<< 1 >>
Rating: 
Summary: Great cookbook
Review: After I checked this out of the library and used it, I decided it was a must have so I bought it. The recipes are easy, the food is delicious. I love her comments about when she makes the recipe or where she first had the dish. I love the explanations of ingredients.
Rating:
Summary: A Wonderful Book
Review: i love indian food, have been to india and have cooked from the book. i have made a few of the recipes in the short time i've had it. i live near a nice indian grocery store that sells all the herbs in quart size bags for 2 or 3 bucks. everyday the indians eat dal - a lentil or bean dish. A couple that i love are - Hulled and Split Mung Beans with Spinach, and Red Lentils with Zucchini. The red lentil recipe is fabulous i could eat it everyday. The best recipe so far - and it is so fabulous i don't think another can match it - is Potatoes Cooked with Fennel Seeds. it is so indian it takes me back to some of the best i had in india (I am not a good cook - but this came out as good as any indian restaurant you are likely to go in the U.S.). I use sunflower seed oil or canola - any subtle oil. Maybe it is the Nigella seeds (which only cost about 2 bucks for 2 oz.) that make the difference. I also skip the red chili peppers. I also use a pressure cooker and skip the soaking altogether - with no loss of flavor - red lentils take about 10 minutes after coming to pressure. You also can make the lentils first and put in fridge then fry the herbs and zuchinni just before serving, that method of making the tarka comes from the book and is used in the other dal recipes as well.
Rating:
Summary: Not just for vegetarians - a wonderful cook book
Review: I recommend this book to any cook who enjoys discovering new flavors and new ways to prepare the vegetable portions of their meals rather they are vegetarians or not. The only hurdle to getting started is the requirement to spend some time reading through the book to identify the recipes that get your juices flowing and then making note of the ingredients you need that aren't in your spice cupboards. A trip to one or more local ethnic markets to acquire your new 'basics' and you're ready to enter Madhur's splendid world of vegetarian cuisine. The two reviewers that gave the book less than five stars are quite wrong-headed in their criticism of the book. One review notes that the book has 'little genuine content, and isn't what it should be. Most of the recipes are the same thing..." A characterization I simply can't interpret! The same reviewer goes on to criticize the book's organization by ingredient, which I found to be a truly winning format - I've got this eggplant, what shall I do with it? Madhur's organization let's me turn to the section on eggplant and see my world of options. In addition there is an exceptional index that, in addition to listing recipes by ingredient, also lists them by national origin, so if I want to see all the Indonesian recipes, the index points me straight to them. The second less-than-enthusiastic reviewer also was disconcerted by the organization by ingredients, complaining that they could not plan whole Mexican dinner from the book - they can and easily, too - just consult the index. A great book for any kitchen, vegetarian or not, where the cook(s) want to broaden their culinary horizons!
Rating:
Summary: Extraordinary Cookbook - Not Just for Vegetarians
Review: Madhur Jaffrey is a renowned author of numerous cookbooks, often focusing on Indian cuisine. "World Vegetarian" is one of her most ambitious works, covers over 200 vegetable and non-meat recipes from around the globe. Although a relatively large portion of the recipes are from India or China, recipes from around the world are well represented: Mexico, Greece, Jamaica, Cyprus, Italy, Trinidad, Japan, France, Morocco, the United States and Native America, Costa Rica, Korea, Cuba, Indonesia, Africa, and Lebanon. Jaffrey also integrates a few recipes that she's developed herself, often borrowing from traditions of several different cultures. The cookbook is divided into 6 main sections, with major ingredients organized in alphabetical order: 1) Dried Beans, Dried Peas, Lentils, and Nuts (azuki beans to urad beans); 2) Vegetables (artichokes to turnips); 3) Grains (barley to wild rice); 4) Dairy (eggs to yogurt); 5) Soups, Salads, and Drinks (cold soups to sweet soups); 6) Sauces and Added Flavorings (chutney to spice mixtures). Each ingredient is discussed in detail as are basic cooking and preparation instructions, such as peeling daikon, sprouting mung beans, and making basic polenta. As with all her cookbooks, Jaffrey's recipes are written clearly and easy to follow. In addition, each recipe has an introductory paragraph, where she explains some of the ingredients, tells why she loves the recipe, gives hints about good accompanying dishes, and so forth. Reading her recipes is like being in the kitchen with a good friend. The final section is an extensive glossary that describes needed equipment and foreign ingredients. Finally, Jaffrey includes a one-page summary of places to find unusual cooking resources. Overall, "World Vegetarian" is one of the best cookbooks specializing in non-meat dishes that I've ever seen. Although it will be most appreciated by vegetarians, this cookbook will find a welcome home with anyone looking for diverse vegetable dishes or trying to cut back on meat consumption. Most highly recommended!
