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Showing posts with label cookery. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cookery. Show all posts
16 November 2014
Title
| Spices & Seasons |
Author
| Rinku Bhattacharya |
Publisher
| Hippocrene Books, Inc, New York |
Publication Date
|
May 2014
|
Pages
| 374 |
Genre
| cookery, non-fiction |
Blurb:
This cookbook combines her two great loves -- Indian cooking and sustainable living -- to give readers a simple, accessible way to cook seasonally, locally and flavourfully. Inspired by the bounty of local produce, mostly from her own backyard, Rinku set out to create recipes for busy, time-strapped home cooks who want to bring Indian flavours to nutritious family meals. Arranged in chapters from appetisers through desserts, the cookbook includes everything from small bites, soups, seafood, meat, poultry and vegetables, to condiments, breads and sweets. You will find recipes for tempting fare like "Mango and Goat Cheese Mini Crisps", "Roasted Red Pepper Chutney", "Crisped Okra with Dry Spice Rub", "Smoky Roasted Eggplant and Tomato Puree" and "Red Harvest Masala Cornish Hens", to name a few. As exotic and enticing as these recipes sound, the ingredients are easily found and the instructions are simple. Includes: Over 15 recipes, mostly gluten-free and Vegetarian / Vegan; Gluten-free / Vegetarian / Vegan recipes are clearly labelled; Helpful sections on spices, ingredients and utensils; Tips and tricks for getting the best results and "green tips" for making your kitchen eco-friendly; Colour photographs for each recipe.
My review:
First impression: I like the sturdy look of this book. I know we shouldn't judge a book by it's cover, but let's face it, if you are going to use your cook book a lot, it can't be too flimsy. A quick browse through the pages (as you would do if you were to pick the book up in a book shop) reveals pictures with ever recipe, and that for me is what a good cook book is all about, as essentially presentation in cooking is very important.
The emphasis in this book is on sustainability, and at the beginning, the author provides a short paragraph, taking her back to her grandmother's and mother's kitchen which were often much more efficient and less wasteful than our modern day variety. I do like this, and my grandmother was exactly the same. In fact, where I grew up in East Germany, we did not always had many ingredients available, so often it was about 'making do' but with the use of the right spices, it always tasted nice.
Also in the introduction the chapter 'Learning the essentials' teaches as the 'Indian approach to cooking'. Even if you are an experienced cook, give this one a quick read. I found it very interesting, particularly the benefits of the spices, green tips and how to set up a 'Starter Kit' with spices. Not as difficult as you might imagine.
The cooking chapters are divided in: Appetizers; Salads Condiments & Chutneys; Soups and Lentils; Protein: Eggs Paneer and Tofu; Vegetables; Fish; Meat and Poultry; Holiday Season cooking; Rice Grains and Pasta; Breads; Desserts and Sweets. The final chapter outlines the authors 'Spice Chest' - her mixed spices collection. I loved this and have never seen it before in a cook book. It has inspired me to make my own spice chest, indeed I was already using a few of my own spice mixes without realising it.
Importantly, and as with this author's previous cook book, all the ingredients for the recipes are really easy to find. Certainly here in the UK you will find them in the big supermarkets or in smaller Indian shops. Once you have a certain amount of spices in your larder, it really is only the fresh ingredients you have to get which is no different from your day-to-day cooking. My favourite recipes which I have cooked so far: Chicken Tikka Kebabs (page 39) - I have cooked this dish before but never with yoghurt. It turned out absolutely lovely and (apart from the marinating) took me no longer than 5 minutes to prepare. I further cooked the Creamy Coconut Egg Curry. I do love anything with coconut and also eggs, and the one thing about Indian cooking is that it uses eggs in 'proper' dishes as the main ingredient rather than just one of the ingredients. If you do like this - than there are plenty of egg recipes here. The one thing I have not tried but will finally do give it a go now is Kulfi, the delicious Indian ice-cream.
In summery - I did love this book and even though so for I have only cooked 2 of its recipes, I am sure I will use many more in times to come. If you are a fan of Indian cooking, you can't go wrong. If not yet, give it a try. I would say that it probably does help if you are a little bit experienced in the kitchen, but by no means do you need to be a kitchen goddess. I am not, believe me!
The emphasis in this book is on sustainability, and at the beginning, the author provides a short paragraph, taking her back to her grandmother's and mother's kitchen which were often much more efficient and less wasteful than our modern day variety. I do like this, and my grandmother was exactly the same. In fact, where I grew up in East Germany, we did not always had many ingredients available, so often it was about 'making do' but with the use of the right spices, it always tasted nice.
Also in the introduction the chapter 'Learning the essentials' teaches as the 'Indian approach to cooking'. Even if you are an experienced cook, give this one a quick read. I found it very interesting, particularly the benefits of the spices, green tips and how to set up a 'Starter Kit' with spices. Not as difficult as you might imagine.
