Hello again folks!
I've got a bit of a habit forming in that I can't resist buying cookery books. I already possess many Indian recipe books (including one I put together myself, using the fabulour recipes on this site), however can anyone recommend an ultimate Indian recipe book.
What's your favourite and why?
Looking foward to the responses before I go Amazon shopping again!
James.
PS. My current favourite author apart from Mamta is Vivek Singh
For years, I used only Madhur Jaffrey's books for Indian cookery, until I discovered Mamta Gupta.
For Chinese cookery, I much prefer Yan-Kit So to Ken Hom, though I use both.
For French cookery, I don't find Elizabeth David that useful, though I use her books.
I use Keith Floyd's books more for inspiration than detailed advice.
I have a glossy Marco-Pierre White book which looks great, but isn't explicit enough: he pre-supposes too much know-how. Still, he has a fab recipe with salmon steaks and Noilly Prat.
I'm struck by what a small proportion of a given recipe book I use: less than 10% of the recipes, I reckon, on average.
Phil
Afraid I have an addiction to buying cookery books too. I read them like novels and confess to having only actually made a very small proportion of the recipes.
My best cookery book? A file of printouts of Mamta's recipes that I have made. If there was a fire in my flat it would be the first thing I would save (especially as it has been personally signed by Mamta!)
LOL. That cracked me up!
I'm a bit like Winton, in the sense that I have a bad habit of collecting cookery books but I rarely ever use the recipes from them. I have about seven or eight Indian cookery books but I don't have a favourite author.
I have three books written by Pat Chapman, and while some of the recipes are quite basic I used to use them quite a lot when I first got into Indian cookery -- many years ago. I picked up a hardback book by Lalita Ahmed a number of years ago from a second hand book store and I'd say that's probably the best book I have on Indian Cooking. I have a hardback copy of 'Taste of the Raj', by Pat Chapman -- which is an Anglo Indian cookery book and a story book all rolled into one. Some of the recipes look quite good but I've yet to try any of them.
I have a tendency to use my own recipes that I've created over the years, and on occasions I use some of Mamta's recipes. I have a real weekness for Mamta's chickpea curry :-)
I tend not to buy recipe books anymore as I tend not to read them... now with the World changing and the internet growing to give us fantastic sites like this one, I don't need them... !
Steve
In addition to our cookery books, we have ringbind folders, which contain recipes from British newspapers and many printouts from the Mamta's Kitchen website. We even have recipes that my wife wrote down when she was in her teens: still useful!
I remember Lalita Ahmed, she used to almost like Madhur J. of Indian cooking in my early days in UK.
Steve, I take your point about the modern world, but, for me, you can't beat the feel of a real cookery book in your hands. I don't think this is just because I've written books (and need the royalties!): it's to do with a love of books in general, combined with a love of cookery.