spread in which information is given about the taste, appearance, source, history, and cultural signifigance of the spice. Also two recipies are given which use the spice mentioned. The recipies are nice, but I think that the main function of this book is to introduce the spices common in the Indian kitchen. The book is filled with full-color pictures throughout, and it will please any serious foodlover. If you already know a lot about the spices used in Indian cooking and are more interested in recipies, perhaps you should look for a more focused cookbook. For beginners to Indian cooking, this is a perfect introduction.

Rating:
Summary: Exotic, ancient, rich cuisine!
Review: The Indian Spice Kitchen is a lush, full-size Indian Cookbook with over 200 recipes to demonstrate the use of a complex variety of wonderful exotic Indian spices and foods. Each spice or food is headlined by name, displayed in vivid color photos, and amplified by brief categories of information including how it grows, appearance and taste, buying and storing, medicinal and other uses, and culinary uses. This is followed by a couple of easy to prepare recipes to demonstrate the spice, showcased by yet more breathtaking photo compositions of the prepared food. The Indian Spice Kitchen is a treat to the eye with multisensory appeal. You can almost smell the fragrances! All recipe photography is by Julie Dixon, and extensive photographic acknowledgements are given at the end of the book. The text is descriptive, educational and contains just the right amount of anecdote to add pungency to the mix. The recipes themselves are simple and wonderful. Some examples are Bharwan Tamater (Stuffed Tomatoes), Channa Pulao (white chickpeas and rice). Pavta Patties (Lima Bean Patties), Bombay Pudding, Komdi Vindaloo (Spicy Goan Chicken Curry), Mooli Ka Salaad (white radish salad), and Lucknow Murgi Biryani (chicken Biryani Lucknow style). Chapters cover spices, herbs, vegetables and fruits, nuts, breads and cereals, and lentils/legumes as well as occasional treats and miscellaneous ingredients such as pappadams (thin fried bread wafers), jaggery (a sugar cane by-product), and edible silver foil used to garnish Indian treats. From start to finish, The Indian Spice Kitchen is a feast for the senses. Its fragrances waft out, tempting readers to try their hand at this exotic, ancient, rich cuisine.

Nancy Lorraine Reviewer

Rating:
Summary: Informative and Delicious
Review: The recipe book is one of my favorites. I am Indian and well versed with how complicated Indian Recipes can be. Ms. Monisha has presented a diverse, delicious and interesting variety of recipes that are easy to follow and easy to make. These recipes form a majority of my "never failed" recipes. My favorites - Navratan Korma and Walnut Koftas.