Customer Reviews

Indian Home Cooking: A Fresh Introduction to Indian Food, with More Than 150 Recipes

5 star:		(60)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I have been using this cookbook for over a year now and, like most reviewers, I can't recommend it enough. You'll have to pardon me if I write a long review...I think I enjoy writing about this food as much as I do cooking and eating it...

I'll comment on some of the specific dishes below but, first, I'll say that the recipes and techniques in this book are simple (for Indian food, anyway) but they produce dishes with very deep flavors. That said, even the meatier curries are lighter and fresher than what I have eaten in most Indian restaurants. In fact, for the most part, I now prefer to cook and eat my own Indian food. At the risk of sounding corny, these recipes have given me a lot of pleasure.

Two other quick points: Since I've been using this cookbook I've tried others, as well as some recipes that I've found online but hands down this book beats all. I find that other recipes produce dishes are either too heavy, aren't flavorful enough, take too much time or the recipes themselves just don't feel inviting to me. I use other cookbooks for other types of food, of course, but for Indian food I'd have to say this is the cookbook. Also, I've been to India a couple times, as well as other places with substantial Indian populations--Dubai, Singapore, Malaysia--so even though I've only been cooking Indian for a year I've known quite a range of Indian food over the years.

And now, the food:

The dals: There are several dal recipes in this book and I've cooked them all. They range from very simple with just a few ingredients to more complex, with multiple layers of flavoring. My favorites are the `simple lentil dal with fresh ginger, green chiles and cilantro', which smells especially fresh and bright when on the stove, and the `simple lentil dal with whole cinnamon, cardamom and cloves'. Both of these have pretty complex flavors but, as a dal should be, they're light.

The vegetables: I haven't made all the recipes in this section but have yet to hit a dud. I'm a real fan of these dishes because the ingredients are inexpensive and the dishes themselves are very healthy and, as an unabashed carnivore, they I'm pleased with their surprisingly huge flavors. A few favorites are `stir fried carrots with cumin and lime', `smoked spiced eggplant' and `Indian cheese in an herbed green sauce'. These dishes are all pretty easy to make, although some take a bit more time than others.

Chicken dishes: I've cooked all the chicken curries and while I have my favorites I'd say they are all outstanding. In my old job I used to bring these in for my lunch and people would literally freak out when they smelled them from across the office. You could say that some of the curries produce a bit too much sauce but I don't mind eating this with rice or bread, especially since it makes the dish go a bit further. There are also recipes for ground poultry dishes and Cornish game hens, but I haven't made these yet. I'd agree with another reviewer who noted that you'll probably need to double the cooking time for the chicken curries. This also applies to the meat curries, below.

Meat dishes: I've made almost all these and have yet to hit one that was anything less than delicious. One thing I've learned is that if I'm cooking meat it's better to pay a little extra for high quality cuts. It makes a big difference. My favorite recipe in this section is the `lamb stew with tomato and southern Indian spices'. I make this with beef or lamb and either way it is one of the deepest, most mysterious dishes I've ever smelled or eaten. I also cook the Vindaloo dish quite a bit, with either pork, lamb or beef.

Fish & shellfish: As is the case with the meats, using the best fish you can afford is worth the extra money. If I can't spend it, then I hold off on cooking fish until I can. Fortunately, these recipes are versatile--I've cooked the `halibut in a hot-and-sour sauce' with either halibut, other sorts of cheaper white fish, scallops or shrimp. All were delicious (except my experiment with haddock, which was just so-so) and pretty much left the diners speechless. The `salmon curry' was something so spectacular that I couldn't believe I'd made by myself, while the `Mangalore fried shrimp' took virtually no time at all. I find that these dishes are at their best if you leave the fish a bit on the rare side. If that sounds a bit strange, just try it once and decide for yourself.

