Pure and Special: Gourmet Indian Vegetarian Cuisine

I'm not a food critic or know all that much about food but I read this book which I found because my wife had rented it from the library and I was saddened she was returning it.So I just bought this book because it is actually very good.Probably one of the few food recipe books I've read cover to cover and been fascinated by the food in here.I can tell you that I haven't seen these recipes in Indian menu at all but they are amazing.Can't wait for either my wife to cook them for me or for me to dabble by cooking some of these.

Having grown up in a home where my Indian parents cooked delicious homemade meals every day it's not easy to find a cookbook that can help me re-create those experiences. THIS is that cookbook! It's full of recipes that remind me of beautiful authentic meals we would have at the dinner table. It's clear that Vidhu Mittal is a master of her craft who has given wonderful thought to every single recipe. The flavors come through in each dish in ways I haven't been able to find elsewhere. I also highly recommend her other book "Pure and Simple", I bought that a couple of years ago and it's filled with amazing recipes that are easy to make and remain true to the flavors of India.

We started cooking with Pure and Special the day it arrived. My wife and I have cooked many meals from Vidhu's first book, Pure and Simple and were excited to try her latest delicious recipes. Pure and Special certainly did not disappoint! The beautiful pictures and clear, detailed descriptions allow even the most novice cook can prepare beautiful, delicious Indian dishes. I can strongly recommend this cook book to anyone who has a passion for, or a curiosity about Indian cooking.Thank you Vidhu for helping to bring many wonderful, healthy, authentic Indian meals into our home!

Finally! A gorgeous cookbook of Indian fare with a photo for every recipe in the book! I literally want to eat every dish based on these enticing and divine images. As a new mom and westerner with no sense of traditional Indian cooking, the photos are essential to entice me to make the effort of cooking myself. Easy to follow recipes AND THE FOOD…O-M-G. Don't walk, but run to put this in your cart and wow your friends with your cultured skills in the kitchen!

What a beautiful book. The title is accurate. The recipes are not the typical Indian dishes, and all of them look simple to make. The spice combinations are not the typical, either, although the familiar components (cardamom, ginger, masala mixes) are in many recipes, but I seldom get to use fenugreek. The photographs make the book even more special. It is rare for me to find a cookbook to rave about, but this is one.

Pure & Special is a revelation! Beautifully photographed and artfully curated, this is THE Indian cookbook to own. Pure & Special engages the senses through its beautiful imagery and encourages even the most basic of cooks to try its tempting recipes. As a novice chef with no exposure to Indian cooking until much later in my adult life, I have found the recipes easy to follow and the step-by-step photos a true help. Vidhu Mittal has done it again!

I have the first book (Pure and Simple) and this follow-up is just as good! The photos alone are worth getting this book. It says "gourmet" but that doesn't mean the recipes are difficult - the instructions are written simply and clearly, there are pictures of each step with every recipe, and anytime I'm not sure what a specific spice is, there's always a nice reference that describes them all with more photos.

What can I say.... This is the second book I have by Vidhu Mittal and I love them both! The recipes are just as the either of the book titles: Pure, Simple & Special. You can easily follow the recipes and the clean, fresh design of the book is a perfect complement to the tasty treats you create. I can't wait to work my way through each of these recipes.

Useful book