Rating: 
Summary: A very good cookbook for beginners!
Review: Kudos to Ms Varadarajan for having brought out such a little known cuisine! I have been searching for 'Palghat' recipes for a very long time. Thank God I found very good ones in 'Samayal'. Besides the wonderful photographs, I found an excellent selection of 'rasams' (the south Indian soups) which is the toughest to master. I am quite often in a quandary as to what to prepare for the family. 'Samayal' has solved all that for me. The book deserves all praise!
Rating:
Summary: A great buy for authentic cooking!
Review: My aunt was a great cook. I bought this book a month back and found all the dishes that that she used to create in the kitchen. Viji has written 'Samayal' in such a simple and easy to follow method that most of them I had found complicated has been made - oh so simple. I would say that even non-Indians can find this cuisine easy to follow as she has made difficult complicated cooking easy. This is the first vegetarian cuisine from the south that has some authentic and fabulous photographs. A coffee table collection really! The section comprising of chutneys 'thovayals' is truly gourmet south Indian! Truly the healthiest of Indian cooking is found in 'Samayal'.
I would reccomend this an excellent gift for any bride!
Rating:
Summary: Authentic South Indian food
Review: My mom bought Viji's 'Samayal' for poor cooking-challenged me a few years ago and I cannot tell you how helpful it has been so far. It features truly authentic south Indian food that I grew up with in India, plus the recipes are very simple and tasty making it very appealing. Also, it's not intimidating for non-Indians because it's not fancy gourmet -- a perfect addition to every vegetarian's coookbook collection.Viji Vardarajan's book comes highly recommended!!!!! :-)
Rating:
Summary: A Gourmet Cuisine Simplified!
Review: The author has brought out the best facets of a healthy cooking that is not much known in these parts. Every dish is authentic and requires no hardship in learning. They taste delicious when prepared. A balanced eating of this form of food is sufficient to give us a nutritious well regulated protein rich diet.
This is the kind of food that my grandmom used to talk about. I do wish she was alive today. I would have shown her my copy of 'Samayal'I really loved this book which is well worth the price for the near 200 recipes that Viji Varadarajan has so well dealt with!
Rating:
Summary: Coming closer to home
Review: The book Samayal is "a must keep treasure " for all the Tamil South Indian cooks.The book is a reminder of so many authentic recipes that you have eaten but lost the memory of it along the way.I would definitely say that some of the recipes brings back your nostalgic memories.I would definitely recommend this book for anyone who is starting to cook or to try any variation in their cooking style!Every morning instead of asking the family members "what to cook today" I straightaway take this book "Samayal"and start my wonderful day.
Rating:
Summary: A Goumet Cuisine Well Written!
Review: This book 'Samayal' was a great find for me! The author has written 2 cuisines (Palghat and Tanjore) in a simple and easy to follow format. I have been trying out a few dishes and have found them truly good and simple to prepare.
Her gravies and vegetable yogurt dishes are very authentic with well added photographs that take your breath away! She has spent a lot of time trying to explain the different methods of preparing the dishes.
For a person familiar with Indian cuisine this book is a great find indeed!
Rating:
Summary: A great addition
Review: This book is really a great buy. Actually I purchased it as a gift to my mother who loves cooking. But, I couldn't resist trying out a few dishes on my own. Since its delivery a few days ago, I have already prepared 3 dishes from it. I am familiar with South Indian cooking and still find this book extremely helpful when preparing some authentic dishes. I love the layout of the book (the contents and how the recipes are categorized). It is definitely worth the money!
Rating:
Summary: A MUST buy book for all vegetarian lovers!
Review: This book specializes in what my grandmother used to do in her kitchen! She used to spend hours cooking and I wondered whether I could ever be like her.
But I was so surprised that this book explained each recipe in such a simple text format. Anybody who desires to teach themselves Tamil cookery should buy Samayal! I have been recommending it to my friends who have found cooking Indian food a little tedious. It is so easy to follow and the dishes are so delicious when prepared. I am very happy I bought this cookbook!
The varieties are so vast that I do not have to worry each day on what to cook. Samayal has it all displayed for me!
Rating:
Summary: A MUST HAVE BOOKFOR SURE!!
Review: when i bought samayal,it was just another cook book...iwas certain i'd give up with trying dishes out of it like i had with so many others....but i was truly & pleasantly prooved wrong!the recipes i tried turned out just delicious & more impotantly,HEALTHY!!!the author's simple & easy to follow language & directions make cooking delightful...& the results even better....on the whole A MUST for every home.
Rating: 
Summary: Not for beginners
Review: While not an Indian, or of Indian descent, I've been cooking Indian food and shopping in Indian groceries for years now and this book was still beyond me. It seems to me it's designed for Indians who already know considerably more than the basic's of Indian cooking. First complaint is the lack of directions...many assumptions are used, especially in cooking or soaking times. For instance the book will say "cook," "fry" or "soak" but give no time range or indication of when to stop. My next complaint is that this book does not originate from the States and many measurements are not familiar to me (it uses tsp, tblsp and dessertspoon...how much is that?)Despite my shopping in Indian groceries for years now there are still many recipes that have ingrediants I've never even seen on the shelves...(methi leaves? til oil?).
I've owned this book for 6 months now and have not found a single recipe that has clear directions, ingredients I can get and measurements I understand. To own a cookbook and not use it is unheard of for me, but I've yet to be able to try a single one of these recipes.
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