Ajanta: Regional Feasts of India
by Lachu Moorjani
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Book Summary Information
Author: Lachu MoorjaniEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2005-11-03
ISBN: 1586857770
Number of pages: 224
Publisher: Gibbs Smith
Book Reviews of Ajanta: Regional Feasts of India
Book Review: A Must-Have for Lovers of Indian Food
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a must-have cookbook for lovers of Indian/Pakistani food. I own over a dozen Indian cookbooks (including several by Madhur Jaffrey; Julie Sahni; Pat Chapman; Udit Sarkhel; Nella Paniz; etc.). This is clearly the best of the bunch by a wide margin.
As other reviewers have noted, author Lachu Moorjani is owner and proprietor of Berkeley's Ajanta restaurant. The recipes in this cookbook demonstrate why his is one of the best Indian restaurants in the country. Moorjani has done an excellent job in scaling down and adjusting restaurant recipes in a way that allows the home chef to achieve restaurant-quality results. Many cookbooks miss the mark on this score, failing to fine-tune recipes for the home environment. If you look recipes in most Indian cookbooks, for instance, you will see that many typically require the home chef to add a cup or more of water to achieve the moisture in a curry or other recipe. Even when one reduces the sauce mercilessly, the result is almost always a thin, watery curry. The recipes in this book usually derive their moisture not from adding water and reducing, but from using tomatoes, onions, and other sources of moisture. The result is a thicker, more flavorful curry or sauce, comparable to what you get when you order the dish in a restaurant.
Not only are the recipes wonderful, they are easy to follow. The book is beautifully designed and illustrated, with recipes divided by region and organized as "feasts" with various dishes designed to compliment one another. So far I've made about eight of the recipes, and I've yet to run into one that wasn't delicious. Highly recommended!
Summary of Ajanta: Regional Feasts of India
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!
Moorjani is proud to present Ajanta, featuring the specialties of each region in India, and an excellent introduction to the cuisines and flavors of this richly diverse country.
Organized by region, Ajanta includes more than a dozen feasts. Each menu includes an appetizer, main dish, side dish, rice dish, bread, and dessert. Moorjani also offers tips on Indian cooking and Indian ingredients, making this cuisine accessible to most any cook. Luscious full-color food photography pairs with step-by-step photos showing how to make everything from pakora to poori bread.
Recipes include Tandoori Portobello Mushrooms, Spinach and Feta Cheese Samosa, Indian Crab Cakes, Khumbi Pakora, Chicken Pistachio Korma, Tamil Lamb Curry, Prawn Curry Bengal, Palak Paneer (Spinach and Paneer Cheese in Spices), and Chicken Biriyani, along with unique recipes for chutneys and raitas.
Lachu Moorjani was born in the state of Sind, India, which later became Pakistan. He grew up in Rajasthan, and later moved to Bombay. Lachu immigrated to the United States in December of 1969. Formally trained in engineering, he left this field in December of 1987 to open a small restaurant in Berkeley, called New Delhi Junction. In 1993, he sold New Delhi Junction and opened Ajanta. Lachu lives with his wife in Berkeley, California.
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