Fragrant Spices
"The spice coast, a fertile stretch of shoreline running along the southern and western reaches of the Indian peninsula, has drawn traders since antiquity. The vast array of peoples that came in search of its natural abundance of black pepper and other spices have given the region a tolerance and openness towards outsiders that continues to be at the core of this unusually harmonious society." ~ pg. 6
Cooking from Maya Kaimal's cookbook is a comforting experience. Your kitchen will be filled with the warm scents of exotic spices as you try many of these delicious recipes. To start I tried the Spice Tea (Masala Chai) which uses cinnamon, peppercorns, cloves, cardamom pods and tea. You can use a rooibos teabag (no caffeine) in place of the black tea if you are making it at night and I also used soymilk in place of the whole milk.
I decided to make an Indian lunch so I made the Seasoned Dhal. If you can't find Ghee then you can just use some butter or make Ghee by following a recipe in this book. The dhal recipe calls for 2 ½ cups of water but I found I needed 3 ½ cups. It was fairly easy to make so next on my list was the Spicy Beef Curry. The recipe calls for "curry leaves" which can be difficult to locate unless you order them online. Fortunately they are optional so you don't have to worry about ordering them. The addition of lemon juice to a curry was new to me but it has a surprising result. The way the beef was boiled before the curry is made is also something new I'd never tried before. This tenderized the beef quite nicely and the result was quite delicious.
Some of the other recipes you may want to try include:
Coconut Rice Pancakes
Banana Fritters
Pumpkin with Toasted Coconut
Tamarind Shrimp (you need to order tamarind concentrate)
Lamb Vindaloo
Cardamom Coffee
Maya Kaimal has created a beautiful cookbook filled with traditions and cooking from Kerala. She made many visits to India to obtain many of the recipes in this book. She includes recipes made by Christians and Hindus so that is why you find recipes for meat and vegetarian fare.
~The Rebecca Review
fool-proof
After i tried the first recipe, it went so well I started trying 3-4 a day (a DAY!), and each one came out fabulous. The main dishes in particular were most excellent. Friends are asking to borrow the book after sharing dishes I've made. SO MUCH EASIER than I ever thought! The writing is excellent, historical background fascinating. My favorite cookbook!
Kerala cuisine, yummy recipes
This is the best, most authentic cookbook I've seen for Kerala cuisine. Maya's love for the region and the food really shows. Also, the recipes are very easy to follow. I commend the author on figuring out appropriate quantities, because most Keralites cook with amounts like "some of this" and "some of that" that aren't exactly quantified! Anyway, I recommend this to anyone who enjoys South Indian cuisine. There are both vegetarian and non-veg recipes. The book is not exhaustive, but there are plenty of recipes in many categories of meal courses.
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