Indian Vegan & Vegetarian: 200 traditional plant-based recipes

The story:I saw this book advertised on Amazon back in early 2020; I fell in love with the cover graphics and had to have it. For whatever reason, the publication was delayed time and time again. Going through my Amazon ‘saved for later items’ I noticed that it had finally been released in June 2021 and promptly ordered it ÜHere is my review...The book:Comprising of 384 pages in hardcover with intoxicatingly beautiful jewel coloured artistry of vegetables, flowers and fruit to front and backboards, in burnt oranges, reds, greens, turquoise and white, and measuring H28cmx W21.5cmx D3.75cm; this is a substantial and weighty book. The internal flaps front and back are in a verdigris colouring reminiscent of aged copper.Mridula’s introduction is three pages long touching on religious influences, the rich and varied cuisine, a healthy diet, planning a meal and how to use the book. ‘A Land of Contrasts’ which follows, gives a précis of The rugged North, The seven sisters, The majestic East, The warm South, The agricultural centre and The vibrant West. There follows fours pages on Vegetables and Pulses, two covering Fruits, Nuts and Seeds, four pages for Spices, Herbs and Flavourings, four dedicated to Dairy, Eggs and Vegan replacements, one page each for Rice and Bread, two covering Accompaniments and a further four regarding Cooking Tools and Techniques.The Recipes are divided into six regions, with three pages attributed to each location’s description and their food specialities; North India (Monumental Mountains and Ancient Cities), North-East India (Landlocked Hills and Verdant Vistas), East India (Wild Uplands and Fertile Plains), South India (Palm-fringed Beaches and Plentiful Spices), Central India (Fertile Valleys and Ancient Palaces) and West India (Abundant Vegetables and Fusion Flavours).Each recipe has an introduction varying from 4-12 lines with a clear list of ingredients in grams, ounces, spoons and cups. Dependent on the recipe, there is a Cook’s Tip section and a Variation section. To the bottom of each recipe’s instructions is a nutritional analysis per serving for energy (calories), protein, carbohydrate, cholesterol, calcium, fibre and salt content (garnishes are optional and therefore are not included in the analysis). Each recipe has a full colour photograph of the finished dish and within the recipe instructions are smaller photos showing preparation techniques.The index which starts on page 376 is eight pages long followed by ‘notes and acknowledgements’ which has a measurement conversion table and a paragraph which states that parts of the book have previously appeared in Mridula Baljekar’s Vegetarian Indian Food & Cooking and The Complete Regional Indian Cookbook. I do not have either of these books and therefore am unable to advise to what extent the recipes have been replicated. There is also a note regarding mustard oil which is a traditional ingredient in many dishes stating that some countries advise against or ban its use due to possible erucic acid side effects.The verdict:The type face and layout make this book easy on the eye; it is almost clinical in its approach, which lends to a clean and clear format, particularly for those of us who wear spectacles ÜAll ingredients are readily available in the UK; in store or online. All recipe quantities are given in metric and imperial measures and also in standard cups and spoons. Follow one set of measurements within the recipe as they are not interchangeable.There are plenty of photographs for those who like pictorial narrative and viewing the end result.My only critical observation would be regarding the index. It isn’t delineated by letter; there is a two line space between each (although not between A and B) and the background colouring (in gradients of grey) make the reading slightly tedious (I’m a spectacle wearer).Not your typical ‘curry’ book; this tome covers an array of vibrant, flavourful and exciting recipes from Lotus Root Kebabs, Stuffed Baked Marrow, Almond Chutney, Batter-fried Spinach Leaves, Spiced Potato Cakes, Parsi Spiced Omelette, Poached Cabbage Rolls, Baked Cashew Nut Diamonds, Cumin and Saffron Flat Bread, Ginger and Cumin scented Puffed Bread with Spinach, Wild Fig Kebabs and Sweet Samosas to name but a few.So far I have cooked, Spinach in Clove-infused Yoghurt Sauce, Green Beans with Mustard, Curry Leaf & Coconut, Chickpea Pilau, Chickpeas in a Spice-laced Yoghurt Sauce and Carrot and Green Pea Pilau. Each one has tasted sublime, was quick to prepare and with minimal washing-up afterwards.There are so many wonderful recipes in this book waiting for me to try and I am looking forward to the experience. Although deciding which to cook next is a dilemma ÜThis is an excellent, straightforward no nonsense cookbook (nothing personal or emotional about life journeys or why the book has been penned), which will suit those who are not interested in the back ground chat of the writer, written with care and precision and (in my opinion) will be appreciated by Indian food lovers everywhere.A book that was worth the wait and one I will be using on a regular basis; I am so very happy to have this in my library.Update I:The use of Ghee (there is a vegan Ghee available) seems excessive in some recipes. Most of the dishes I have cooked called for four tablespoons. I have used three maximum and this has been sufficient for me. However, I cooked a dish for the second time using the four tablespoons of Ghee suggested to witness the result and as I thought, the dish was swimming in it. But of course, it is entirely a matter of personal taste regarding quantities.Today I cooked the Vegetable Korma on page 61 and noted an omission.The recipe calls for 50g/2oz blanched almonds soaked in 150ml/¼ pint boiling water for 20 minutes. However, the almonds are not included in the recipe instructions for use. I won’t state here what I did as I think it should be down to the individual to decide...Also a Korma to my knowledge is mild in taste, this most definitely is not. There are two fresh green chillies and ½ tsp of chilli powder listed in the ingredients, so if the milder taste is required it may be prudent to cut the quantities.Update II:I was looking at the recipe entitled Potatoes and Chickpeas in Lime Dressing on page 157.It calls for a 400g tin of Chickpeas or 400g of dried Chickpeas soaked in water overnight. Bearing in mind that the 400g (tin) includes the water, I knew this was an error. Reading the tin label, it states that the drained weight is 240g.However, 240g of dried Chickpeas is still an enormous amount once soaked. The quantity required of dried Chickpeas equivalent to the drained tin is 120g. It may not seem much at first, but once soaked they swell and the weight is not far off what you’ll require.Rule of thumb is if you need to know the grams of dried Chickpeas to give a certain cooked weight, the calculation is to divide the cooked weight by 2.2. So for 240g i.e. one tin’s worth of cooked Chickpeas the calculation is as follows: 240÷2.2=109g of dried Chickpeas. Therefore 120g as stated above should ensure you have enough.Also the recipe states; “There is no cooking involved in making this healthy vegan dish”. Dried Chickpeas as with other legumes contain a number of anti-nutritional factors which include toxins as well as substances which inhibit digestibility and absorption of nutrients. Types and amount vary by species and effects range from unnoticeable to death. ‘Unnoticeable’ doesn’t mean negligible. It can be a case of killing you slowly with cyanogenetic glucosides or rapidly and painfully - raw or undercooked kidney beans. Most toxic and negative components of legumes can be eliminated by proper cooking methods. Soaking leaches out some toxins and heat will deactivate others; the heat also kills off lurking bacteria.I soak Chickpeas overnight rinse them through then place in a pressure cooker (with plenty of clean water) which takes a mere ten minutes once the temperature has been reached. Once cooked, drained and allowed to cool, Chickpeas freeze well, so if you do cook too many...Despite the above critical updates, this is still a fabulous book and remains the current go to favourite in my library.The narrative above is the view of my personal opinion and does not in any way represent Mridula Baljekar, Lorenz Books/Anness Publishing Ltd or Amazon EU S.à.r.L.

