Ismail Merchant's Passionate Meals: The New Indian Cuisine for Fearless Cooks and Adventurous Eaters

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Summary: Passionate meals, less passionate text
Review: A long time lover of Indian cuisine, and a recent beginner in personal preparation, skimming through this book in the store got me excited about some new dishes (and old favorites). The instructions are sparse (which I appreciated, I don't need to be told how to hold a whisk), and the anecdotal addendums were entertaining. The only bone I have to pick is that a few techniques which are not obvious are left to the reader to figure out how to do correctly. But since experimentation is the driving force behind cooking in my mind, maybe that's for the best. If you are already familiar with Indian food and its preparation, this is an enjoyable sit down read - I wouldn't copy down any of the recipes word for word, but it certainly gave me some ideas on new spice combinations to try in my other creations.

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Summary: Wonderful recipes
Review: I am a novice at Indian cooking, and I did not have any trouble with these recipes. Every one I've tried is delicious. Some tend to be higher in fat than I like, and I prefer cookbooks with a nutritional analysis for each recipe, but overall this was a great addition to my collection.

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Summary: Delicious Recipes, Easy to Follow, Highly Recommend!
Review: I hosted a supper club and selected a theme of Indian Food. This club has been around for 5 years or so. We are all accomplished cooks. Everyone was given a recipe from this cookbook. As my guests entered one by one, almost all of them confessed to having problems with the recipes. After closely inspecting the ingredients and amounts listed, we concluded that most of the recipes we selected had serious errors in the measurements. We spent nearly two hours attempting to salvage what we could of the meal. Suffice it to say that I'm ready to send this book back to the publisher.

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Summary: Great recipes, seems geared towards entertaining
Review: I've been cooking Indian food for several years now, starting with Madhur Jaffrey's books. I recently received Passionate Meals and am intrigued by the wide array of recipes. Unlike some of the others who reviewed this book, I've not had any problems with measurements in any of the recipes I've tried. I agree that some of the techniques aren't as well described as they could be, but perhaps the book isn't for beginners to Indian cooking. Overall, I've enjoyed the anecdotes and history of the dishes. I also appreciate that he's directed the book to Americans (rather than Brits, like other Indian cookbooks do) and the ingredients available to us. Finally, he has done a good job creating recipes that either borrow from traditional Indian dishes or those that complement standard Indian Fare. I have no hesitation recommending this book to adventuresome eaters or cooks!

Rating:
Summary: Passionate Author, Mediocre Recipes
Review: I've had this book for a few years now, and I'm finally ready to give up on it. The only problem with this book is that none of the food I've made from it is good. I have to twist arms to use up leftovers.

I'm really sorry to say this because I absolutely love Indian food and of all my Indian cookbooks, this one has the easiest, quickest recipes with commonly found ingredients. Merchant doesn't send you on a hunt for fresh curry leaves, for instance. And nothing I've made from this book took much work. The dishes fall into place effortlessly.

Perhaps I've tried exactly the wrong recipes, but looking back through the book, I see page after page of notes to myself not to repeat this dish or that one. I agree with the reviewer who comments that Merchant overuses Dijon mustard. It just tastes out of place.

For simple recipes suitable to a home cook, I'd suggest Madhur Jaffrey's Indian Cooking. Like this one, it has no hard-to-obtain fresh ingredients and it has no complicated processes to follow. The results from her books are more reliable.

I'll remain a die-hard fan of Merchant himself and of his movies.

Rating:
Summary: Passionate Author, Mediocre Recipes
Review: I've had this book for a few years now, and I'm finally ready to give up on it. The only problem with this book is that none of the food I've made from it is good. I have to twist arms to use up leftovers.

I'm really sorry to say this because I absolutely love Indian food and of all my Indian cookbooks, this one has the easiest, quickest recipes with commonly found ingredients. Merchant doesn't send you on a hunt for fresh curry leaves, for instance. And nothing I've made from this book took much work. The dishes fall into place effortlessly.

Perhaps I've tried exactly the wrong recipes, but looking back through the book, I see page after page of notes to myself not to repeat this dish or that one. I agree with the reviewer who comments that Merchant overuses Dijon mustard. It just tastes out of place.

For simple recipes suitable to a home cook, I'd suggest Madhur Jaffrey's Indian Cooking. Like this one, it has no hard-to-obtain fresh ingredients and it has no complicated processes to follow. The results from her books are more reliable.

I'll remain a die-hard fan of Merchant himself and of his movies.

Rating:
Summary: For enthusiasts of ethnic and regional cuisines
Review: Ismail Merchant's Passionate Meals is a compendium of more than two hundred Indian-inspired recipes adapted for the Western kitchen. From Bambai Bhajya (Bombay Vegetable Fritters), Besan Walla Chana (Black Chick-Peas with Gram Flower Sauce), and Murgh Masala (Spicy Chicken Curry), to Bhuna Gosht (Pan-Roasted Lamb), Machli Dam Masala (Cod in Tomato and Basil Sauce), and Nimbu ka Achar (Sour Lemon Pickle), Ismail Merchant's Passionate Meals offers a mouth-watering, appetite satisfying spectrum of dishes to enhance any meal. Highly recommended for enthusiasts of ethnic and regional cuisines, Ismail Merchant's Passionate Meals treats the reader to Merchant's engaging personal anecdotes and reflections on Indian customs.

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Summary: Truly lives up to its provocative title
Review: Ismail Merchant's Passionate Meals: The New Indian Cuisine For Fearless Cooks And Adventurous Eaters truly lives up to its provocative title! From A Better Gin and Tonic, Taza Kumbhi ka Shorba (Fresh Mushroom Soup), and Nimbu Masoor Dal (Lemon Lentils), to Tamatar Gosht (Tomato Lamb Curry), Sarson-walla Jhingha (Mustard Shrimp), and Naaspati ka Murabba (Stewed Spiced Pears), this compendium of delicious, memorable, dishes are adapted for Western cooks and will prove irresistible for gourmet dining and liven up any family meal.

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Summary: I'm a passionate convert
Review: My husband and I "discovered" Indian food on our honeymoon nine years ago in, of all places, Seattle (on our way to Alaska). It was fabulous, of course. When we returned home we had a strong desire to replicate those meals. We live in New Mexico, now, and at the time lived in West Texas. I probably don't really need to describe the paucity of restaurants that would satisfy our needs. So, we went cookbook looking.

We found this absolute treasure. We have made numerous dishes from this cookbook and loved them all. We have an absolute favorite. Dhaniya Murgh (Coriander Chicken) gets made in this house so much we both could do it without the instructions (and the instructions are complex). It's the dish we make in huge quantities and freeze. It's the dish we serve company.
The cookbook tells you about Indian cooking and how to mix what with what. There are sections on lentils, on chicken, on meat. You even get a recipe for making the strange cheeses and the wonderful raita that are served alongside the meals.
It's one of those cookbooks where you drool reading the recipes even if there's no picture right there (all pics are in the center).

One thing: the guy's pretty proud of all the people he knows. He's a name dropper. Funny thing, maybe because I'm only 31, but I know NONE of those people. Never heard of them. Oh well, the man can cook AND he can teach you how, too.
My husband now experiments based on what he's learned from this book.
Want some adventure in your cooking? Looking for Indian food that doesn't call for Cream of Chicken soup? This is the book!