Authentic Indian Recipe Book?

ilovetorun · 11-01-2011 10:14am #1

Can anyone recommend a good Indian cookery book please? There are so many out there I cant decide
Cheers!

nompere · 11-01-2011 10:35am

Madhur Jaffrey and Anjum Anand are good places to start. I've bought both their new books in the last few months and I think they are terrific. I've been using an old Madhur Jaffrey book for years - it's starting to fall apart - and the recipes in the new one are quicker and easier to cook, but indistinguishable from those I've been doing up to now.

the beer revolu · 11-01-2011 12:47pm

I find 50 Great Curries of India excellent.
I use it more as a reference book than a recipe book.

Curry Addict · 11-01-2011 12:51pm

the best indian cook books ive found are "the cinnamon club" cookbook
"curry" by vivek sing
"indian esscence" by atul kochhar
"Prashda cooking with indian masters" the larousse of indian cooking
"fish indian style" by athul kochhar
most others are just rubbish imho

dudara · 11-01-2011 12:55pm

Atul Kochar is a great cook - I haven't read any of his books, but his food is great.

Madhur Jaffrey is regarded as a leading author on Indian cooking. Her books are pretty comprehensive. I have her Ultimate Curry Bible at home somewhere. I don't particularly like some of her stuff, but she would be a good starting point.

I have another better book at home, but for the life of me, I cannot remember the name.

ilovetorun · 11-01-2011 12:58pm

Some great rec's here guys-thanks a mill

nesbitt · 11-01-2011 4:11pm

I love Indian food but tried several times at home and got quite blah result. I just could not get it right at all. I will have a browse and may try again.

Meanwhile I just use Pataks curry paste as the base for my currys not the ready made sauce mind.

Now if I could make a nice Naan bread at home I would be very happy but that was a disaster.... Could not get them cooked my grill is not hot enough. Think the shop ones are rubber!

Alun · 11-01-2011 4:18pm

I've loads of Indian cookery books but the one I keep on returning to and whose pages stained yellow fom overuse is the classic Madhur Jaffrey's Indian Cookery http://www.amazon.co.uk/Madhur-Jaffreys-Indian-Cookery-Jaffrey/dp/0563488212/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1294758877&sr=1-4

nesbitt · 11-01-2011 4:26pm

Alun wrote: »

I've loads of Indian cookery books but the one I keep on returning to and whose pages stained yellow fom overuse is the classic Madhur Jaffrey's Indian Cookery http://www.amazon.co.uk/Madhur-Jaffreys-Indian-Cookery-Jaffrey/dp/0563488212/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1294758877&sr=1-4

Like the look of her simple Indian cookery & quick and easy Indian cooking should be able to get this in my local Eason, else they will order it for me. Thanks. Might get to make my own Naan bread too, my kids love these, they call it 'Lord of the Rings bread'. Don't ask! We are all a bit mad here:D

Curry Addict · 11-01-2011 4:31pm

nesbitt wrote: »

I love Indian food but tried several times at home and got quite blah result. I just could not get it right at all. I will have a browse and may try again.

making curries like indian resturants is a long process using a few different techniques. there arent any cook books that cover it. cook books give 1 off quick easy curries that are poor replicas of the real thing.
for the standard resturant curries u need to make a curry masala(spice mix), ginger/garlic paste, curry base and pre cooked meat before u can even start to make the actual curry.

Bill2673 · 11-01-2011 4:36pm

Most people seem to rave about Madhur Jaffrey, but part of her appeal seems to be that she does a lot of 'quick and easy' curries as opposed to really authentic curries, which I'd have thought are not quick & easy. ....I don't know as I've never used her books, but I;ve read that on reviews on her elsewhere. Anyway, I would be very interested in any Indian people reading this, if they have an opinion on what a good cook book is...

Bill2673 · 11-01-2011 4:38pm

Curry Addict wrote: »

making curries like indian resturants is a long process using a few different techniques. there arent any cook books that cover it. cook books give 1 off quick easy curries that are poor replicas of the real thing.
for the standard resturant curries u need to make a curry masala(spice mix), ginger/garlic paste, curry base and pre cooked meat before u can even start to make the actual curry.

