Customer Reviews

Great Vegetarian Dishes: Over 240 Recipes from Around the World

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I bought this cookbook about 10 years ago from a Hare Krshna (I technically made a "donation" to receive it) and I have to say it's one of the most used and enjoyed cookbooks in my extensive collection.

You don't have to be a vegetarian or into any kind of Eastern religion to enjoy this cookbook. This book was my introduction to Indian food in general, and after trying a few recipes, I realized, "you know, I really could be a vegetarian if I ate food like this all the time."

This is a beautiful full-color cookbook with excellent photos, and is therefore different than some of the other cookbooks that Hare Krishna people give away in the airport or on the beach. In terms of promoting the Hare Krishna philosophy, I can't think of a better method... once you try a few of these dishes, you'll be tempted to chant the mantra a few times.

There are two recipes from this book that I use all the time: "Mexican-Style Beans and Salad on Fried Tortilla" (the author's fancy way of saying "Tacos"); and the "Asparagus and Pine Nut Pizza." I've actually used these two recipes as a point of departure for making all kinds of other dishes using the basic dressings and sauces that book author Kuma teaches here.

Hare Krshna cooking is pretty interesting in that not only is it vegetarian, but it does not use garlic or onions either... whoa! You would think in a vegetarian diet you need all the help you can get to keep things flavorful, and how can you do without these staple ingredients?

What ends up happening is that by leaving out the garlic and onions, you find yourself encountering entirely new flavors with some of the unique Indian ingredients that have a chance to express themselves without being overpowered.

To get the full value of this cookbook, you will need to take a trip to your local Indian grocery store and hunt down a few of the more obscure ingredients -- like the ubiquitous "hing" (asafoetida), a sulfury yellow powder which more or less becomes your substitute for garlic.

I highly recommend this book to any vegetarian or gourmet.