riddle@ut-sally.UUCP (Prentiss Riddle) (03/13/85)
I've mentioned this before on the net, but it's probably worth repeating: my recommendation for anyone who is just getting started with Indian cooking is the Indian chapter in Anna Thomas' "The Vegetarian Epicure, Book II". Thomas has a real gift for explaining the rudiments of different cuisines to an audience for whom they are exotic and perhaps a bit intimidating (the book also has chapters on Italian, Spanish and Mexican food, among others), selecting recipes that use reasonably simple cooking techniques and reasonably available ingredients. I've tried quite a few of the recipes and never had any fail me. She doesn't emphasize accessibility to a North American audience to the point of sacrificing authenticity, however; my Gujarati girlfriend also enjoys the cookbook. [As an interesting bit of trivia, Anna Thomas is a woman of many talents -- in addition to being a writer of cookbooks, she is an independent filmmaker. Among other works, she and her husband directed "El Norte," a fine movie about Guatemalan refugees.] --- Prentiss Riddle ("Aprendiz de todo, maestro de nada.") --- {ihnp4,harvard,seismo,gatech,ctvax}!ut-sally!riddle --- riddle@ut-sally.UUCP, riddle@ut-sally.ARPA, riddle%zotz@ut-sally
mgh@hou5h.UUCP (Marcus Hand) (03/19/85)
Prentiss Riddle recomends Anna Thomas' book and in particular its chapter on indian cookery. He then relates some of her other talents such as fuilm making and acting. May I recommend another cookery book by a very fine actress indeed: Indian Cookery by Madhur Jaffrey published by BBC, London, 1982. ISBN o 563 16491 3 (paperback) ISBN o 563 16573 1 (hardback) Madhur Jaffrey has appeared on stage and in the films Shakespeare Wallah and Autobiography of a Princess. She also writes on travel and has published several other books on indian food. -- Marcus Hand (hou5h!mgh)