Rating: 
Summary: Old-fashioned Recipes Beautifully Illustrated!
Review: The unique feature of this book is the calorie chart provided for each recipe. This is indeed interesting for 'sambhars' and 'rasams'.
The variety of these cuisines point out to the fact that our grandmoms had so much to share with us. Almost all of them are authentic recipes.
I try out the rasams quite often as they taste good. More than my husband I am fussy about the food I create in the kitchen. The spices in 'Samayal' are mild and full of the flavors.
I find the recipes quite simple to prepare. With healthy recipes the book comes well recommended!
Rating:
Summary: A Very Good Book!
Review: This book is something I have been looking for for a very long time. The truth is, it has the essence of a truly well written vegetarian recipes from the heart of Tamilnadu.
I have tried most of the 'Kuzhambus' and they have been a hit. The 'Payasams' are authentic Tamilnadu and Kerala. No doubt the author has taken pains to write on the Palghat cuisine that is not much written these days.
My mother was proud to know that I learnt to cook well with this book. Its that simple to follow. The photographs are aesthetically done. Full marks to the author!
Rating:
Summary: An Excellent and Authentic South Indian Cookbook!
Review: 'Samayal' has showcased recipes from the Palghat cuisine of Kerala too, and I was pleasantly surprised to note that no other cookbook of this standard exists on print. The recipes are so easy to follow and the photographs are so perfectly authentic. I was so happy to buy this book. Having tried out some of the recipes already I am convinced that most of them would share my view on 'Samayal'.
I do wish the author would bring out another one with a menu plan as it would be easy for a non-tamilian to match the dishes for a course.
Its an excellent buy to gift to a bride!
Rating:
Summary: A Gorgeous Book!
Review: A beautifully written book 'Samayal' is one of my favorite buys. My husband is a lover of authentic south indian dishes and this book has it all. I have tried out a few dishes and they turn out just fine. For the calorie conscious there is a chart drawn out for each recipe!
The book is indeed a great buy!
Rating:
Summary: I Love This Book!
Review: At last I found a book that has the flavors of south india! The dishes are easy to prepare and I feel comfortable with the thought that I can prepare certain authentic dishes which I thought were complicated and beyond me!
Wow! I was impressed with myself when I attempted the soup (rasam) section. Almost took me back to my childhood days when my mother spent the whole day in the kitchen preparing our favorite dishes.
This book has become as instant favorite with me. Thanks Ms Varadarajan!
Rating:
Summary: A tribute to the Tamil Motherland
Review: At last, we have a detailed, well-researched cookbook that reflects the author's passion for this fine art and is a tribute to the Tamil Motherland, Her people and culture. The range and diversity of South Indian cooking is showcased in this magnificent collection of authentic recipes from South India. The tantalizing array of curries and delicious dishes are very beautifully presented in a book that is visually stunning.Coffee table looks apart, every recipe that I have tried so far has been an instant hit with family and friends. This book is great for both the novice as well as the accomplished cook. I find myself reaching for this book again and again. The delightful aromas from the various spices used in the recipes will titillate your taste buds and make each meal a pleasurable experience. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in healthy South Indian vegetarian cooking.
Rating:
Summary: A finely written book!
Review: Being married to a south Indian I had the dire need to prepare vegetarian dishes with mildly flavored spices. This book 'Samayal' was truly good and easy to follow. The gravy dishes and the dry vegetable ones in the book were delicious as it was easy on the stomach.
I now understand as to why my fussy husband loves his vegetables prepared with south Indian spices. Obviously the cuisine of North India is greasy strong and sometimes pungent. Cannot attribute these terms to the the dishes in 'Samayal' at all. I do wish more people would discover this gourmet cuisine that seems to be so little known around the world - a world that is already familiar with Indian food.
'Samayal' is a great example for healthy cooking. A wonderfully written book I would recommend this to all and sundry interested in good cooking!
Rating:
Summary: A book written by an excellent cook!
Review: Having being brought up in the southern Indian state of Tanjavore, I grew up amidst coconut groves and gourmet cooking by my mom and grandmom. Groping thro' learning to cook my mom's way has indeed not been easy. But now 'Samayal' has somewhat eased my longing for a good home-meal. The dishes are quite simple and easy to understand. Even an American living in these parts can find the ingredients in an Indian grocery. The author has categorised the dishes in a very experienced and easy manner. The dishes are tastefully photographed. The photograph of the holy basil plant is truly nostalgic. As a bachelor I have tried out a few dishes and it turned out quite delicious!
I would highly reccomend this for any learners and youngsters out there who want to create a good home-meal!!!
Rating:
Summary: A highly recommended cookbook!
Review: I had the honour of meeting up the author at a recently organised food festival ('Yelai Sappadu') at 'The Park' - Chennai and getting an autographed copy of her book. She prepared delicious recipes from her cookbook 'Samayal'.
She carefully chose recipes that were not normally served in any restaurants or rather prepared only in the private ambience of Iyer households! I would say that the festival was a huge success as we all enjoyed the delicious platters that Ms. Varadarajan prepared for us.
This is a gourmet cookbook that I would recommend to any person interested in this healthy diet. Congrats Ms. Varadarajan!
Rating:
Summary: A Wonderful And Healthy Cuisine Well Defined!
Review: I had visited the south of India a couple of years back. The natural beauty of the scenery and temples of Tamil nadu and Kerala was undescribable! So was the vegetarian cuisine and I instantly fell in love with it.
I found this book 'Samayal' a year back. And since then I feel proud to be familiar with this unique cuisine. Having been a meat eater for so many years, we westerners know very little about great tasting vegan food. I am talking about vegan food that is so healthy and delicious at the same time.
The recipes in 'Samayal' have very little oil and have the richness of freshly cooked vegetables simmered in its own juices. In the introduction the author has given various ways of cooking the dishes - i.e. in a pressure-cooker, rice cooker etc! The photographs are sensual and authentic. One other south indian vegetarian cook-book that I had purchased did have photographs that looked more like meat dishes to me. Nothing looked like that in 'Samayal'. I have a south Indian colleague in my office who swears the goodness of my food whenever I try out dishes from 'Samayal'. Isn't that great?
He vows that he will make sure to get a wife who knows to cook these recipes! I wanted to share these thoughts with whoever wants to purchase this great book!
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