Jiggys book arrived today. I?m far too inexperienced to even attempt reviewing a curry book, so just a few observations from a quick look through. There is no mention of base in any of the recipes and no spice mixes. Seems to be lots of water, yogurt, cream and curry powder. Not a great deal on technique, but was interesting to learn that a 2 fry approach for onion bhajis can covert a round bhaji into a flat one. There are recipes for many of the standard TA/restaurant dishes, but some seem unusual, to me anyway. For example, the Lamb Jalfrezi recipe (serves 1) includes 200 ml of single cream plus mixed nuts and raisins. The accompanying picture looks a lot like a Passanda I thought. The Chicken Tikka Masala contains green chili paste and green, yellow and red peppers. Still, Im fairly pleased with the book so far and have already found a few ideas to try. In the Basic Cooking Essentials section there is a method for making Ginger Juice. Not sure as yet what recipe its used in, but Im excited nonetheless. There are also recipes for Bread Pakora and a Bhel Puri (Spicey Puffed Rice) made with aloo bhujia (no idea what this is) and Bombay mix. Chicken Saag on the bone made with Sarson ka saag (curried mustard leaves I think) also looks interesting. The recipes for dips: yogurt and mint, pakora sauce, spiced onions, etc., look good, and comparable to those Ive already got from this forum. My Amazon delivery today also included a copy of Dave Loydens book and Im going to have a look at that now. Kaushy Patel?s Prashad book: Indian Vegetarian Cooking should arrive later this week, and my hopes are high.
Rob