As host of Bravo's popular Top Chef, Padma reaches millions of viewers each week and returns to the page with recipes for sophisticated international cuisine that are easy to prepare. Inspired by her travels to some of the most secluded corners of the planet, Padma shares with cooks the origins of her latest exotic recipes. But you'll never have to feel as though you've just traveled the world in order to prepare them. Padma makes it simple to impress your guests with more than two hundred elegant and savory dishes such as Hot and Sour Fruit Chaat, Tangy Jicama Salad, Purée of Roasted Aubergine, Couscous with Merguez Sausage, South Indian Spinach and Lentil Soup, Red Snapper with Green Apple and Mint Chutney, Roasted Citrus Chicken, Barbecue Korean Short Ribs, and Honeycomb Ice Cream. From appetizers to entrées, soups to desserts--Tangy Tart Hot & Sweet is the perfect book for anyone who wants cooking to be easy, elegant, and unforgettable.
| ||||||||||||
Browse our Bookshelf Favorites store for big savings on popular fiction, nonfiction, children's books, and more. |
Book Description
Frequently Bought Together
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
The host of TV's Top Chef, Lakshmi (Easy Exotic) puts her own culinary skills to the test in this glossy, cosmopolitan cookbook. Here, in vibrant colors, are her own palate-shaping memories in the form of recipes and short but highly personal essays. Like Nigella Lawson, Lakshmi's sex appeal is part of her draw as a food personality, and this collection obliges with adorable family photos as well as glamour shots of the model/actress nibbling on her creations. The global cuisine runs the gamut from a Southeast Asian–style Warm Peanut Salad with Tomato and Cilantro to Persian Chicken Soup with Omani Lemon and Dill to fried chicken battered with Rice Krispies. Keralan Crab Cakes and Pineapple and Pomegranate Crumble are among the fusion dishes that blend cuisines with intriguing results. Interspersed throughout are plenty of South Indian classics, reflecting Lakshmi's own heritage. Lakshmi has an inventive knack for flavor combination, but some of her recipes, like a Barbecued Shrimp with Chili Honey Butter, don't quite live up to the hype. Nevertheless, this book will certainly be well received by Lakshmi's growing fan base as well as home cooks looking to mix it up in the kitchen. (Oct.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
Reality cooking shows have never been more popular (Gordon Ramsay currently has three programs on the air), and Top Chef is no exception. Lakshmi is no stranger to the field: her 1999 cookbook, Easy Exotic, was awarded Best First Book at the World Cookbook Awards, and she was the host of Padma's Passport on the Food Network. Her second cookbook is a much larger endeavor, with almost twice the amount of recipes. The dishes reflect her Indian heritage (curries and chutneys abound), with plenty of Caribbean (coconut crab cakes, chicken made with Red Stripe beer) and American (barbecue shrimp and fried chicken) influences. Though billed as simple, easy recipes to prepare, novices should be prepared to take a trip to the nearest international market for amchoor and jaggery. Lavish photographs, a small section on pickles and chutneys, and a few short essays by Lakshmi round out the volume. Not exactly an essential purchase, but expect demand from Top Chef addicts. Orellana, Carlos
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images? |
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
51 of 60 people found the following review helpful
By Christine
Format:Hardcover
I feel like maybe this book needed to be proofed a bit more. The recipe for meatballs in spinach sauce came out so watery with the four cups of water that were called for. And the recipe called for 1.5 pounds of lamb and 1 pound of spinach (which is quite a bit of spinach considering it's light weight, most prewashed bags are 6 ounces) yet serves 4-6?
And then the recipe for Madras Curry, the instructions referred to sauteing the onions until they were glossy, but there were no onions listed, only shallots. Perhaps this is splitting hairs onions versus shallots.
I also would have liked to have the total time a recipe takes to have been listed.
And then the recipe for Madras Curry, the instructions referred to sauteing the onions until they were glossy, but there were no onions listed, only shallots. Perhaps this is splitting hairs onions versus shallots.
I also would have liked to have the total time a recipe takes to have been listed.
17 of 19 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I enjoy Padma Lakshmi on Top Chef, and was delighted to hear about this cookbook. Bought it the first chance I had, and dug into it immediately.
