Member Reviews
Indian food has enjoyed a surge of popularity during the last few years, so Vivek Singh’s Indian Cuisine: Authentic Flavors from the Land of Spice is very timely. Singh is a renowned Indian chef, and has included contributions from other Indian chefs to make this not only an excellent cookbook, but also everything anyone needs to successfully prepare good Indian food at home.
Singh includes mouthwatering vegetarian dishes, as well as good curries and other dishes using poultry, fish, and meats. Lamb is featured in many dishes, and there are even a few goat dishes. Some of the most familiar and trendy Indian dishes like Vindaloo and Biryani are included, as well as delicious dishes using paneer. A favorite chapter is the one on breads – Indian breads are delicious and absolutely critical to serving with the spicy main dishes and these breads work well and are quite easy to make. There is also a chapter featuring different and luscious rice recipes. Although there isn’t a photograph of every recipe, the book is filled with beautiful photos of many of them.
Anyone interested in learning to cook excellent Indian cuisine at home will want to pay attention to the ingredient list in the cookbook, and visit a good Asian or Indian grocery store to stock up. Once a kitchen is well-stocked with the proper ingredients, the recipes in this book will be easy-to-follow. Unfortunately, most of the dishes are not quick – the ingredient lists in the recipes are quite long – and most are a bit time consuming. The upside is that once prepared, the recipes are absolutely worth the time spent preparing great Indian food. Anyone who loves being in the kitchen will enjoy following the recipes and savoring the smells and flavors of India. The cookbook includes recipes from several regions of India, which are extremely varied, and the prose will help in educating unfamiliar cooks on India. Highly Recommended for Indian food lovers.
Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.
Wow. This is a great book about Indian food.
You will find great spicy and less spicy foods from breads chutney and meatless recipes. .i highly recommend this book if you like this kind of food!
Vivek Singh's Indian Cuisine is a fantastic cookbook and the perfect introduction to authentic Indian food. The photographs are lacking but the recipes do work.
Authentic and beautifully presented recipes from India and Pakistan, how to make homemade sauces and chutneys , all making this a valued addition to any cook's shelf.
Upfront, I am not of Indian descent, so I am in no position to claim to be an authority on Indian cooking. However, Indian Cuisine will teach any novice a lot more about cooking Indian food. I love that author Vivek Singh breaks down each recipe’s origin (North India, South India, Pakistan) and gives a more in-depth regional flavor and ingredient breakdown at the beginning of the book.
Another big advantage of this book is Singh gives a wide variety of proteins: beef (in an Indian book? This recipe actually originates from Pakistan), pork, chicken, lamb, fish and vegetarian.
The one major downside to Indian Cuisine is I really would have liked a lot wider variety than curry dishes. Not to say the entire book is curry dishes, but it is definitely curry-dominant.
A minor quibble is I wish there had been more photos. A large number of cookbooks now contain pictures for every recipe. That said, this shouldn’t be an expectation, as there are plenty of good cookbooks with even less photos than this one.
On the whole, if you are interested in expanding your cooking range, especially if you enjoy curry dishes, this book is a good one. The recipes in here give you layers of flavor—plenty of flavors, too, from spicy to creamy to nutty.
I've been wanting to delve more into Indian cuisine, so I'm really looking forward to cooking from this book!
They do a great job of introducing a wide variety of Indian curries from different regions, although I do feel like this would be better marketed as an Indian Curry book, since it's almost entirely made up of curries (and the breads/rice dishes that go with them).
I definitely prefer cookbooks with more photos, especially for cuisines I'm less familiar with, as it can be a challenge to imagine what each dish is when a lot of them sound very similar.
I loved the history in the descriptions of each dish, as well as the little note at the top of each ingredient list stating the flavor profile for the dish.
Overall, an enjoyable cookbook!
Curries for the win! So many yummy, yummy recipes to choose from, so little time.
I have been a super huge fan of Eastern cooking for a long time. Growing up in a huge military town, I have had lots of friends from a lot of places all around the world. I always loved eating over at my friend's houses because many of my friend's moms knew that I loved authentic dishes with curries being some of my all-time favorites.
Indian Cuisine is separated into sections of vegetarian, fish, poultry, meat, rice and bread, and sauces. I really enjoyed how the author provided a little snippet about the recipe and a little history or background on it.
