Product Description

The Gate restaurant's refreshing approach to vegetarian food has taken London by storm. Adrian and Michael Daniel have Indian-Iraqi origins, and much of their food combines the flavours and techniques of these two cultures. But there are other influences too. By bringing together mainly Middle Eastern, Mediterranean and Asian ingredients they have created an irresistible, unusual, yet simple-to-prepare range of dishes. There are also features on how to prepare, cook with and eat some vegetables and guidance on tricky techniques such as making fritters. This is an eclectic range of dishes. From the Middle East there are recipes such as beetroot cutta (an Arabic soup served with dumplings), alia bargi (a traditional dry green bean curry), pestos and baklava with cardamom and rosewater. Asian-influenced dishes include thom yam (a Thai hot and sour soup) and nori (sushi rolls with various fillings). And from the Mediterranean you'll find recipes such as butternut squash and thyme gnocchi and lemon polenta cake with poached pear.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #162302 in Books
• Published on: 2004-05-13
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 256 pages

Customer Reviews

Coconut and Coriander chutney...hm, hmm
Although non-Londoner's may not be familiar with the Gate's innovative food, this book is well worth acquiring. Not only are recipies well explained and delicious, in it the Gate reveals treasured signiture dishes such as plaintain (green banana) fritters, teriyaki aubergine and pistachio & lavender brulees. Flavours are combined in such a creative and adept way that carnivores would not even notice the lack of meat. The book contains lots of pictures, which I feel always helps to make a cook book come alive. I just wish they were all in colour. The fusion of Asian and Mediterranean ingredients makes these recipies fresh, powerful and memorable. Anyone wanting to make special, sensual dishes should own this book.

Beware the detail
This is great range of recipes and an interesting mix of flavours but check carefully before you proceed. Several recipes list ingredients that are not included in the method, or have rather imprecise cooking instructions that seem to miss a crucial step. You can usually figure it out but best not to be caught unawares or you may end up with a finished dish and a pile of finely chopped chillis still looking for a home.

from the book's co-author
V Webb's review is incredibly irksome for us, as it airily casts doubts on the book's reliability, but doesn't take the time or have the courage to give details of where examples of these claimed imprecise instructions and missing ingredients can be found. I challenge the reviewer to give us chapter and verse of these infelicities - if such things exist it would be very useful for us to know, so that we might correct them in reprints and the paperback edition.