Customer Reviews

5 Spices, 50 Dishes: Simple Indian Recipes Using Five Common Spices

5 star:		(57)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is a great book. It's premise is simple, but not simplistic - take 5 spices combined in various ways and produce a variety of Indian dishes for any occasion. Everything I've made from it has succeeded, and I will certainly make again. The coverplate (chickpeas with dill) is total comfort food, and uses dill as a vegetable in a new and surprising way. I've also made and enjoyed the Cabbage Salad (a fresh take on slaw), Indian Fried fish (tasty and savory), Sweet Potato with Ginger and Lemon, Corn with Mustard Seeds, and the fantastic Mussels in a Green Curry. And anyone who thinks they don't like okra NEEDS to try the Okra Raita - my favorite of all favorites in the book.

Recipes are well-presented, clear and easy to follow. I cook a lot of Indian food, but in no way felt that these recipes were dumbed-down at all. Kahate wisely confines her recipes to simple, practical ones with accessible ingredients. Does Indian food offer complex biriyanis with 15 spices and many ingredients? Sure. But that's not what is offered here. This is fresh home cooking, bursting with flavor, yet able to be cooked quickly. The flavors of the ingredients is prominent. And Kahate is a good guide to ingredients and techniques.

Highly recommended. Mine is already stained from much use!

I've really enjoyed exploring some of the recipes in this book and getting a feel for the simple spice combinations. It's been a great addition to our broad ambitions for cooking styles to have learned, from this book, how to use these spices effectively. The shrimp and fish marinades alone are worth the price of the book.

The only problem is the binding. The pages totally fell out of the cover after about a dozen uses. Quite poorly made. 5 stars for content, 1 star for printing = 3 stars.

I have made several recipes from this book and have been delighted with all so far. I cook a lot of Indian food, and am a fan of the books of Mahadur Jaffrey and Julie Sahni, but this book is going to be used as much as their books. The premise is simple but not simplistic. The recipes are easy to follow and the results are delicious. Particular raves at my house go to the carrot raita, with it's inclusion of walnut pieces and raisins, (I used dried cranberries.) And the Goan eggplant and shrimp curry is a winner, although I used a little more shrimp and eggplant than called for in the recipe and used a full can of coconut milk instead of the cup of water and cup of coconut milk called for. This is a worthy addition to anyone's collection of cookbooks.

I love to cook but am intimidated by many ethnic recipes as they seem complicated and require far too much work given my crazy schedule. This book is different. I love the fact that I'm not buying millions of ingredients that I'll only use once and I've found it helpful to have a picture of what the dish should resemble. Oh, and most importantly, the end results are delicious!! It doesn't hurt that this is a gorgeous cookbook - the photos are mouthwatering. Enjoy!

This fine little treasure of a cookbook can be a great introduction for gourmet cooks who are unfamiliar with Indian cuisine. For the professional chef it contains creative, seasonal and well tested recipes that can offer new possibilities for any restaurant menu. I am particularly attracted to the array of vegetable recipes, for example corn with mustard seeds or butternut squash and green beans in coconut-milk curry. The clever lay-out of the book as well as the number of recipes(50) and beautiful photos make this a must-have cookbook to add to your shelf.

I usually don't buy cookbooks because most of them don't work or are not thoroughly tested, but I bought this one. And for once, I'm glad I did.

The recipes are easy to work through, don't call for a laundry list of ingredients that are impossible to track down and most importantly, delicious! I've now made the book's chicken in cashew nut sauce, black-eyed peas in a spicy goan curry, shrimp curry with eggplant, spicy seared shrimp and cucumber salad with crushed peanuts for my family and everyone has loved them.

As someone who cooks alot, I was pleasantly surprised at just how flavorful everything was, even though sometimes you're not using a lot of spices. And her premise that you can cook Indian food with just coriander, cumin, turmeric, mustard seeds and cayenne really does work.

I forced myself to write this review because of the last review. To give a view from the other side.
I own the book. I think the book format is clear, easy read; recipes simple enough for the novice. Not many choices for each chapter, if I may add. For instance, I think there are about 3 chicken recipes. Thus too much money for not much in return.

I do think it's a crime to limit Indian cooking to 5 spices! Indian cuisine is so vast, the 5 spices did not include the aromatic spices (Cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, bayleaves, etc), which is found in EVERY SINGLE indian home. I teach Indian cooking classes and I've seen grownups can handle more than just 5 spices. Thus I feel it does not do Indian cuisine justice.
As the author tried to limit some of the recipes to just 5 spices, it has DEFINITELY taken away from authenticity and true taste of certain dishes, such as the Lamb with Burnt Onions. Her writing about it with such excitement made me want to try it. I tried it a couple times and hated it every single time. I didn't feel this was true Indian fare.
For a reader/cook who doesn't ever want to visit an Indian grocery store and just stick to 5 spices, maybe this is a good start as these spices can get quite expensive in a regular grocery store. But that's all it is, a start; well, not even quite.

Another point I want to make is, almost every single recipe had ginger and garlic in it, and possibly cilantro. The title leads you to believe that once you're stocked with the 5 spices you're all set.

This book offers a very simple premise - 50 great dishes you can make with 5 simple spices - but don't be fooled into thinking these are dumbed down versions of more complicated recipes. They are fantastic, elegant dishes that belie their simplicity and ease of preparation to please your guests and family alike. Ruta Kahate writes intimately and with deep knowledge of her subject, I particularly enjoyed the personal anecdotes (like the one about the origin of New Bride Chicken). Whether you're a seasoned cook or a beginner, you'll be delighted at the variety and quality of these 50 recipes.

Disclaimer: I have attended a cooking class taught by the author. In the last week, I have made three recipes from this book. I will be making two more tonight. Each one is simple to make (about 30 minutes or less), complex and delicious in flavors (despite the limited number of spices), and presents beautifully. The author's writing style is crystal clear, helpful for learners, and entertaining and personal. She explains unfamiliar techniques really well. There are also suggestions for ways to combine dishes into meals, a welcome bonus. I highly recommend this book.

This cookbook is a great find. It is one of the few Indian cookbooks with recipes that can actually be made on a weeknight! The beef stir fry is exceptionally easy and delicious.

And the recipes are so diverse that I can serve them with an Indian or a non-Indian themed dinner. The corn with mustard seeds complemented burgers and a salad for an easy 4th of July dinner. The creamed farmer's greens are a nice alternative to creamed spinach or braised greens.

I look forward making all the recipes in this book.