I came across articles in the local newspaper regarding cookbooks. The link for the articles, Never judge a cookbook by its cover and another link for the related story Camera trick.
I can’t agree more with the writer as I myself have come across many cookbook which contains flashy photos of foods. The pictures will be very perfect and tempting too, but one look at the recipe you will have your head spinning. Either the ingredients are something which you never heard off or it has so many confusing methods to follow. Sometimes makes me wonder whether the person who writes the book really has tried the recipe or just put it up there.
I’m not a pro in cooking. I’m still learning about the art of cooking. Yes, cooking is an art for me. I believe when I’m cooking I have to put my mind and soul into it. Not only that we have to enjoy the whole process to come up with a good dish.
Usually when I buy cookbook I always check the ingredients and also the recipe method before purchasing them. Another way was checking with family and friends whether they have the same book and seek their opinion about the book. Other than this there is our bloggers who have tried recipes from various cookbooks and kind enough to post them on their blog. We can try the recipes from the blog and see whether it applies to our tastebud before purchasing the book.
When comes to food it’s a tricky question, because one man’s meat is another man’s poison. Simply means everyone has different tastebud. So at the end of the day everything is about you. Whether you will enjoy the food cooked from the recipe book or not.
Of course all this won’t apply if you are purchasing cookbooks just to feast your eyes.
If you are buying cookbooks just for recipes and not for collection then it’ll be wise to look them in the internet. As there is millions of food blogs on the net with great recipes. Even I learn to make Mothagam from net (Hehehe my mom very proud of it). Some food bloggers even very kind enough to post pictures of the recipe preparation steps on their blog. Now, how many cookbooks have done that? As far as I know, quite hard to find those kind of books, and bet you it comes with a hefty price tag too.
Another important point when purchasing cookbooks is the price. Here in Malaysia books don’t come with cheap tags. A basic cookbook will cost around RM40 (I purchase my cookbooks when I was in Bangalore ;-) ), so it’s another factor to consider when purchasing cookbooks.
So what I have on my shelf?
1) Indian Food Today by Dhershini Govin Winodan
This is my first and only cookbook before purchasing the others in Bangalore. I’m very fond of it also possessive. I have it on my shelf for past 9 years, bought by my mom for me. I started my food experiment with this book and the recipes never let me down. It has both the simple and difficult dishes to try out. The book mainly covers Kerala cuisines, probably because of the author’s family background. Apart from this it also has some North Indian dishes and Malaysian-Singaporean version of Indian dishes. Of course, till date I have not tried all the dishes in the book. It comprises vegetarian and non-vegetarian recipes. Quite easy to follow and has tempting pictures too. Highly recommended.
2) The Best of Samaithu Paar by S.Meenakshi Ammal
This particular book is highly recommended by a friend. It comprises Vegetarian dishes cooked in authentic Brahmin style. I have tried some recipes from this book and it turns out very well. It’s very easy to follow the instructions and the recipes don’t require much ingredients. The best part is you can cook up a meal in short amount of time, this is blessing in disguise. The Best of Samaithu Paar is perfect companion to those who are starting to venture in to the art of cooking and for those who enjoy simple meals. Thanks to Thilak who introduce me to this book. It’s another favorite of mine.
3) Cooking at Home with Pedatha by Jigyasa Giri
This book largely covers authentic traditional Andhra vegetarian dishes. The recipes, which have been incorporated in this book, are from the era of grandmothers. The ingredients and the instructions are quite easy to follow too. What makes me to grab this book is the way it was presented. It has the flow of a storybook. In each section, Pedatha (grandmother) will explain the importance of the different type of foods. She also shares her experience of food preparing in those days. Each recipe comes complete with the picture of the food, health tips, and substitute for the ingredients. This book not only gives us insights of traditional Andhra vegetarian cuisines but also makes a perfect coffee table book. I’ll recommend this for those who love to learn about traditional food of other culture and for those who seek to have a good coffee table book.
4) Dakshin: Vegetarian Cuisine from South India by Chandra Padmanabhan
What I like about this book is, the author have come up with a menu plan at the end of the book. That is quite helpful for those who are taking up South Indian cooking for the first time. Some of the recipes have a long list of ingredients, but finding them in the local Indian grocery store will not be a problem. The instructions are straight forward, so should not be a problem following them too.
5) Samayal: The Pleasures of South Indian Vegetarian Cooking by Viji Varadarajan
This is another book, which covers largely on South Indian Brahmin Cuisines. Again all the recipes are easy to follow and the ingredients are easy to get. This is a basic cookbook like Samaithu Paar.
6) PRASHAD-Cooking with Indian Masters by J. Inder Singh Kalra
I have not gone through fully of this particular book. It contains compilation of recipes from India’s famous Chefs. Not much pictures. The recipes have been classified by Indian states and some were by utensils used for the cooking. I will try to update on this book once I have tried recipes from it.
If we look closely, Samaithu Paar, Dakshin and Samayal contains some similar recipes with some slight difference in ingredients. Other than that, each book do have totally different recipes to indulge. So do check the recipes of each book before purchasing them.
