Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)First, I must admit that the author is a friend, and that I worked with her on this book. But please don't let that make you think that any praise I give the book is unearned. Believe me, if this book had fallen out of the sky into my kitchen I would also love it.
Why?
Reason #1: The recipes WORK. I'm lucky enough to know that Monica tests her recipes, and has people with all different levels of cooking skill test them, too. And she won't let a recipe go until everyone can make it. So even if you are a novice cook, you *can* make these dishes. And if you are already skilled in Indian cooking, you just might find a simpler way to make something you love. Case in point: the recipe for Cream of Wheat and Paneer Pancakes (page 200). When I read it, I recognized it immediately as idli. But where is grinding the grains for it? Where is letting the batter sit overnight (or longer) to ferment? Gone! But what you get is a delicious pancake that works as a side, as a bread, as the basis for a meal.
Reason #2: She is there to guide you through things that might be new to you. It might be a bit much to call this a "Mastering the Art of Indian Cooking," but there is very helpful information about ingredients and techniques that might be unfamiliar. And again, even if you think you know all about them, you just might learn something.
Reason #3: This really is a book for *modern* cooks. Who has time to grind spices, and make complicated multi-day recipes? Very few of us. But even the simplest, quickest recipes are so full of flavor, you'll almost feel guilty at how easy they are. There is no such thing as a recipe that is too simple, as far as I'm concerned, not if the people I serve it to eat up every last bit! When I told the wife of one of my cousins about this -- she's an engineer who was born in the United States to parents from India who live now in North Carolina -- she exclaimed, "I would love that. And my mom would LOVE it, too!"
Reason #4: This is more than "just" a cookbook. Monica writes beautiful essays that may touch your soul, or remind you to call a friend you haven't spoken to in too long, or make you forgive your spouse for a silly argument, or let you marvel at how wonderful simple cooking can be. Even if you never cook anything from this -- although I can't imagine not wanting to -- you can sit with it and have a glass of wine or a cup of tea and lose yourself in her writing.
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