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Ever get a midnight hankering for onion fritters, or for a plate of lamb stewed in coconut milk? The recipes for these Indian delicacies are widely considered to be on the forbidding side. Yet Madhur Jaffrey, an international authority on Indian food and the host of several tandoori-driven TV shows, makes it all seem relatively easy. The kicker: more than 70 of the dishes can be prepared in a half-hour or less.
Book Description
Madhur Jaffrey, the world's foremost authority on Indian cooking, shows both expert and novice cooks how to create an enticing Indian meal in just a few quick steps-and all in under 30 minutes. In 60 easy-to follow recipes, Jaffrey shares her secrets for sumptuous curries, fragrant rice dishes, hearty legumes, mouthwatering chutneys and relishes, refreshing drinks, and heavenly desserts. Complete with delectable menu suggestions for both casual family dining and elegant entertaining, filled with helpful notes on creating a well stocked pantry, and illustrated with gorgeous, full color photographs, Madhur Jaffrey's Quick and Easy Indian Cookinghelps make the fabulous flavors of India a satisfying part of any cook's everyday repertoire.
Customer Reviews:
Quick! Easy!! and Delicious!!!.......2007-08-26
I am an Indian and a big fan of cookbooks - both as a coffee-table collection and for actual cooking. This book has some interesting recipes, some better than the others. The few that we have tried out so far were really good and I can think of quite a few more that look tempting from the description. Most of them seem to be "quick and easy" as the author suggests; even though some of them may call for a relatively high number of ingredients. Having said that, most Indian entrees do require a lot of ingredients. My only complaint is the lack of attractive pictures. There are a few, but not nearly enough. I am a visual person and a few more colored pictures would make this a great coffee-table addition!
Great, easy introduction to Indian cooking.......2006-10-09
I've used this book for several years--at least once a week. It's a good introduction to Indian cooking and, with the use of the pressure cooker, it's easy to make a tasty recipe when you don't get home until 6 pm. Once you're used to these recipes, you can adapt those in some of her other books (and recipes by other people) for the pressure cooker. My one warning -- in my experience you need a LOT less liquid in the pressure cooker for some of the recipes. Experiment to see what works for you.
Easy Recipes, not so Authentic.......2006-07-30
I'm a huge fan of Madhur Jaffrey's show and her restaurants. Her style is to add an American flair to Indian cooking. While her recipes are fun and easy, they aren't pure authentic indian meals. They are, however, still interesting and tasty....just don't go to India expecting to see these items on a menu!
Great cookbook! Make it your first one........2006-05-17
Great cookbook for the beginning Indian cook. Everything I've made has come out tasty according to my Indian son-in-law. Good explanations for ingredients and preparation steps. Also a nice variety of dishes.
No zero stars rating.......2006-03-22
I was very disappointed with this book. The food made for the recipes listed are terrible (and I tried at least six) and taste nothing like what you would expect either from a good Indian restaurant, or a home cooked meal in an Indian household. Many of the ingredients are difficult to obtain - and who cooks with a pressure cooker these days anyway? Don't waste your money!
Book Description
Chef magazine called this book's author “the best-known ambassador of Indian food in the United States” . . . and the Boston Herald referred to her as “the renowned author and actress [who] teaches home cooks about the sophistication and infinite diversity of Indian fare.” The New York Times described her simply and succinctly as “the Indian cuisine authority.” For many years a best-selling cookbook, Madhur Jaffrey's seminal title on Indian cuisine now has been totally revised, redesigned, enlarged, and enhanced with 70 brand-new full-color photos. With chapters on meat, poultry, fish, and vegetables, as well as pulses, relishes, chutneys, and pickles, the author guides her readers through the delicious and colorful range of Indian food. More than 100 detailed recipes direct home chefs through step-by-step preparation of well-known classics like Tandoori-style Chicken and Naan Bread, as well as more unusual dishes including Salmon Steamed with Mustard Seeds and Tomato and Drunken Orange Slices. Ms. Jaffrey also presents comprehensive background information on spices and seasonings, kitchen equipment, authentic preparation techniques, and suggested menus. Taste-tempting color photos show prepared dishes.
Customer Reviews:
Beware of lingering stock..........2007-05-13
I bought two copies of alledgedly new hardback versions of this wonderful book. The endpapers on one copy were faded as if the book had been old stock. As these were both birthday gifts I didn't have time to return it. Fortunately my friends were close enough to be able to explain that this wasn't an old copy.
A pleasant read.......2007-05-09
I have tried few dishes from this book and they all turned out to be well and looking some what like the pictures in the book. This book took me by surprise. It is a very nicely written and well presented cook book. The recipes are neither complicated nor they take long time to cook. Please note that this book is not an exhaustive list of recipes.
