Savoring India: Recipes and Reflections on Indian Cooking (Savoring ...)

Rating:
Summary: oh-my-gawd awesome!
Review: I am once again impressed with Williams-Sonoma. I own several
Williams-Sonoma cookbooks and Savoring India featuring Julie Sahni's recipes are wonderful. Each recipe is not only accurate but delicious as well. My favorite so far are the fish recipes. Ms. Sahni portrays the different regions of India- it's cutoms, practices, religions, and food so thoughtfully. The pictures in the book are vibrant and captivating. I've even passed on some of the recipes to my mother who is a far greater cook than i am.

Rating:
Summary: Serious cookbook for seriously authentic recipies
Review: I've loved indian food for years, and spent some time in Bombay and Delhi. I can vouch that the recipies produce authentic, good food - equivalent to what I had in restaurants over there.

The photography is INCREDIBLE, giving you the flavor of the place and the people, why they do spice blends, and how they dress up the table, what meals mean to them, all sorts of background. The book is worth the price for the photography alone, and would make a great travelogue.

The recipies are clear, though not easy. I prepared two full menus (4 courses each). It took HOURS, because they have you doing everything from the ground up - and finding all those spices here in the states was quite difficult. One example is: Makhani Murgh. You start with day old chicken tandoori. So you have to make that first.

However, with some help from the rest of the family (cooking Indian food has become a family affair, everyone gets involved, does their part, and has fun), having never prepared any Indian food before, we were able to create very authentic and tasty dishes.

I highly recomend this book.

Rating:
Summary: A great one for vegetarians!!
Review: Not only is this book beautifully photographed, but it has the most luscious recipies! If you are a lover of indian cuisine, this book is a MUST for your collection. Most of the indian cookbooks I have seen I would only consider making 1/2 to 3/4 of the recipies offered. In this book, I would will make most of them.

If you're a vegetarian like me, this books offers mostly all vegetarian recipies. Even the meat recipies, which are few can be altered to accomodate tofu or tempeh, which is what I have done. It's really all about those incredible spice mixtures!

As a bonus, Savoring India gives insight into the origins of indian spices and folklore. This is one of my favorite cookbooks by far!

Rating:
Summary: Exquisite
Review: Sahni presents a nice (albeit brief) introduction to the complexities of Indian cuisine, clearly one of the most underrated and misunderstood culinary traditions. While you won't be able to find every recipe from your favorite Indian restaurant (my wife was most disappointed to find nothing for Navrattan Korma -- which, not incidentally, is called Navrattan Curry in many Indian restaurants!), the Glossary and sidebar items are worth the price of admission. Consider this only one tool in your arsenal if you intend to cook Indian regularly (and, if you don't, WHY NOT?!?<g>). Indian cooking is very personal, which is why there is such variation from restaurant to restaurant. Don't buck this tradition -- there should be some variation in your dishes, too. Given the number of spices that have been absorbed by the Indian culture, this shouldn't be difficult. As the lovely Indian shopkeeper in my local store told me, "whatever you put in there...is good!"

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Tip-of-the-Indian-Iceberg
Review: Sahni presents a nice (albeit brief) introduction to the complexities of Indian cuisine, clearly one of the most underrated and misunderstood culinary traditions. While you won't be able to find every recipe from your favorite Indian restaurant (my wife was most disappointed to find nothing for Navrattan Korma -- which, not incidentally, is called Navrattan Curry in many Indian restaurants!), the Glossary and sidebar items are worth the price of admission. Consider this only one tool in your arsenal if you intend to cook Indian regularly (and, if you don't, WHY NOT?!?). Indian cooking is very personal, which is why there is such variation from restaurant to restaurant. Don't buck this tradition -- there should be some variation in your dishes, too. Given the number of spices that have been absorbed by the Indian culture, this shouldn't be difficult. As the lovely Indian shopkeeper in my local store told me, "whatever you put in there...is good!"

Rating:
Summary: Is authenticity defined by use of maple syrup?
Review: The exquisite photographs of featured dishes sold me on this book, even before I tested any of the recipes.

The index leave much to be desired. Looking for "lamb vindaloo," that staple of Northern Indian restaurant cuisine? Apparently Jahni is attempting rapprochement with her neighbors to the north: try "pork with hot and sour sauce" and adapt. But make sure you have maple syrup in the pantry. Huh?

Rating:
Summary: Exquisite
Review: This book is almost too beautiful for words and as one other reviewer mentioned it is a great introduction to the culture of Indian food. Try hot, freshly made chapatis with a generous helping of lemon pickle, simple and delicious. Of course, there is more to these culinary traditions than can be fit in one book. That is why you should buy Julie Sahni's other books as well! As for the reviewer with the maple syrup complaint. First off, Vindaloo is not a traditional North Indian dish, it's pure Southwestern Indian. A dish from the Portuguese Catholics of Goa. Second, maple syrup makes an excellent substitute for the raw Indian sugar traditionally used. So it creates authentic flavor with a not so authentic ingredient.

Rating:
Summary: A fascinating culinary tour
Review: This book takes those who have never been to India on a fascinating culinary tour and is bound to make the rest of the readers (who have been there) nostalgic. It starts with a brief history of India. Rest of the book is divided by meal courses. As the author explores each course, she gives simple but delectable recipes, each classified by state. Unlike Julie Sahni's other bestsellers ("Classic Indian Cooking" and "Classic Indian Vegetarian and Grain Cooking"), this book has large vivid color photos that are sure to impress. Another feature that distinguishes this book from most others are the recipes of snacks and fast food sold by street vendors in India. The interesting tidbits on Indian history, culture, customs, traditions, festivals and ingredients are sprinkled across the book to make the reading even more enjoyable. Recipedelights.com highly recommends this book to foodies, cooks, and armchair travelers.