Raita, pickles & chutneys, drinks: I've made a couple of each and have been happy with them all. I've been particularly happy with the raitas (especially the pineapple raita) since they're easy, taste great and for some reason guests are amazed to find them on the table.

Rice dishes: The cookbook notes that it's impossible to overestimate the importance of rice to Indian culture and spiritual traditions. Well, then it's no surprise that the rice dishes in this book are suitably rich and creative. For me, plain basmati rice is profound enough, but dishes such as ` lemon rice' or `coconut-mint rice' put me on the verge of hallucinating.

Appetizers, snacks, flatbreads, sweets: I haven't made any of these. A couple friends have and, like pretty much everything in this book, the reports are all very positive.

A couple final suggestions: Not everyone wants to blow a lot of cash on a pot but especially for the curries, which simmer for a long time, a high-quality pot makes a world of difference. I use enamel-coated cast iron and it radiates the heat in such as way that the sauce becomes very hearty and I think this also helps open up the magic of the spices. On the other hand, when visiting a friend I cooked in a lighter pot and the curries wouldn't thicken properly. Also, don't be put off if you realize you have to buy some new spices to cook these dishes. Really, you don't need many, they aren't expensive, they're very good for your health and they'll open an entire new universe of flavor. If you can't find everything in your grocery store, go online. Finally, once you get comfortable with the recipes, you'll find that you get faster at putting together the spice mixes. Relax, set aside some time and you will be very happy with the food you'll be able to create.

I probably have 10 Indian cookbooks in my cookbook library. I keep buying them because I haven't been satisfied with what I've gotten so far.

Fortunately, I think Saran's Indian Home Cooking might have slowed down my buying binge of Indian cookbooks (my mate will leap for joy!)

I really like this cookbook. Why? The recipes are great. Even more, I like the extra comments the author offers on the recipe and why he included it. Best of all, the recipes have the feeling of being both tasty and authentic while also being accessible to an everyday American home kitchen.

I've looked through the whole book and every recipe looks so interesting I want to try it. The instructions are so clear that the intimidation factor of cooking an unknown cuisine is removed. Also, when the author uses a hard to find ingredient, he always suggests an available subsitute.

Finally, I like the presentation and layout of the book. It's quite attractive. The pages are glossy, the photos top rate. For me, there really is nothing I do not like about this book. And that's the first Indian cookbook I've been able to say that about.

After visiting Suvir Saran's New York restaurant, Devi, where I had what was possibly the best Indian meal of my life, I was delighted to get my hands on his cookbook. Breathlessly, I turned to the recipes for the dishes I had most enjoyed. YES! They were all here. And now they're in my kitchen.

The premise for this book is Indian home cooking, and it definitely succeeds. Some of the recipes have a long list of ingredients, but even in those cases, half the list is spices (4 cardamom pods, 4 cloves, etc.). It's definitely not fussy, and the author is cognizant that not everyone can get unusual ingredients. Most recipes identify which items are optional (such as curry leaves and nigella seeds), and, as long as your grocery and health food store covers such essentials as unsweetened grated coconut, you'll be able to make everything listed. Suvir Saran is also kind enough to give "serve this with... "menu suggestions, as most of us aren't sure enough of Indian accompaniments.

So far, I've made three of his recipes: a simple chicken curry that was undemanding enough to make for a Tuesday afternoon lunch (well received), and a meal of Cauliflower Hyderabad Style (with coconut, mint, and cardamom) with Simple Gujarati Dal with Three Chiles. It was great, although my cauliflower came out much wetter than I'd had in the restaurant.

There is a high proportion of vegetarian recipes in this book, though you'll also find plenty of meat, poultry, and fish. The meat recipes seem to be more in the "usual suspects" range, such as chicken tikka masala; it's the veggie stuff that makes me say Yum when I look at the photos. (Crisp whole okra with fennel and coriander, smoked spiced eggplant, stir-fried green beans with cumin).

