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Author Topic: K Dhillon book reviews  (read 14,821 times)

AI Summary
The discussion centers around reviews of K Dhillon's cookbooks, particularly the updated "The New Curry Secret." Many users express skepticism about the effectiveness of the recipes compared to traditional British Indian Restaurant (BIR) dishes, with some noting that the new book appears only slightly altered from the original. While a few members find value in specific recipes, such as the pilau rice and Tandoori chicken, the general consensus leans towards disappointment in the overall quality and authenticity of the recipes, suggesting that they may not meet the expectations of those seeking true BIR-style cooking.

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Offline George

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K Dhillon book reviews
« on: March 20, 2010, 03:59 PM »
I saw the updated version of the book in a shop at a reduced price, recently and considered buying it. A quick look through the recipes convinced me (a) that it was little changed from the original book and (b) the ingredients/methods were highly unlikely to produce results anywhere near as good as dishes from a BIR, or off this forum. So I didn't buy it.

How on earth can so many people give this book 5 stars? Is it a fiddle or what?

http://www.reviewcentre.com/reviews20934.html
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Offline Cory Ander

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Re: K Dhillon book reviews
« Reply #1 on: March 21, 2010, 04:59 AM »
How does Kris's curry base recipe differ from that in her first book George?

Having seen some of the recipes, from Kris's latest book, I get the impression that they are far more "up market" than those in her previous book.  Is this the case?
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Offline JerryM

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Re: K Dhillon book reviews
« Reply #2 on: March 21, 2010, 11:04 AM »
George,

i've got both books. the KD1 i keep under the mattress. the KD2 i still can't comment on. for sure if u're after BIR then forget it. i've not studied the base too much but i am pretty sure it's exactly the same with a slight change in method to stop the original smell.

in terms of KD2 recipes i've got a lot dog eared ready to go. the big difficulty is they all pretty much need base. and for me when i make base i'm sort of geared up for BIR and can't bring myself to divert a portion. in fact i recently froze a portion of CIAH for the purpose and ended up throwing it out. it's sort of as simple as 5 mins for a BIR or an extra 60 mins KD2 and after all the BIR prep i'm sort of goosed on cooking.

the recipes are all glossy pics and look the business. it's just a matter of priority to me as i do intend to get to them and believe i will enjoy and learn from them.

would i buy it again - yes. would i buy before Razor's authentic balti curry book (next purchase) - No but i would still buy it in time.

i've not got that much on my BIR horizons (spice journey and bahar) so expect to get to KD2 before summer. there is a good section on biryani but i've not tried it so can't comment.
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Offline Razor

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Re: K Dhillon book reviews
« Reply #3 on: March 21, 2010, 04:48 PM »
Hi Guy's,

I've got both "The Curry Secret" and "The new Curry Secret".  Not overly impressed with either to be honest.  I can definitely see the benefits of the KD1 when it first came out, unwrapping the "mystery" so to speak, at a time when very little was known by the home cook. 

It's now dated though and even though the KD2 as a more modern twist to it, it's still not my cup of tea.  The only thing I do make from the books, is her standard pilau rice, which is a good dish.

Also, I'm not keen on the portion sizes of the recipes, most of them being for 4 ppl.  I'd much rather do them for a single portion.  Yes, I suppose I could quarter the ingredients but even so, the ratio for the cooking duration will not be as simple, IMO.

For me, the "Authentic Balti Curry" cookbook is far better, even at twice the price, that's not to say that I'm suggesting ppl not buying the KD1 or KD2, they probably have some use to some, just not me I'm afraid.

Ray
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Offline George

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Re: K Dhillon book reviews
« Reply #4 on: March 21, 2010, 07:27 PM »
Quote from: Cory Ander on March 21, 2010, 04:59 AM
How does Kris's curry base recipe differ from that in her first book George?

I can't really say because I don't have a copy of KD2. I had a quick flip through in a bookshop recently, to see if I thought it was worth buying for the reduced price of GBP1.99. I couldn't see much difference from KD1, which surprised me.

I've owned KD1 from the 1980s and I agree it was a breakthrough at that time, purely for letting us into the curry secret of a base sauce. The base sauce is passable but whenever I tried the final curry recipes (madras, korma, etc) they were rubbish. I can see why now, just by looking at the ingredients and methods.  I conclude that 99% of the value of KD1 could have been written on 1 side of A4, i.e. the concept of, and a mediocre recipe for, the base sauce.
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Offline Razor

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Re: K Dhillon book reviews
« Reply #5 on: March 21, 2010, 08:36 PM »
Quote from: Cory Ander on March 21, 2010, 04:59 AM
How does Kris's curry base recipe differ from that in her first book George?

Hi CA,

Just a a quick flick through both recipes to answer your question.  Ok, there is a larger quantity of onions in the new book rising from 900g to 1kg.  Also, she calls for 4 tbsp of "olive oil" whereby the first book asks for 8 tbsp of vegetable oil.

The only difference in the cooking method, is that the onions are now fried for 10 minutes, rapid for 2 mins then for a further 8 mins on a gentle fry.  I guess this method would back up her claim that it (the base) smells nice whilst cooking and you wont get that boiled onion smell throughout.

I think the fact that all the recipes in the new book call for "olive oil" is what puts me off really.  I associate olive oil with Greek and Italian cuisine, not Indian!  Yes I could replace with veg oil I suppose but, just the fact that she asks you to use olive oil, makes me dubious as to how good these dishes would turn out.

I will probably have to try some out and see but not expecting too much to be honest.

I have tried out the "Spicy Lamb Cutlets" which were quite nice, very close to what I know as "Tandoori Chops" but not nearly seasoned enough for my taste, still, I can work on it.

Ray
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Offline Cory Ander

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Re: K Dhillon book reviews
« Reply #6 on: March 22, 2010, 02:23 AM »
Thanks for that Razor  8)
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Offline Malc.

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Re: K Dhillon book reviews
« Reply #7 on: May 16, 2010, 06:48 PM »
Well i've just returned from a venture into to town with my youngest to The Works, who we use to pick up bargain 'arts n crafts' stuff for the kids. Among other things they stock a wide variety of books that are mostly non mainstream.

I guess when they say 'bad publicity is good publicity', it is actually true. Especially in my case today as I spied, sitting on the shelf, a copy of 'the new curry secret'. Knowing the name from here, I picked it up and added it to the basket.

Unfortunately it was not priced at 1.99 but at only 4 quid, who's complaining. I've had a thumb through it and it seems overall, quite useful. There are of course the obligatory stocking filler recipes that will never get cooked, but I  look forward to trying those that in the main, are quite appealing.

It may not be following the strict BIR code but it certainly seems to be a good read and there are many recipes I will be trying over the next few months.

Has anyone actually tried a good selection of the recipes to review this book properly?
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Offline PaulP

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Re: K Dhillon book reviews
« Reply #8 on: May 16, 2010, 08:01 PM »
Hi Axe,

I tried the beef badami recipe but wasn't too impressed. I don't have the second book, just the first so I haven't tried any others from the second book.

Paul
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Offline JerryM

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Re: K Dhillon book reviews
« Reply #9 on: May 17, 2010, 07:06 AM »
Axe,

i really intend getting to it - i've read it a lot but not made a tap so far.

i just can't keep back a portion of base - i end up BIR'ing it.

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