The cooking chapters are divided in: Appetizers; Salads Condiments & Chutneys; Soups and Lentils; Protein: Eggs Paneer and Tofu; Vegetables; Fish; Meat and Poultry; Holiday Season cooking; Rice Grains and Pasta; Breads; Desserts and Sweets. The final chapter outlines the authors 'Spice Chest' - her mixed spices collection. I loved this and have never seen it before in a cook book. It has inspired me to make my own spice chest, indeed I was already using a few of my own spice mixes without realising it.
Importantly, and as with this author's previous cook book, all the ingredients for the recipes are really easy to find. Certainly here in the UK you will find them in the big supermarkets or in smaller Indian shops. Once you have a certain amount of spices in your larder, it really is only the fresh ingredients you have to get which is no different from your day-to-day cooking. My favourite recipes which I have cooked so far: Chicken Tikka Kebabs (page 39) - I have cooked this dish before but never with yoghurt. It turned out absolutely lovely and (apart from the marinating) took me no longer than 5 minutes to prepare. I further cooked the Creamy Coconut Egg Curry. I do love anything with coconut and also eggs, and the one thing about Indian cooking is that it uses eggs in 'proper' dishes as the main ingredient rather than just one of the ingredients. If you do like this - than there are plenty of egg recipes here. The one thing I have not tried but will finally do give it a go now is Kulfi, the delicious Indian ice-cream.
In summery - I did love this book and even though so for I have only cooked 2 of its recipes, I am sure I will use many more in times to come. If you are a fan of Indian cooking, you can't go wrong. If not yet, give it a try. I would say that it probably does help if you are a little bit experienced in the kitchen, but by no means do you need to be a kitchen goddess. I am not, believe me!
About the author:
Rinku Bhattacharya was born in Kolkata, India and currently resides in Westchester, New York. She teaches cooking classes, maintains a popular food blog, Cooking in Westchester, and writes a weekly column, Spices and Seasons, for the Journal News website.
I have received this book from the author in return for an honest review.
10 September 2014
Title
| Bengali Five Spice Chronicle |
Author
| Rnku Bhattacharya |
Publisher
| Hippocrene Books Inc U.S. |
Publication Date
|
Jan 2013
|
Pages
| 287 |
Genre
| Cookery |
Blurb:
Bengal, located in eastern India, is famous for its cuisine, which features a unique five-spice blend called panchphoron. Bengali cooking balances fresh, local ingredients with delicate spices to produce an array of mostly vegetarian, fish, and shellfish delights.
With over 180 easy-to-follow recipes, Rinku Bhattacharya brings you the best of the Bengali table, including temping dishes like Steamed Mustard Fish Wrapped in Banana Leaves, Eggs Cooked in Caramelised Onion Sauce, Crisp Lentil Cakes in Curried Gravy, and Golden Cauliflower in Orange Mustard Sauce. A through introduction to Bengali culture and cooking; sections on spices, ingredients, and equipment; and lively family anecdotes, history, and cultural information round out this unique cookbook.
My review:
Having a husband who was brought up in the Indian Subcontinent, spicy Indian cuisine has always played a big part in our home cooking. We do, of course, cook most of the recipes which I do know from my Pakistani mother-in-law. But I am new to Bengali cooking, so I was really excited when I received this book for review.
The cover appealed to me straight away. I liked the fact that it did not show a cooked dish, but cute little pots with the spice mixes, underlining the fact that the spices will play a main part in the book. And it made it stand out for me from the crowd of the other cooking books on the book shop shelves. If you are into cooking with spices, you know straight away that you are right here.
Many cook books have a 'pre-story' where the author tells us a little bit about the background. Here, this is quite extensive and makes very interesting reading about the personal story of the author, and than a brief culinary journey into Bengal. And, of course, the Panch Phoron, the Five Spice Mix upon which the book is based, is explained.
Chapter One gives us: Ingredients, Techniques and Tools. First - don't be frightened off by the unusual spices if you are not used to the ingredients. They are (at least in the UK) actually quite easy to find. The chapter also provides a useful reference point if you ever have to look back. Chapter Two introduces us to the Bengali meal - eating the Bengali way and Practical Every Day Menus. Again, this is something I have not often seen in cooking books. I certainly had the impression that the family meal is a very important part of Bengali life.
The recipes are than arranged around the five spices of the Panch Phoron spice mix: Mustard Seeds, Nigella Seeds, Fenugreek, Fennel Seeds and Cumin Seeds. Many of the recipes have a personal background story which I loved. And now one of the most important parts - is it actually easy to cook the recipes? I tried page 69 My Uncle's Yellow Bengali Gram Lentils Mesho's Cholar Dal.
1. Ingredients:
Where they easy to find?
Yes, certainly. Here in the UK, you can find Bengali Gram Lentils and the spices used (turmeric, cayenne pepper powder, fresh ginger paste, garlic, cumin, red chilli and also ghee (clarified butter) in every small 'Indian' grocery store. Some of the bigger supermarkets also stock them.
2. Was it easy to cook?
Couldn't have been easier. As a busy mum, all it took was maybe 5 mins of preparing, and than 30 mins cooking.
3. and the main question:
was it tasty?
