Customer Rating: 
Summary: Great cookbook!
Comment: While I can't judge the "authenticity" of Yamuna Devi's recipes, I can comment on their deliciousness. I've had her books since 1991 and they've been indispensable in my culinary education. As the years have passed I've found myself adapting favorite recipes -- adding onions and garlic, for example -- to my family's tastes. I did find some of her techniques intimidating back in 1991 when I was a newbie vegetarian cook. But honestly over the years I've discovered that they're incredibly useful not just for preparing these recipes, but in making other dishes as well. I've also discovered a lot of wonderful ingredients thanks to Devi's books -- asafoetida/hing is an incredible spice, for exanple! I highly recommend her work!
Customer Rating:
Summary: Superb, tasty recipes from a respected author and chef
Comment: A couple of the reviewers who have said here that the recipes are not authentically Indian are completely misinformed about what authentic Indian food is like, and what Indians do and do not eat. The recipes in it come out great and are meticulously explained. As an Indian, I can assure you they are authentic. There are large numbers of Indians who do eat food like the recipes in this book. This is exactly what authentic Indian food was until even fifty years ago, across large parts of India.
Unfortunately, Indian cuisine has become polluted by ideas on nutrition borrowed from the west - more sugar, onions, meat, eggs - and not by coincidence, this has been followed by the introduction of diseases that were absent in India till recently - diabetes, heart disease, obesity.
Specifically about the recipes presented in this book: if you follow them, you will find the resultant food is bursting with flavor and health, but not with the oily, heavy, hyper-spicy fullness that characterises a lot of so-called Indian food in many restaurants and 'Indian' cookbooks across the world. You will not be disappointed if you buy this book or her larger, original cookbook.
Customer Rating:
Summary: The very best cookbook I own
Comment: This is not just a collection of recipes, it is a full-fledged education in the ways and means of indian cooking, replete with cultural background. The ancient and authentic recipes she shares are carefully detailed and easy to follow. Many are easy to prepare. It is a fascination and delight to read.
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Authentic? Depends on your perspective
Comment: If you are more concerned with adhering to Vedic principles than in creating interesting Indian food, then by golly, this is the cookbook for you. Probably you don't consider other Indian food to be authentic (just the way Texans don't consider Kansas City or Carolina barbeque to be REAL barbeque), but let's face it: most Indians no longer adhere strictly to the Vedic principles when it comes to food preparation. No onions, no garlic? I don't think so.This is a cookbook more concerned with Vedic hair-splitting than with creating decent recipes. I found that most of the recipes I tried were unnecessarily complicated, if not downright unworkable, and the results, more often than not, were totally bland and uninteresting. After several unsatisfying attempts, I abandoned this cookbook as a hopeless case, and it has gathered dust on my bookshelf for the last 7-8 years.
Keep in mind that the author (the former Joan Campanella) is a convert to what we commonly define as the Hare Krishnas, and that the followers of this movement comprise a tiny fraction of India's population. They are like Vegans, as compared to your average Vegetarian, and their food cannot by any definition be called the food of the average Indian.
It amazes me that the recipes of a western convert are called more authentic than the recipes of native Indians, but then again, it is most likely only other converts to the Krishna Consciousness movement saying that.
If this belief system appeals to you, then by all means, use this cookbook with great relish. There is plenty of Vaishnava musing to be found within this book's pages. The rest of us prefer not to die of boredom or frustation from unworkable recipes.
Customer Rating:
Summary: not authentic, not very indian
Comment: IThat book that:
"A decade ago Yamuna Devi's Lord Krishna's Cuisine was named Cookbook of the Year by the International Association of Culinary Professionals "
was given that award when it was practically the only indian cookbook on the shelf back in the late 70's. Back then people didn't know what real indian cuisine tasted like.
As an indian I will tell you, these recipes are NOT authentic indian at all. Although they follow strict VEDIC indian food guidelines, in that there is no garlic, onion, meat, eggs etc., they could be much, much better.
This is more like very bland (remember no onion etc.) AMERICAN FOOD that follows VEDIC indian GUIDLINES with a few indian spices thrown in. What a mess!
Unless you are a really following vedic guildlines for religious reasons and have tried everything else, there are much better books to buy.
If you ARE following vedic guidlines I would suggest you do a search on the internet for vedic indian cookbooks (from India) because this is the only one I've come across here and its really bad. I mean really bad :(.
If you are just looking for indian cookbooks buy a Muthu Jaffrey's cookbook (indian)to get started or Neelam Batra's (fusion indian) are really delicious too!
