Cooking Along the Ganges: The Vegetarian Heritage of India (Paperback)

~ Malvi Doshi (Author)
Key Phrases: cluster beans, smooth round patty, whole urid, Cooking Along the Ganges, United States, Cream of Wheat (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Cooking Along the Ganges gathers hundreds of recipes that featured on the menu of the renowned Ganges Restaurant in San Francisco. Including a combination of both authentic North Western (Gujarati) and other, regional-Indian recipes, the book offers a unique panorama of the extremely diverse, Indian tradition of vegetarian cooking. For both the novice cook and the expert chef, Cooking Along the Ganges will serve as a detailed guide that will both demystify the intricacies of Indian cookery and illuminate the health-conscious, flavorful recipes for which the Ganges Restaurant is famous.

About the Author

Born in Surat, Gujarat, Malvi Doshi grew up while traveling through India. After living in both New York and Nairobi, Kenya she settled with her family in San Francisco, where she began to write about Indian cooking. Following the publication of her first cookbook, A Surti Touch (Strawberry Hill Press), Chef Doshi and her husband opened the Ganges Restaurant in 1986. Her unique, magnificent vegetarian cooking quickly established her reputation as a premier Indian chef. Now retired, Malvi Doshi resides in Berkeley, California from where she writes and teaches Indian cooking.

Product Details

• Paperback: 576 pages
• Publisher: IUniverse (November 18, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 059524422X
• ISBN-13: 978-0595244225
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 6 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #661,169 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great authentic recipes, January 18, 2003

By A Customer

Compared to most Indian cook books, I would rate this very highly. I've been waiting to purchase this book based on reviews I've read of Ms. Doshi's other cookbook, which is no longer available. This new book is quite long, with many recipes so I haven't been able to try many of them yet. However, the recipes that I have attempted thus far have been great. Much of the recipes are unique and cooking instructions are very easy to follow. The only criticisms I would have is that, because of its size and dimensions, it does not easily lend itself to cooking while following the instructions--it's hard to keep the pages open--and the book could have benefited from more illustrations. Otherwise, this is a first rate cookbook.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Classic, October 7, 2003

By	asian_chef (Berkeley, CA) - See all my reviews

I consider myself a very experienced amateur cook, with special interest in Asian and Indian cooking. Although I'm not a vegetarian (too many tasty meat dishes to give up), I bought this book based on friends and acquaintences ravings about Ms. Doshi's former restaurant in San Francisco.

I have not been disappointed. Unlike most other Indian cookbooks, this one specializes in a relatively unknown regional cuisine of Gujurat. There are many recipes I have not found in other books. Despite the relative obscurity of these recipes, the book manages to describe them very thoroughly and all the recipes I have tried thus far have been fairly easy to follow. An added plus is that minimal oil is used so this book would be very good for the health conscious.

In summary, the strengths of this book are the great number diversity of recipes, excellant writing, thoroughness of descriptions, and inclusion of relatively hard to find recipes. The only major weakness is the paucity of illustrations. I would highly recommend this cookbook to Indian cuisine afficianados who want to learn more about Indian cooking beyond the usual curries and tandoori dishes.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Timeless Classic, March 24, 2004

By	Phoenix Turley "tjphoenix" (Beaverton, Oregon United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

These are recipes you won't find anywhere else. This is a cookbook you will take down again and again. Malvi Doshi writes concisely and in an easy to follow manner from the novice to the expert. I had the good fortune to frequent her restaurant, "The Ganges" when she had it. Alais, there are only two ways to get her cullinary expertise now, live in the Berkley area and attend a class, or this cookbook. Her original cookbook, "The Ganges" while out of print remains a well loved (if not food smeared) classic.
I personally stopped "collecting" cookbooks with the advent of web based recipe searches, but this book, this book, is more than something to hold a distinguished place on any fine cooks shelf. This book is one to be used and treasured for a lifetime.
Thank you, Mrs. Doshi for your wisdom and guidance. I have waited along time for more of your wonderful, mouth-watering recipes!