The book has a lovely cover and the recipes and photos are great and well laid out. It’s a weighty book and the recipes look lovely. However, I didn’t get as far as to cook anything from this book because for me the table of contents and index were not good. The contents at the front gives the different areas of India only and the Index at the back of the book is in very small print and only a slight indent to indicate a change between letters. There’s also no cross referencing, maybe because of the size of this book. From memory for example (as I’ve since returned this book), there was a recipe I think, Mixed vegetables with five spice. When flicking through the book I came across it. When I went to find it later in the index, as I’d seen it included cauliflower, I couldn’t find it…not under C for Cauliflower, not under Mixed, not under Vegetables (it says here see individual vegetables) ..eventually I found it by flicking through the book again and as the first main ingredient was potato I found it under that in the Index. Personally I found this too frustrating and sent it back. This book would be great on kindle, being able to easily search for an ingredient, unfortunately at the time of writing it isn’t available in that format.

I never leave Amazon reviews but I love this book. I am trying to reduce the amount of meat I eat and have lots of veggie and vegan friends. I wanted to be able to make delicious veggie dishes that feel substantial. This book has absolutely delivered on that. Lots of easy recipes using a whole range of veg. Easy to follow and a huge variety. Very happy with it!

Many vegan recipes or recipe's easy to make vegan, One of my favourite so far

My favourite Indian chef by a long way. Lots of fantastic recipies that are easy to follow. Mridula has been releasing this genre of food for absolutely years. It's not just a trend with her.One point to note some of the recipies have been in previous books. Buy this one and you will not need any of the others unless you are a meat eater too. A great collection of recipies