Customer Reviews

The Spice Is Right: Easy Indian Cooking for Today

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

As an Indian American brought up here, it's a wonderful resource to have in my young kitchen! This is a great gift to buy any twenty-something. A great graduation, housewarming, or just any-day gift! Thanks Monica for demystifying Indian cooking tastily!

I checked this out of the library, and after one read went out and bought a copy. I have enjoyed this cookbook immensely. I like Indian food but have found that many Indian cookbooks are sticklers for authenticity to the point of hours of work, or all the recipes begin to taste the same. These recipes are full of flavor, and many can be prepared with ingredients available at the local supermarket. Many of the recipes are quick - Ms. Bhide has even added recipes for using leftovers. These are a boon when I come home at the end of the day and want to throw something together.

The recipes in this book are organized into menus, so a novice can try one or two from a section, and perhaps add more later on. I have mixed and matched from different menus as well with success.

Some recommended recipes; Chicken with Fenugreek, Whisky Fish, Turnip Treats, and Coriander Layered Potatoes.

The Spice is Right: Easy Indian Cooking for Today is a perfect cookbook for home cooks that want to introduce elements of Indian cooking and cuisine into their established American fare. If you are looking for a cookbook that will recreate the traditional Indian dishes offered at an authentic Indian restaurant, you find that here. Instead, dishes like hummus and tandoori chicken get a treatment that makes them simple to make in a modern Western kitchen. In addition, traditional Western dishes like chex mix and coleslaw get Indian makeovers that are sure to become welcomed additions to your menus.

With a blend of time-tested cooking approaches and a light and friendly attitude, The Spice is Right is a great cookbook for anyone wishing to add a taste of India to their kitchen routine. It encourages creativity but gives you just enough guidance to make the experience refreshing and fun. It's a welcomed addition to any outgoing home chef's cookbook collection.

I had always thought Indian cooking was far too exotic for a single male to tackle but I love Indian food. Monica Bhide came to my rescue. These recipes are so easy to follow that I'll I needed was a good grocery store (which I have) and some courage to try on a few new tastes.

My favorites are Stir-Fried Chile Lamb and Chicken Tikka. Both I've made for family and friends to a raving reception. I'm looking forward to her next book (I hear is due out in April, 2004).

Also, I like Bhide's use of on-line resources giving us some background and explanation of these mysterious spices and where I can get them if I can't find them in the store.

Thanks, Monica!

For those of us who grew up eating a traditional American diet, Monica has succeeded in demystifying Indian cooking. The recipes are easy, the menus take the guesswork out of how to put together an entire Indian meal, and the book is fun to read (can't say that about many other cookbooks)! The book is also chock full of information on herbs and spices and provides a handy reference for locating them by mail order or through the internet. This is one of a very few cookbooks that I keep on my kitchen counter for regular use. The book is a great gift for friends who enjoy Indian food but who haven't dared to cook it for themselves. Lots of good recipes, but don't miss the chicken with butter and cream sauce.

As an avid consumer of Indian foods, my biggest frustration is in not being able to re-produce what I love to eat. With Ms. Bhide's The Spice is Right book, I found that my 2 left thumbs in the kitchen were a thing of the past. The recipes are delightful, easy to follow and I also enjoy the thoughful comments the author shares regarding herself and the history of her recipes. As a Weight Watcher, I especially appreciate the caloric/protein/fat and carb breakdowns. My favourite recipe is the Spicy Chicken Bake (Tandoori Chicken). Yummy and simple!

As an avid consumer of Indian foods, my biggest frustration is in not being able to re-produce what I love to eat. With Ms. Bhide's The Spice is Right book, I found that my 2 left thumbs in the kitchen were a thing of the past. The recipes are delightful, easy to follow and I also enjoy the thoughful comments the author shares regarding herself and the history of her recipes. As a Weight Watcher, I especially appreciate the caloric/protein/fat and carb breakdowns. My favourite recipe is the Spicy Chicken Bake (Tandoori Chicken). Yummy and simple!

As someone who had eaten a lot of Indian food but never tried to cook it, I found Spice is Right to be a godsend: following the recipes I was able to make better food in my home than I was getting at most Indian restaurants!

This is one of the worst Indian cooking books I have read. ... The recipes are hardly Indian in terms of names or even how they are cooked. Example is a recipe of turkey. Indians don't eat turkey and if you were to go to India and ask for the dish that the author mentions, the people will think you are crazy. This book kind of gives bad name to Indian cooking. If you want to really spend the money buying a cookbook check out something by Madhur Jafferey or Julie Sahni.

In "The Spice Is Right," you will find traditional Indian dishes, as well as Western dishes with an Indian influence. There are healthier versions provided, as well as sample menus and tips. This book is excellent to the beginner cook in Indian cuisine.

I found that the recipes were easy-to-understand and the ingredients were easy-to-find. Ms. Bhide also provided a list of sources in case you live in an area where you cannot find the ingredients. She also provides a substitution guide. For example, if you cannot find amchoor (mango powder), then you can use lemon juice instead!

There is also a section on the description of common herbs and spices used in Indian cuisine, as well as what types of food are found in each part of India and who influenced them. I found this very interesting.

Delicious recipes you will find in this cookbook are: Peppered Cauliflower Florets, Dry Chile Chicken, Fiery Pork, Coriander Layered Potatoes, Saffron Fruit Custard and Watermelon Juice.

With over 150 recipes to choose from, the list of resources to find your ingredients, sample menus, healthy alternatives and much more, who could refuse to learn more about Indian cooking with Monica Bhide's cookbook!