Cooking at Home with Pedatha (Best Vegetarian Book in the World - Gourmand Winner) [Hardcover]

Jigyasa Giri (Author), Pratibha Jain (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2006

Awarded "Best Vegetarian Book in the World 2006 by the prestigious Gourmand awards, this cookbook features more than 60 traditional vegetarian recipes. It is a tribute to an illustrious Indian Grandmother , Mrs Subhadra Rau Parigi (aka Pedatha). She was the daughter of India s former President Bharat Ratna Dr. V V Giri. Her recipes, much sought after by friends and relatives, retain the regional flavours of Andhra Pradesh, a state of India known for its delicious chilli-hot food. Intrigued by her passion which had not diminished with age, Jigyasa and Pratibha took the initiative to record this culinary legacy for posterity.
Some special features of this book are: Traditional recipes with interesting variations, Guidelines for tempering or tadka, Vegetarian meal plans, Photo glossary of spices, lentils and vegetables, Exquisite food photography, and Special tips by Pedatha throughout the book.
Recipe sections are divided into Chutneys (Pachchadi), Powders (Podi), Rice (Annam), Vegetables (Koora), Dals (Pappu, Chaaru), Yogurt (Perugu), Sweets (Theepi), and Crispies (Vadiyalu).
With attention to detail and an easy-to-follow format, the book is a treat to the novice as well as the veteran. The excellent photography & layout add to the aesthetic appeal of this tribute coffee table book.
Book Design by Prabodh Jain & Kavitha Shivan
Photographs by Srivatsa Shandilya

Editorial Reviews

Review

My husband was in India for a week and brought back Cooking at home with Pedatha . What a great job you ve done on the book! It s beautifully designed and the glorious pictures really bring the cuisine to life. But the most memorable photos are of Pedatha herself. They capture her persona beautifully. The visual glossary at the end is a great idea. I congratulate you all on a wonderful book. --SUNEETA VASWANI Cookbook Author, USA

Cooking at home with Pedatha is a book that gives the wonderful whiff of everyday cooking in a traditional Telugu household. It is indeed a brave effort by Jigyasa Giri and Pratibha Jain because I know it is not easy to keep things simple which they have done effortlessly. And it is this very subtlety that makes the book special. It brilliantly combines the flavours and textures of local ingredients to stimulate the senses and satiate the palate. --SANJEEV KAPOOR Author & Chef extraordinaire

Pedatha's cookbook of vegetarian Andhra recipes promises to revive a fast-receding world of unhurried and labour-intensive kitchens...If you are one of those who enjoy cooking even though it takes time, you'll find that the final results are worth the grind...The book also reflects the Andhra penchant to convert nearly every conceivable edible item into a pachchadi (chutney). You can take your pick of spinach, brinjal, dosakai, the round yellow cucumber, yellow pumpkin, ginger, coconut, onion and of course, mango and chilli and the famous gongura. Try the karivepaku pachchadi it gets its speckled-green-and-red good looks from green curry leaves...there is a clutch of recipes featuring yoghurt with which you can cool off. Other sections include pappus (dal with greens and vegetables), podis/kaarams (powders meant to be used with rice and ghee, or as accompaniments to various snacks), rice and some sweets. A very useful feature that other cookbooks rarely mention is the order in which ingredients for the tempering have to be used. Good photography, pleasant graphics and pastel design... this book is a welcome accomplishment. --The Hindu Business Line, Friday Jan 27, 2006

About the Author

Jigyasa Giri & Pratibha Jain are authors & publishers at PRITYA where they join hands to create exquisite cookbooks that document culinary traditions of India. Accomplished in their respective fields, they came together to create cookbooks of international acclaim. They have made presentations across the world showcasing their books & demonstrating special aspects of India s culinary traditions.
Jigyasa is also a dancer & teacher at Devaniya, the school of Kathak dance started by her in Chennai. She is married to Pedatha s nephew V.V.Giri & they have two children, Avani & Arnav.
Pratibha holds a Doctorate in Philosophy of Language from the University of Madras. She resides in Chennai with her husband Mahendar Chordia & they have a daughter, Manasvi.
Their second book is Sukham Ayu , an Ayurvedic cookbook which won the Gourmand Award for Best Health & Nutrition Book in the World Second Place. This book has been researched at KARE, an Ayurveda & Yoga Retreat near Pune.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 96 pages
• Publisher: Pritya (May 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 8190299301
• ISBN-13: 978-8190299305
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 0.6 x 9.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #63,648 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #14 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Regional & International > Asian > Indian

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

52 of 55 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A book worth having in your kitchen library December 11, 2007

By Anupa

Format:Hardcover

Looking for a South Indian Veg. cookbook with clear instructions, well laid out text, images of raw ingredients and finished products, tips on getting things "just so", and suggestions for variations in case you have the urge to try the same dish with other materials? Look no further, because "Cooking with Pedatha" has all these features. The end products are authentic and taste like home cooked food (quite unlike most over spiced and greasy restaurant food) and leave you wanting to try more recipes. You will need to be able to get to an Indian store to get some ingredients but they can be used in multiple recipes and it is worth your time to do so. I hope you enjoy the book as I have since owning it the last month or so.

55 of 60 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply Fantastic July 19, 2006

By Subhadra Moorthy

Format:Hardcover

This book is well organized, concise and not overwhelming - in the past I have stayed away from preparing many traditional South Indian dishes because of their complexity, but they have been organized so well here that I now feel like preparing them!!!

This book has recipes that should be regarded as FAMILY HEIRLOOMS and most of these recipes are several centuries old.

Pedatha actually worked 1st hand with people AT LEAST FOUR GENERATIONS older than the current, using age old methods, plus she has worked in modern kitchens using new technology and I think she is truly the missing link

31 of 33 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great! June 12, 2006

By Sanjay K. Aiyagari

Format:Hardcover

The explanations in this book are wonderful, and the results are amazing! Very clear, well-defined instructions to get the best in Indian vegetarian cooking! The book is divided into sections based on the different types of foods, along with explanations of the various spices used, and sprinkled along the way with the tips from Pedatha, the master chef herself.