I'd be more interested myself in how Indian food is made in the home in india, and also much more interested in veggie recipes where indian is concerned.

Alun · 11-01-2011 4:42pm

Bill2673 wrote: »

Most people seem to rave about Madhur Jaffrey, but part of her appeal seems to be that she does a lot of 'quick and easy' curries as opposed to really authentic curries, ...

Maybe she has written 'quick and easy' recipe books, but the one I have referenced above certainly doesn't fit into that mould.

Not that there's anything inherently wrong with quick and easy recipes, they have their place, as do the 'how to recreate a restaurant curry' type recipe books as well.

Alun · 11-01-2011 4:43pm

Curry Addict wrote: »

making curries like indian resturants is a long process using a few different techniques. there arent any cook books that cover it. cook books give 1 off quick easy curries that are poor replicas of the real thing.
for the standard resturant curries u need to make a curry masala(spice mix), ginger/garlic paste, curry base and pre cooked meat before u can even start to make the actual curry.

You're just reading the wrong recipe books if that's your experience of them. And the pre-cooking of meat and the use of a curry base (usually a spicy onion gravy) is more of a time saving thing than anything else which is why restaurants do it. I don't think it results in better curries as a result though, quite the opposite if anything, and not really practical for home cooking either unless you eat Indian food every single day.

Bill2673 · 11-01-2011 4:48pm

Curry Addict wrote: »

the best indian cook books ive found are "the cinnamon club" cookbook
"curry" by vivek sing
"indian esscence" by atul kochhar
"Prashda cooking with indian masters" the larousse of indian cooking
"fish indian style" by athul kochhar
most others are just rubbish imho

Which would be your pick of these?

The Vivek singh one looks interesting, but recipes seem to be quite rich and also mainly meat based stuff.....is that right?

Curry Addict · 11-01-2011 5:00pm

Alun wrote: »

You're just reading the wrong recipe books if that's your experience of them. And the pre-cooking of meat and the use of a curry base (usually a spicy onion gravy) is more of a time saving thing than anything else which is why restaurants do it. I don't think it results in better curries as a result though, quite the opposite if anything, and not really practical for home cooking either unless you eat Indian food every single day.

one of the 1st indian cook books i bought was the one you recommended. its ok as indian cook books go. the recipes are average when compared to the cinnamon club cookbook or Prashad, cooking with indian masters. I do enjoy all of what indian cooking has to offer.
I do prefer the resturant style of cooking specific curries myself.

Alun · 11-01-2011 5:11pm

It was the first one I bought too on the back of the TV series on the BBC by the same name waaay back in 1982! Unfortunately I lived in Germany at the time so getting hold of spices and other ingredients was a real challenge back then, but I managed.

I can't say I'm a fan of the restaurant style myself, to my taste it results in very samey dishes with little depth of flavour. Compare a Lamb Rogan Josh made according to the restaurant method and one made from scratch, for example, and there's really no comparison.

duckworth · 11-01-2011 5:11pm

Bill2673 wrote: »

Most people seem to rave about Madhur Jaffrey, but part of her appeal seems to be that she does a lot of 'quick and easy' curries as opposed to really authentic curries, which I'd have thought are not quick & easy. ....I don't know as I've never used her books, but I;ve read that on reviews on her elsewhere. Anyway, I would be very interested in any Indian people reading this, if they have an opinion on what a good cook book is...

You're wrong about Madhur Jaffrey there - the "Ultimate Curry Bible" cookbook I have makes no concessions to simplicity or 'quick and easy' versions. It's one of the best cookbooks I've ever come across - I'd highly recommend it. Even without the recipes its a great history of the curry - mainly in India/Pakistan, but throughout the rest of the world too.

I've more or less given up on home-cooked Indian food though, since it never really works out for me. There's definitely something I'm doing wrong - it may be the quality of ingredients or some stage I'm leaving out - I don't know.

I can make a passable Vindaloo, but it's nothing compared to the better takeaways like Bombay Pantry.

Curry Addict · 11-01-2011 5:15pm

Bill2673 wrote: »

Which would be your pick of these?

