My husband and I enjoyed takeaway curries in the UK, so we thought we'd try cooking them at home. This is my first Indian recipe book, and we've enjoyed the recipes so far. We prepared vegetable samosas based on the book for our Indian friends, who gave the dish their thumbs up. The recipes seem complex (usually with 10 or more ingredients each) but the book gives step by step instructions that are easy to follow. The photos are beautiful. The authors wrote an interesting introduction on the general principles of Indian cooking and added a helpful list of essential ingredients and spices, utensils and equipment. Each recipe also has Cook's Tips (e.g. substitutes for ingredients that are not available) and Nutritional Notes . The book covers everything from appetizers and main dishes to desserts, relishes, chutneys and breads (which is great because I can make my own nan bread now). At the back of the book there's also a list of suppliers based in the US, UK and worldwide where you can order ingredients and equipment that are not available locally. Overall, I would recommend this as a good first book for Indian cooking. I would have given a rating of 5 stars, if not for the price on Amazon, which is ridiculous (almost $100)! I bought my copy at Barnes&Noble for $9.98. I thought I could get a better price at Amazon because I plan to buy a copy to give as a gift. You won't be disappointed with the book, but shop around for a more reasonable price.
