Customer Reviews

The Best of Lord Krishna's Cuisine: Favorite Recipes from The Art of Indian Vegetarian Cooking (Plume)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

As a person of western origin who learned to cook in India,by Indians, I feel I must say that this book is undeniably authentic. The methods of spice tempering and spice combination are fresh and sublime. Most of the Indian cooks I know respect Yamuna devi's cooking as first class. For those of you who appreciate Jaffrey or Sahni books you are not delving into true Indian cooking which is VEGETARIAN i.e. no meat, no fish, no eggs or mushrooms, onions or garlic! When we follow Devi's recipes correctly, without adulteration, and using correct indian spices and ingredients (hing, curry leaves, garam masala, fresh ghee,etc) the recipes are bursting with flavor and are richly textured. I must also point out that I appreciate the fact that throughout the book she remembers and thanks the person who taught her to cook, her spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada, an important person on her culinary journey. Yamuna Devi is an inspiration to all of us who practice to perfect Lord KRSNA'S cuisine. By the way, I use the original cookbook more often and it is back in print again, check your local bookstores.

Quite frankly I'm baffled by other reviewers who find this cookbok to be difficult or disappointing. Someone who finds the taste of oily, non-descript, and "curry" flavored foods you find in many Indian restaurants as excellent examples of Indian cooking might be confused by Yamuna Devi's presentation of subtly spiced and well balanced dishes. I grew up in India and traveled throughout much of the country. I can attest that the author has beautifully captured the wonderfully deep culinary tradition that India has to offer. On a side note, I quite enjoy the personal way Yamuna Devi relates her culinary voyage to her readers. She writes thoughtfully of sources and inspirations for recipes. It seems that her spiritual awakening is tied to her cooking and therefore it seems natural that she would relate these personal reflections to her readers.

Yamuna Devi's recipes are very good and very Indian. I have prepared many of the recipes from "The Art of Indian Vegetarian Cooking" and have found the majority of them to be tastefully spicy. I have also prepared some of them for a friend from Sri Lanka who assured me that the food was authentic.

Though I have not seen this book which has been condensed from "The Art of Indian Vegetarian Cooking", I would recommend it if you are unable to get your hands on the full version (which appears to be out of print).

A couple of the reviewers who have said here that the recipes are not authentically Indian are completely misinformed about what authentic Indian food is like, and what Indians do and do not eat. The recipes in it come out great and are meticulously explained. As an Indian, I can assure you they are authentic. There are large numbers of Indians who do eat food like the recipes in this book. This is exactly what authentic Indian food was until even fifty years ago, across large parts of India.

Unfortunately, Indian cuisine has become polluted by ideas on nutrition borrowed from the west - more sugar, onions, meat, eggs - and not by coincidence, this has been followed by the introduction of diseases that were absent in India till recently - diabetes, heart disease, obesity.

Specifically about the recipes presented in this book: if you follow them, you will find the resultant food is bursting with flavor and health, but not with the oily, heavy, hyper-spicy fullness that characterises a lot of so-called Indian food in many restaurants and 'Indian' cookbooks across the world. You will not be disappointed if you buy this book or her larger, original cookbook.

Unlike many of the reviewers, I found the original book to be fabulous. Devi clearly teaches her readers how to prepare some of the best vegetarian dishes I've ever tasted, and I was saddened to find it unavailable when I looked for it as a gift. A meal takes some time to prepare, but Devi is very clear about the process. I have tried many recipes, and they have all worked the first time I prepared them. Her blend of ingredients and spices are fabulous. This book belongs in the kitchen of every cook interested in preparing delicious Indian cuisine. I treasure my copy.

I am a long time vegetarian and have used many Indian vegetarian cookbooks, and this is the one I use the most. The recipes are interesting and are very delicious. Some recipes can even be used cross-culturally, in non-Indian meals. It is good for people who already have a familiarity with Indian cooking, and even beginners can give it a shot. Also, many of the recipes are vegan or can easily be adapted for vegans. Contrary to other reviewers, I haven't found the book to be overwhelming or confusing. In fact, I find it quite clear and acessable.

I

That book that:

"A decade ago Yamuna Devi's Lord Krishna's Cuisine was named Cookbook of the Year by the International Association of Culinary Professionals "

was given that award when it was practically the only indian cookbook on the shelf back in the late 70's. Back then people didn't know what real indian cuisine tasted like.

As an indian I will tell you, these recipes are NOT authentic indian at all. Although they follow strict VEDIC indian food guidelines, in that there is no garlic, onion, meat, eggs etc., they could be much, much better.

This is more like very bland (remember no onion etc.) AMERICAN FOOD that follows VEDIC indian GUIDLINES with a few indian spices thrown in. What a mess!

Unless you are a really following vedic guildlines for religious reasons and have tried everything else, there are much better books to buy.

If you ARE following vedic guidlines I would suggest you do a search on the internet for vedic indian cookbooks (from India) because this is the only one I've come across here and its really bad. I mean really bad :(.

If you are just looking for indian cookbooks buy a Muthu Jaffrey's cookbook (indian)to get started or Neelam Batra's (fusion indian) are really delicious too!

Like languages in India, it is impossible to make generalizations about Indian food because there are simply too many regional and ethnic variations. This book presents a version of Indian food that is not as familiar to an American audience as that presented in more mainstream books. That makes the recipes interesting and, at times, even startling. My experience, however, is that it is more interesting to read than to use. I frequently find the recipes not to be worth the (often considerable) effort required. But the recipes are intriguing and full of combinations I would never have imagined.

While I can't judge the "authenticity" of Yamuna Devi's recipes, I can comment on their deliciousness. I've had her books since 1991 and they've been indispensable in my culinary education. As the years have passed I've found myself adapting favorite recipes -- adding onions and garlic, for example -- to my family's tastes. I did find some of her techniques intimidating back in 1991 when I was a newbie vegetarian cook. But honestly over the years I've discovered that they're incredibly useful not just for preparing these recipes, but in making other dishes as well. I've also discovered a lot of wonderful ingredients thanks to Devi's books -- asafoetida/hing is an incredible spice, for exanple! I highly recommend her work!

I am heart broken the original and complete hardback edition is apparently out of print. I wanted to buy it for a gift for a near relative struggling with low fat, possibly vegetarian or semi vegetarian diets.

Paperback cookbooks and reference books just dont quite cut it when it comes to heavy, frequent,long term, even daily use.

I discovered this complex, sometimes confusing but superior book through an executive chef who runs a very successful but strict vegan restaurant in the highly popular downtown tourist oriented "Old Town"

It really is worth wading through to find good, sophisticated dishes that lift american vegetable cooking out of the tastless slump.

Cookbooks should come in two editions, both durable hard bound and inexpensive, perhaps even preview for the real thing paper backs.