Entice With Spice: Easy and Quick Indian Recipes for Beginners

As someone who has south Indian in-laws and has always LOVED Indian food, I've been cooking Indian food for about 8 years now. The recipes I used before getting this book about a year ago were much more time-involved and included obscure measurements and spices that I could only get when visiting my in-laws or through special orders. I have no less than 10 Indian cookbooks, and Rhubhra Ramineni's cookbook is now my go-to - great for those of us who don't want to spend our lives in the kitchen preparing for meals or making our homes smell permanently of curry! These recipes aren't always the most authentic and don't have the same complexity as my mother-in-law's cooking, but if I'm in a hurry to think of something for dinner (which let's face it - is typical of most people's days), I simply whip out this book and look through the beautiful colorful pictures to find something that catches my eye for a fun, flavorful meal. Each and every recipe has a good-sized picture along with it, and all of the recipes I've used have come out very good (although I find myself adding extra spice, esp kashmiri chili powder which has more flavor than cayenne, albeit not quite as hot. And I love fenugreek, so I often add it along with a tiny pinch of asfoetida to recipes even when they don't call for it). More often than not, I have all ingredients on hand - I don't think I've ever gone "oh darn - can't cook that one." Even if I don't have the same meat or veggies available, it's easy to swap them out for something you've got on hand (that's the beauty of curries - you've got what in the frig? Well throw it in the pan with some oil and seasoning!). The spices used are the typical spices found in any Indian cooking (ex: cumin, coriander, garam masala, curry powder, turmeric, chili powder and dried peppers, ginger, garlic, onion, black mustard seeds, basic salt and pepper, etc), and Ramineni offers substitutions for difficult to find items. The only ingredient I sometimes don't have on hand is tamarind paste, but it doesn't ruin most of the recipes to not include it (and if I recall, not many of the recipes even call for it except for a chutney or two).The most helpful sections for me are the ones for Indian breads and the snacks such as masala dosa, pappadum, pakoras, roti and paratha; I've always found the techniques for these a bit tricky. But this book is so thorough in its explanations, and Ramineni gives step-by-step pictures for these recipes (and for the much loved samosas - yum!). Once you learn Indian cooking, you'll no longer need the guidelines and hints - they're common sense to Indian cooks and the Indian cooking method is typically the same from recipe to recipe, but I thought I'd mention it for those of you who are new to Indian cooking and find it intimidating. I know that I wish I had this book years ago when first getting into Indian cooking, and I highly recommend this cookbook for both those new to it and those who have been cooking it for years but want it simplified. Just don't expect auntie's curries that took her hours to make - her special ingredient is "love"...well, that and hard labor! ; )

I highly recommend the cookbook. I love to eat Indian food (but I am usually intimidated out of making it by the lengthy ingredient lists and preparations) and this book makes it easy and approachable. Also, tasty!The ingredient lists are sometimes lengthy, but most of the length comes from listing each seasoning separately (garlic, ginger, salt, cumin seeds, cooking oil, etc) and two minutes with the spice rack covers it all. As written, some of the recipes are spicy-hot, but it's not hard to leave out the hot peppers and/or the cayenne, and with all the other seasonings and spices, the flavor does not suffer at all. I like spicy but nobody else in my family does, so I leave out the heat most of the time.The preparation is so simple and so clearly explained. In addition, for each recipe there are storage and re-heating tips, so it's easy to make things ahead of time and just warm them for dinner. My ten-year-old reads the recipes on her own and helps prepare the food; that's how accessible this book is!The tandoori chicken is easy and a great buffet food for a party. The vegetables in coconut curry sauce are SO GOOD (a bit spicy as the recipe is written but easy to leave out the cayenne) and you can use any old veg up in it. The rice pudding is sweet and marvelous and spiced entirely unlike American rice pud (no raisins or cinnamon, just cardamom). I've also made the mango lassi (an excellent treat in hot weather, and it's easy to adapt the recipe to make a great berry lassi too), the raita, the rice with cumin and peas, and the ground lamb with peas.Everything I've prepared from this cookbook has been delicious; the ingredients are not exotic but the taste is; the preparation is simply explained and works in my home kitchen just fine. On top of that, the food photography and the layout are pretty. You can't go wrong with this book.

This is a wonderful accessible resource for no-fuss Indian recipes written in an engaging and personal tone. If you're new to cooking or Indian food, this is a good introduction that will get you up and running quickly. If you're an experienced cook, this is still a great collection of Indian recipes that can be made easily and on short notice.The tips section near the beginning of the book is very helpful, and each recipe is annotated with storage and reheating suggestions. The ingredients called for are mostly readily available at your local market. There are substitutes listed for some of the more specialized items (e.g., brown sugar for jaggary), and the only extra trip I needed to make was to grab some tamarind paste. There is a list of mail order sources if your city doesn't have any Indian grocers, although if you're lucky enough to have any, you owe it to yourself to go.The recipes cover a wide range of dishes - chutneys, breads, rices, meats, seafood, vegetables, drinks, and more. Some of the items I've made recently include:Chicken BiryaniSaag PaneerGinger Chutney (this is amazingly good on almost everything, Indian or not)Curried OkraLamb KebabsChicken VindalooMy one recommendation is to buy your spices whole and have a dedicated coffee mill for grinding them. You will need to do this for a few of the recipes, and the difference in flavor versus buying pre-ground is astonishing. It's a very minor investment with a huge payoff that extends to any cuisine you may cook. Get some spice bottles and a label maker and you are good to go. This also goes for making your own stocks and breadcrumbs - neither of which are called for in this cookbook, but if you enjoy cooking, you need to at least try these easy things yourself.Again, I highly recommend this cookbook. With a good assortment of delicious and easy recipes, it's a great and fun buy.

Easy recipes to follow. Great book

This is a good guide to Indian cooking, one of my favorite cuisines. Too many times I've seen non Indian cooks throw a bunch of that yellow powder (curry powder) on food and call it Indian. This books helps explain that all away. The instructions are clear and Ms Ramineni's recipes are well worth buying this book.

the recipes I tried were on the bland side; not what I expected from a “spice” cookbook.

Fantastic cookbook. The recipes are easy, well-written, and very flavorful. I have cooked many recipes from this book and all have worked out. It uses ingredients that are commonly available and doesn't require expensive or specialized equipment. The pictures are great. I cook from this book every week. My cooking skills have improved overall as a result of following the recipes in this book. 6/5.

Great gift