Great book - delicious food.......2007-03-24
Madhur Jaffrey is a great source for delicious Indian food. Get yourself some fresh spices and you're good to go. Easy to follow directions. One word of advice - many of the recipes include making curry pastes/sauces and sauteeing them. She asks for a lot more oil than necessary - if you have a non-stick pan, just use 1TBSP oil instead of 7 or 8. So keep an eye on the oil and you'll be fine. Love the Chicken in a Red Sweet Pepper Sauce, Shrimp in a Brown Sauce, and Fried Onion Sauce. MMMMMmmmmmm.
great book!.......2007-03-08
My first Indian cookbook and it did not intimidate me! Beautiful pictures and clear directions.
Very good Indian food........2007-02-06
I was born and grew up in England. My Mum, though well intentioned, was of the 'Does it still have flavour? Well, boil it some more.' school of cooking. So when I left home and went to college I was introduced to Indian and Pakistani food by compassionate friends in visits to some of the hundreds of restaurants to be found all over the UK. I never looked back. Ms. Jaffrey offers recipes which are easy to prepare, look and smell wonderful and most importantly taste delicious. She lays out the spices and sauces in such a way it is impossible to be intimidated. Do try this womans' books. They will reward you again and again.
Book Description
Written especially for Americans, this book demonstrates how varied, exciting, and inexpensive Indian cooking can be, and how easily you can produce authentic dishes at home. Over 200 recipes.
Customer Reviews:
tasty.......2006-07-23
Only tried the Tandoori Chicken recipie, but it was v. good. Little more work than some recipie books, but worth it. The spice mix for the marinade was as good as or better than most Indian restaurants.
Attractive Invite to World of Indian Cuisine.......2004-12-30
Jaffrey is surely one of Indian cuisine's true ambassadors. Finding the need initially in our country to receive Indian food, she had to prepare it herself and thus modified recipes to American appliances, measurements, etc.
Thus, we have a trusted intro into this fascinating, spicy world of major cuisine with a reliable source to guide. There is an excellent source listing by state with many mail and email order sites.
I am enchanted with the spices and yogurt sauces, e.g. Lamb korma with almonds, pecans, and sour cream; lamb chops with whole spices and yogurt; shrimp with brown sauce; sweet rice; yogurt with roasted eggplant.
This is great work to enter and explore this flavorful world. Color photos of finished work would help us that are unfamiliar with this.
Any cookbook by Jaffrey is great, but this one's the best.......2004-08-03
I bought this book when it came out in paperback for the first time. It cost all of $3.95, so that should give you an idea of how long ago that was. I have used it and loved it ever since. I've bought other Indian and Asian cookbooks, including some by Jaffrey, but this one remains my favorite.
So why is "An Invitation to Indian Cooking " so special? For one thing, the fact that it's written to be used by "American cooks in American kitchens" doesn't mean that the recipes have been modified to death. Jaffrey includes an extensive section on spices and a preliminary introduction on Indian cooking in general. If you read these, you come away with a basic understanding of Indian cooking techniques. That may not sound so unusual today, but it was, back in the early 1970s when this book first came out. There are no pretty pictures in this cookbook, but Jaffrey provides very detailed instructions in her recipes as to what the food is supposed to look like at each stage. This really helps if you're not familiar with Indian cooking. Her recipe headnotes and endnotes give helpful suggestions as to what to serve the dishes with and possible variations. As far as I'm concerned, "An Invitation to Indian Cooking" is a true classic.
A wonderful way to learn Indian Cooking.......2004-05-17
After spending some time in England, and falling in love with the Indian and Pakistan cuisine, I found myself wanting to make some of these dishes at home. My wife purchased An Invitation to Indian Cooking for me. I cannot begin to offer high enough praise for the book. Ms. Jaffrey makes the complex recipes of this part of the world not only reasonable for the average American cook, but gave my family and I the chance to try some fun and delightful recipes. All the recipes are translated to western measurements, and where possible into western ingredients (be prepared to track down a local Indian food store for some of the ingredients. Interestingly, some of the spices you might find at your local grocery store are usually cheaper at the Indian food stores).
Wonderful.......2003-11-28
After returning from a trip to India,
I decided I must learn how to cook the delicious
foods that I was able to sample in various regions
of that diverse and fascinating country.
"An Invitation to Indian Cooking" is the
book I bought, and it was clearly a great choice.
