Dakshin: Vegetarian Cuisine from South India

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.

If you cook with your eyes, then this is a feast. Every recipe appears in one of the book's many lush photograph's, and warms the appetite almost as much as the aroma would. Let yourself enjoy the aromas for real, though. Each recipe includes clear, easy directions. It may take you a trip to an Indian grocer to get some necessities for some recipes, but the trip will be well worth it. This shows how to make every part of a rich Indian meal from soups and savories to sweets at the end. I've tried only one recipe (so far), the Tomato Rasam. I had to make some minor adjustments to available ingredients, but only minor, and it went together without difficulty. The result was incredible - tomato gave it tang, beans cooked til they disintegrated gave body, and a pleasant bite came from chilis (both green and red), ginger, and mustard seed. Other spices, including asafoetida, contributed a rich, deep note to the flavor. It tasted great, of course. Much to my surprise, my wife's asthmatic cough quited down after a bowl of it, then resumed promptly after the last of the leftovers were consumed - I'm not a "food as medicine" fanatic, but make of her report what you will. I like this book a lot, and so does my wife. And, since it was recommended by an Indian colleague, I'll take his word for its authenticity. Enjoy! -- wiredweird

I am a single male from North India who loves South Indian food. Bsides I am a vegan who abstains from any animal products. Even though in the vicinity of Berkeley we have lots of Indian restaurants, they are dominated by Mughlai (or Punjabi) cuisine - which include the all-too-familiar tandoori chicken, palak paneer, samosa etc. A few South Indian restaurants recently opened up, but ghee (by popular demand!) seems to be used in almost all dishes. (No wonder Indians have one of the highest rates of heart problems, beer-bellies and lots of other health problems.) Decided that if I wanted to eat good and healthy South Indian food, I had to cook it myself. Bought this book. Am not an expert cook and don't have much time to search around for 1/2 teaspoonful of XYZ. Luckily this book has been good in that respect. Only 5-6 standard Indian spices (all available from Indian grocery stores), with a few specialized spice mixes, will allow one to create authentic dishes like sambar and rasam. Food photos are excellent, and some days, I just look at those pictures to satisfy my hunger for South Indian food! Thus far, have tried a few recipes, and all turned out well. In future, I plan to expand my menu. I hope this book helps to make South Indian food popular among Americans. In my view, South Indian staple food like idli, dosa, sambar, rasam, and various rices are healthy and tasty unlike those overcooked, oily Punjabi food they serve in Indian restaurants. My wish is for the author to come out with a vegan version of this excellent book, because I think veganism is the way to go for all for health, for environment and for compassion. :) Thanks for reading. Quote: Greatness of a country is judged by the way its animals are treated - Gandhi.

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。

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.

J'ai rajouté ce livre de cuisine à ma bibliothèque de livres de cuisines et j'en suis très content. Les recettes sont authentique mais parfois un peu compliqués