The instructions aren't quite perfect, however. The cauliflower recipe called for one head, about 3 pounds; but the ordinary size cauliflower in my market were only about 1.5 pounds. I could and did make adjustments, which wasn't a problem -- though it might have been, if I were new to this cuisine. Also, some recipes require you to add an item, stir constantly for 30 seconds before you add the next... then 30 seconds later add another. That might be overwhelming to a new cook, at least one who doesn't have a recipe-reader standing nearby. (For new Indian cooks, I'd recommend Julie Sahni's book, which spends a lot more time explaining cooking techniques.)

Overall, however, this is a great cookbook. Recommended.

Anyone who has been fortunate enough to experience Suvir Saran's cooking - either at Amma, or at his new Manhattan restaurant, Devi - will tell you that this book is an absolute must. Saran's approach to contemporary Indian cuisine, while refreshingly unconventional, maintains an absolute fidelity to traditional Indian flavors. The book is not your run of the mill Indian cookbook: a quick glance through its pages at the inticing photographs, clear recipes, as well as Saran's endearing commentary bears this out. One can easily see why USAToday chose this title as one of the six best cookbooks of the season (...) Try the party cauliflower (gobhi masalam) or the stir-fried okra with tomatoes, onions and northern spices; the only thing more enjoyable than making these dishes is the experience and warm satisfaction of eating them! Saran's masterful ability to layer flavors is evident when you taste these recipes; you'll recognize the flavors, but you'll never have experienced them in quite this way before. While there are several meat dishes, there are also a large number of vegetarian and vegan recipes as well.

As someone who loves traditional South Asian food, my natural tendency has been to share it with my non-Asian friends too. Yes, that means my American friends who grew up eating foods that are much milder in flavors and intensity. However, being a typical Asian male means that I was never taught how to cook. But I love cooking and whatever I did learn, it was mostly by trying to remember my mother and aunts cooking whenever they did let me in to the kitchen. The rest was based on experimentation and of course, a big dose of gut instinct. But that generally meant strong and sometimes imbalanced and unpredictable flavors.

That all changed when I came across Suvir's book! Not only can I make consistently tasty and easy to prepare foods, he has also been the teacher that I never had. I actually enjoy just reading this book for fun.

This book makes a great present as well for those who like Indian food but are too afraid to try making it at home. My girlfriend had that problem. She is a gourmet cook but she never tried to make Indian food. I got her a book and gave her a list of spices to get at our local Indian store (the book also has a list). Now she is fully stocked and ready to make most of the dishes in the book without having to search for a particular spice at the grocery store at the most inconvenient time, which is just before you decide to make one of the dishes.

Please go on and introduce yourselves and others to the joy of simple and mostly healthy Indian cooking. Suvir is a great teacher. Learn the basics from him in this book and then experiment! Good luck.

Khalid

I really wanted a recipe book that would capture the food I ate while growing up in India but updated to suit the ingredients available in the grocery stores in America. Fortunately, this one fit the bill completely! It captures the variety and complexity of flavors and ingredients that Indian cuisine has to offer with the simplicity and lightness that home cooking entails. I have tried about ten dishes and each one turned out well. I hope to now try recipes that are more involved in their procedures because they are needed to make the dish as flavorful as it should be. The dish really turns out as shown in the pictures! I am eagerly waiting for another book from the same authors.

My husband and I got this book as we had heard far too many mentions of this book in different publications and also on radio and television. Then we had friends who had dined at Saran's restaurant in NYC and come back raving about the absolute best Indian meal of their lifetime. They bought the book soon after and encouraged us to do the same. The book arrived and immediately had us turning its pages. The dishes were those we had grown up with and never find in restaurants or cookbooks. It was exciting that finally we were going to be able to replicate the simple treasures that we miss from India.

We tried out the rice first. Even something as simple as cooking rice has been made into an experience that is simple, but practical and clear. We now cook rice like the version Saran's chef made for his father. We are happy having less starch in the rice and still keeping each grain separate. In fact the grains are so much happier for that. The Lamb Biryaani with orange is wonderful.