The Vivek singh one looks interesting, but recipes seem to be quite rich and also mainly meat based stuff.....is that right?

his books are pretty well balanced with a nice range of everything.

for just really great indian food well presented and work perfectly "the cinnamon club" cookbook is the best

for authentic indian cooking covering a huge range of the sub continent "Prashad" is the best.

Bill2673 · 11-01-2011 5:17pm

thanks for this folks. what is the difference between the restaurant method and the 'from scratch' method?

Alun · 11-01-2011 5:19pm

Maybe it's rushing things too much? Some recipes, for example, require the browning of large quantities of onions .. this isn't something that can be rushed, and you have to be on top of it constantly making sure they don't burn. You just won't get that deep sweet caramelized flavour or the dark colour if you rush it. Also spices are important ... there's a world of difference for example between some freshly ground roasted cumin seeds, and some ready ground cumin that's been sitting in a jar for months.

A proper Goan style pork vindaloo isn't that difficult either (I use Madhur Jaffrey's recipe!) although again it takes time .. the best one I've ever had though was some that an Indian colleague's mum had made for him while visiting (they were both from Goa, the home of the vindaloo).

Curry Addict · 11-01-2011 5:19pm

Alun wrote: »

It was the first one I bought too on the back of the TV series on the BBC by the same name waaay back in 1982! Unfortunately I lived in Germany at the time so getting hold of spices and other ingredients was a real challenge back then, but I managed.

I can't say I'm a fan of the restaurant style myself, to my taste it results in very samey dishes with little depth of flavour. Compare a Lamb Rogan Josh made according to the restaurant method and one made from scratch, for example, and there's really no comparison.

funny i video taped this series, i still have the old tape but the quality has deteriorated

Alun · 11-01-2011 5:23pm

Bill2673 wrote: »

thanks for this folks. what is the difference between the restaurant method and the 'from scratch' method?

The following probably explains it best of all ... taken from an ancient copy of the Curry Club magazine ...

Curry Addict · 11-01-2011 5:25pm

Alun wrote: »

Maybe it's rushing things too much? Some recipes, for example, require the browning of large quantities of onions .. this isn't something that can be rushed, and you have to be on top of it constantly making sure they don't burn. You just won't get that deep sweet caramelized flavour or the dark colour if you rush it. Also spices are important ... there's a world of difference for example between some freshly ground roasted cumin seeds, and some ready ground cumin that's been sitting in a jar for months.

A proper Goan style pork vindaloo isn't that difficult either (I use Madhur Jaffrey's recipe!) although again it takes time .. the best one I've ever had though was some that an Indian colleague's mum had made for him while visiting (they were both from Goa, the home of the vindaloo).

imho the problem is the recipes themselves, they are not great and a good example if this is madhur jaffreys vindaloo in that book. it uses way too much vinegar as i remember. if u compare it with the vindaloo in the cinnamon club book u will see what i mean.

Alun · 11-01-2011 5:38pm

Curry Addict wrote: »

imho the problem is the recipes themselves, they are not great and a good example if this is madhur jaffreys vindaloo in that book. it uses way too much vinegar as i remember. if u compare it with the vindaloo in the cinnamon club book u will see what i mean.

There's 5 tbsp in her recipe (for 1kg of pork). How much does the Cinnamon Club recipe use? I can't say I particularly find it too acidic except when it first starts cooking, but it seems to 'cook out' quite a lot .. maybe it depends on the vinegar used?

Curry Addict · 11-01-2011 6:07pm

i made the one in her "ultimate curry bible" , 120ml of vinegar!

funny i followed that curry club method also years ago, it dint work too well but u live and u learn.

Curry Addict · 11-01-2011 6:16pm

atm im looking for indian spice mix recipes if anyone can help?
particularly regional ones rather than the mainstream.

ilovetorun · 11-01-2011 6:23pm

I asked this morning hoping to get 1 or 2 ideas as I'm a young novice who loves cooking at home but cannot make a good Indian dish for love nor money! I'm delighted with all the responses-keep them coming
Thank you

Curry Addict · 11-01-2011 6:33pm

ive been researching indian cooking for over 20 years. tried all the books, completed 6 courses and i wasnt truely happy with my results until I finally got an Indian chef to bring me through the whole process step by step.
id advise the fast way to success to is get shown by an expert.

the beer revolu · 11-01-2011 6:39pm

Curry Addict wrote: »

atm im looking for indian spice mix recipes if anyone can help?
particularly regional ones rather than the mainstream.

