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Books: Cooking by Cuisine -> Cooking Indian
Savoring the Spice Coast of India: Fresh Flavors from Kerala
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by:
Kaimal, Maya
Afanador, Ruven
Shroff, Zubin
Bentham, John
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Publisher:
HarperCollins Publishers
Published: August 1, 2000
ISBN: 0060192577
Format:Hardcover
Pages:230
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Book Description
Amazon.com
This comprehensive introduction to the use of many rich and flavorful spices--including cardamom, black pepper, ginger, and cinnamon--takes readers beyond usual notions of Indian cooking. When combined with meats, fruits, and
vegetables--especially in dry curries and rice dishes--such spices will leave anyone who has enjoyed Indian cuisine with a new appreciation for the unique southern style of cooking. A must-read preface provides a colorful description of the region and a
historical overview of the state of Kerala, a center for the spice trade located on the southwest coast. More winning, the chapter features compelling background and autobiographical information about the author, her family, and her roots in Kerala.
While the recipes, collected from many trips to the region and time spent in the kitchens of Indian relatives and friends, are full of exotic spices and vegetables, Kaimal offers alternatives to some of the unusual ingredients that may be difficult to
find in the typical grocery store. Sourdough Crêpes with Potato Masala, Sweet Green Mango Chutney, Spicy Beef Curry, and even Christmas Cake are just a few samples of the variety. For those interested in traditional Indian cooking, this is both a rich
source of history and a thorough introduction to the southern Indian palate. --Teresa Simanton
Product Description:
"I was nine years old when I first went to Kerala, my father's boyhood home, where the lush tip of India meets the
Arabian Sea. I'd heard stories about this place, seen photographs, and even tasted the lively South Indian curries my father cooked in our suburban Boston home. Still, nothing prepared me for how extraordinarily exotic it would seem when I stepped off
that Indian Airlines plane ...."
A colorful land of spices and coconut palms, the southern state of Kerala is home to some of the most vibrant and flavorful cooking in all of India. Virtually undiscovered by Americans, its distinctive
cuisine is influenced as much by its abundance of fresh ingredients (including fish, lamb, coconut, ginger, green chilies, black pepper, tamarind, and curry leaves) as by its different religious groups (Hindu, Christian, and Muslim) and cultures that
make up its population. Now acclaimed cookbook author Maya Kaimal offers a unique culinary journey to Kerala, sharing the authentic recipes passed down by her family and other Keralan cooks.
Vastly different from the familiar North Indian
staples of tandoori chicken, fried breads, and thick sauces, the food of Kerala has a lively tropical spirit, revealed in dishes like Tamarind Shrimp, Vegetables in Fragrant Coconut Milk, Batter-Fried Bananas, and the ubiquitous Sourdough Pancakes known
as dhosa. Kaimal offers more than one hundred of these flavorful recipes, each carefully adapted for the home kitchen. Chapters on getting started, stocking your pantry, and planning a complete South Indian meal
provide thoughtful explanations of
ingredients, seasonings, and techniques, making it easy for home cooks to create the complex layers of flavor that characterize Keralan cuisine.
Enlivened by Kaimal's passion for her father's homeland, and by outstanding four-color
photographs, Savoring the Spice Coast of India is more than simply a cookbook. It is a captivating taste of a culture and cuisine to which you will want to return again and again.
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