Curried Favors: Family Recipes from South India - Softcover

Macmillan, Maya Kaimal

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0789206285 ISBN 13: 9780789206282

Publisher: Abbeville Press, 2000

Synopsis

This engaging cookbook, the first to feature the tropical dishes of South India, demystifies the cuisine and offers more than 100 recipes with light, tropical flavors and simple preparations, along with sumptuous photographs of the food and the region.

Challenging the stereotypes that Indian curries are rich and heavy, difficult to prepare, and made with hard-to-find ingredients, this book introduces the light, tropical tastes of south India with accessible ingredients and simple methods. Adapting these south Indian recipes for the average kitchen, the author familiarizes the home cook with this lesser-known cuisine.

An abundance of coconut and seafood, along with a host of exotic fruits and vegetables, including fresh hot chilies, distinguishes the curries of south India from those of north India. The focus is the traditional southern fare-dishes such as Rava Masala Dosa (wheat crepes stuffed with potato curry), Sambar (spicy stew of legumes and vegetables), and fish Aviyal (chunks of fish in an aromatic sauce of coconut and tamarind)-which is harder to find in restaurants outside of India. North Indian classics, also family favorites, like Lamb Korma, Tandoori Chicken, and Spinach Paneer are included.

With everything from appetizers to desserts, this is an excellent introduction to Indian cooking. The author has an extraordinary talent for explaining unfamiliar cooking techniques, and specially commissioned full-color photographs provide helpful visual cues for preparing a wide variety of dishes.

The inspired recipes, purposeful photographs, extensive notes on ingredients, practical menu ideas, and useful source list make it a primer on Indian cooking as well as a significant exploration of regional specialties.

About this title

Review:

Few cooks know their subject as personally as Maya Kaimal MacMillan who in Curried Favors focuses on the less familiar cooking of Southern India, particularly the province of Kerala, her family's original home. "Curry," she informs us, correctly refers to a range of dishes calling for differing blends of spices known as "masalas." Coconut, curry leaves, and mustard seeds are particularly key in the wet masalas often used by her aunt and others in Southern India. MacMillan offers intelligent substitutions, where necessary. Curried Favors provides detailed directions so you can comfortably try dishes such as Idli, Yogurt, Aviyals, Kichadis, and Pachadis as well as more familiar northern favorites such as Khormas and Biriyanis. Something of a mini-coffee table book, Curried Favors would be a good gift, thanks to its handsome presentation and MacMillan's conversational commentary.

From the Back Cover:

This engaging cookbook delights as it demystifies the home cooking of southern India, offering more than 100 well-tested recipes and sumptuous photographs of the food and the region. Challenging the stereotypes that Indian curries are rich and heavy, difficult to prepare, and made with hard-to-find ingredients, this book introduces the light, tropical tastes of south India with accessible ingredients and simple methods. Adapting these south Indian recipes for the average kitchen, the author familiarizes the home cook with this lesser-known cuisine. With everything from appetizers to desserts, this is an excellent introduction to Indian cooking. The author has an extraordinary talent for explaining unfamiliar cooking techniques. She reveals how easy it is to pop mustard seeds in oil, use legumes to add crunch to a dish, and create unique spice blends. Specially commissioned full-color photographs provide helpful visual cues for preparing a wide variety of dishes. The inspired recipes, purposeful photographs, extensive notes on ingredients, practical menu ideas, and useful source list make it a primer on Indian cooking as well as a significant exploration of regional specialties.

About this edition

• Publisher: Abbeville Press
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 0789206285
• ISBN 13: 9780789206282
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 160