Rating: 
Summary: One of the best books on Kerala cooking
Review: I first read about it in LA Times Food section. Since we cook Indian food a lot, one of our favorite recipes is "Konju Pappas" - shrimp in a coconut milk broth from Kerala. When this book appeared, I bought it as a gift for my wife. She has cooked a number of recipes from this. All of them have turned out to be wonderful. Kerala is somewhat similar to Bengal in the orchestration of flavors in its recipes, so we find this book very useful. While the book does not have as many pictures as the standard cookbook, the recipes are very clearly laid out and easy to follow in a North American kitchen. I would recommend this book highly for people looking to explore the vegetarian cuisine of South India.
Rating: 
Summary: Great recipes but the spices are too timid
Review: I have been an Indian food lover for many years, and have cooked many recipes from a number of Indian cookbooks (Madhur Jaffrey, Julie Sahni, Yamuna Devi, etc). I am somewhat familiar with South Indian food, since there are now a number of great South Indian vegetarian restaurants in New York. Therefore, I was eager to try the recipes in this book. Having made several, I'd say the flavors are great but she has cut WAY down on the chilies to suit a Western palate. For example, her sambar recipe calls for a single chili where other books use as many as six!Having learned this, I'll increase the chilies from now on but I would have preferred the "real thing" from the beginning. Great book otherwise.
Rating:
Summary: Great recipes but the spices are too timid
Review: I have been an Indian food lover for many years, and have cooked many recipes from a number of Indian cookbooks (Madhur Jaffrey, Julie Sahni, Yamuna Devi, etc). I am somewhat familiar with South Indian food, since there are now a number of great South Indian vegetarian restaurants in New York. Therefore, I was eager to try the recipes in this book. Having made several, I'd say the flavors are great but she has cut WAY down on the chilies to suit a Western palate. For example, her sambar recipe calls for a single chili where other books use as many as six! Having learned this, I'll increase the chilies from now on but I would have preferred the "real thing" from the beginning. Great book otherwise.
Rating: 
Summary: Great tastes, easy to prepare
Review: I have been so happy to find a cookbook that presents unusual and healthy Indian tastes with a vegetarian focus. Some memorable recipes include the rava dosa with coconut chutney, potatoes and onions, muttar paneer and the green split peas and spinach dhal. Try to find fresh curry leaves -they add a special fragrance and flavor. If you have one Indian cookbook, this is it!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent book for novices in kerala cooking
Review: I have had this book for two years and absolutely love it. Being a student and never had done any cooking before, I wanted something straightforward which would help me get a flavor as close as possible to my mom's cooking. This book does it, although if you are from south India you might need to add a little more chilly powder than what the author states. Easy to follow. I would have been happier if there had been more recipes.
Rating: 
Summary: sure the pictures look good....but what about the recipes???
Review: if you live in south india like i do (bangalore) you'll realize that this book is rubbish. sure the photographs are authentic (i guess the photographer made a trip to kerala) but i doubt the author has ever been to south india....the recipies in this book just don't add up to the mouth-watering pictures. if you want to buy a book on south indian cooking look for a cook who actually lives and eats in south india!!!
Rating:
Summary: sure the pictures look good....but what about the recipes???
Review: if you live in south india like i do (bangalore) you'll realize that this book is rubbish. sure the photographs are authentic (i guess the photographer made a trip to kerala) but i doubt the author has ever been to south india....the recipies in this book just don't add up to the mouth-watering pictures. if you want to buy a book on south indian cooking look for a cook who actually lives and eats in south india!!!
Rating:
Summary: Buy it for SUPERB Kerala food
Review: It's so hard to find Indian cookbooks that venture south. Curried Favors resonates with the spices, aroma and rich flavor of Kerala food. Buy it now
Rating:
Summary: Another Superb Book by Maya Kaimal
Review: Maya Kaimal is my cooking Goddess and I bow before her mortar and pestle altar in solemn gratitude. :-) Her books are simply the best Indian cookbooks that I have ever used. This book has excellent presentation, interesting dishes, and beautiful photos. In particular, I really appreciate her logical arrangement of ingredients in relation to the directions. She aggregates a long list of spices into one masala category which makes it easier later in the recipe as it is time to throw them in. Frankly, she has created a standard for me that I now look for in all of my cookbook purchases. I have almost 15 years of cooking North Indian food but was a complete novice when it came to South Indian cooking until I happened upon her other book "Savoring the Spice Coast of India" (another recommendation of mine). Thanks to the author, I can now prepare a multitude of Southern dishes. Since my husband is from Kerala, I can safely say that he would like to express his thanks to the author as well!!
Rating:
Summary: Another Superb Book by Maya Kaimal
Review: Maya Kaimal is my cooking Goddess and I bow before her mortar and pestle altar in solemn gratitude. :-) Her books are simply the best Indian cookbooks that I have ever used. This book has excellent presentation, interesting dishes, and beautiful photos. In particular, I really appreciate her logical arrangement of ingredients in relation to the directions. She aggregates a long list of spices into one masala category which makes it easier later in the recipe as it is time to throw them in. Frankly, she has created a standard for me that I now look for in all of my cookbook purchases. I have almost 15 years of cooking North Indian food but was a complete novice when it came to South Indian cooking until I happened upon her other book "Savoring the Spice Coast of India" (another recommendation of mine). Thanks to the author, I can now prepare a multitude of Southern dishes. Since my husband is from Kerala, I can safely say that he would like to express his thanks to the author as well!!
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