The book has been very carefully adapted by
the author for American kitchens - this in no
way "waters down" or "Americanizes" the recipes
as some other reviewers falsely assume has
been said. The book DOES, deliberately,
modify recipes so that they will be
authentic despite the differences in the
American market (our meats are more tender
and have more moisture, for instance, so the
methods for browning meat must be different
than a cook would use in Delhi). These changes
and adaptations are absolutely necessary to
assure the dishes will taste and appear as they
would in India. Ms. Jaffrey has done a marvelous
job and her instructions are not only easy to
follow, but the explanations are easy to under-
stand and appreciate. By all means, if you want
to try cooking Indian, buy this book - and her
others as well.
Book Description
In Simple Indian Cookery, Madhur Jaffrey reveals how easy it is to bring the flavors of India into your home. With 40 recipes, featuring step-by-step instructions and clear color photos, even novices can cook a wide range of authentic Indian fare. Add spice to your life with Goan Prawn Curry or Tarka Dal, or try popular favorites like Chicken Tikka Masala, Rogan Josh, or Lamb Madras. There are also more elaborate dishes, like Creamy Chicken Korma with Almonds, Prawns in a Butter and Tomato Sauce, and Moghlai Spinach with Shallots. These tried-and-tested recipes include savory soups and starters, classic curries with fish, meat, poultry, and eggs, and tasty vegetables and accompaniments. With an inspiring range of menu suggestions and a guide to essential Indian ingredients, Madhur Jaffrey’s Simple Indian Cookery guarantees excellent results every time.
Customer Reviews:
Great Spice Mixtures.......2007-08-29
Ms. Jaffrey's recipes are easy to follow, but produce delightfully spicy, fragrant dishes. Her mixture of spices adds wonderful flavor to traditional indian dishess. Recipes are good for a good home meal or for entertaining company.
Great even for a relative kitchen klutz!.......2007-03-24
I've never had a lot of confidence in the kitchen, so when I got this cookbook I felt discouraged - the recipes looked amazing, but the ingredient lists were long and included spices that I'd never used before. Thank goodness I decided to give it a shot anyway - I found some of my all-time favorite recipes in this book! The Moghlai spinach recipe is my favorite - simple to prepare but absolutely irresistible to eat. I have yet to run into anything confusing in this book, and it's even given me the confidence to improvise in the kitchen. My favorite cookbook by far.
Easy to follow recipes.......2007-02-12
I really missed indian food when I came to live in the US from England. These recipes are so easy to follow and they taste so authentic .I have enjoyed hunting down the spices and have been making my way through the book. I especially liked the chicken korma with the vegetable pullao.My only complaint if I have one is that I would have liked to see more recipes. However I really liked that the author included a section on the ingredients (aka spices) and hints on where to purchase and how to store.I certainly would reccommend this as a starter book to indian cookery
Yum........2007-01-10
After eating many amazing Indian dishes and hoping to replicate them at home with absolutely no luck & lots of disappointment, we found this book and we were delighted! Many Indian cook books intimadated us with lengthy receipes calling for a laundry list of ingredients. However, this book keeps the ingrediants fairly basic (perfect for a native midwesterner and her german husband), BUT it stays true to the Indian flavor that we yearn for!
We'd definitely recommend this book because the recipes helped us to replicate many of our favorite meals that we had eaten at restaurants.
great book.......2007-01-01
We love this book and use it all the time. The recipes are quick, easy and delicious. The ingredients are readily available in the US.
Book Description
Indian cookery is among the world’s most distinctive and enticing cuisines, one whose influence can be discerned in culinary traditions around the globe. In this groundbreaking book, bestselling author Madhur Jaffrey presents more than 100 of the best curries, many recorded for the very first time, plus all the savory accompaniments to serve with them.
In this fascinating volume, Madhur traces the origins of curry, explaining how Indian immigrants brought ingredients and techniques to new lands, creating an ever-growing cornucopia of delicious hybrids. To illustrate the evolution of curry, and its close relative, the kebab, she not only includes the finest recipes from India—like Hyderabadi Ground Lamb with Orange and Dry Masala Fish—but a wide variety of exotic curries from all over the world. Enticing recipes include Sumatran Lamb Curry from Indonesia, Red Beef Curry from Sri Lanka, Burmese Chicken-Coconut Soup from Myanmar, Lobster in Yellow Curry Sauce from Thailand, Vietnamese Pork with Lemongrass, Lamb Shanks Braised in a Yogurt Sauce from Pakistan, and even a beef curry from Japan, where, as in the United Kingdom, curry is one of the most popular meals, even among schoolchildren. To complement the curries, there are soups, noodles, breads, chutneys, beans, vegetables, and, best of all, twenty recipes for easy and deliciously spiced kebabs.
