Dakshin: Vegetarian Cuisine from South India

Not a good one as expected. pictorial Representation was good but the recipe wise not so good

インド料理の外国の本は買うのに凄く勇気が要ります。 この本は南インド料理屋さんに置いてあって凄く気に入って購入しました。 料理の写真も素晴らしく、作ってみようという気にさせます。 ドーサ、サンバルの種類も多くて、南インド料理好きの人には、お勧めの本です。

I am a Tamil woman born and raised in the United States, married to a Tamil man born and raised in India. My mom is an exceptional cook whose dishes are known throughout the SF Bay Area and beyond. Unfortunately, I wasn't wise enough to learn from her before I got married and moved away from home! This book is a godsend. Last night I made vatral kozhambu, sambar, potato curry, and dal kootu for several members of my family who are older and very picky about their food. They all raved about the food and confirmed that it was indeed authentic. My husband is also amazed by how consistently well my food turns out to be when I use the recipes in this book. The pictures in the book are beautiful and definitely encourage you to try out the recipes. I have probably tried about 20 recipes in the book and all of them have turned out wonderfully. Some people complain about the heavy use of red chili in this book -- my husband and I like our food very spicy so that is not an issue with us, but you can certainly adjust the amount of spice and the food will still be excellent. I do agree with other readers that some of the recipes are on the elaborate side and may use more ingredients than necessary. This isn't necessarily the best book for a total beginner. However, if you have cooked south Indian food before or you are willing to roll up your sleeves and try it out, you are in for a treat. I also want to comment on some readers who say that the recipes in the book are not that healthy. Here is what I do to optimize health without compromising the taste of the food: I only cook with olive oil, I use a lot more dal in the sambars and the kootuhs than what the author calls for, I use very little to almost no coconut in the poriyals, and use very little coconut in the kootuhs, maybe about a quarter of what the author recommends. With these small changes, the food is very healthy but still delicious! The other point about this book is that many of the recipes can be adjusted for a certain vegetable -- for example, the cabbage poriyal can also be made with beans or brussel sprouts. I can't recommend this book highly enough, and have even begun purchasing them for my friends/family members.

The recipes are vey authentic , not modified to the western taste. I have so many Indian Cookery books , but I find this is the best South Indian vegetarian cook book . I have bought four copies to give as presents to my friends and family.

Truly authentic recipes

I have no idea about authenticity, so I'm pleased to read the other reviews, but this book is extremely well-written, with lovely illustrations of every dish. It includes everything you might need to know if you are not very familiar with South Indian cookery: a glossary, a description of how dishes are usually combined; a set of recommended combinations. I bought this as my daughter has turned vegetarian and I wanted some interesting, nutritious dishes, and this satisfies every requirement. It looks so attractive that you are happy to flick through and come across new ideas, and the dishes I've made so far have come out as described, and tasted delicious. Looks like the whole family will be eating vegetarian as I'll be trying out many more dishes.