Madhur Jaffrey's Indian Cookery

I *love* Indian food. We eat Indian out quite a bit, and I am hooked on palak paneer, aloo gobi, pakoras, samosas, garlic naan, you name it. We were always a bit afraid to start cooking it in our home, though, because there are so many spices and often hours of cooking involved in these dishes. Then we came across Madhur Jaffrey and her series of books.They are superb!! This one in particular is a staple of our cookbook selection. The first part of the book goes over the spices involved and the different techniques used in cooking, to give you an overview. It even describes the types of equipment you should have. Then ... the recipes!!All of my favorites are in here. Naan, which we cook on a pizza stone. Saag aloo. Aloo ghosht. You just open the book to any page and you hit a delicious dish. There's beef and chicken, completely vegetarian, even a whole section on relishes and chutneys. If I had any complaint it would be that there aren't many pictures at all in here, but the recipes come out so well, and the descriptions are so complete that you rarely need to know what it looks like. It's always delicious!

This is absolutely one of my all time favorite cookbooks. Madhur Jaffrey is a teacher par excellence and everything is this book is explained in a clear, concise and easy to understand way. I found it excellent for the beginner and advanced cook alike. Every recipe I have tried has been delicious and the chutneys are beyond compare. The heavenly aromas are reason enough to experiment with the recipes, never mind the delicious tastes! If you love Indian cooking or are thinking about giving it a try, I'd recommend you begin with this book. You absolutely can't go wrong.