Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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

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.

I like Cooking at home with Pedatha for various reasons:
1. It is a collection of recipes with varying difficulty levels, but with made easy steps.
2. It bears a simplistic writing style.
3. It is a collector's item/great gift for Indians and non-Indians alike because of the quality of the pictures, print, and writing.
4. It is an authentic, south Indian, vegetarian cookbook - a rare commodity.
Especially, for those non-Indians that believe that Indian food equals "masala" or spicy, greasy food, I'd strongly recommend this book. It will change your view of Indian food for better.

Though most of the recipes are not for faint-hearted (quite laborious since they ususally demand every spice be prepared from scratch), they reward well:) I am from India, but not the part where these cuisines are from. So, I cannot vouch for their authenticity, but I still love most of the dishes, expecially the chutneys. I also like the fact that authors were thoughtful enought to include names of common ingredients in 2-3 languages, along with their photos.

I have purshased a whole lot of books on indian cooking.Most of them try to cover a lot of reciepes resultinng in quantity over quality.

This book covers a limited number of reciepes but coveres the entire range to plan a complete feast.The book makes good uses of the images to convey the ingridents as well as give an idea of the end result. The small tips and trics given on most of the the pages really works wonders.

I have tried most of the reciepes and have got great compliments from people who have tasted them.

Jigyasa and Pratibha have accomplished bringing together a history of memorable, warm, loving and comforting recipes. Each recipe a jewel beautifully explained and illustrated. The cover, photos and recipes emotional as they are to me are of 'My Pedatha', many a meal have I eaten on her lap as a baby and have been hand fed by her as an adult. I am a product of this food. Although, Pedatha's secrets are now officially out...brilliance such as this really should be shared...So, I welcome the world to try these recipes and ENJOY as much as I have my entire life.

We bought this cook book shortly after an extended stay in India with family and it is the real deal. The recipes are just like our Autie's. Clear instructions and great pictures. It's just not a beginners book.

Being a South Indian and having lived most of my life in a whole different world far away from home, I yearned for all those special dishes Mom used to cook which remained a distant memory since she passed away. Pedatha's simple recipes brings back the aroma of my Mom's kitchen and rekindles a part of my chilhood.

"Cooking at Home with Pedatha" is a Fantastic book on how to cook South Indian food. After having lived in the south for some time, I missed the local cuisine. This is Andhra style, my favorite South Indian style. Now with ingredients found at my local Indian grocer, I'm able to cook the easy to follow recipes to make fantastic, authentic tasting meals with ease.

As a bonus - The seller shipped the book much faster than expected as well. Thanks!

Recommended. A+