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Learn to COOK - Ajanta
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List Price: $34.95
Our Price: $23.56
Your Save: $ 11.39 ( 33% )
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Gibbs Smith, Publisher
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Average Customer Rating: 
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Binding: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 641.5954
EAN: 9781586857776
ISBN: 1586857770
Label: Gibbs Smith, Publisher
Manufacturer: Gibbs Smith, Publisher
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 224
Publication Date: 2005-11-03
Publisher: Gibbs Smith, Publisher
Studio: Gibbs Smith, Publisher
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Editorial Reviews:
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There are as many regional flavors and dishes in India as there are languages and dialects, and no one knows this better than Lachu Moorjani, owner of Ajanta Restaurant in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Widely recognized as the Bay Area's premier restaurant for Indian cuisine, Ajanta sets the standard with its ever-changing menu, offering creative dishes from the many regions of India. Ajanta represents one of the best places to experience a taste of India without leaving the country!
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: Indian cooking made easy
Comment: This was my first time preparing Indian food. I found the recipes easy to understand, follow and to prepare. I have since used this cook book several times and now have made a goal to make all the wonderful food in this cook book. Just writing this review gives me the urge to cook Indian food tonight! Enjoy
Customer Rating:
Summary: Our favorite Indian cookbook
Comment: We've tried a number of Indian cookbooks over the years, and the recipes have always seemed easy but produced very mediocre, often bland, results. This cookbook has the authentic recipes clearly explained. We've made a number of the dishes and they have turned out exactly as the dishes found at the restaurant (i.e., delicious!). I don't have trouble finding all the ingredients at nearby Indian/Middle Eastern grocery stores. But one issue is that there are some classic vegetarian dishes that I wish they would have added: Palak Paneer (spinach with homemade cheese), Chole (curried chickpeas), and Dum Aloo (dry-cooked potatoes with lots of spices). Also, the Aloo Gobhi recipe is quite flavorful, but should be a little less oily in my opinion. Otherwise, this is a really great resource for some classic Indian main dishes, appetizers, and desserts. It's been especially useful since the restaurant is a bit pricey, and we've gone out to eat less frequently now that we have kids. Thanks, Mr. Moorjani!
Customer Rating:
Summary: Well Worth the Wait
Comment: My first experience with Indian food was back in 94 at Ajanta located on Solano Avenue in Berkeley, and I've fallen in love with Indian food ever since. The problem was, however, everywhere I went-- NOTHING compared to the dishes Mr. Moorjani created at his restaurant and I always craved to return to the area just to try what delightful creations he's created for his ever changing menu. SO I was extremely pleased when he published this cookbook, AND even more impressed when a novice like me tried to make 4 of the dishes and it came out just like the flavors at the restaurant. The recipes seem complicated, but if you enjoy cooking and love Indian food, the directions are detailed, easy to follow and worth the time and effort. The dishes are perfect to feed 4-6 people and I think the appetizer dishes ( i.e. portobella mushroom/asparagus) are ideal for an impressive potluck dish. Not only do you get GREAT recipes, but I appreciate the variety of flavors that reflect the different regions of India.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Excellent recipes! Authentic taste!
Comment: I have made five of the recipes so far and each has been a complete success. The only challenge, as another reviewer has mentioned, is compiling the necessary spices. Ajanta restaurant sells a spice box called "Shanti's Spice Box" for about $30 which is available on their web site. I've purchased two - one for myself and one for a friend. The ingredients in the box are in quantities proportional to their use in the cookbook, so pretty much everything you'll need is there. The spice box makes following these recipes really easy. The cooking techniques may seem a bit different, but they are well-explained and straight forward. Just read through your recipe completely and have everything ready before you start and it will be a success! Two favorites: the green bean and potato recipe shown on the cover and the prawns bhuna masala.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Never disappointing!
Comment: I bought this book after stumbling into the Ajanta restaurant in Berkeley. My friend and I were incredibly hungry and were craving Indian food- and Ajanta was the only restaurant left open on the top part of Solano Avenue.
I am soooo glad I accidently stumbled into that restaurant! That night they were having a party for Lachu Moorjani, who had just put out his cook book. I remembered really enjoying the cuisine (especially all of the dipping sauces used for the samosas), so I thought I should get the book and try recipes.
Me and my family have tried numerous Indian recipes from online as well as in other cookbooks, but the results are always substandard....sauces are drippy, no taste, spices aren't just right, etc. And when it is so easy to get good Indian food in Berkeley, I would just give up trying to cook my own Indian food...until I found Ajanta!
And now I live in a smaller Midwestern city with limited Indian restaurants (I think there are maybe one or two here)---I am soo appreciative of the book!
The Ajanta recipes are fabulous! Between my sister and I, we have made about 8 recipes- all of which turned out well, if not extraordinary. None were disappointing! And all were so tasty! I am so excited!! If anyone loves Indian food, this is the book for you.
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