Customer Reviews

Classic Indian Cooking

5 star:		(35)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I love Indian food. I love to cook- I come from a family of seriously devoted chefs. I lived in Pakistan a number of years ago and still find myself craving the recipes I tasted there. My husband grew up in a Sikh community and he craves the dishes of his childhood. I got this book hoping it would give me an easily available reference, and the reviews were all so wonderful. I have had the book for over a year now and I have not made a single dish from it that I was excited about after the tasting commenced. Her descriptions sound enticing enough, but I have been very disappointed in the flavour, texture and appearance of the dishes. I have tried not to play with the ingredients in dishes too much (like I usually do)in order to give them the opportunity to be as authentic to her recipes as possible, but I have come to the conclusion that I would rather eat from any stall in any street in Islamabad than any of her recipes. I have made fabulous recipes from recipes found on the internet, but I really wanted a more comprehensive, authentic resource for finding recipes quickly, but her spice combinations are way too uniform, her methods inordinantly time consuming for not a better product, and the curries come out sadly wanting for excitement. I am so sorry to say this, because I wanted to find the best source, but more often than not I abandon her book when I am researching something tasty in the Indian genre. I can do better winging it on my own. Don't bother.

I have owned this book since it was first published. I have learned to roast spices from it, and I make the best Butter Chicken because of it. I own more Indian cookbooks than I care to admit, including many by Madhur Jaffrey. I don't want to diminish Madhur's contribution to culinary writing. Having said this, Julie Sahni's book deservedly remains top of the list throughout the many years since it was first published. It has no pictures, only sketches, and the presentation is not the glossy stuff, full of colour pictures, we are used to today. But it is pure quality, worth its weight in gold. The recipes are detailed and not one word is wasted. I would rather own two copies of this book rather than be without it.

Have been cooking from this book since 1980 and it has really stood the test of time. I have several other Indian cookbooks but this is the only one I use. Every dish I have ever made has been a winner. The Velvet Butter Chicken is out of this world, it does take some effort (make Tandoori chicken first) but is really worth it. Mulligatawny Soup another winner as is the Cauliflower, Green peas, and Potatoes in Spicy Herb Sauce. Have never been disappointed with any recipe from this book.

Ms. Sahni writes clearly and gives practical advice. I learned how to cook Indian food from this book and would highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for a great teacher and guide to the world of Indian cooking.

Each cuisine has its essential cookbook author: Julia Child for French cuisine, Marcella Hazan for Italian cuisine, Paula Wolfert for Mediterranean cuisine, Diana Kennedy for Mexican cuisine. Their cookbooks are the ones that you would be a fool not to have in your collection, if you are remotely interested in these cuisines. They are essential building blocks for your kitchen.

Such is definitely the case for "Classic Indian Cooking" by Julie Sahni. If I could own only one Indian cookbook, then this would have to be it.

All regions are well-represented. Techniques and ingredients are well-explained and presented. Vegetarian recipes are reasonably well-represented (although Sahni has covered vegetarian cooking more thoroughly in other cookbooks). The recipes range from simple fare to elaborate banquet show-stoppers. What is not to like about this book?

I can't get enough of the food this book shows you how to cook.

I first purchased this book for my mom who loves Indian food with the promise that I would cook a few recipes for her. At the time, I knew virtually nothing about cooking. No matter: Ms. Sahni includes a thorough and extremely helpful introduction that describes both essential cooking techniques and ingredients. She puts a lot of effort into adapting Indian cooking to the American kitchen without cutting too many corners (although I am not Indian, so take my opinion with a grain of salt). I have tried probably 20 recipes or so from the book and have been extremely pleased with all except I found the tandoori chicken to be pretty disappointing. She also gives lots of useful hints including which recipes should really be prepared a day before - my taste tests fully confirm her recommendations. Other useful pointers include which recipes freeze well. Since many of them require a fair amount of work, knowing which recipes I can double and freeze for later is great.

To add to the avalanche of fantastic reviews for this book I should put my feelings as well. I love to eat Indian food and was always perplexed about how to make it. I found this book and have since made everything I ever wanted to learn. From the fantastic and easy to read recipe for Mughal Garam masala spice mix to the detailed chapati bread kneading techniques this book is top notch. My first Indian meal from this I made for Christmas of last year and it turned out spectacularly. Everything went off without a single issue. The instructions were clear and simple and the meal was delicious and amazing. I would recoomend this book to anyone who is at all interested in Indian cooking.

I've tried about 10 recipes from this book and each has turned out fantastic. There are no colour pictures but the instructions are precise and clear. I'd say that on average the level of difficulty for most recipes is moderate to perhaps a little higher then moderate, but still well worth the effort.

This book was ranked among the top-six all-time cooking bibles by the New York Times. The moghul cuisine recipes are clear and detailed, without being "too-detailed". Julie Sahni uses her amazing knowledge of combining spices to make the dishes taste extraordinary. Meant as much for the cooking experts as it is for the beginners, one of the sections is devoted to basic cooking techniques, concepts and description of Indian spices. (This review has been taken from recipedelights.com)

This book was ranked among the top-six all-time cooking bibles by the New York Times. The moghul cuisine recipes are clear and detailed, without being "too-detailed". Julie Sahni uses her amazing knowledge of combining spices to make the dishes taste extraordinary. One of the sections is devoted to basic cooking techniques, concepts and description of Indian spices. Recipedelights.com recommends this book to the cooking experts as well as the beginners.