Pure and Simple: Homemade Indian Vegetarian Cuisine [Hardcover]

Vidhu Mittal (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 10, 2009

A mouthwatering collection of recipes reflecting the very best of Indian vegetarian cuisine
With step-by-step photographs for over 100 classic and contemporary vegetarian recipes, Pure and Simple makes preparing Indian food absolutely easy. Whether you are whisking yogurt or kneading dough, each recipe includes photographs so that you can check to make sure you are achieving the right result at each stage.

Pure and Simple also includes information on spices, vegetables, and kitchen tools, along with useful tips for each recipe. A separate section on cooking processes is helpful for both beginning and experienced cooks.

* Useful information on spices, vegetables, and kitchen tools
* Invaluable step-by-step photographs that make Indian food very easy to prepare

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Diners hesitant to attempt Indian dishes will be reassured by the steady, reassuring voice of culinary expert Mittals. In this collection of over 100 classic and contemporary dishes, readers are guided, literally, through step by step instructions for Aloo Gobi, a litany of lentil dishes, and other vegetarian fare, with the inclusion of color photos illustrating key steps. Approachable enough for a beginner (dominated by staples such as pilafs, fritters, and stews), Mittal has an eye for presentation as well, evidenced by the multicolored Sweet Coconut Squares, coconut cakes topped with silver leaves and chopped pistachios; Spicy Chat Bowls that cradle a variety of fillings; and domed Semolina Cakes. Though most recipes come together fairly quickly, those new to Indian cooking will likely need to invest in a pressure cooker and a handful of other items, not to mention spices and key ingredients, in order to complete many of Mittal's dishes. Once properly equipped, home cooks will find this a handy, confidence-building guide to vegetarian fare.
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About the Author

Vidhu Mittal is one of India's best known culinary experts. Based in Bangalore, she has been conducting cooking classes for over 15 years and is a regular contributor to international magazines and specialized websites. A vegetarian herself, she has spent many years creating a wide range of simple and easy-to-prepare recipes that are flavorful, colorful, and delicious.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Interlink Pub Group (June 10, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 156656770X
• ISBN-13: 978-1566567701
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 9.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #94,369 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #27 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Regional & International > Asian > Indian

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful cook book that's informative!, April 30, 2010

By 

Eric "pilotdaddy" (Las Vegas, NV) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Pure and Simple: Homemade Indian Vegetarian Cuisine (Hardcover)

My husband gave me four different Indian cookbooks (The Spice Box: A Vegetarian Indian Cookbook (Vegetarian Cooking), From Mom With Love . . .: A Complete Guide to Indian Cooking and Entertaining, The Everything Indian Cookbook: 300 Tantalizing Recipes--From Sizzling Tandoori Chicken to Fiery Lamb Vindaloo (Everything: Cooking)) for Christmas this past year and have been making Indian food regularly since then. This cookbook is beautifully laid out with step by step pictures for each recipe. A lot of the dishes are new to me, seeing a picture of the end product is extremely helpful. The beginning of the book offers plenty of information for novice Indian cooks. I particularly liked the Goodness of Legumes section because I wasn't familiar with all the different lentils and their names. It was easy ordering them when I had both the common English name as well as the Indian name. My only complaint of the book is that the dal dishes (plus potatoes, green bananas,etc) are cooked in a pressure cooker which I don't have. So, I have to cook by trial and error on the stove top until I get one.
Here are some of the recipes I've made and how I feel about the end product:
Cabbage and Peas: I needed to use up some left over cabbage and tried this dish. It wasn't full of flavor which disappointed me but not bad as a side dish (but it is considered a main dish)
Gram Flour Coated Zucchini: this dish looks great in the picture but mine turned out nothing like it. I went back over the ingredient list and made sure I followed it to the letter, but mine was over spiced. The 1 tsp chili powder was obviously too much and not included in the dish that was pictured!
Spicy Chickpeas: we love this dish at a nearby Indian restaurant so I tried this recipe. It was a little too tangy for us but still pretty good.
Flaky Mint Bread: my favorite bread so far! A bit of work but worth it.
Spicy Indian bread: again, a lot of hands on work but the end product is delicious!
Carom Spiced Puffs: a little disappointed. Mine didn't puff up like the picture (some puffed a little some not at all) and the picture looks like white flour was used rather than wheat (which is called for). Otherwise, the taste was ok but I don't think I'll be making it again.
Liquid Yogurt Salad: my favorite raita! Easy to make and goes great with any spicy dish.

Some recipes are work intensive and others that can be put together with little effort. Some recipes call for ingredients that may be hard or next to impossible to acquire but most can be purchased from your local store or Asian market. This Indian cookbook is my best looking cookbook and I'm always looking through it. But my best dishes haven't come from this book.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pure and Simple - lives up to its name, July 16, 2009

By 

R. Singh (Washington D.C.) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Pure and Simple: Homemade Indian Vegetarian Cuisine (Hardcover)

I have been cooking Indian food for years. However, Pure and Simple recipes make the same dishes taste better. There is something about the proportion of the ingredients that gives dishes distinct flavors. The book guides me through cooking new, simple and fun dishes with the ingredients already in the house.

I find myself using the book a lot because for a working mom like me step by step direction are easy to follow and most of the dishes require minimum preparation time.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulously easy and delicious Indian food, June 11, 2009

By 

A. Heron (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Pure and Simple: Homemade Indian Vegetarian Cuisine (Hardcover)

I have had this book for a few months and it is fantastic. I made a great indian meal for friends and even my indian friend thought it was delicious. The recipes are easy to follow and the pictures are beautiful. There are sections at the beginning that explained the ingredients, cooking utensils and spices. Also a great section at the end explaining techniques which is instructive and useful. Overall this book made Indian cooking fun, easy and accessible.