The chapatis and parathas were so well explained, that I made my first chapatis after reading the book and getting courage from seeing the photographs that accompanied the recipe. Mine came out puffy like moms. And I used a mix of whole wheat flour and regular flour bought at the local grocery. No atta.

The grape raita and the zucchini raita are terrific and actually outstanding. Raita which in many homes in India are treated as the step child, in this book become dishes that celebrate India's great way with spicing. I have to slowly cook my way through the other raitas. I am intrigued by all.

The Dal recipes in Indian Home Cooking bring India back into my kitchen as nothing is more satisfying to my family than good tasty dal and chaawal (rice). The flavors of each of the dal recipes, since I have already made them all, are fresh, bold and authentic. They also are perfectly seasoned and as in all recipes, the amount of water and lentil, is so well tested that the dals have the consistency my family has always loved. Sour Chickpeas (cholas) were like what mom and grandma made in India and what my in-laws serve in their home. Sour, spiced correctly and delicious with rice and pooris. The lobia (black eyed peas) recipe was divine. My husband grew up with the exact recipe. He was amazed at how the recipe was actually identical to his own mothers.


The sabzis (lentils), are delicious. A treasure trove that makes this book so unique. Whilst the recipes are known to us Indians, they are not the generic boring oily stuff that people outside of India have come to understand as Indian. In fact, these are the kind of vegetarian dishes that make Indian home cooking a cuisine leaps and bounds beyond any other. Suvir Saran has taken pains to include recipes from many varied regions of India and his headnotes are special, informative and good reading. They introduce the recipe, cultural subtleties and flavor variances that define the different dishes. The carrots, the saag paneer and matar paneer are so authentic and well tested, they will become the hallmark against which future recipes will be compared. I know cookbook authors will copy these recipes and use for their books in the future.

The Rassams and the lentil soup in the soups chapter make my winter here in the US seem so much more fun. The rassams have the same flavor, intensity and aroma that I miss from homes of friends and family in the South of India. What is even better is that they are explained so easily and with such clarity that the mystery behind them is gone. It is not a surprise then that Arthur Paes (venerated reporter for India Abroad, who is Southern Indian) marvels at their taste and simplicity of recipe.

The fish recipes make eating fish with Indian recipes become quick, easy and tasty. What I loved most about the two baked fish recipes from the book is the easy preparation and the fact that they are so light. The chutneys are tastier than I remember them from growing up in India, and the fish is even better because Whole Foods and other groceries I have near me give me fish of amazing quality. The Parsi Fish would be a wonderful recipe for anyone to try. It could have never seemed easy, but the authors of this book have done so.

Chaawal ke kheer (rice pudding) is addictive. This recipe for the first time, shares the importance of cooking for hours. The authors are honest in all recipes, and have not made the process seem one to be done within minutes. I cooked for hours and the result was just as amazing as the kheer made by my grandmother for only very few special occasions. The flan and the banana pudding are sensational. The desserts dispel fears that Indian cookery is not world class. I see that I am not alone in being a fan of this cookbook, Times of India (the editor of the food section gave a half page to this book and its review with special praise for the chickpeas, flan and corn curry), Indian Express raved about Saran and his clear and encouraging vision and how he has taken Indian food to its next logical step. India Today (listed the cookbook as one of the great achievements related to India for the year 2004), Today (called Saran the leader of Indian cuisine for the 21st century and extolled the clarity and precision of the recipes of this book not just for American kitchens, but also for those living back home in India), First City Magazine gave pages to the cookbook and recipes from it and I found out yesterday that it now has a column by Saran. The rave reviews I read in the Indian media in the US and that in national and local press across the nation seems well deserved and in praise of a book that for a first time, gives our India a clean, fresh and acceptable face without taking away the simple and soulful depth of our cuisine.

