Veggie Blog

Book Description
Indian cuisine is one of the most popular forms of cooking in the world today but, as Monisha Bharadwaj shows, the myriad regional varieties of healthy and inspiring recipes of India have yet to be discovered by many Western kitchens. Encompassing the entire range of vegetarian Indian cooking, from the finest Gujarati thalis or choiciest tandoori-cooked foods in the north, to the steaming hot idlis and chutneys of the South, via everything from chapatis to sweets, this is an inexhaustible and indispensable guide. Whether you want a snack, a quick lunch or a lavish meal this book will bring a sense of adventure to your diet and your kitchen.

Who is the intended reader?

The book description says it suits a snack, a quick lunch or a lavish meal.

Who is behind India’s Vegetarian Cooking?

The author named in the title is Monisha Bharadwaj.

What is India’s Vegetarian Cooking about?

According to the description, the book shows how many regional varieties of healthy recipes from India have yet to be discovered by many Western kitchens.

Which dishes does the description mention?

It says the book spans the whole range of vegetarian Indian cooking, from Gujarati thalis and tandoori-cooked foods in the north to idlis and chutneys of the south, with chapatis and sweets in between.

Summary based on the book description on Amazon.

What are the staples of Indian vegetarian cooking?

India has many regional cuisines, and the description names Gujarati thalis, northern tandoori dishes, southern idlis and chutneys, breads and sweets. A few ingredients recur across them: lentils and chickpeas, rice and wheat, seasonal vegetables, dairy, and spices such as cumin, turmeric, coriander and chilli.

Pulses carry much of the protein. The Harvard page on legumes calls legumes inexpensive sources of protein, vitamins, complex carbohydrates and fibre. Dried spices keep best in airtight jars away from heat and light, and toasting whole spices briefly before use releases more aroma.

Ghee, cream and fried snacks make dishes rich. If you are watching saturated fat, try roasting or steaming and measure oil with a spoon. Pickles and chutneys can be very salty, a point the WHO salt-reduction page makes about everyday sodium.

Leftover rice and dals should be cooled quickly and refrigerated within two hours, according to the USDA FSIS guide to leftovers. People managing diabetes or heart disease should ask a doctor or dietitian how rice, ghee and sweets fit into their plan.

Related reading on this blog: Antioxidant Foods: Why Colorful Plants Beat Supplements and Eating to Lower Cholesterol: Oats, Fruit, Beans and Healthy Fats

Book: India’s Vegetarian Cooking by Monisha Bharadwaj
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Book Description
In her most comprehensive volume yet, Madhur Jaffrey draws on more than four decades of culinary adventures, travels, and experimentation for a diverse collection that both intrigues and delights the palate. Dishes from five continents touch on virtually all the world’s best loved flavors, for a unsurpassed selection of vegetarian fare.

More than 650 recipes exemplify Madhur’s unsurpassed ability to create simple, flavorful homecooking that is well within the reach of every cook. Extensive sections on Beans, Vegetables, Grains, and Dairy explore the myriad ways these staples are enjoyed worldwide. Each section opens with a detailed introduction; Madhur describes methods for preparation and storage, as well as different cooking techniques and their cultural origins. Throughout she balances appealing, uncomplicated dishes such as sumptuous omelets and rich polentas with less familiar ingredients such as green mangoes, pigeon peas, and spelt. Madhur demystifies the latter with clear-cut explanations so that incorporating new combinations and interesting flavors into everyday cooking becomes second nature. She also offers substantial sections on Soups, Salads, and Drinks, as well as Sauces and Other Flavorings, to help round out a meatless meal and add exciting new flavors to even the most easily prepared dishes. Finally, a complete glossary of ingredients and techniques clarifies some of the little-known elements of the world’s cuisines so that even the uninitiated can bring the flavors of Asia, the Middle East, the Caribbean, and more to their tables.

Throughout this extensive collection, Madhur includes personal anecdotes and historical contexts that bring her recipes to life, whether she’s remembering field of leeks she saw in the mountains of northern Greece or describing how corn-based dishes arrived in Indonesia through colonial trade. Committed vegetarians will rejoice at the wide variety of meatless fare she offers, and nonvegetarians will enjoy experimenting with Madhur’s global flavorings. This highly readable resource promises to be a valuable addition to any cook’s library, helping everyone make healthful ethnic foods a part of everyday cooking.

