Poll: Madhur Jaffrey books

[lorilei]

Those of you who own Jaffrey's books -- which one do you like the best? And why?

If you could recommend that someone buy just ONE of her books, which would it be? Or would it be someone else's book altogether?



[This message has been edited by lorilei (edited 05-31-2001).]

[Gail]

On Louise's (LSB) recommendation, I ran right out and got Madhur Jaffrey's "Indian Cooking" last summer. So far, I've tried only about four recipes, but all have been excellent and I know Louise indicated she'd been similarly pleased with all the recipes she'd sampled.



[This message has been edited by Gail (edited 05-31-2001).]

[chefbec]

I have four of her books, but I'm too tired to go look at them tonight (sorry; I was gardening all day). I will post again in the morning. Her books are great, though...

[LSB]

As Gail mentioned - I really like the Indian Cooking book. It's perfect for relatively easy and western-kitchen friendly recipes. I only have one other of hers called "Easy East/West Menus" which is also good. It has a wonderful Coriander-Honey Chicken recipe that is great for picnics.

[emilycat]

I've been debating about whether or not to buy her World Vegetarian or Middle Eastern Vegetarian cookbooks -- does anyone have those?

[lorilei]

Now, the Indian cooking book that Gail and others have mentioned -- Is it the recently republished "Invitation to Indian Cooking"? Or just the "Indian Cooking"?

(I've been looking at her books at a variety of places, and the "Invitation..." seems to be one of her most popular books -- but popular does not necessarily mean "best". So, I'm curious.)

I'm curious about the two books emily mentions as well. Can anyone highlight some of the recipes included?

[chefbec]

Okay. I have "An Invitation to Indian Cooking", "Indian Cooking", "MJ's Cookbook" (that's the one with East/West menus), and "Far Eastern Cookery". I haven't made much from the last one, but I've used the other three a lot. But if I had to choose just one, it would probably be "MJ's Cookbook. That's a real winner. Not a traditional Indian cookbook, though, if that's what you're looking for.

[kathyk]

i have _eastern vegetarian cooking_ and i
love it. this book contains the *best* recipe for peanut-sauced noodles ever. this book is uk published and i found it remaindered for $7. based on this book, i've been contemplating _world vegetarian_ as well...but i've got sooo many cookbooks. but what's one more?!

[AdGirl]

well being Indian and having a mother who is an outstanding cook, i have to say that while most of her recipes are okay, they use ENTIRELY too much oil. whenever i make anything out of them, i cut the oil by at least half, if not more. also, if you've cooked indian before and have some experience with it, i recommend not sticking to her exact measurements for spices, just use it as a guide of which ones to use. i find that her proportions are off sometimes. for example, her tandoori chicken recipe doesn't come out like tandoori chicken. i tried it a number of times and the marinade always came out kinda weird. again, i think it was a proportion thing. i just stick to my mom's tandoori chicken. perfect everytime!

http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[Wendy w]

AdGirl,

I absolutely love tandoori chicken! Would you be willing to post your Mom's recipe? Pretty please?

[crlykat]

Adgirl,

I love Indian food! Is there a cookbook you've seen that you feel more closely resembles authentic Indian cuisine?

Thanks!

[lorilei]

ADgirl -
Have you thought about posting to Gail's International thread? Indian recipes would be great!
http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/Forum1/HTML/007847.html

[gertdog]

I have World of the East Vegetarian cooking. I don't cook from it often, but when I do I'm very pleased with the results.

I also have World Vegetarian and have to confess that I've had it for over a year and have not tried a single recipe. Anyone have some favorites they could recommend?

[lorilei]

gertdog -

What are some of your favorites from the book you do use?

[This message has been edited by lorilei (edited 06-01-2001).]

[AdGirl]

i have my mom's recipe written down at home, i'll post it tomorrow.

one of my favorite recipes of hers is "malai shrimp" which is basically shrimp cooked in a spiced coconut sauce. it's not like curry though, it has an entirely different taste. i'll post it on the other thread (the international one) later today.

something i also recommend to those of you who like indian food is to try the indian sweets, esp the east indian ones (they're the best)! the way that indian restaurants describe them on their menus always makes me laugh because they sound so absurd but they really are very good. sorry, no chocolate, but they are so tasty if made correctly! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[adb]

I am with AdGirl - I have only ever tried a couple things from one of Jaffrey's books (don't know which one it was) and have not had great success. The recipes are much more complicated than my Punjabi MIL's cooking - but Indian cooking varies a lot.

But, my new favorite cookbook is The Essential Asian Cookbook from Whitecap Books (no author). It is a beautifully illustrated book with sections on most Asian countries (Japan,Korea, Burma, Thailand, LAos, China, Indonesia, Vietnam, The Phhillipines, Singapore, etc)including India/Pakistan. I found it randomly at Costco near Christmas.

DH and I have been making a lot of the Indian dishes and are finding them to be very tasty, restaurant-style recipes. They need some lightening up and take a lot of time though. Also, warning - this book is printed in Japan so measurements are mostly in grams and need conversion, but I love it!

[AdGirl]

here it is! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

Mom's Tandoori Chicken
----------------------

3 lbs. chicken pieces (I usually use all dark meat as white meat tends to dry out but that's just me)
1 ½ teaspoon Salt
2 teaspoons Red chili powder (be brave!)
4-6 tablespoons Lemon juice

For the marinade:
6-8 Tablespoons Yogurt (don't use the nonfat kind, the full-fat kind goes a long way and it's only the marinade...) http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif
2 Tablespoons Heavy cream
3 teaspoons Ginger paste (about 2 inches)
3 teaspoons Garlic Paste (5-6 cloves)
1 teaspoon Cumin Powder
1-2 teaspoons Garam masala
½ a teaspoon Saffron (optional, but it really makes such a difference!)
Red and Orange color few drops each (only if you want it to actually be red, I usually don't bother)

1. Clean the chicken. Remove the skin and all fat! Make deep incisions to the bone with a knife, (approximately 2 to 3 inches apart on every piece). Make a paste of the salt, red chili powder and lemon juice and rub over the chicken evenly, including in all the slits. Set aside for 15 minutes.

2. Whisk the yogurt in a large bowl, add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Rub this marinade over the chicken. Refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight. The longer you marinate, the better!

3. Grill the chicken (or bake if you prefer). Baste with the melted butter or with extra marinade.

6. Serve with freshly cut lemon wedges, naan, and raita. We also like to serve it with slices of raw onion, cucumber and tomato drizzled with lemon juice, salt and black pepper. Enjoy! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[Wendy w]

Thanks AdGirl! It looks wonderful!