The Complete Indian Regional Cookbook: 300 Classic Recipes from the Great Regions of India

I have spent this summer cooking Indian and Iranian food. I lived for a year in Delhi doing my Ph.D. research in history. Consequently, I am always trying to recapture the flavors of my favorite cuisine. With most books, either the looks are great, but something is missing in the spices, or the food is delicious, but it doesn't look the part. This is the first book I have purchased by Mridula Baljekar, and I am deeply impressed. It is very annoying that the font is so small, I agree with other reviewers on that. The silver lining is that there are more recipes packed in because of the small font. Every recipe I have made from this book looked like the picture and tasted wonderfully, reminding me of good Indian restaurants. I'm still exploring many other authors and I have dozens of Indian cooking books, but if I had to pick one, this would be it.

This is probably one of the best, varied & most useful Indian cookbooks ever produced, albeit a synthesis of two previous works by the same author (of whom I am an avid fan). There are, as is usual with all books a few minor errors, some of which should have been edited out. For example, on p258, 'aniseed' is probably incorrect. I think ajwain (lovage) seed is probably intended. I know from a previous work of Mridula's that she did at one time confuse aniseed with ajwain (see Indian cooking without fat, p7). Again, on p294, 7.5 ml of lemon juice is not 1.5 tablespoons (I think she means 1.5 teaspoons). For these minor indiscretions, she is to be forgiven, especially when she gives us delights such as "Rainbow trout in lemon & mustard marinade" - quite the best trout recipe I have ever sampled - & totally devoid of the 'muddy taste' often described - more like what you might expect of a dover solel or sea bream in texture & quality. Certainly, recipes like this knock some of those of so-called 'fine dining' into a cocked hat.

This is a good book. Lots of recipes including sides, breads and desserts. A variety of cuisines that are hard to get in the UK. Well written recipes and instructions including exotic ingredients some books might avoid but that can be traced down. The only let down is that the dishes are translated into English and the index does not include the original names. That makes hard finding bhunas, rogon josh, vindaloo, etc within the book.

This is an excellent book! Delicious recipes. The book is well laid out, region by region with interesting and helpful information. I love that it has photographs of the recipes. I am using the book at least once a week. The recipes are straightforward, easy to follow. I really, really like this book!

I have many cookbooks covering India and the Far East but this one beats them all for variety, an authentic sub-continental taste, and almost fool proof instructions. Receipts are grouped by region, and with this book one can put together a far greater variety of dishes than in any other Indian cookbook I have come across. The instructions are very clear. Even quite complicated and multi-ingredient dishes really do work as long as you do exactly what you are told! A real culinary adventure awaits anyone who buys this wonderful, and sumptuously illustrated book. Enjoy! UPDATE: We have now been using this book for 18 months, and it just gets better as you explore more and more recipes. I don't think that we have ever had a cookbook (of any type of cuisine) which has so many sure-fire winners in it.

Excellent in all respects. I particularly like the fact that there is a photograph of every recipe, and key stages in the preparation thereof - very user friendly!

I bought this book for my husband who loves making curries. This book not only has wonderful recipes but also provides some background to each region in India and how ingredients may change from region to region depending on what is grown there. I am enjoying picking recipes for my husband to try out

What would have been an absolutely brilliant book has been let down by the small print size. I don't know why publishers persist with what they believe to be trendy designs and layouts, only to forget the basics: the books should be readable. I would normally give books with such simple but crucial errors only one or two stars, but this book is otherwise essential reading, for its excellent survey of Indian regional cookery.