I can’t agree more with the writer as I myself have come across many cookbook which contains flashy photos of foods. The pictures will be very perfect and tempting too, but one look at the recipe you will have your head spinning. Either the ingredients are something which you never heard off or it has so many confusing methods to follow. Sometimes makes me wonder whether the person who writes the book really has tried the recipe or just put it up there.
I’m not a pro in cooking. I’m still learning about the art of cooking. Yes, cooking is an art for me. I believe when I’m cooking I have to put my mind and soul into it. Not only that we have to enjoy the whole process to come up with a good dish.
Usually when I buy cookbook I always check the ingredients and also the recipe method before purchasing them. Another way was checking with family and friends whether they have the same book and seek their opinion about the book. Other than this there is our bloggers who have tried recipes from various cookbooks and kind enough to post them on their blog. We can try the recipes from the blog and see whether it applies to our tastebud before purchasing the book.
When comes to food it’s a tricky question, because one man’s meat is another man’s poison. Simply means everyone has different tastebud. So at the end of the day everything is about you. Whether you will enjoy the food cooked from the recipe book or not.
Of course all this won’t apply if you are purchasing cookbooks just to feast your eyes.
If you are buying cookbooks just for recipes and not for collection then it’ll be wise to look them in the internet. As there is millions of food blogs on the net with great recipes. Even I learn to make Mothagam from net (Hehehe my mom very proud of it). Some food bloggers even very kind enough to post pictures of the recipe preparation steps on their blog. Now, how many cookbooks have done that? As far as I know, quite hard to find those kind of books, and bet you it comes with a hefty price tag too.
Another important point when purchasing cookbooks is the price. Here in Malaysia books don’t come with cheap tags. A basic cookbook will cost around RM40 (I purchase my cookbooks when I was in Bangalore ;-) ), so it’s another factor to consider when purchasing cookbooks.
So what I have on my shelf?
1) Indian Food Today by Dhershini Govin Winodan
This is my first and only cookbook before purchasing the others in Bangalore. I’m very fond of it also possessive. I have it on my shelf for past 9 years, bought by my mom for me. I started my food experiment with this book and the recipes never let me down. It has both the simple and difficult dishes to try out. The book mainly covers Kerala cuisines, probably because of the author’s family background. Apart from this it also has some North Indian dishes and Malaysian-Singaporean version of Indian dishes. Of course, till date I have not tried all the dishes in the book. It comprises vegetarian and non-vegetarian recipes. Quite easy to follow and has tempting pictures too. Highly recommended.
2) The Best of Samaithu Paar by S.Meenakshi Ammal
This particular book is highly recommended by a friend. It comprises Vegetarian dishes cooked in authentic Brahmin style. I have tried some recipes from this book and it turns out very well. It’s very easy to follow the instructions and the recipes don’t require much ingredients. The best part is you can cook up a meal in short amount of time, this is blessing in disguise. The Best of Samaithu Paar is perfect companion to those who are starting to venture in to the art of cooking and for those who enjoy simple meals. Thanks to Thilak who introduce me to this book. It’s another favorite of mine.
3) Cooking at Home with Pedatha by Jigyasa Giri
This book largely covers authentic traditional Andhra vegetarian dishes. The recipes, which have been incorporated in this book, are from the era of grandmothers. The ingredients and the instructions are quite easy to follow too. What makes me to grab this book is the way it was presented. It has the flow of a storybook. In each section, Pedatha (grandmother) will explain the importance of the different type of foods. She also shares her experience of food preparing in those days. Each recipe comes complete with the picture of the food, health tips, and substitute for the ingredients. This book not only gives us insights of traditional Andhra vegetarian cuisines but also makes a perfect coffee table book. I’ll recommend this for those who love to learn about traditional food of other culture and for those who seek to have a good coffee table book.
4) Dakshin: Vegetarian Cuisine from South India by Chandra Padmanabhan
What I like about this book is, the author have come up with a menu plan at the end of the book. That is quite helpful for those who are taking up South Indian cooking for the first time. Some of the recipes have a long list of ingredients, but finding them in the local Indian grocery store will not be a problem. The instructions are straight forward, so should not be a problem following them too.
5) Samayal: The Pleasures of South Indian Vegetarian Cooking by Viji Varadarajan
This is another book, which covers largely on South Indian Brahmin Cuisines. Again all the recipes are easy to follow and the ingredients are easy to get. This is a basic cookbook like Samaithu Paar.
6) PRASHAD-Cooking with Indian Masters by J. Inder Singh Kalra
I have not gone through fully of this particular book. It contains compilation of recipes from India’s famous Chefs. Not much pictures. The recipes have been classified by Indian states and some were by utensils used for the cooking. I will try to update on this book once I have tried recipes from it.
If we look closely, Samaithu Paar, Dakshin and Samayal contains some similar recipes with some slight difference in ingredients. Other than that, each book do have totally different recipes to indulge. So do check the recipes of each book before purchasing them.