This guy should see you right

Curry Addict · 11-01-2011 6:42pm

nice thanks!

nompere · 12-01-2011 12:25am

Alun wrote: »

I've loads of Indian cookery books but the one I keep on returning to and whose pages stained yellow fom overuse is the classic Madhur Jaffrey's Indian Cookery http://www.amazon.co.uk/Madhur-Jaffreys-Indian-Cookery-Jaffrey/dp/0563488212/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1294758877&sr=1-4

That's the one I have; mine is falling apart as well!

lemeister · 13-01-2011 2:19pm

Curry Addict wrote: »

ive been researching indian cooking for over 20 years. tried all the books, completed 6 courses and i wasnt truely happy with my results until I finally got an Indian chef to bring me through the whole process step by step.
id advise the fast way to success to is get shown by an expert.

Would you be willing to share some of the steps that made a real difference?

Curry Addict · 13-01-2011 2:32pm

ill PM u

The Hill Billy · 13-01-2011 3:06pm

Why not share them here? That's the whole purpose of this forum.

HB

Curry Addict · 13-01-2011 3:37pm

was thinking of doing this for the cooking club

The Hill Billy · 13-01-2011 4:34pm

Only a few weeks to wait then.

Darkginger · 13-01-2011 5:27pm

I really hope you do this for the Cooking Club, Curry Addict! I've been perfecting my curry cooking for 30 years now (got ya beat!) - aiming for the restaurant style - have mostly got there (using the base sauce, pre-cooking my meat, using restaurant spice blends and so on), but there's still room for improvement. At one point I thought Kris Dhillon's 'The Curry Secret' was the best book on the subject, but I use a different method now. Can't wait to read about yours!

I don't eat curry every day (although once you've made a good one, the temptation's there to eat it again the next day, and so on - husband tends to complain after a while), but I do eat it often enough to make it worthwhile to make a big batch of base sauce, then freeze it in portions.

Back in the 80s, I picked up a book called something like 'The Complete Curry Bible' (not by Madhur Jaffrey) which included a recipe for Liver and Udder Curry, and Very Young Milk Shark Curry (they weren't lying about it being 'complete'!). If anyone has seen such a book (large paperback format), I'd love to be able to buy it again. Not easily forgotten, although I never made either of those recipes (shortage of udders at the butchers!).

Curry Addict · 13-01-2011 5:45pm

sounds like you are pretty much there already darkginger

freezing portions of curry base makes it so much easier!

13-01-2011 5:48pm

I recommend Madhur Jaffrey's new "Curry Easy" - it really is a lovely book and simple receipes too.

the beer revolu · 13-01-2011 6:01pm

I gotta say that I don't get the aspiration to make restaurant style curries.
(Maybe I've just never been to a good Indian restaurant)
The best curries I've eaten have been made by me or others at home.

I'd love to find a good restaurant that happened to serve Indian food as opposed to an 'Indian restaurant' that feel the need to offer scores of stock Indian meals that every other 'Indian restaurant' serves.

I'd like to find an equivalent Chinese restaurant, you know, one with 5 starters and 5 mains on the menu and daily specials.

foodaholic · 13-01-2011 6:38pm

I find Anjum Anand quite good, Madhur Jaffrey's recipes never really worked out for me. Keith floyds indian recipes really hit the spot for me.

PTO · 15-01-2011 11:40am

http://www.bestsellers.ie/Books/Book/462611/180045/2/9780714859026/PANT__PUSHPESH-/INDIA__THE_COOKBOOK-/Book

I saw this in town the other day and had a flick through it. Was well impressed with everything except for the price (€40- typical Dublin!!:rolleyes:)

Saw it online for €23 though so I thought I'd get it. Its fantastic!! Has nearly every Indian recipe you can shake a stick at including how to make the spice mixes, Chutneys and breads. It has 100's of recipes and even a 'guest chef' section that includes non-traditional Indian recipe's such as Tikka Masala's and the likes.