Book: Madhur Jaffrey’s World Vegetarian by Madhur Jaffrey
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Book Description
This book is at once an exploration, a celebration, and a little-known tale of unity. It presents 150 delicious vegetarian dishes that together trace a fascinating story of culinary linkage. As renowned cookbook writer and teacher Najmieh Batmanglij explains, all have their origins along the ancient network of trade routes known as the Silk Road, stretching from China in the east to the Mediterranean in the west. On this highway moved not just trade goods but also ideas, customs, tastes and such basics of life as cooking ingredients. The result was the connecting and enrichment of dozens of cuisines.In “Silk Road Cooking: A Vegetarian Journey”, Najmieh Batmanglij recounts that process and brings it into the modern kitchen in the form of recipes that are venturesome and yet within reach of any cook. They are intended for vegetarian, partial-vegetarian and non-vegetarian alike – anyone who is looking for balanced, unusual and exceptionally tasty dishes. The book offers a wealth of information derived from the author’s extensive research and her travels along the Silk Road during the past 25 years. She complements the recipes with stories, pictures, histories of ingredients, and words of wisdom from her favourite poets and writers of the region. The chapters include: Introduction: A Traveller’s Tale; The Era of Caravans; New Foods – East & West; Toward a Silk Road Cuisine; Salads, Eggs Rice Fruit & Vegetable Braises Pasta, Pizza & Bread Pastries, Desserts & Candies Teas, Coffee & Sherbets Preserves, Pickles & Spices Silk Road Glossary & Resources Credits & Acknowledgements Index.

Book: Silk Road Cooking by Najmieh Batmanglij
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Book Description
Peter Berley’s mission is to show how the simple act of cooking food can enliven your senses and nourish your life–from going to the farmer’s market and outfitting your kitchen with the simplest, most useful tools to learning techniques and sharing meals with friends and family

A cooking teacher for many years, Berley has kept the needs of his students continually in mind in this book. The recipes are written to feature the basic techniques and background information needed to create wonderful meals with fresh vegetables, fruits, and grains. He truly inspires both novice and experienced cooks to understand what they are doing and why, to learn to work with the ingredients, and to apply their skills creatively. This wonderful book brings vegetarian cuisine to a new level.

Who is it for?

According to the description, it helps both novice and experienced cooks understand what they are doing and why.

What does The Modern Vegetarian Kitchen cover?

The description says the book’s mission is to show how the simple act of cooking food can enliven the senses and nourish life, from shopping at the farmer’s market to learning techniques and sharing meals with friends and family.

What can readers expect to find inside?

The recipes are written to feature the basic techniques and background information needed to make meals with fresh vegetables, fruits and grains. The description also mentions outfitting your kitchen with the simplest, most useful tools.

Who wrote The Modern Vegetarian Kitchen?

The title names Melissa Clark, but the description talks about Peter Berley, a cooking teacher for many years. The description does not explain how the two are connected, so check the Amazon page for the credits.

Everything above comes from the book description on its Amazon page.

What can a kitchen book teach about technique?

A cooking book that stresses techniques and background information can help you understand why a method works, which is more useful than a list of steps. Spend a little time on core skills: how to sharpen and hold a knife, how to roast vegetables until they caramelise, how to cook grains so that they stay separate, and how to build flavour with herbs and acid.

Buying produce at a farmers’ market helps you cook in season. The FDA guidance on selecting and serving produce safely advises rinsing every vegetable under running water, even those you will peel, and keeping perishable produce in the fridge.

More on this blog: Diet and Fitness: How Carbs, Fat and Protein Fit Together and Eating to Lower Cholesterol: Oats, Fruit, Beans and Healthy Fats

Book: The Modern Vegetarian Kitchen by Melissa Clark
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Book Description
One of the best known experts on Chinese food draws on her reminiscences of the foods of her childhood to create 200 exciting vegetarian recipes–many of which make use of commonly available ingredients–and describes the techniques used to prepare them. 40 line drawings.

What is this book about?

The description says the author draws on her memories of the foods of her childhood to create 200 vegetarian recipes.

Who is the author?

The book is credited to Eileen Yin-Fei Lo, who the description calls one of the best-known experts on Chinese food in the title.

What recipes can I expect?

It says many of the recipes use commonly available ingredients, and that the book describes the techniques used to prepare them. It also has 40 line drawings.

This summary is based on the book description on the Amazon page.

How much should I understand about stir-frying and vegetables before cooking?

Chinese vegetable cooking relies on speed and preparation: ingredients cut to similar sizes, a hot pan and short cooking times. Cutting everything before you start matters because a stir-fry will not wait. Firm vegetables such as carrots go in first, soft leaves last, and a splash of liquid at the end makes a sauce.

Keeping vegetables crisp-tender helps preserve colour and texture. The Harvard Nutrition Source page on vegetables and fruits advises eating a variety of types and colours of produce, which a mixed stir-fry does naturally.

Soy sauce and other sauces are salty, so measure them. The WHO fact sheet on salt reduction says adults should consume less than five grams of salt a day. Tofu is a staple protein, and the NCCIH page on soy summarises what is known about soy.

Wash produce under running water before cutting, wash the board after handling raw eggs or meat, and cook eggs until firm. Leftover rice should be cooled quickly and refrigerated within two hours. If you are cooking for someone with a soy or peanut allergy, read labels on sauces and oils.

Related on this blog: Diet and Fitness: How Carbs, Fat and Protein Fit Together and Eating to Lower Cholesterol: Oats, Fruit, Beans and Healthy Fats

Book: From the Earth: Chinese Vegetarian Cooking by Eileen Yin-Fei Lo
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