Indian Home Cooking finally brings Indian cuisine into the world of the greater culinary traditions of the world.
This book as also the latest book by Madhur Jaffrey, together set the stage for a Indian food revolution.

Indian Home Cooking and its author have made the food world in India and the US come alive in a new way. I was amazed as an Indian living here in the US to see this book and the author Suvir Saran find noteworthy mention in both India Toady and Newsweek Magazine in the same week. Forbes Magazine has listed him as one of the top ten cooking teachers of the world. Times of India has called him Gautam Buddha and then the writer speaks about the tasty recipes she created from this Indian cookbook from America.

What I was impressed as I opened my copy of the book was the honest, simple and homey list of recipes. They are not the usual fare found in Indian restaurants across the US. These are recipes that celebrate what is simple, tasty and special about our culture and country. The simple flavors that are at once earnest and also enticing and soothing.

The photographs in the book are superb. The food stylist must love India and food. Few cookbooks can have such brilliant images. Especially when dealing with food such as Indian, Italian or Thai. The recipes never seem to frustrate you, they always have every little detail that can make a busy person happy. No detail is kept hidden. The author has used time and effort to make Indian food accessible to the people of this generation and time.

Friends have cooked from this book and loved it. Another friend is seeing amazing food come to her table, even as it is prepared by an Eastern European nanny with no past knowledge of Indian cooking. I find myself enjoying making chapatis and parathas for the first time.

The vegetable recipes (peas, cauliflower and butternut squash) are amazing and easy. The party cauliflower was a winner at my table this last Sunday. The Indian Fruit Punch was loved by all. The rice pudding was just as good as that made by mom and our chefs back home.

The Lentil Soup from Lebanon and the mothers tomato soup are both very delicious and great for those with kids. Mine seem to love them. They are also both very easy to make.

The simple dal recipe and those that follow it are just like the dals you grew up with, or perhaps better, since the tarka is so delicious. Again, the recipes are always simple, it is the flavor that is complex and a celebration and revelation for a cookbook to have.

These are dishes that we ate in India and celebrated in India.

if you want to learn how to cook real Indian HOME cooking, then Buy this book. Or as the back cover of the book quotes Rozanne Gold as saying 'With warmth, charm, and formidable expertise, Suvir and Stephanie beckon you into their kitchen and teach your taste buds to dance".

As a busy working mother with craving for good Indian cooking, I highly recommend this book for one and all. It will be called the bible for the novice, encouragement for the one with desire and finishing for those that are already in the know. The recipes are fresh, simple, authentic, easy and more importantly pragmatic. The book is totally accessible and in fact, once you but it, if you are as curious as me, you will find yourself reading it into the night, as a novel. The chapter introductions and the recipe stories bring India alive into your mind and you will not rest till you have cooked from this book.

This was my first experience cooking Indian food at home. Wow! Now my husband and I actually prefer my own cooking to that of any of the Indian restaurants here in Buffalo. The photos are great, the directions easy to follow, and the result is fantastic. This is one of my favorites.

I purchased this book recently. I have been following the recipes almost on the daily basis. Kwality's (Quality) ke cholay and Nani's Kulfi are exceptionally good. They both take me back in a very nostalgic mood. The taste was heavenly. I feel it was very generous of Mr. Saran to share his Nani's (Grandma's) Kulfi recipe which not only tastes delicious but also can be made in a jiffy! We also loved green beans, prawns balchow, lemon rice, daal, Tandoori prawns, Manglore Shrimp, Lahori chicken, to name a few.

I encourage you to try the recipes just as they have been written, they will come out great. Next time, you can add or decrease the spices based on your individual taste. I assure you each recipe will come out very flavorful. I also liked the trick for making Paneer (Indian cheese) at home using ricotta cheese.

The book is full of taste, delicacies, memories and emotions. It's an awesome book and I am very glad that I have it.