It even has a great 10 or so page intro where it gives the history of Indian food aswell as an indepth look at the different regions of India and the food that comes from there!

I'd highly reccomend it to anyone! Only flaw is that it lacks pictures but sure that adds to the fun for some people!!

Now all I need is a Tandoor oven!!!

Bill2673 · 18-01-2011 5:40pm

Just bought the Madhur Jaffrey book from recommendations on this post......looking forward to it.

Minder · 18-01-2011 7:18pm

Curry Addict wrote: »

making curries like indian resturants is a long process using a few different techniques. there arent any cook books that cover it.

Pat Chapmans books cover all the steps that make restaurant style curries. I've been using his curry paste for years. When I first bought the Curry Club Cookbook, it was very frustrating - the recipes all refer to other recipes in the book - one portion of masala base (page 33), two tbsps of curry paste (page 31). But I stuck with it and the effort was worth it.

Curry Addict wrote: »

atm im looking for indian spice mix recipes if anyone can help?
particularly regional ones rather than the mainstream.

Christine Manfield is an Australian author and restauranteur - her book Spice has recipes for:

Paramount garam masala
Bengali garam masala
Kashmiri garam masala
Chat masala
Kashmiri Korma
Kerala Curry powder
Madras Curry powder
Sri Lankan Curry powder
Malaysian curry blend
Singapore curry mix
West Indian curry blend
Sambar powder
Bengali Panch phoron
Tandoori masala

In addition to this lot there are recipes for North African and Arabic blends, two Chinese spice recipes, two Japanese spice blends and some other bits & pieces.

Then there are wet paste recipes for:

Green masala paste
Chettinad paste
Goan Vindaloo paste
Madras masala paste
Kerala curry paste
Paramount curry paste
Nonya spice paste
Satay spice paste
Paramount laksa paste
Singapore lakso paste
Thai red, green and yellow pastes
Larp paste
Chermoula
Massaman curry paste
Mexican salt & pepper recade
Cajun spice paste

Then there are dozens of recipes for condiments, spiced oils and sauces.

Thats just the first 50 pages - the next 220 pages are the main recipes. Worth a look if you are searching for variety in your blends. (Paramount is her Restaurant)

Curry Addict · 18-01-2011 8:49pm

thats exactly what im looking for minder thanks for that. that book from christine mansfield looks like a brilliant resource.

on the other hand i bought those pat chapman books years ago. i guess i learned stuff from them at the time and i did try his methods which as u say are badly presented

. looking back at these books now and they are not very accurate tbh, despite the claims he makes.

Minder · 18-01-2011 9:48pm

I guess the Chapman books were of the moment, but if they were as good as he says, there would be many reprints. As with all books, have a browse through a copy in the bookshop before buying. If you can't find a copy - try the reviews on Amazon or LibraryThing.

Millypenny · 19-01-2011 1:31pm

Mridula Baljekar is another person to put on the list for good Indian Cookboooks. I have a few of her cookbooks and find them really good.

My favourite one of her books is "Complete Indian Cookbook". The book is now out of print - but can be bought second-hand. Have had my book for about 15 years and still use it regularly esp. for the Chicken Korma, onion bhajies, and various potato recipes.

Another one of her books is "Great Indian Feasts" - book is organised according to Indian festivals and shows recipes which are traditionally served at these festivals. Some very unusual recipes here. Also includes a Christmas section - with recipes for spicy Pineapple chutney, Goan Christmas cake (made from coconut pancakes etc).

ilovetorun · 20-01-2011 5:35pm

Thanks everyone for all your recommendations, there's so many to choose from!

Makood · 05-09-2014 6:03pm

Curry Addict wrote: »

imho the problem is the recipes themselves, they are not great and a good example if this is madhur jaffreys vindaloo in that book. it uses way too much vinegar as i remember. if u compare it with the vindaloo in the cinnamon club book u will see what i mean.

Far too much vinegar-Perhaps it's the "Traditional way" but imo it just wasn't that nice.

Authentic Indian Recipe Book?

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