Madhur Jaffrey's Indian Cooking (Paperback)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

“We’re more than ready, for an updated and expanded version of Madhur Jaffrey Indian Cooking… She is a lovely, clear writer, whose essays and headnotes in the new edition elevate the recipes and make the exotic seem simple to prepare.”


—Pamela Fiori, Town & Country, October 2003







“Jaffrey covers a wide range of India’s vast culinary delights… With outstanding chapters on Indian preparation techniques, suggested menus and comprehensive information on spices, Madhur Jaffrey Indian Cooking demystifies the wonderful cuisine that is treasured worldwide.”


—New Age Retailer, December 2003

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Description

One of the world's foremost authorities on Indian cooking presents more than 100 authentic yet surprisinghly simple recipes for the best-loved delicacies of India. There are helpful chapters on equipment, techniques, seasonings, and menu planning as well. Color photographs.

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Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Barron's Educational Series; Later Printing edition (March 1983)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812027000
• ISBN-13: 978-0812027006
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (77 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #89,774 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

85 of 86 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must-have for any lover of Indian food, October 31, 2000

By	Lisa Shea "LisaShea.com" - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)

I *love* Indian food. We eat Indian out quite a bit, and I am hooked on palak paneer, aloo gobi, pakoras, samosas, garlic naan, you name it. We were always a bit afraid to start cooking it in our home, though, because there are so many spices and often hours of cooking involved in these dishes. Then we came across Madhur Jaffrey and her series of books.

They are superb!! This one in particular is a staple of our cookbook selection. The first part of the book goes over the spices involved and the different techniques used in cooking, to give you an overview. It even describes the types of equipment you should have. Then ... the recipes!!

All of my favorites are in here. Naan, which we cook on a pizza stone. Saag aloo. Aloo ghosht. You just open the book to any page and you hit a delicious dish. There's beef and chicken, completely vegetarian, even a whole section on relishes and chutneys.

If I had any complaint it would be that there aren't many pictures at all in here, but the recipes come out so well, and the descriptions are so complete that you rarely need to know what it looks like. It's always delicious!

51 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Food my palate craves long after the last bite, February 4, 2006

By	Luciano H. Ramos - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Madhur Jaffrey Indian Cooking (Hardcover)

I decided to jump online and write a review for this book (my first time ever taking the time to write a review) after having another wonderful evening due mainly to the wonderful recipes that come out of this book. Most reviews have people touting food credentials such as "the way my mother made it" and "I had these neighbors who were" which may be good, but I feel a bit bias since because often their judgment is skewed to look for what they knew growing up. Not knowing this food growing up, I have depended on restaurants, friends, online recipes, and cookbook authors to introduce me to foods that my palate craves long after the last bite.

That said, this book has some of the best Indian recipes I've ever eaten, in or out of a restaurant or friends house. I'll try to keep this short and simple.

Last night it was the Vindaloo (Goan-style Hot and Sour Pork), pyaz wali basmati chaaval (buttery rice), green lentils with garlic and onion, Gujerati Sem (Gujerati-style green beans) that provoked me to make this entry. I'll have to say that everything in this book that we've tried have been incredible. While the Vindaloo list of steps and ingredients was long, it was by far the best I've ever had. The other three dishes were incredibly easy, with the green beans taking the cake for being the easiest. I actually asked my wife to do these because they appeared so easy and she is easily intimidated in the kitchen with long complicated recipes. I couldn't get enough of them.

The chhole (Sour Chickpeas) are by far the best we've ever had. Incredible!

The instructions are clear, Madhur Jaffrey provides good narrative, and good recommendations for what to serve together (as the example above). I would say if you are looking for an Indian cookbook then this is the one for you, but buyer beware, if you have never ventured down the road of Indian cooking, you may need to make an additional investment of purchasing some spices you may never have owned. But all should be easily purchased in your local grocery store.

Quickly, a couple other books I've tried include (and own):

Madhu Gadia's New Indian Cooking. The recipes in this book are good for a healthy alternative (the Vindaloo I made last night called for 10 tablespoons of oil --- yum!), but you definitely can tell the difference in the final product... as you do with most healthy alternatives. The only recommendation I would make is doubling all of the spices (except maybe the salt, but I don't cook with much salt) if what you are looking for are highly flavored dishes.

From Bengal to Punjab by Smita Chandra, which I would recommend steering clear of. The dishes just never seemed to come out with me wanting to cook them again... which lead me to try cooking probably half the recipes in the book in search for something good and not having to go out and spend money on another book. Three Indian cookbooks later I found Jaffrey's book.

Sanjeev Kapoor's Khazana of Indian Recipes. I had a friend pick this book up for me while he was in India. They tell me that this guy is probably the biggest Indian food celebrity in India. While the dishes from this book were pretty good, it is not friendly to the average American. There a lot of conversions and absolutely no narrative to tell you a little about what you're preparing. Good food but not user friendly.

I hope this info is helpful.

44 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "Almost perfect!" says my Punjabi husband, November 4, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Madhur Jaffrey Indian Cooking (Hardcover)

I had tried serving Indian recipes I found on the Internet, and my husband, a Punjabi who relishes his food, would politely eat them. The first time I made Ms. Jaffrey's "everyday" Chicken in Fried Onion Sauce, he turned to me with a big smile on his face and says "it's almost perfect - I would never know this was not prepared by a born-Indian!"

Well - that's all the proof I needed! The only consistent complaint we have about the book is that the pulses (grains and legumes) are quite bland. That may be how the majority of Indians eat them, but in my husband's community, everything is highly seasoned. I've had to adjust all of those recipes for him.

One caution about the previous edition if you decide to buy it used is that occassionally you'll find a step missing in the procedural part of the recipe. You'll get to the end of the recipe and find there is an ingredient left over that's not made it into the pot - like the meat, for instance! I recommend you read all recipes carefully before starting so you can spot ommissions and strategize around them. This approach will also help you plan all the prep steps - measuring and chopping ingredients.