Further, it was neat to see how the flavor profiles changed from area to area and the location where the recipe would be served (North or South India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, etc...). I did find myself wishing for more pictures of the dishes though.
As always, sourcing some ingredients may be difficult when dealing with more rural areas but international grocers are popping up everywhere now and as always the wonder of the internet can help too. Some of these recipes are absolutely worth the extra gas to pop into a specialty store just a bit further out of the way!
I am totally jonesing to try some of these recipes, especially the seafood ones!
Indian Cuisine is definitely worth picking up if you are looking to add some international flair to your weekly cooking repertoire.
*ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*
I thought this was a really nice Indian cookbook. There is a useful section in the beginning to go over ingredients that you would use frequently and some backgrounds on the different regions the recipes come from. I learned a little about some of my favorite foods. I love getting Indian takeout and this might encourage me to try a few at home. The recipes do look dauting with the number of spices, so it may take awhile. A great book if you are looking to build your knowledge or start including more recipes in your rotation.
A nice authentic guide to Indian cooking, with lots of information about ingredients and more. Color photos accompany about 1/3 of the recipes. Nutritional information is not provided. Contains chapters for vegetarian, fish, poultry, meat, rice and bread, and staples and sauces. This would be a great book for those who really want to dive into authentic Indian cuisine and are willing to source traditional ingredients.
I read a temporary digital ARC of this book for review.
Indian food is one of my favorite cuisines. The recipes range in difficulty so no matter your skills there will be something in this book you can cook. Would love to have more photos of recipes, but would recommend if you want to expand your culinary world.
Absolutely loved reading this cook book and have attempted to even try a few of them that i believe being an indian even i haven't tried before. There were a plethora of choices and were some really wholesome recipes. I loved how not all recipes were just coined under an umbrella term but segregated further into north indian, south indian and pakistani recipes. Because even though there might be some basic commonality there's a world of difference when it comes to flavors and cooking techniques and i loved how the authenticity was preserved. I particularly loved south indian recipes and how the real regional names were given to most of them. This are the most easiest recipes for anyone trying to dive into indian cooking. The best of all that makes this book stand apart are the basics like making ghee, achar,chutney, raita and even tamarind water explained in such simplicity that no other book i have read has explained in detail. These are most vital to indian cooking since everything is prepared from the scratch and this helps a great deal. Loved this book and its an amazing beginner's book for anyone venturing into indian cooking.Thanks to netgalley and DK publishers and the author Vivek singh for an early e-ARC.
Indian Cuisine is a culinary guide and recipe collection for Indian and Pakistani food curated by Vivek Singh. Due out 6th Oct 2020 from Penguin Random House on their DK imprint, it's 192 pages and will be available in hardcover and ebook formats.
This is a beautifully presented and thorough guide to the best loved dishes of the Indian subcontinent. Every dish I could think of is represented here in one form or another. There are curries of course, homemade condiments, sauces, meats, and many many vegetarian selections both spicy and mild, biryani, pilau, ghee, naan, roti, and more.
The layout is very basic and unfussy - easy to understand and accessible. A thorough introduction to ingredients which might not be familiar to western cooks is divided into geographic/cuisine areas North India, South India, and Pakistan. The recipes are arranged by category: vegetarian, fish, poultry, meat, rice & bread, and staples/sauces/spices (used in other recipes). Many of these are -hearty- dinner dishes that my meat loving family really devoured with relish.
Ingredient measurements are supplied in American measurements, with metric/SI measures in parentheses (yay!). Nutritional information is not included. Extra tips or recipe alternatives are listed in sidebars with the recipes. The recipes themselves are fairly straightforward and are mostly made with easily sourced ingredients. The author has included a handy abbreviated glossary in the back of the book, along with a cross referenced index which includes ingredients indexed with their recipes. Regional recipes are also identified in each recipe heading.
The photography is clear and abundant; almost all of the recipes are illustrated, and the serving suggestions are attractive and appropriate.
This is a large collection of recipes and even allowing for the fact that some of them are similar to others in the same category, this will keep Indian cooking fans going for ages. Many of these are simple "everyday" recipes which are anything but boring. We tried several dishes and all of them were tasty and well written, without discernible errors. Whilst most of the ingredients will be found at any well stocked grocery store, some spices and vegetables will be more easily sourced at a specialist/international food store.