Beautifully illustrated and filled with the kind of comprehensive insight into the art of curry that only Madhur Jaffrey could provide,
From Curries to Kebabs makes fascinating reading for cooks everywhere and will be an outstanding addition to any curry lover’s library.
Customer Reviews:
Lovely book to have for curry-lovers.......2007-02-28
I got this book from the Public library yesterday. And I've been hooked since. This is the kind of book, that you'd like to read even if you are not too keen on trying the recipes (not that I'm discouraging anyone from trying them :)). I absolutely love the introduction - Madhur Jaffrey traces the history of the influence of the Indian cuisine world-over. I wish she'd write an entire book on the history of Indian cuisine and its influences. And every recipe is preceded by a little bit of history or an anecdote or its source, which is how I like cookbooks to be rather than a long compilation of only recipes. The pictures in the introduction are evocative of the times past.
Coming to the actual recipes - the ones that I'm familiar with look authentic and the others look interesting enough to make me want to try them. I tried one of the vegetarian dishes last night and it was lovely.
Sloppy, sloppy, sloppy........2007-02-08
When buying a cookbook one should remember here that the purpose is actually COOKING. Photography isn't essential and in most cases photographs of the finished product are worse than useless, they give no help in creating the dish and give a false ideal impossible to live up to ("Oh no I dont have the right shade of hand glazed terra cotta plates! Oh god its OVERCAST!") The book is superficially well designed, the cover is a pretty shade of pink the Indian theme is consistent throughout. The problem comes when you actually try cooking these recipes. Indian recipes are very complex, often featuring many different stages per dish. Jaffrey doesnt take this into account at all. The instructions are simply poured into one dense column of type. If you're looking for instructions quickly (and you will be: most of the recipes call for only seconds of browning) you will be hard pressed to wade through a page of single spaced type with illogical indentations. I often find myself re-typing recipes on my laptop to get a handle on the different sections.
Moreover, some the recipes arent even complete. An exaple is a Korma, which instructs frying potatos and never implies any incorporation into the final dish at all! That is unforgivable. The book also suggests some very very out of the way spices which many of customers would be unable to easily buy, and makes no suggestion on replacement or substitution, even in the most simple and obvious ways. For example the recipe suggests Cardamom pods in one recipe and seeds in another, without giving the ratio of seeds to pods, for someone who can't find such things.
Do not buy this book.
BEST Indian Cookbook out there!.......2006-06-08
I can't count the number of times people have asked, "where did you get the recipe or thought to put those ingredients together?" And my little secret that I always share is this book. It is absolutely amazing what a stock set of the same spices can create for you and that you can tell someone that the eggplant and fish is actually a Kenyan recipe from this book that follows the spice trail from east Asia to the African continent! I couldn't ask for more in a cookbook!
Accurate, Authentic, Delicious.......2006-06-06
Though I own many Indian cookbooks, and have enjoyed cooking Indian food for forty years, I have rarely found a book that so well combines beauty, imagination, an almost anthropological (or at least ethnogastronomical) attention to detail, and wonderful tastes. Madhur Jaffrey is the doyenne of Indian and indeed Asian and vegetarian cook book authors. Her recipes work well in an American kitchen, offer inspiration to the adventuresome cook, and are truly useful. Whether you love to grill outdoors, or never want to go near charcoal, the kebabs are unctuous and make your tongue want to scream in delight. Buy this book immediately, and enjoy an exquisite rainbow of Indian inspired recipes from throughtout the world.
Good style but recipes don't always work.......2006-03-21
I borrowed this book from a public library before purchasing it. What I liked about the book was the art work included, the narration style, the stories about the source of the recipes, the diversity of the recipes. I have tried a few of the recipes from this book, I liked some of them but would not care to make the others a second time. I also liked that the author suggested locally available ingredients as substitutions. All in all, I did like the book enough to buy it after I had looked through it.
Average customer rating:
- An excellent, easy-to-use introduction to Indian home cookin
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Madhur Jaffrey's Illustrated Indian Cooking
Madhur Jaffrey
Manufacturer: London Bridge/Barrons
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 General
| Cooking, Food & Wine
| Subjects
| Books
Regional & International
| Cooking, Food & Wine
| Subjects
| Books
| African
| Asian
| Canadian
| Caribbean & West Indian
| European
| General
| International
| Latin American
| Mexican
| Middle Eastern
| Native American
| U.S. Regional
ASIN: 0563370130 |
Customer Reviews:
An excellent, easy-to-use introduction to Indian home cookin.......2004-01-29
This was the first Indian cookbook I ever owned, and for a beginner it was an ideal introductory textbook. Jaffrey makes the techniques of Indian cookery easily accessible, even to cooks with fairly low skill levels. She also gives good overviews of Indian ingredients and spices. Most importantly, she supplies recipes that yield dishes that are so intensely, wonderfully flavorful that you'll want to make them again and again and again. Indeed, I've owned this book for almost 10 years and I still use it often. It is lavishly illustrated, with gorgeous color-rich photographs of the book's many dishes, dressed up by a professional food stylist. Your results probably won't look like the pictures (at least, mine rarely do) but they do give you something to shoot for, and they make the book a pleasure for the "armchair cook" as well.
