Mangoes & Curry Leaves Cookbook

[MMRuth]

I bought this last week and cooked up a storm yesterday. I went through and picked out recipes that sounded good (without too much thought about how they would go together) and then got out my pots and pans.

Menu:

Baked Goan Fish (Red Snapper) with Fresh Green Chile Chutney
Cauliflower Dum (with onions and tomatoes)
Tomato Chutney - with fresh curry leaves
Cucumber Raita
Udaipur Urad Dal
Cucumber Salad with Hot Spiced Mustard Dressing
Basmati Rice

It was all delicious - very spicy - not sure if I got the right peppers (cayenne) that are called for in all the recipes.

The book is absolutely beautiful ... I didn't realize that it is done by the same people who wrote Seductions of Rice, which is a favorite - as this will be as well, I'm sure. There are lots of shrimp recipes that I want to try.

Edit - and a belated thank you to all for suggestions for weekend cooking a couple of weeks ago - ended up doing *nothing* other than Marcella's tomato/onion/butter sauce! Shelved my ambitions for another day!

[pitu]

The Nepali style asparagus in Mangoes and Curry Leaves is great -- so different from other treatments of asparagus I've had, and it really holds up well in the gingery curry spices.

We also made the chickpea fritters -- which are identical to very nice falafel - and cilantro peanut paste. Tasty!

I don't actually have the book, so no page #s or recipe titles I'm afraid...

[Cinnamon]

Here's the link to Amazon's 'look inside the book' page for this book, if anyone wants a glimpse of it:
http://www.amazon.com/Mangoes-Curry-Leaves-Culinary-Subcontinent/dp/1579652522#reader

And just found the authors' site, fun to poke around: http://www.hotsoursaltysweet.com

Latest book is on China and thereabouts. There's this book, Seduction of Rice (or by rice or something), Hot Sour Salty Sweet, and the Beyond the Wall or such one that is the new one.

[Caitlin McGrath]

It's Beyond the Great Wall. They also have Home Baking, recipes (mostly breads, but also some sweets) from all over the world, and Flatbreads and Flavors, international flatbreads and accompaniments.

[karykat]

I've liked everything I've made from the Home Baking book.

[buttertart]

May I ask what in particular? I have read through it but haven't been inspired to try anything.

[karykat]

I like the banana coconut bread (page 145). It seems just a little different from other banana breads. It has unsweetened coconut in it, which I didn't think we would like, but it works well in this recipe. The cranberry chocolate sweet buns are great. (Page Not too sweet with cranberries and chocolate chips -- we used a good bittersweet chocolate cut in chunks. I've had the snowshoe breads. Also the middle eastern pizzas with lamb and pine nuts. Phenomenal. These are a flatbread with little chunks of lamb meat or ground lamb. (pages 88-90). I have my eye on the almond milk bread and the savory mushroom strudel. I just noticed a seville orange marmalade. Maybe I will cut that recipe in half and make a refrigerator marmalade -- our coop has a supply of sevilles that won't last too much longer I think.

[buttertart]

I'll give it another look. I've been making lamb flatbreads for a long time from James Beard's Beard on Bread, which was my first bread book and taught me a lot. The recipes all work and are quite distinctive, for example: sweet rolls for which the dough is raised in a kitchen towel submerged in lukewarm water - when it floats, it is sufficiently risen. The texture is wonderful. It can be less messily done in a big ziplock bag, sealed watertight - it's not too easy to clean the tea towel afterwards! Would suggest your having a look at the book - predates the bread machine but most recipes would adapt.

[karykat]

I have an old copy of Beard on Bread tucked away somewhere. I wouldn't have expected a lamb flatbread there. And the sweet roll technique sounds very intriguing.

[The Dairy Queen]

I continue to be curious about Flatbreads and Flavors. I think my library doesn't have it, but since I've just recently (thanks to this board) become hip to the ways of interlibrary loans, I think I should try to get it from another library, if possible. I, too, would be curious to know of some of your favorites from the book, karykat.

~TDQ

[karykat]

If Flatbreads and Flavors their new book? Or an older one they did? They do have a few flatbread-type recipes in Home Baking. It's kind of interesting because they have some American comfort foods along with things from all over.

The book of theirs that I have in storage somewhere but haven't been able to get into is Seductions of Rice.

[Caitlin McGrath]

I believe Flatbreads and Flavors was their second (after Seductions of Rice). I've heard good things about it but I haven't personally laid hands on it.

[The Dairy Queen]

Yes, what Caitlin said. The Flatbreads and Flavors is an older book of theirs. I misunderstood your reference to their "Home Baking" book; I thought you were talking about Flatbreads and Flavors!

I'm curious about Seductions of Rice, too. MMRuth has had some nice things to say about it.

So many cookbooks, so little time! I keep my library busy!

~TDQ

[karykat]

Home Baking does have a goodly number of flatbreads in it from all around the world. And it sounds like Mangoes has at least one and I bet more.

