India: The Cookbook

I purchased this book a couple years ago, but I haven't cooked from it until now. Over the summer, my sister and I ate an Indian restaurant every other week, but when our schedules diverged, I decided to make a project out of this book by starting to cook from it. This book has so many different dishes to choose from, it may intimidate the beginning cook. Indeed, I don't recommend this for those just learning to cook or those who prefer in-depth recipes. I say this for just about any of the Phaidon cookbook bibles (except maybe the Nordic one, which was well executed): there are hardly contexts, the directions are generally summarized, and Phaidon cookbooks require a little bit of know-how and intuition (the previous editor of the Phaidon cookbooks allowed many measurement errors to slip into these bibles, which you can read about in the other book reviews). Interestingly, this one does not have measurement errors, at least in the recipes I have tried so far, but this could be attributed to the fact that Indian cuisine is not standardized and allows for much leeway and reinterpretation (see Monisha Bharadwaj's The Indian Cooking Course). My recommendation for those learning to cook specifically through the Phaidon cookbooks is to purchase supplementary international cuisine cookbooks that provide context, techniques, pantry building, etc. I personally use the Phaidon books for ideas, and then do research for additional information. Monisha's cookbook is a very good supplement to this one.As such, the recipes in this tome... wow. This is the first Phaidon cookbook I've tried in which I didn't have to alter the recipes; I cook from it as written. The chicken tikka masala, rogan josh, and paneer makhani were excellent, even better than the local restaurant's! And the grilled cauliflower was divine; I want to make the marinade and use it as a vegetable dip. The lamb samosas were delectable, and I used the chole recipe as well as Monisha's recipes for chaat masala and sev to turn them into samosa chaat, which is one of my sister's favorite. The garam masala recipe (I used the second version sans rose petals as I couldn't procure good supply) is very handy as it makes a huge batch, and many recipes call for it.Even as I'm writing this review, I'm browsing through it to prepare the next meal (I'm thinking a sambhar and dosa). I do a bit of research before attempting a new dish, and from what I've gathered a lot of the recipes in this book stay true to how cooking is done in India. For example, many rogan josh recipes online add tomatoes and garlic, but traditionally, no tomatoes are used and the flavor of garlic is added through asafoetida/hing, which is how this book does it.Of course, there are errors (it is a huge book, after all), but none that have deterred me. Honestly, in the way of typos, the serving sizes are the only errors I've seen so far; what it says serves four can usually serve 6-8 people. There are no basics section, but cookbooks of this scope usually don't have them. The index is not the best edited and leads to some reviewers thinking certain recipes are not included but actually are, like pani puri (and the puri itself) and chai (not listed under tea nor chai but is under masala chai), although there are so much variation in the English version of Hindi as well as the names of dishes, there are bound to be some limitations (multiple spelling variations are not a major issue with this book, but paratha elsewhere can also be parantha, parauntha, prontha, paronthe, as well as the Punjabi parontay and Bengali porota; one has to track down specifically how this book spells paratha).Despite the cons (and partly because I'm used to the Phaidon format), I gave this book 5 stars because the recipes are fantastic. This book isn't for the faint-hearted or disorganized, but if you have been cooking for a while and are interested in Indian cuisine, then try this book. The recipes are worth your effort. And it is an excellent way to taste the many different regional cuisines India has to offer.

I spent a week in India at a cooking course where I prepared around 40 dishes. This cookbook was recommended as the best one available. They are right.The only challenge for some will be that the book contains the recipes but not really instructions - it's assumed you know what you're doing. So, for example, if the recipes says to add a liter of water then it's assumed you understand that you then have to simmer until the water has evaporated and you're left with a sauce of the consistency you are expecting. It's similarly the case when adding three onions - it's assumed you know to cook them until caramalised (so a long way past translucent).I've cooked maybe 20 of the dishes ranging from meat based to vegetarian. All have come out perfectly. In most cases the ingredients are common enough at an Indian grocer. Some recipes do call for things that I've never seen though, but these are the minority.My favourite so far is the goan pork vindaloo, which I cook with chicken. It's easy to make and delicious. This is one of the dishes where a surprising amount of water is added and then you reduce until you have a thick sauce.The book warns that many recipes call for the authentic level of oil to be used in cooking, but also mentions that you can reduce the amount once you're used to what's happening.

So when I started researching Indian cookbooks, I had a very specific thing in mind. I wanted a comprehensive cookbook that represented all the various cuisines of India and remained true to traditional ingredients and preparation methods. Too often Indian cookbooks for foreign markets use substitutes for uncommon ingredients, make accomodations for methods, and represent a very narrow slice of the regional cuisines. They are primarily meant for home kitchens.This is not that type of book...at all.Pushpeth Pant, as a professor, seems far more interested in the preservation and proper representation of regional cuisines, and as such the book goes into culinary territories well outside of what you'd find in other cookbooks....and it's fantastic!But be aware that because of this, it's really a book for chefs and those committed to a much deeper understanding of Indian cuisine. If you have NO understanding of basic techniques and preparations in Indian cooking, this probably wouldn't be a good place to start. It has no instruction on such things.But for those with some experience, it's easily one of the best cookbooks out there. Enjoy :)

The recipes in this book are varied, numerous and authentic. My husband is from India and I've eaten at restaurants in India so know how Indian food should taste. This book has not been dummied down for the American palette. I'm looking forward to trying out the many different Indian bread recipes, chicken, vegetable recipes. I just did some Aloo Dum, a simple potato recipe, and my son said it's the best potatoes he's ever eaten. I agree. I am thrilled with this book. It has two ribbons sewn into the binding so you can move from one recipe to another without losing your place. Beautiful pictures and good directions. He is keen to detail. It's a learning experience, well worth the money. The customary Indian tote bag it comes in is a brilliant stroke. I'm so happy to have this book!

This book is excellent! A wonderful addition to any cooks collection!