Average customer rating:
|
Madhur Jaffrey's Indian Cookery
Madhur Jaffrey
Manufacturer: BBC Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General
| Cooking, Food & Wine
| Subjects
| Books
Regional & International
| Cooking, Food & Wine
| Subjects
| Books
| African
| Asian
| Canadian
| Caribbean & West Indian
| European
| General
| International
| Latin American
| Mexican
| Middle Eastern
| Native American
| U.S. Regional
ASIN: 0563488212 |
Customer Reviews:
A fool learns to cook!.......2004-10-28
This is going to sound dumb and sappy but...
Up until recently, I hated cooking with a passion. I'd prepare food when necessary, but often I'd be the one bringing the paper products and the soda to parties. This book was given to me as a gift, and it actually got me cooking.
I happen to love Indian culture and Indian food - and this book starts from the perspective of someone with the barest basics in regular Western cooking, and explains, usually in small words, with lots of pictures, how to make each recipe. Each recipe is accompanied by an image of the finished product, as well as the major intermediate steps - and you can actually get the outcome to look like the picture, and it tastes as good as it looks.
My only criticism is that the preparation time estimates are a little low. If you are just learning the fundamentals of efficient cutting, slicing, grating and dicing, then you will probably consume almost double the estimated preparation time. The times shown are appropriate for someone who has really mastered these skills and who knows how to organize ingredients for maximum efficiency. After 3 months, I'm almost there...
Definitely Foolproof, definitely yummy recipes!.......2003-11-26
My friends and I discovered this book recently. After having tried several recipes over the past week, we are going to prepare our 2003 Thanksgiving meal using recipes from this book. We will start with Turkey Tandoori, curried potatoes, cayenne cauliflower, Mulligatawny Soup, Salmon madras, Cachumbar and mango lassi (to name a few.)
The recipes very are easy to follow. They not only note the time it takes to prepare and cook (not very long for most of them) but also shows step by step instructions, in individual photographs, how to prepare the meals. What could be easier? Very easy to prepare dishes with spices you most likely already have in your cupboard. And they are delicious as well. I had no idea I could create this kind of taste. I had always made my lentils with a spanish touch. Now with a few changes in spices/herbs I can create a whole new flavor. One drawback is that there are not very many vegetarian main dishes, although there are a few seafood dishes. Add this interesting cookbook to your repetoire. You'll be glad you did.
Customer Reviews:
Madhur Jaffrey's Spice Kitchen, Fifty recipies introducing.......2000-04-07
I received this book in a East Indian spice kit almost 8 yrs. ago. Since then, I have accumulated 6 more books on Indian cuisine...my favorite still continues to be 'M.J.'s the Spice Kitchen'. The recipes take longer that the average american cook likes to spend but these are mouth watering...and remember this is the way cooking is done in India (I've tryed the shortcuts with the pressure cooker,etc. results shift to just good) I beleive the spice interplays need the long cook time...there is just no comparison using the faster cooking methods. Also Madhur Jaffrey is sensitive to the american palatte regarding heat. But do be aware that any recipe that uses raw chilis and cayenne will be hot! A good recipe from the book is the Lamb in Tomato sauce as the heat comes mostly from the black pepper and is added at the end. Enjoy!
Gorgous little book, scrummy recipes.......1997-08-24
This little book is a wonderful introduction to Indian spices. Some of the ingredients will be difficult to locate, but Jaffrey takes the time to explain the origin and uses of everything in detail. Most recipes are not quick, but the ones I've tried are scrummy. It's illustrated by the author throughout, and is beautifully designed. A great gift for someone interested in Indian cooking
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Madhur Jaffrey Indian Cooking
Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian: More Than 650 Meatless Recipes from Around the World
An Invitation to Indian Cooking
The Everything Indian Cookbook: 300 Tantalizing Recipes--From Sizzling Tandoori Chicken to Fiery Lamb Vindaloo (Everything: Cooking)
Simple Indian Cookery