The look of the book is great with beautiful, sort of rustic photos, and I love the concept itself. The recipes aren't overly complex or difficult, but include enough exotic ingredients and unusual ideas to make a home cook like me excited to explore them. The recipes I have tried so far have been good, if not quite great, surprisingly. (I'll keep testing, though!) But I can't get past the absolutely awful editing job! The explanatory text before one recipe suggests adding to the lemon juice in the recipe as a substitution for an obscure herb....except there IS no lemon juice in the recipe, only lime juice. A sublime sounding recipe for an exotic mac and cheese neglects to tell you whether to actually cook your pasta before adding it to the sauce. I see here that others are finding similar mistakes elsewhere.
I can't imagine writing a cookbook, and sending it out into the world without paying attention to something as essential as the recipes! I am taking more care with the editing of this review than the author and colleagues exerted on the book in question. I own a lot of cookbooks, and have never come across this before. The book is worth a look, and perhaps two, but it feels like less a serious cookbook, due to the carelessness with which it was created, than a dashed off vanity project. Too bad.
The look of the book is great with beautiful, sort of rustic photos, and I love the concept itself. The recipes aren't overly complex or difficult, but include enough exotic ingredients and unusual ideas to make a home cook like me excited to explore them. The recipes I have tried so far have been good, if not quite great, surprisingly. (I'll keep testing, though!) But I can't get past the absolutely awful editing job! The explanatory text before one recipe suggests adding to the lemon juice in the recipe as a substitution for an obscure herb....except there IS no lemon juice in the recipe, only lime juice. A sublime sounding recipe for an exotic mac and cheese neglects to tell you whether to actually cook your pasta before adding it to the sauce. I see here that others are finding similar mistakes elsewhere.
I can't imagine writing a cookbook, and sending it out into the world without paying attention to something as essential as the recipes! I am taking more care with the editing of this review than the author and colleagues exerted on the book in question. I own a lot of cookbooks, and have never come across this before. The book is worth a look, and perhaps two, but it feels like less a serious cookbook, due to the carelessness with which it was created, than a dashed off vanity project. Too bad.
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
By Lilirun
Format:Hardcover
I have tried several recipes...all delicious. Red Stripe Beer with Chicken, Candied Pecans, Chili Honey butter on Shrimp. I cook alot, so I was able to make various leaps in the recipes, but it is definitely not a step by step for a new cook. If you know how to cook, this book is LOTS of fun.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Padma!
We all watch her on TV and have now purchased each of her books. Easy to follow and her story is so interesting.
Published 1 month ago by Sharon Kletter
5.0 out of 5 stars
Love this sexy cookbook!
I have tons of cookbooks, and received this one for Christmas a few years ago. I read the stories, looked at the recipes and put it on the shelf. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Michelle
4.0 out of 5 stars
fun, tasty recipes
I've tried at least 1/3 of the recipes in this book so far, and used many of the ideas to improvise further. Everything has turned out to quite good; some really delicious! Read more
Published 17 months ago by earthymama
3.0 out of 5 stars
Mediocre
The pictures are beautiful, the stories enchanting... but the food, meh. I don't think all the measurements were calculated correctly and the spicing is hit or miss, ok on some... Read more
Published on February 20, 2011 by Sandra K Makhoul
3.0 out of 5 stars
Borrow before buying
The novelty value of these recipes is VERY appealing, so I persist in trying the recipes. All have been successful, despite the oft-mentioned editing errors. Read more
Published on January 1, 2011 by jh_reader
4.0 out of 5 stars
Creative and personal recipes I can't wait to try
I own this book solely as an overflow of my love for Top Chef, let's be serious. With that out of the way, though, this book is terrific. Read more
Published on October 23, 2010 by Kurt Conner
5.0 out of 5 stars
Creative and Delicious recipes
The pictures are beautiful and she has a wonderful range of very good vegetarian dishes as well as a full appreciation for meat. Read more
Published on February 18, 2010 by JLJ
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very good book
Padma cooks with I style I couldn't even concieve of. Her recipes are very creative and I enjoyed discovering new spices that I've never used before her getting her book.
Published on February 10, 2010 by A. Christensen
5.0 out of 5 stars
Good cookbook
This is a very informative cookbook and arrived in the condition described. I am very pleased!
Published on August 9, 2009 by Ann Mclaughlin
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent and creative recipes
I made all of the following dishes as part of my menu for a SE inspired dinner party with excellent results: Keralan Crab Cakes, Deviled Eggs w/Serrano Chilies, Asian Cole Slaw,... Read more
Published on August 2, 2009 by LBP
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
