Product Description

This title is a collection of vegetarian recipes from Kerala in Southern India. Das Sreedharan, owner of the award-winning Rasa restaurants, grew up in a small village in Kerla, and his memories of the simplicity, lightness and variety of the local food inform his recipes. Simple dishes such as ginger and chilli pickle, lemon rice, cheera spinach curry and tarka dal demonstrate that the exotic need not be intimidating or difficult. The title places its emphasis on home cooking with fresh and aromatic ingredients for healthy cooking.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #755014 in Books
• Published on: 2001-07-26
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 160 pages

Good Book Guide
'Indian cookery for the 21st century'

Review
'An important book' (Daily Telegraph )

'This is [Das's] second book of South Indian recipes ... even better than the first' (Time Out )

'Mouthwatering new cookbook' (Observer Food&Drink )

'Indian cookery for the 21st century' (Good Book Guide )

'The British are finally waking up to the fact that there is more to Indian cooking than chicken tikka masala and flock wallpaper...The recipes are fragrant, light and delicious' (Sunday Times )

Time Out
'This is [Das's] second book of South Indian recipes ... even better than the first'

Customer Reviews

A brilliant working cookbook
As an inexperience cook I previously approached Indian home cooking with caution. After buying this book and launching myself into the recipes I can say that I have transformed my view! The layout of the recipes I find to be clear and straightfoward, the guide at the front as to the ingredients and cooking utensils is invaluable to a beginner, even if you are fairly accustomed to using some of the spices and vegetables etc. I have rarely been so entranced with the smell of cooking spices as with doing these recipes, I was amazed at how everything blended so well. In particular, the rather bland sounding combination of potato and cauliflower was astounding for the way all the tastes combined to make a delicious and flavoursome curry, and easy to make to boot!

The only serious quibble I find I have is with some of the ingredients and cooking utensils required. To be fair, Mr Sreedharan does give alternatives where possible. However if, like me, you live some distance from any Indian food and grocery shops then items like fresh curry leaves (which are used in the majority of recipes) are impossible to get hold of, although I have found that most dried goods can be ordered via internet stores. The Bar Snacks and Tiffin recipe sections in particular include utensils that I have not been able to find.

That said I still award it five stars, the recipes are bright, vibrant and an absolute pleasure to cook as well as to eat!

Delicious vegetarian recipes
This cookery book is written by the owner of the Rasa restaurants in London. The recipes are mostly from southern India and make quite a lot of use of coconut, as well as southern spices (and rice!). There are some really novel and interesting recipes in here, even one for a gooseberry curry and a garlic curry. I would recommend the book, but I found the constant mention of his restaurants, the chef in his restaurants, the clients of his restaurants and his restaurants to be rather annoying! A good book somewhat spoiled by self promotion.

great coffe table book
A great book with great recipes and beautiful photographs (unfortunately not always of the recipes). If you've eaten in any of the Rasa restaurants then its worth getting to recreate the food at home. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is there isn't enough detail on the background to the recipes and there aren't that many of them. Get it if you already have "The Art of Indian Vegetarian Cooking" by Yamuna Devi.