Customer Reviews

The Great Curries of India

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Why Camellia Panjabi's book is so far down the list of best selling books in it's category (102 at the moment) is beyond me!

I am the owner of several Indian cookbooks, including some by Madhur Jaffrey's and make it a point to try a new indian dish every weekend. However this book stands out.

I have to say that this book has given me the most inspiration to try new dishes and the most delightful results than any other.

Why? for starters, a full page photograph for every recipe gives the inspiration and urge to try out a new dish - most cooks like myself need something visual to get the mouth watering before we step into the kitchen!
There is also a brief introduction to the recipe detailing what part of the country the recipe came from and usually the direct source from which the recipe was obtained, be it an old lady in a village that Camellia was visiting or a local cook renowned in the region for his speciality.
Secondly, I have to say that the recipe's I have tried have not disappointed. Be it the Lamb Rogan Josh or the Goa Pork vindaloo, these recipes are delicious every time.
There is also a comprehensive guide to spices and ingredients at the beginning of the book going into such detail such as how to prepare fresh coconut.

A word of caution to those new to cooking, this book does not hold your hand throughout, specific cooking times are not always stated, instead the author instructs to "simmer until tender" etc. However the more "mission critical" timings such as adding spices, sauteing onions etc are given, so there is no need to be overly put off by this.

This book deserves to be in more kitchens. 5 stars all the way.

Successes: This book really helps novice cooks understand how typical curry recipes are constructed, from the ground up. Too many authors on the subject are lazily content to simply fob off long lists of exotic ingredients on the reader without explaining the purpose, technique, and timing of each component. This author goes to reasonable lengths to help a typical reader understand not only how to use a particular ingredient, but WHY it's used. Also, there are plenty of pictures which not only help the reader 'window shop' for recipes to try, but also help the reader to understand what the dish is supposed to look like when prepared properly.

Minor Nits: (1) The biggest weakness is this - the author only discusses only one classic Masala blend (Garam), yet there are NUMEROUS other Masala blends (ex: Sambar) that can & should have been covered in a book specializing in curry. The reader is left to scavenge other Indian books for recipes that use such masalas. (2) I wish the book were longer - it focuses heavily on lamb, whereas chicken, pork, fish and vegetable/dhal curries are covered in increasingly less detail ... and curried soups are barely covered at all. (3) There are minor errors and omissions scattered throughout (a few examples: the English names {colors} of the various Indian Dhals, and lack of the wine-pairing information hinted at in the acknowledgements), indicating some less-than exemplary editing, but most casual cooks won't notice.

Bottom Line: An excellent book, despite the minor flaws and omissions.

this book has all the main superpowers: beauty, variety, indexing, cultural notes, explanation of ingredients, accessibility of ingredients, deliciousness, serving suggestions, flexibility, practical hints. including a recipe for watermelon curry is regarded as an additional special power.

my only complaint, which hasn't ever ruined a meal, is that many key ingredient amounts are given by weight. i am not a person who considers potatoes or tomatoes in ounces.

I bought this book while I was in India. It's large pictures attracted me, but I was a little skeptical about the actual recipes. I have since tried most of them, with amazing results. I am a big Madhur Jaffrey fan, but Ms. Panjabi's book has far outclassed everything I own from Madhur. There are a few typo's however, and sometimes you have to use your head to figure out just what she means. But if you overcome these, you are in for a real treat. Well done Camellia !!

I own several Indian cook books (all the usual suspects!) and this is easily the best of the lot. I never knew about the book until I saw it on the shelves of a local book store. I I bought the book after browsing through the book for a few minutes. The main reason: the unbelievably intelligent introduction section that demystifies the main spices and other commonly used ingredients. After I got home, I also found out that this book has recipes of so many delightful curries (I blanche as I use this generic term) that turned out to be so different from each other. The intro chapter has made me enough of an expert to try my own variations. Thank you Panjabi for an excellent book!

I have a correction to report for my 23-Sept-1999 review: I discovered that my copy of the book was indeed a misprint - an entire section was missing from the back of my copy (it contained, among other things, the missing info on Dhals, some excellent vegetarian curries, and the wine matching section whose lack I complained about). I have since replaced my copy with a complete one, and I've upgraded my rating of this book from 4 stars to 5.

The background information presented on ingredients is invaluable.The author even photographed the most important ingredients as an introduction to the recipe collection. This is very helpful because descriptive terms for spices, peppers and chillis vary so much from region to region. With a photograph you can be sure that you have identified the correct ingredient. The Chicken with Pistachio sauce is divine, worth the price of the book.

I collect Indian cookbooks and this is one of the jewels of my collection. Camellia brings a delicious flair to the recipes in her presentation. Well chosen curries and fairly good ingredient measurements allow novices to fare well, But If you're from an Indian origin or well-versed in the tastes of the curries, You'd do well to experiment with the ingredient measurements.( Some dishes are made all over India with the same curry base, but varying amount of ingredients and regional produce give the dishes different flavours.)

This is one of the best written and definitely one of the best illustrated cook books I have ever read. The recipes are easy to follow, although the long lists of ingredients can sometimes appear daunting. Each recipe is accompanied with an excellent full-color photograph. I highly recommend this book both to Indian food lovers or to anyone that wants to try an exciting new cuisine

Having bought this book and making some of the curries. I found that the steps and the ingredients just do not jive at times. She should've spent more time make sure the steps were correct. The curries just didn't taste right.