Indian Regional Classics: Fast, Fresh, and Healthy Home Cooking [Hardcover]

Julie Sahni (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 16, 2001

When it comes to Indian cuisine, few, if any, chefs are as talented, celebrated, and adept as the versatile Ms. Sahni. Now revised and repackaged to focus on the distinctiveness of India’s regional cuisines, her INDIAN REGIONAL CLASSICS demystifies the tantalizing world of Indian cuisine, with clearly explained recipes suitable for cooks of all levels. Indian cooking need not be heavy and overly complex. Indeed, in INDIAN REGIONAL CLASSICS, you’ll find light, but robustly flavored fare such as Curry-Scented Mushrooms and quick dishes such as Malabar Coconut Shrimp. And throughout the book you’ll savor the classic recipes from each of India’s diverse regions, from the tandoori chicken of the north to the curried stews of the south. A simple, straightforward cookbook, INDIAN REGIONAL CLASSICS features Julie Sahni at her best.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

JULIE SAHNI’s New York cooking school is widely acclaimed as one of the nation’s best. She has been extensively praised for bringing together traditional Indian flavors with fresh, modern interpretations. She has written several best-selling Indian cookbooks and her articles have appeared in the New York Times, Bon Appétit, Gourmet, and countless other publications. Julie lives in New York, New York.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Ten Speed Press (October 16, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580083455
• ISBN-13: 978-1580083454
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,216,094 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars another sahni success, August 30, 2003

By 

E Rice (western ny state) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Indian Regional Classics: Fast, Fresh, and Healthy Home Cooking (Hardcover)

i have and use all of sahni's cookbooks. this one is particularly good in that it includes many recipes that are not quite as labor- and time-intensive as many indian recipes can be--there are dishes that can be made for dinner on a weekday, after work. there are also recipes that do not resemble those in other indian cookbooks i have.

since its a much smaller book than her others, it does not contain as much background information--it would be a good idea to have a 'basic' indian cookbook to refer to for information about spices, paneer, etc. but, if you already have a good, basic indian cookbook, you will enjoy this one for the added facets of indian cooking.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not quite identical to Introduction to Indian Cooking..., September 27, 2009

By 

dakk0 - See all my reviews

This review is from: Indian Regional Classics: Fast, Fresh, and Healthy Home Cooking (Hardcover)

Made curious by another review which mentions that Indian Regional Classics: Fast, Fresh, and Healthy Home Cooking has the same identical text as Julie Sanhi's Introduction to Indian Cooking, I borrowed both books from the library in order to compare them. Here are the results:

Copyright info for Indian Regional Classics states: "Copyright 1998, 2001 by Julie Sahni. Previously published as Julie Sahni's Introduction to Indian Cooking."

Indian Regional Classics does not include the 16 full-page color photos that appear in Introduction to Indian Cooking. Although I normally appreciate seeing a picture of the finished dish, I did not miss these particular photos at all.

The page formatting of Regional Classics places the ingredients in double columns rather than a single column, thus most recipes are on one page rather than two.

Indian Regional Classics includes every recipe from Introduction to Indian Cooking (a couple have minor changes).

Indian Regional Classics includes these additional recipes, several of which have multiple variations (so the total recipe count is higher than shown):

1. Savory Pastries with Coconut, Jaggery, and Chile Filling (Mava Samosa)
2. Mung Bean Pilaf (Pongal)
3. Lentil Crepes with Ginger and Onion (Parupu Dosa)
4. Tandoori Quail with Tamarind-Pepper Glaze (Tandoori Titar)
5. Salmon Molee (Meen Molee)
6. Karhai Chicken with Peppers and Tomatoes (Karhai Murgh Khasa)
7. Royal Braised Cornish Hens (Shahi Korma)
8. Royal Cornish Hen Biriyani with Raisins and Almonds (Shahi Biriyani)
9. Spiced Goan Roast Pork with Jaggery Glaze (Lai Thao)
10. Green Beans and Carrots with Mustard Seeds (Kottaivaraika Porial)
11. Bengali-Style Eggplant with Panch Phoron Spices (Began Sorshe)
12. Hyderabad Chiles Braised in Tamarind Sauce (Mirch ka Salan)
13. Chettinad Lima Beans (Kurma)
14. Fennel, Tomato, and White Bean Stew with Lucknow Fennel Seeds (Koyambo)

I hope this is helpful to someone trying to decide which book to purchase.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A gem, identical recipes for a lot less money than Sahni's Introduction..., February 1, 2007

By 

finem lauda - See all my reviews

This review is from: Indian Regional Classics: Fast, Fresh, and Healthy Home Cooking (Hardcover)

This book makes cooking wonderful Indian treasures do-able on weeknights. There are a wide-assortment of dishes to try and so far, the ones I've tried have worked beautifully. For those of you in search of Sahni's Introduction to Indian Cooking, no longer in print and fetching prices in the $100 category--this book has the identical text and recipes for $10-$20. Don't let those used book dealers fool you. Namaste.