[MMRuth]

I kept forgetting to post about what I've made from the Rice book - will try to take a look today.

[MMRuth]

Here's the list:

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/613693

I'm cooking from M&C tonight, and may go through and post a list of other recipes I've made from this book that I've not posted on before.

[The Dairy Queen]

Curious thing about that list: hardly any of those recipes are for rice! Are there a lot of non-rice recipes in the book?

~TDQ

[MMRuth]

I'll post over on that thread.

[kiimy]

Fantastic book it definitly inspires you to cook.

[MMRuth]

I just cooked from it last night - a Sri Lankan Chicken curry, a spicy cabbage salad, and a red onion sambol. I served it with some boiled potatoes to go with the curry sauce.

[Chocolatechipkt]

I love this cookbook -- but have only taken it out of the library so far. I think I need to own it now. I do own Hot Sour, and love it too.

[MMRuth]

Me too.

[MMRuth]

Thought I'd just add to this existing thread. I'd not cooked from the book much lately, other than making the naan once and the usual yogurt marinated chicken.

Last night I made:

Yogurt Marinated Chicken (thighs and breasts, under the broiler)
Naan
Cucumber Raita
Red Onion Sambol - a new dish for me - just whizzed chopped red onions, jalapenos (didn't have cayennes), some lime juice and salt in the mini food processor
Andhra Spiced Eggplant - another condiment really - roasted eggplant, removed from the skin, added to sauteed sliced onions and garlic, with tumeric, cumin and cayenne, and then you added chopped cayennes (I used jalapenos again) and chopped shallots at the end, garnish with cilantro leaves.

It was really a delicious dinner. I'd wanted to make the star fruit chutney, but no star fruit to be found. For dessert, we ate some lychees and mangosteen that I'd bought in Chinatown earlier that day.

[Ora]

Lovely! But the naan, looks particularly yummy.

[MMRuth]

I forgot to mention that I make half the naan recipe and it works well. This time, I forgot that I needed milk, so I diluted half and half with water (50/50) and didn't notice any difference.

[MMRuth]

I've now also quartered the recipe (2 naan) and it worked out just fine too.

[FlavoursGal]

Naomi Duguid and Jeffrey Alford are passionate gastronomes whose books combine the best components of travelogues, anthropological studies and cookbooks, written and researched by two of the best food writers and photographers around. These Toronto residents are brilliant (Naomi worked as a corporate lawyer for years) and accomplished, yet have remained incredibly down-to-earth and unassuming; the multitude of praise and book awards (including IACP and James Beard) have not gone to their heads.

[Candy]

I have been singing praises of that book for over a year. I have Hot, Sour etc, Seductions of Rice and a week ago I was very surprised too find a brand new copy of their Home Baking which is also huge and cumbersome but wonderful. The date of publication said it was published 2 years ago and I had never heard about it. The fortunate thibng for me is I have lots of counter space but the poor thing about all of their books is that they are so over-sized that they are uncomfortable to sit and read witht he book in your lap.

[MMRuth]

Yes - I'm pretty sure it was you who "turned me onto" the book. I checked out their website and they are working on a new one - on noodles, I think.

[Candy]

Noodles? Great. Look for the baking book too. I got it at Half Price Books new and unused for almost nothing.

[MMRuth]

Any favorites from Mangoes?

[missem]

I love this book. Everything I have made has been fantistic. I love the spicy beef patties, the dal, and the shrimp that has lots of onions (southern). Everything, though has been amazing.

[Candy]

I have not cooked my way all through yet it but nothing has disappointed me. I ahd checked it out of our public library and started cooking from it and immediately ordered it from Amazon. I had my own copy before the library copy was due back. It is the most staisfying Indian cookbook I have come across and such a grest read too.

[djk]

i bought it the minute it came out but have only looked at it - you have both inspired me to do more than that! beautiful book though.

[MMRuth]

One caveat - it is a pain to cook with b/c it is HUGE and I have little counter space - it rested on the top of an arm chair in the living room (open kitchen) and I was continuously darting back and forth. Next time will photo copy the recipes first!

[Atahualpa]

I've never found the size a problem and I have a small and cluttered kitchen. At least it lies flat and stays open to the page you want!

[MMRuth]

The latter is certainly true - but if I had it open on the counter, I would have about 14 x 14 inches of counter space left to work on.

[Father Kitchen]

Perhaps Alford and Duguid's publishers will consider adding a CD to their next volume.

[Atahualpa]

A great book. An absolutely great book. I love it because it has lots of recipes for salads and other fresh fare. Its a nice break from Indian banquet fare which seems to dominate my books by Sahni (which I love, don't get me wrong).

That cucumber salad is to die for!
Try the other dal. The Bengal Dal with a hint of lime and tamarind (made with masoor dal). All the dals are good. I like this one the most.

Oh, and if you like these two books by Duguid and Alford, try out Hot Sour Salty Sweet for SE Asian Fare. I think its their best book. Introductory to be sure (as is Mangos and Curry Leaves) -- but what an introduction.