Flavors of India: Vegetarian Indian Cuisine [Paperback]

Shanta Nimbark Sacharoff (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1996

Along with recipes for beverages, snacks, chutneys, dairy products, vegetable dishes, rice, dal (lentils, peas, and other legumes), breads, and sweets, you will find helpful information on the spices and other ingredients that are essential to authentic Indian cooking. Includes nutritional information on the healthful benefits of Indian vegetarian cuisine.

Product Details

• Paperback: 189 pages
• Publisher: Book Publishing Company (TN); 1 edition (January 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1570670234
• ISBN-13: 978-1570670237
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 6.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #516,075 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

77 of 77 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Real Deal, January 6, 2006

By 

E. Christopher (Davis, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Flavors of India: Vegetarian Indian Cuisine (Paperback)

Background: I grew up eating Indian vegetarian food. Sometimes it was good, sometimes mediocre, occassionally fantastic. I had kichadi for breakfast and dal-chawal-roti-sabji for dinner every day except festival days.

Bias: I will admit a bias that I actually met the author; I went to high school with her son and was lucky enough to have dinner at her house once.

Review: This is the absolute, number one, best Indian cookbook on the market today. I own most of the big ones and many little ones, and nothing else out there even approaches this book for utility and quality. Most cookbooks offer a good base for a recipe, but you have to make it once and then adjust and improve it. All the recipes in this book are excellent as written; I have not had to modify any of them! There's no padding in this book. She doesn't include every Indian recipe you've ever (and never) heard of, but she does include all the basics you need to eat well every day. This is the only time I have seen okra treated properly in a cookbook, and the recipe for pakora batter is phenomenal. Her style is authentic Gujarati-style cooking. Having spent some time in Gujarat and eaten at many Gujarati houses, I should know.

All in all, a highly recommended resource for any kitchen. Having eaten at the author's house, I can attest that her cooking is excellent, authentic Indian vegetarian cusine, and she used the same recipes included in the book. She is the real deal.

42 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars vegetarian delights, October 3, 2002

By 

Alejandra Vernon "artist & illustrator" (Long Beach, California) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

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This review is from: Flavors of India: Vegetarian Indian Cuisine (Paperback)

If you're a vegetarian, a few Indian recipes are a great thing to have in your culinary repertoire, and this book has some tasty and easy to make dishes that are nutritious, aromatic, nice to look at, and even better to eat.
Even if you don't like Indian cuisine, you'll get a lot out of the rice and lentil (dal) chapters. It gives a tremendous amount of information on both these items, their many different types, and how to cook them to perfection.

The "Dal-Based Dishes" is a superb chapter, and one can even "mix and match" these recipes and come up with a delightful side dish.
Other good chapters are "Snacks" (oh ! those heavenly samosas !), and the many pages of veggie recipes...you'll also get a lot of info on spices and ingredients.
Most of the spices and ingredients are available in any good supermarket, although if you're lucky to live in an area with an Indian market, you'll find the same items, usually for a fraction of the cost.
I have the 1972 hardcover edition to this book, and though the chapters have been moved about, the contents in this edition are almost the same. With all my many moves, I don't have a lot of cookbooks, but this one will always be a keeper.

33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Classic and Delicious, January 26, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Flavors of India: Vegetarian Indian Cuisine (Paperback)

This is my second edition of Flavors of India. Over the years, I have made nearly all of the recipes and have found them, without exception, to be delicious, usually low in fat, and always very easy for the American cook. Whether you are an expert in cooking Indian foods or just beginning to experiment with this cuisine, you will love this book. It is one I personally could not do without.