Yes, it was! It can be served as a main dish and as a side dish. It didn't take a lot of effort - admittedly, it was on of the easier recipes in the book and nothing fancy, but it did the job and provided a quick meal.
One amendment I made was to use oil rather than ghee for purpose of calorie savings. I guess used with ghee it would be a richer taste, but it was still fine with ordinary oil.
Here is my dish:
I wished there would have been more pictures. There is a section in the middle with a few pictures which makes your mouth water. It is always nice to be able to have pictures with every recipe in a cooking book, but the large number of recipes in this book would make this very difficult indeed I guess.
One slight moan from me: I do not like it when the measurement of 'cup' is used (i.e. use 1 1/2 cups of ....) - I prefer to have my measurement in grams / pounds etc. I am a bit picky in the sense that I want exact measurements.
In summary, this books is most likely one of the most extensive introductions to Bengali cooking on the market. If you like spicy cooking and would like to try something else, this is a wonderful book to get you started. Also, if you like vegetarian cooking and wanting a change from you usual recipes - this book has the most extensive selection of lentil recipes I've seen.
About the author:
Rinku Bhattacharya was born in Kolkata, India and currently resides in Westchester, New York. She teaches cooking classes, maintains a popular food blog, Cooking in Westchester, and writes a weekly column, "Spices and Season", for the Journal News website.
29 June 2014
Title
| Silk Road Vegetarian |
Author
| Dahlia Abraham Klein |
Publisher
| Tuttle |
Publication Date
|
2014
|
Pages
| 192 |
Genre
| Cookery |
Blurb:
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Discover the secrets of healthy and sustainable eating that have been practiced along the trade routes of Asia for centuries. This unusual book is filled with richly-flavored vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free recipes like Bengali Potato and Zucchini Curry, Afghan Moussaka Eggplant with Yoghurt Sauce and Bukharian Crock Pot Rice with Dried Fruit that will be a welcome change for any vegetarian or vegan to enjoy. Plus, most of these delicious recipes can be made using ingredients from your local Farmer’s market or CSA share!
Dishes from the Silk Road have their roots in the ancient village food traditions of Asia, where a few healthy ingredients from local gardens were blended with spices to create meals that are nutritious, varied and flavorful, as well as being ethical and sustainable.
Author Dahlia Abraham-Klein is a food educator and nutritionist who draws from her own family heritage to create meals that honor what is most meaningful about cooking and food everywhere in the world—a connectedness to place, history and family. Her book is about developing culinary awareness and celebrating diversity—discovering foods with contrasting tastes and textures that are simple and easy to prepare, yet totally exciting and different.
My review:
Firstly - I am not vegetarian nor do I require a gluten free diet. But my husband always tells me that we should eat less meat and try to cook more vegetarian. I can't help but agree. I don't know many vegetarian recipes, and what I do know just conjures up an image of --boring--.I am pleased to tell you that this book put my perception of boring vegetarian recipes completely on it's head. Never will I think of vegetarian as boring again and straight away by just doing a first browse through the book, I realised that this will actually be really yummy.
The book starts with a foreword from Stephanie Weaver, author of the Recipe Renovator Blog who introduces us the the culinary concept of the Silk Road. Than the author Dahlia Abraham-Klein tells us her 'Culinary Pilgrimage' - the story of her background and how the book came about. This in itself I found already really interesting.
Also at the beginning, the book covers:
- Intro into the 'Spice Pantry' (all spices which you can easily find in the spice section of any big supermarket, or, in England, Indian/Pakistani shops.
- Basic Preparation methods.
The recipes are divided into:
- Bases, Condiments & Other Useful Recipes
- Appetizers
- Soups
- Salads
- Main dishes
- Rice dishes
- Side dishes
- desserts.
An example of recipes from each section: Hummus Dip, Chickpea Falafel, Lentil Tomato Soup, Asian Coleslaw, Indian Spinach Curry, Fragrant Indian Pilaf, Sesame Noodles, Baked lemon rice pudding. Many of the recipes also come with a little 'background story' which I thought was a nice touch and often, very intriguing.
One of my main problems with cookery books is that often there are a lot of ingredients to buy at great expense which you only ever use once, and they are difficult to get hold off. Nothing more annoying in my opinion. This is for me one of the tests to determine the star rating for a cook book. So, let's see. A random recipe, page 78: Yellow Split Pea Soup - yellow split peas, water, oil, garlic, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, curry powder, ground turmeric, tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, onion, lemon juice, salt, pepper. Not everyone may have cumin seeds and turmeric in their pantry, but if you are enjoying Indian cooking, it is easy to get those and they will last for many recipes.
I'm not a trained chef and not even a very sophisticated domestic cook but found this book very appealing and easy to use without being too 'basic'. I will post an update once I cooked a few recipes.
About the author:
Dahlia Abraham-Klein was born in New York though raised as a citizen of the world, living and traveling in Asia, Europe and Africa. Growing up in a Central Asian immigrant family - home entertaining with a polyglot ensemble was the norm rather than the exception. Silk Road Vegetarian is aimed at fusing her familial and ancestral ties to her vegetarian lifestyle.
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