We're definitely going to try more of these recipes. Well written book, tasty recipes.
Five stars. This is a solid recipe book which will be used. It would make a superlative housewarming gift to a friend or family member - college student, new graduate, newlyweds, kids flying the nest, etc.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
Thanks to Netgalley for my copy.
This book has authentic recipes from different countries. The recipes are varied and some are accompanied by beautiful pictures. There are various vegetarian, fish and meat based dishes with detailed instructions on cooking and sourcing the ingredients.
The tips and suggestions are fantastic and will improve my Indian curry dishes no end.
Only small gripe is I wish there was a picture for every recipe as I like to compare my finished dish with the book.
**I received and voluntarily read an e-ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**
There are absolutely amazing recipes in here, but the best part of the book isn't the recipes. It's the cooking tips!
I never could get my homemade Indian food to taste authentic- now I know why, and it's all thanks to the section on prepping your ingredients properly and the homemade sauces and chutneys. This chapter alone is worth the entire book.
I'm now off to make some Naan and sliced beef curry- just two of the amazing recipes within this book.
Having loved Indian food forever and still attempting to develop the flavors of my favorite dishes, I had hopped Indian Cuisine could help me and it really has. This is the first Indian Cookbook (well that I remember -- my poor brain gets smoother with time, not more wrinkly) that breaks down the tastes of different parts of India (and includes Pakistan) in such a beautiful and simply designed book. Most of the recipes I didn't recognize which is exciting for me -- just means more for me to attempt and try. Maybe I'll attempt them for my Indian/Pakistani friends and see if I've followed Mr. Singh's instructions well enough (thankfully they're all numbered) #IndianCuisine #NetGalley
I love trying food from around the world and I've been into Indian curry recently. This book is very nice and the recipes looks pretty good. I can't wait to try some of them! Lot's of different curry styles. I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review
Various curries have long been a major staple in my cooking lineups for years now, but it was only recently that I grew interested in learning a little more about the variations that fall under this general culinary umbrella term. So when I first looked in this book, I was absolutely delighted to see author Vivek Singh’s description of various Indian cuisine styles and each one’s common core ingredients and flavors, with further background information provided in the individual recipes. Granted, his breakdown is a general one that only focuses on northern India, southern India, and Pakistan. Still, Singh’s background info is one of the clearest overviews of some major curry traditions I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading.
And of course, all the various curry recipes themselves are a delight. This tasty variety represents a rich selection of regional dishes from across South Asia, with something to satisfy seemingly anyone’s preferences, whether it be a vegetarian curry or some kind of fish-centric dish or a meat-focused one. And regardless of which of the aforementioned one picks, there will be no need to wonder about what to serve their curry alongside thanks to the chapters detailing an equally diverse mix of various rice, bread, chutney and sauce recipes.
“Indian Cuisine” is simply an excellent recipe collection, filled to the brim with great dishes and a small education’s worth of accompanying culinary context.
This mouthwatering cookbook showcases the cuisine of the Caribbean, Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan and Thailand. Each recipe is explained in detail, along with its origins and how to source ingredients. Even if you’re not in the mood to cook, this book provides fascinating insight into some of the most flavorsome cuisine in the world
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This is a really educational book! Breaking down Indian cuisine by region and explaining the differences in each this book is thorough in laying out the basics of Indian cuisine.
The pictures that are in the book are beautiful, but I wish there was a picture for each recipe since I like knowing what the food should look like. There's a variety of curry recipes which seem fun to try!
Some of the recipes seem time or effort intensive but there's a lot of interesting options!
Thank you to Netgalley, DK, and Vivek Singh for an e-arc of the book in exchange for an honest review.
5/5 stars.
This cookbook is absolutely filled with delicious recipes and gorgeous pictures. The introduction includes a description of the cooking and ingredients of North India, South India, and Pakistan. The introduction was useful in learning and understanding the flavor profiles behind each recipe. I loved the variation between long and complex dishes mixed with more simple options as well. Each dish is paired with a brief description of the dish including history and suggestions for sides.
I'm incredibly excited to buy this book in hardback and add it to my collection on October 6, 2020.