Customer Reviews

Curry Cuisine

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I don't usually buy cookbooks that cover many cuisines because they usually do a lousy job of everything, but when I picked up this book at a local Borders, it looked good, so I bought it. I know a little about Thai and Indian cooking, so I knew what to look for.

I've tried 3 recipes so far and they've all been excellent. They were from Rajasthan, Pakistan and Africa. I'm going to try more.

So if you are an adventurous cook that likes fully flavored food and you want to expand your horizons, I recommend this book. The only advice I'd give you is to always carefully reduce the sauces and correct the seasonings at the end. Many people spend hours cooking a dish and they don't finish it off right.

The book has beautiful pictures of many of the dishes.

So many books have been written about curries around the world that one might wonder at the need for yet another, but several attributes keep CURRY CUISINE: FRAGRANT DISHES FROM INDIA, THAILAND, VIETNAM, AND INDONESIA exceptional. For one, it provides a pictorial journey exploring curry cuisine from around the world - and adding regional recipes, such as an Alloo Curry from Pakistan or a Burmese Pork Curry with Mango. The focus on spice combinations unique to reach region helps reinforce differences in curry choices between them all, making for an outstanding addition to any lending library strong in Southeast Asian cookbooks.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

I've cooked a handful of recipes in this book: the Filipino Chicken Adobo, a Mutter Pilau rice dish, a thai red curry beef dish, and a Japanese curry rice dish. The Adobo was excellent, my husband thought it was just as good as his mother's (he grew up in the Philippines). The others I altered depending on what was around the house and were mostly very good. I particularly liked the rice dish. Though I altered the recipe to use a rice cooker instead. Great flavors.

Though the book explains the exotic ingredients very well, unless you have easy access to Asian markets, using this book regularly will be difficult. Unless you are a more experienced cooks who will be able to substitute and use the cookbook for great ideas.

I bought this book in Australia and tried an Indian chicken dish which won rave reviews from my friends. I found that for an Indian palate or for those who prefer their curries spicy, its worthwhile adding extra chillies or peppercorns than stated in the recipe. Otherwise, it would be a milder version more suited to the general palate. Taste wise though, this book lives up to its expectations, and the variety of cusines delights the wannabe chef's heart.

There's something for everyone who wants to try the wide-ranging choice of curry dishes in "Curry Cuisine: Fragrant Dishes from India, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia."

In these pages, you'll learn how dishes differ from culture to culture, how to use such ingredients as lemongrass, chilis, cilantro root or rock salt, among many others, and how to make scores of different meals. These are not real simple, two-ingredient/three-step meals but rather more complex dishes. But the results are worth the extra effort and several dishes could be adapted for easier recipes.

Here's a sampling of dishes: Kzhangu payaru stew (South India); daging masak merah (Malaysia); tamatar gosht (Pakistan); ngob pla dtaa dtiaw (Thailand); banh mi (Vietnam) and curry nanaban soba (Japan). Vegetarians and meat eaters can both enjoy the recipes.

This is the perfect book for me. It takes a regional approach to curries, discussing the food styles of each region, the geographical and cultural influences on that food, and then seriously tasty recipes from each area.

I'm making the curries in order, so that I can really learn about each of the different areas. I haven't even gotten out of India yet, and I still have all of Southeast Asia as well as Japan, Africa, etc.

The recipes are incredible. I love Indian food at restaurants. But the recipes here are so much better and more unique than any restaurant menu I have found (I live in the United States).

I'm not a great good, but all of the curries turn out really well on the first try, so they must be simple. I do have trouble making any of the non-curry recipes (breads, etc.). Those must be a little more advanced. I suppose that gives me something to aspire to!

I just saw this book at a bargain price. I immediately snapped it up because of its gorgeous photos and the authors. You can not go wrong with David Thompson and Sri Owen. The book is very well organized by region, with each having an intro which includes a list of the area's ingredients with explanations. I can tell by reading the recipes that they will be easy to make and will be delicious. I can't wait to start cooking some curries!

Who knew chicken tika masala, and rogan josh come from the UK! And we loved some of the recipes thus far and they have been winnners! A curry from Japan was delicious and the sauce was made from vegetables! Like all good recipes, authentic ones, will take a little prep time and the extra ingredients, and it is worth it. All the ingredients, thus far, have been easy to buy in the large supermarkets. So not for those who wants to turn around a dish in less than an hour, but if you want to learn to make Greta curries, put some time aside and enjoy the smiles. The curries are not typical curries you see in restaurants (except for those in the UK section).

Thank goodness this book was available from sellers in Amazon! Thank you!!!

This book will be a treasure. Luscious photographs, easy to follow instructions in the recipes and most of the ingredients are easy to find. For those which are not, there are many mail and online sources listed in the back of the book.

I have tried several of the recipes with great success. I love the introductions to each culture's cuisine. Full of historical tidbits of food origins and cooking techniques as well as the way the culture itself shaped the cuisine. Each recipe is introduced as well. There is much here to enjoy for both the reader and the cook. It is a wonderful introduction to the world of curry.

I like food recipes or videos where they give the real stuff, any improvisations should be left for those who are making it so that at least we have a good idea what a food should taste like. This book is great as it gives you the real stuff, not the quick fix generic stuff, the stuff fantasies are made of. It brings you voyeur pleasure to read this book. Really good.