Rating:
Summary: Extraordinary Cookbook - Not Just for Vegetarians
Review: Madhur Jaffrey is a renowned author of numerous cookbooks, often focusing on Indian cuisine. "World Vegetarian" is one of her most ambitious works, covers over 200 vegetable and non-meat recipes from around the globe. Although a relatively large portion of the recipes are from India or China, recipes from around the world are well represented: Mexico, Greece, Jamaica, Cyprus, Italy, Trinidad, Japan, France, Morocco, the United States and Native America, Costa Rica, Korea, Cuba, Indonesia, Africa, and Lebanon. Jaffrey also integrates a few recipes that she's developed herself, often borrowing from traditions of several different cultures. The cookbook is divided into 6 main sections, with major ingredients organized in alphabetical order: 1) Dried Beans, Dried Peas, Lentils, and Nuts (azuki beans to urad beans); 2) Vegetables (artichokes to turnips); 3) Grains (barley to wild rice); 4) Dairy (eggs to yogurt); 5) Soups, Salads, and Drinks (cold soups to sweet soups); 6) Sauces and Added Flavorings (chutney to spice mixtures). Each ingredient is discussed in detail as are basic cooking and preparation instructions, such as peeling daikon, sprouting mung beans, and making basic polenta. As with all her cookbooks, Jaffrey's recipes are written clearly and easy to follow. In addition, each recipe has an introductory paragraph, where she explains some of the ingredients, tells why she loves the recipe, gives hints about good accompanying dishes, and so forth. Reading her recipes is like being in the kitchen with a good friend. The final section is an extensive glossary that describes needed equipment and foreign ingredients. Finally, Jaffrey includes a one-page summary of places to find unusual cooking resources. Overall, "World Vegetarian" is one of the best cookbooks specializing in non-meat dishes that I've ever seen. Although it will be most appreciated by vegetarians, this cookbook will find a welcome home with anyone looking for diverse vegetable dishes or trying to cut back on meat consumption. Most highly recommended!
Rating: 
Summary: This Cookbook is Inspiring and Educational
Review: OK, yes, this could use more pictures. And I'll be honest, some of her techniques are too complicated and time consuming for me, so I make up my own shortcuts. Soak beans overnight? Heck, it's 6PM, I just got done working & I have a preschooler to feed NOW, so canned beans work FINE for me. But this is GOOD food. I've made about two dozen recipes out of this cookbook so far, two of which were total flops and one of which needed some tweaking but was good the second time I made it with my tweaks in. So no, this isn't for the inexperienced cook, and not every recipe is as good as it sounds. But when you have a few extra minutes to cook or want something special, try the Sri Lankan Sweet Potatoes with Cardamom and Chiles, or the Middle Eastern Stew of Chickpeas, Potatoes, and Carrots. If you only have a minute, throw together the Yogurt with Herbs or the Korean Soy Dipping Sauce and top your veggies with it. You won't regret it. In short, while I don't pull out this cookbook every night, the flavors in it are good enough that I pull it out at least once a week. Give it a try - if the first recipe you try isn't a favorite, try another before you give up. Not everything is going to be to everyone's taste, but everyone is bound to find something they'll like!
Rating:
Summary: My Favourite cookbook
Review: This is my favourite cookbook in my kitchen. I like to pick it up, find a recipe at random and then follow the authors suggestions for constructing a menu from other recipes in the book. I've never had any trouble finding the ingredients and have cooked several meals for entertaining friends and they've always been a hit. The annecdotal stories and background in ingredients is rather fun. My only criticism is the world is a little lopsided on the side of India in this definition of *world* vegetarian. I can't wait for my next opportunity to cook a feast from this book.
Rating:
Summary: I'm not vegetarian, but this book is simply the greatest
Review: This is my first book by the author and I have to say that I eat much less meat than before, which is a good thing, for me and for global impact. Some people have written bad reviews and I guess they just don't get it, this book was a revelation to me. You can make wonderfull dishes of all styles and tastes from many parts of the world, but most important, you learn a strong basis for different culinary cultures. Which I then use with a bit of imagination to make my own depending of what I have in the fridge, and it never fails, it's like skying, once you know how to do it, you can tweak styles and inovate. Simply the best cookbook I've come across in my whole life... and I'm not vegetarian.
<< 1 >>
|
