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

Adjudged as BEST VEGETARIAN COOKBOOK IN THE WORLD 2006 by the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards, this book features traditional Andhra recipes as taught by an illustrious Indian Grandmother. She is Mrs. Subhadra Rau Parigi, fondly known as Pedatha, the eldest offspring of India's former President Bharat Ratna Dr. V.V.Giri. A passionate cook, Pedatha s recipes are much sought after by friends and relatives. Her cooking has remained unchanged in the face of changing times, still retaining the traditional flavours and an old world charm. Intrigued by her passion which has not diminished with age, the authors Jigyasa Giri and Pratibha Jain take the initiative to record this culinary legacy for posterity. They say that after indulging in another soul-satisfying meal at Pedatha s home, we re-crowned her the world s best cook. She smiled indulgently and simply said that anyone can cook these dishes, they are so easy to make. On an impulse, the authors switched on their laptop, and keyed in the recipes. This book is more than a record of some of these traditional, time-tested recipes. Rendered in stunning aesthetics, the book also gives a peek into the simple presentation of traditional Andhra vegetarian food, as well as the affection and joy which was shared in bridging the gap between the spoken and the written word. The authors conclude that their heartfelt desire was to show Pedatha how a seemingly ordinary skill of hers is in truth a rare genius...and thus came about this book at the greatest speed possible. SALIENT FEATURES OF THIS BOOK: 1) 96 pages, hardbound with dust jacket, 170 GSM premium art paper, four-colour 2) A picture with every recipe 3) A photo glossary 4) Section pages designed with photographs of Pedatha and a write-up 5) A simple transliteration scheme for pronunciation of Telugu terms 6) Interesting variations in many recipes 7)Special tips by Pedatha throughout the book

Editorial Reviews

Review

...brilliantly combines the flavours and textures of local ingredients to stimulate the senses and satiate the palates - Chef Sanjeev Kapoor, on e-mail, October 27, 2005

...collection of years of wisdom and experience...invaluable mix of practical and useful information...painstaking work of love and gusto - Rashmi Uday Singh, The Hindu, December 21, 2005

There are few cookery books in English of traditional Andhra cuisine, and most are nothing to write home about, poorly edited as they are. Cooking at Home with Pedatha goes a long way in redeeming this sin... Pedatha's cookbook of vegetarian Andhra recipes promises to revive a fast-receding world of unhurried and labour-intensive kitchens. Yes, that has to be said. In today's world of convenience cooking egged on by a slew of readymade masalas and mixes, there's lots to be ground, much to be powdered, roasted and fried, and slowly, at that. 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. Take, for instance, the pindimiriyam, a pepper-flavoured dal with vegetables there are at least six different vegetables to be chopped and boiled, five items to be roasted and ground into paste, red gram to be boiled, tamarind pulp to be extracted, the tempering to be done, all these to be mixed and simmered and then simmered again. The upshot is a gravy with layers of flavours both fiery and mellow...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...Or the pungent carrot chutney, which is easy to make just dice the carrots, grind soaked mustard and red chilli, mix everything into the tempering. Pedatha (Subhadra Parigi, the eldest daughter of former President V.V. Giri) reinforces the most widely known belief about Andhra cuisine that it's hot! ...But 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...Incidentally, Pedatha (short for Pedda Atthayya), is a term used to address a senior paternal aunt. A very useful feature that other cookbooks rarely mention is the order in which ingredients for the tempering have to be used.... For today's generation, particularly, there are some useful tips on how to use asafoetida...how to identify when the gongura is done, the right kind of oil that suits a dish, variations on the recipe. and how to powder sesame seed to just the extent that it doesn't become oily. Those were too few, though how do you cook rice to the right consistency, soft or grainy, as you want it. ... But all in all, there is a lot of attention to detail. Good photography, pleasant graphics and pastel design culminate in a steep price of Rs 450. Considering that mention of Andhra cuisine is often sloppily represented by and restricted to the Hyderabadi biriyanis and ubiquitous aavakais in the South sections of cookbooks, this book is a welcome accomplishment. --The Hindu Business Line, Friday jan 27, 2006. Review by Sravanthi Chalapalli. --India Today, Februray 6, 2006

About the Author

Jigyasa Giri is a dancer, choreographer, teacher and an ardent lover of the kathak dance form. Pratibha Jain is a writer and translator and holds a doctorate in Philosophy of language from the University of Madras. These two friends embark on a journey of love and learning about a culinary tradition from an 85-year-young grandmother Subhadra Rau Parigi a.k.a. Pedatha, daughter of India'’s former President Dr. V.V.Giri.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 96 pages
• Publisher: Pritya (May 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 8190299301
• ISBN-13: 978-8190299305
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 9.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #93,260 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #28 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Regional & International > Asian > Indian

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 37 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 "reader, cook" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cooking at Home with Pedatha (Best Vegetarian Book in the World - Gourmand Winner) (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.

43 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply Fantastic, July 19, 2006

By 

Subhadra Moorthy (Houston, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cooking at Home with Pedatha (Best Vegetarian Book in the World - Gourmand Winner) (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

25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great!, June 12, 2006

By 

Sanjay K. Aiyagari (Sunnyvale, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cooking at Home with Pedatha (Best Vegetarian Book in the World - Gourmand Winner) (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.