Curry Easy

Confession! I picked up this book in my local bookstore because it looked gorgeous! I already have three Madhur Jaffrey cookbooks and did not think that I needed another but the photo of Salmon in a Bengali Mustard Sauce convinced me otherwise. Cooking this later completely justified my purchase! The title of the book says it all. Madhur Jaffrey is aiming to create Indian dishes in as simple a way as possible, using a smaller palette of spices. There are a few moments when this approach goes too far. Most people will not need to know how to microwave a poppadom although it is helpful to know that Madhur's favourite ones are those made of urad dal and flavoured with peppercorns. However, the simple approach means that none of the recipes are intimidating and are perfect for after work suppers. Chicken Karhai with Mint is great, so fragrant and full of flavour. Make enough for leftovers which are equally good! Goan Prawn Curry took me less than fifteen minutes, including preparation and was delicious. I also like the idea of Anglo-Indian sausage curry. Madhur makes her own sausage patties for this but it could easily be adapted to use some quality pork sausage with some extra spices. The book is extremely comprehensive, covering everything from mains to relishes and accompaniments. The Fresh Green Chutney is completely addictive! Beautiful and simple - perfect!

I'm reviewing this book off the back of one meal. I cooked the green lamb curry with the mushroom and pea curry and the Saalad. It was delicious. The lamb green curry was surely the best curry I have ever had. It was amazing and made me look like a curry genius. The mushroom and pea curry was unlike any curry I have ever eaten and would have been the star but for the lamb. Talk about a delicious way to eat your veges. The salad went beautifully. Thanks Madhur, for dinner. UPDATE: Jan 2015. I have been cooking from this book for 4 years now, on and off. On at the moment. If you have any doubt about whether or not you should buy it, do so. You could structure your family's every meal around this book and never go hungry, or walk away from a meal feeling anything but pleased. Favourites of mine remain the green lamb curry, the kerela chicken curry, spinach chicken curry, the goan dal, the lamb with spices, the lemony lamb mince, the broccoli, the green beans. (Dal freezes wonderfully BTW). However, I have no doubt that these are only my favourites because I have mastered cooking them. Chances are that if isn't wonderful, it's you rather than her, and persist! Because you will prevail. Prior to buying this book I really struggled cooking Indian food. I also never eat Indian out (as she doesn't) - it really makes me sick. This stuff is the real deal though. It's delicious, healthy, modern and economical. Madhur, should you read this, thank you for your work. PS My only suggestion, and this is not a criticism, is to be aware of your cooking, and your preferences. I like my meat a little more cooked than Madhur, so I cook it longer till it it's right. I also like a little more spice, so I ramp things up when I add them. It's not rocket science. It's cooking.

Being an Indian, I can confidently say that this book is a great introduction to Indian cooking for westerners. Brilliant in its simplicity and toned down to suit the western palate. I am using it as a reference book to cook for my western friends who may not be able to fully appreciate the hot and strong flavours of authentic Indian cooking. I just have one complaint. Not enough pictures.There ought to be atleast one image per recipe. Lot of 'real estate' wasted in white space. I know what the dishes look like but for those who are unfamiliar, I reckon it would help if they could see what the dishes are 'supposed' to look like.

Really good price for a hardback. Excellent recipes.

I have never submitted a review before, but felt I had to feedback on this book. I bought this on an impulse after needing some new inspiration. My husband and I cook a lot but need books from which we can find recipes that are delicious but don't take hours after work. We had been put off other Madhur Jaffrey books as they appeared to need lots of ingredients and require lots of preparation. We have been using Healthy Indian by Monisha Bharadwaj (which I would also recommend) but needed some new recipes. I can't say how similar or different the recipes are to those in Madhur's other books, but I can say it makes indian cooking simple. The recipe's a fresh, simpler and generally can be pulled together in 30-40 minutes without any detriment to their flavour. For those who like cooking indian but don't have time to spend hours preparing, marinating and so on this is a worthwhile purchase.

Just received so this is an immediate reaction. The book looks good but there's a distinct lack of vegan/vegetarian dishes and no mention of naan in the index (there's a brief mention under a summary of breads but no recipe). My interest in Indian cookery was prompted by a recent visit to India and the huge variety of delicious vegan and vegetarian dishes.

I suspect that Madhur wrote this book for people like me; a white European with taste buds uneducated in the sophistication of Asian cooking. Quite a change from her earlier books as many of these recipes require fewer spices and they are easy to obtain. I have earmarked six so far but will add more as I scan the pages. I am stimulated to try rather than be put off by a complex list of Ingredients. Well done Madhur, you've got me keen on cumin and cardamom again!

I absolutely love Madhur Jaffreys recipies and presentation...just a bit disappointed that the quality of both paper and printing in the edition that I received was not of the same quality as her earlier books. feels like a cheap reprint is this just an Amazon thing ?

I bought the Kindle edition of Madhur Jaffrey's new book and am more than pleased with it. I have used Ms. Jaffrey's Indian and Asian cookbooks for many years and love her recipes and techniques. This new one is a nice addition to my library as it contains simplified versions of some great Indian classics as well as regional Indian specialities that are new to me and will help be get a good Indian meal on the table in less time but with as much taste. I'd like to say a few words specifically about the Kindle edition, which is what I purchased. I'm very pleased with amount of thought that the publisher put into making this a very useful e-cookbook. I have had to return two different e-cookbooks recently because they had minimal or no formatting, which made them useless as reference tools. The publisher of Ms. Jaffrey's book, however, went to the trouble of effectively formatting the index and lists of recipes and ensuring that there were internal links within the different recipes for other recipes related to the one I was look at at the time. This is really important in a e-cookbook -- that one can jump back and forth between index and recipes as well as between recipes themselves for a seamless experience. So, kudos to the publisher for doing much more than just scanning the book and throwing it out there for unsuspecting Kindle owners. Update as of January 5 -- I finally cooked from this cookbook and it has lived up to my expectations. I made her Kerala Fish Curry and with her simplified techniques in this book and use of the the American pantry, the dish was fast, easy, and very fresh and tasty. I was able to get an exotic home-cooked dinner on the table after work tonight in just 30 minutes. My husband was very impressed.

Habe daraus zwar noch nicht so viel gekocht aber wenn ja, haben die Gerichte funktioniert. Es gibt zeitsparende Tipps und auch diverse Rezepte mit nicht ganz so langen Zutatenlisten. Allerdings hätten es gerne etwas mehr Bilder sein dürfen

Madhur Jaffrey's book covers a huge range of delicious curries. The recipes are clear and easy to follow.

Collezione di facili ricette indiane (ma anche Thailandesi, Indonesiane etc) corredate di spiegazioni dettagliate che permettono di arrivare ad un risultato finale eccellente.

Curry. Easy. What more do you want? Like all her boioks, the recipes are clear and just work. Curry. Facilmente. Que mas necesitas? Como todos sus libros, las recetas son muy claras, y siempre salen bien.