79 of 79 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
My dream cookbook!, December 15, 2009
This review is from: The Indian Vegan Kitchen: More Than 150 Quick and Healthy Homestyle Recipes (Mass Market Paperback)
Since I have Type 2 diabetes and have successfully reversed it by switching first to a lowfat vegetarian diet, and then to a lowfat vegan diet (with even better results), I was thrilled to find a vegan cookbook which highlights my absolute favorite cuisine, the cuisine of India. As I began to read, learn, and cook from the Indian Vegan Kitchen, I realized that I had finally found someone who could explain Indian cooking techniques, ingredients, and recipes in a way that made sense to me as an American. It is clear to me that Madhu Gadia understands the kind of necessary background information and instructions that an ordinary American like me needs in order to transform her own kitchen into a palace of Indian delights. I have made quite a few recipes from the Indian Vegan Kitchen, all with their own distinctive flavors, and all successfully delicious! So far I have made a Kidney Bean dish, Carrots and Turnips, Black-eyed Peas and Potatoes, Zucchini, and Black Gram and Bengal Gram Dahl. I follow her recipes exactly, but have adjusted the ingredients to meet my health needs. Namely, I have reduced the amount of oil and salt. I also reduced the amount of cayenne pepper, since we like spicy, but not really hot food. That said, the recipes themselves have resulted in some very healthy and enjoyable eating at my house, and I can't wait to try the rest of the recipes in this cookbook. Madhu Gadia has included very helpful information on Indian spices, as well as the dals (beans and pulses) used in Indian cooking. She explains the basic techniques of Indian cooking, too. AND she has a website, [...], from which she is able to answer any questions you might have about her recipes or about Indian cooking. Before this cookbook, my husband and I were dependent on Indian restaurants for good Indian cuisine, but now my own house smells as fragrant and enticing as an Indian restaurant! But I enjoy it even more than a restaurant, because I know that all the recipes are vegan. I have already recommended this cookbook to many of my friends, and would recommend it to anyone who loves Indian cooking. I look forward to trying her New Indian Home Cooking cookbook as well. Thank you, Madhia! This is a dream come true for me.
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61 of 62 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
It fills an important niche but needs to be revised!, February 10, 2010
This review is from: The Indian Vegan Kitchen: More Than 150 Quick and Healthy Homestyle Recipes (Mass Market Paperback)
I am so grateful that this book exists since I loooove Indian food and cook vegan only. Some of the recipes are really delicious, particularly the three lentils dish. But, there are a lot of issues with recipes and you need to be careful in using them. Sometimes ingredients will be listed but then when you follow the steps they are never mentioned again. Other times the amount of water required or cooking time seems off. I get the feeling that no one actually tested the recipes out to make sure they work perfectly and include all the necessary details. It's frustrating, but I am still very happy to have the book since it does meet my needs and lets me have tons of Indian vegan recipes all in one book. Also, there's a lot of variety in terms of recipes and North and South Indian food, but I do wish there were more easy to cook "main dishes" or what the author labels daal.
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37 of 38 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Amazing cookbook!, January 3, 2010
This review is from: The Indian Vegan Kitchen: More Than 150 Quick and Healthy Homestyle Recipes (Mass Market Paperback)
I have always been on the fence about Indian food - sometimes I like it, sometimes I don't. But I do love how vegetarian-friendly the cuisine is, so I was thrilled to see an all vegan cookbook. I bought it to try to discover new ways to cook staples of mine (like lentils, cauliflower and other veggies) and I certainly did! I've been cooking soups in a new and much tastier way thanks to this book - simmering the beans and sauteeing the seasonings and vegetables in a separate pan, then stirring it in once the beans/lentils are done cooking. It's simple but revolutionary, and has brought a lot more flavor into my cooking. Also, the recipes are so straightforward and simple that I've had no problems substituting a lot of ingredients. I didn't buy all of the traditional spices she says to use, but the results were delicious with whatever I had on hand to throw in. The flatbreads are also great! I am not much of a baker and the onion flatbread is so easy and delicious! A must have for anyone wanting to expand their cooking repertoire and discover delicious new and very healthy flavors.
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