Madhur Jaffrey's Indian Cooking

I enjoy cooking and trying new recipes. The variety of dishes cover every phase of meal planning. I especially like the vegetarian and the relish chapters. Increase the spice quantities when you prefer a more traditional Indian flavor.

This was my first of Madhur Jaffreys cookbooks 14 years ago, I just bought a new copy of this book to give my Mom as a gift. Over the years I have acquired some of Madhurs Jaffreys other cook books as well. This one is excellent as are all of her cookbooks!! Her cookbooks are timeless and never get outdated. My husband never ate Indian food before I started cooking it for him and now he loves it as much as I do. Madhur Jaffrey is amusing and very clear in explaining how to create her dishes.Tip: Be sure to read the front section of the book before you begin trying to cook her recipes, don't skip over it unless you have had previous experience with cooking Indian food. The front section of the book explains what the different techniques, methods and ingredients are, which was invaluable when I first tried to create Indian food with the use of this book. If you read the beginning you will have a much better understanding and it will be easier to complete her recipes successfully. I had so much success when I first began using this book that I have been continuing to cook Indian food for years ever since, and have also gone on to explore many other world cuisines,Thai food for instance.If you are trying this book for the fist time, this is a good recipe from the book to start out with because it's an easy and simple one: 'Lentils with garlic and onion' it's delicious! 'Red split lentils with cumin seed'{Masoor dal} is another good one to start out with but it's a little bit more complex than the first recipe I suggested. If you make the 'Red split lentils with cumin seed' be sure to use plenty of chopped Cilantro leaves as a garnish on top!! They complete the dish, and make it even better!!! I serve both these dishes with Basmati rice. When you begin to get the hang of it, try 'Delicious cocktial koftas' {Chhote kpfte}. They are melt in your mouth, delicious lamb meatballs, YUM!!! Also try: 'Lemony chicken with fresh coriander' {Hare masale wali murgh} Too many great recipes to list. If I have one bit of advice when following her recipes it's this: Don't burn or over cook the spices when heating them in the 'Ghee'! When Madhur says cook them for a few seconds, she means it!! Happy Indian cooking to you!!

My husband and I are avid cooks and love to experiment with ethnic cuisines. We own dozens of cookbooks, and both come from very different culinary backgrounds (mediterranean/cajun) so we know a thing or two about cooking. We have cooked every single recipe in this book in the 10 years that we have owned it. I believe this is a must-have staple cookbook in every serious cook's library, and especially on Indian cooking. These are the reasons that set this apart from other cookbooks:1. Recipes are authentic (according to our many Indian friends)2. They are easy to follow (text is kept at a minimum, un-Martha Stuart-like)3. The techniques are adapted to modern living. For example, I never thought of making naan bread because I know it is supposed to be baked on a hot surface, like on a big hot wood burning stove. However, this book suggests a way to achieve the same result in your oven by combining broiling and baking. The results were outstanding with about 15-minutes of oven/broiling time for a dozen or so delicious naan pieces. I was impressed!!!Finally, this book is worth buying for a salmon & tomato recipe that is mouthwatering, elegant for company, and simple enough for a weekday meal that we make it over and over during salmon season. Even my 21-month old gobbles it up every time!

It would be hard to write (or design) a better cookbook to demystify Indian cooking than this work by Madhur Jaffrey. Between the clarity of the instructions, the exhaustive glossary and the opulent pictures, this is an excellent buy for anyone interested in Indian cookery. Be warned, however; Indian cooking; while neither puzzling nor difficult for the well-equipped kitchen, is time-consuming. As Ms. Jaffrey explains in her preface, she was exposed in childhood to a number of the different facets of subcontinental cooking which make up "Indian" cuisine. This book reflects these nicely, balancing traditional restaurant favorites (vindaloo, tandoori chicken) against lesser-known aspects of the Indian kitchen. There's also an effective and considerate balance between meat and vegetarian dishes. No cook should review any recipe book without naming their favorites. Mine are bookmarked by the spills, streaks and blotches acquired from many repetitions, and include the murgh musallam (whole chicken in aluminum foil), parathas (puffy fried breads) and masaledar sem (spicy green beans with tomatoes). But there's so much here- from instructions on how to wash rice to how to mix your own garam masala- that nobody wanting to learn more about Indian cookery will come away from this book disappointed.

We have loved and used this book for many years. Some great and delicious recipes in here. This is a classic!

Delighted with the book. In lovely condition. No issues. Great value Thank you

Improve your curries!

Mit diesem Buch habe ich vor vielen Jahren nicht nur indisch kochen gelernt, sondern auch kochen überhaupt, weil Frau Jaffrey auch die Grundtechniken einfach und anschaulich beschreibt. Dasselbe gilt für die einzelnen Rezepte, bei denen praktische Tipps denen helfen, die nicht gerade einen indischen Markt vor der Haustür haben. Verzichtet wird auf überflüssigen Schnickschnack und Mystifizierungen aller Art. Dafür gibt es zu dem Rezept eine kleine, stets lesenswerte Einführung, die über Herkunft, Erfahrungen und Erlebnisse der Verfasserin Bezug nimmt. Ich habe im Laufe vieler Jahre das Meiste probiert und bin nie enttäuscht worden.Die Rezepte stammen vor allem aus dem Nordwesten des Subkontinents - viel Mughlai Kitchen, teils Gujarati und Goanese. Dazu findet sich einiges aus Bengalen. Südindische Küche dagegen darf man durchaus vermissen. Ansonsten ist das "mein" Kochbuch, das ich jetzt gerne ein weiteres Mal verschenke

The book which I purchased was advertised as "Used, but in good condition" This was entirely accurate and I am delighted with my purchase

I first discovered this cookbook at the library. My husband and I loved it so much that we had to have our own copy!