Description

The key to the best vegetarian food of the Tamil world is home-style cooking. Prema Srinivasan leads us to that world with her Pure Vegetarian Cookbook, a guide which will have cooks and foodies perking up their ears and cleansing their palates in anticipation. If you thought rasams, sambhars and idlis summed up the cuisine of the area, Srinivasan points you to the countless variations on such dishesand others. The more than hundred recipes in this book offer up ways, influenced by region, community, or simply, the seasons, to put the best platters on the table. They showcase the wide variety and infi nite inventiveness of the Tamil kitchen. Lesser-known dishes, featuring specific types of grains, and an awesome array of chutneys and pickles, are also lovingly included. Each section is accompanied by anecdotal explanations of the history and culture around the recipe, and by beautifully illustrated plates showing the ingredients, the utensils, the presentation, and of course, the food itself, each in relation to the rest. This book is a much-needed addition to the library of any discerning gourmet, or anyone with an interest in the food and culture of Tamil India. About The Author: Prema Srinivasan was brought up in a traditional South Indian family. From an early age, she learned to appreciate culinary heritage. Later on, she developed an interest in the origins of food. As she learned to cook, she developed her variations of a healthy vegetarian diet, balanced according to Ayurvedic principles. Recognizing that food cultures are in a dynamic process of evolution, Srinivasan took a keen interest in incorporating some of the trans-regional and international influences that are compatible with the traditional core of South Indian vegetarian cuisine in our cosmopolitan age.