[Snoop]

Back in the dim and distant past, our house got gutted by thieves while we were away. They took absolutely everything, even the doors! That was 20 years ago, so we’ve got over it, but still have two lingering regrets: the loss of our record collection and the disappearance of my recipe books.

The two books I miss most are an old Sainsbury’s guide to microwave cooking and a Madhur Jaffrey book. The Sainsbury’s book had a couple of great recipes for a mushroom loaf and a dried fruit salad that we used to love, but I know I have no chance of ever finding another copy.

But I reckon I ought to be able to get hold of the Madhur Jaffrey book and every now and then I look for it on the Web. Yet despite all my searches and even purchases, I’ve never found quite the right book, and it had some recipes in that were really easy and tasty. I’ve just bought her Indian Cooking, apparently an updated version of her book published in 1982 by BBC books, only to be disappointed again. So I’m turning to you to see if anyone can help.

The book I’m looking for contains two recipes I can distinctly recall, lamb chops in a spicy yoghurt sauce and a coriander and coconut chutney. I used to think it was in her book that accompanied her first BBC series but now I’m not so sure. My memory might be playing tricks on me, but I have a feeling the book was divided not so much by food types as by regions. It contained lots of beautiful photographs, not just of the prepared dishes but also of places in India, bowls of spices, food on sale in markets, etc. I think each section opened with an introduction by Madhur Jaffrey in which she talked not only about the food but also her childhood experiences.

Is anyone able to identify the book for me and let me have the details (title, publisher, year, the ISBN) so I can try and track it down on Amazon or e-bay as a second-hand book?

Thanks for any help.

[mumofstig]

Do you recognise any of these

[8doubles]

A look on amazon may be worthwhile , there is this , http://www.amazon.co.uk/Entertaining-microwave-Sainsburys-recipe-library/dp/B0000EF51T

[sunshineband]

I think it might be A Taste of India, from your description. It does have arecipe for lamb in yoghourt.

ISBN 0-907516-88-2

Published by Pavilion Books in 1985

Hope that helps. if that is not the one, let me know and I shall look through some others.

Sunny

[Janeymiddlewife]

Hi snoop - I have Madhur Jaffrey's Illustrated Indian Cookery, first published in 1982, my edition is published by BBC bboks in 1994.
There is a recipe for leg of lamb in spicy yoghurt sauce and a recipe for fresh coriander chutney, but no coconut in it.

ISBN 0 563 37013 0 hardback or ISBN 0563 38303 8 paperback

let me know if you want the recipe for spicy yoghurt & I'll try to copy it for you

[Snoop]

Thanks for the replies everyone. Firstly, special thanks to 8doubles. It never occurred to me to look on Amazon for the Sainsbury's book. It's not the one you indicated, but a search led me to the right one. Amazing!

I reckon I'll have to look through all the Madhur Jaffrey recipe books on Amazon that let you look inside at the recipe list! The page of books you give, mumofstig, was very handy. I've found the recipes I mention in An Invitation to Indian Cooking, which is listed as a reworking for the American market of an original book. But I haven't yet seen a reference to what the original book was. A Taste of India looks familiar from the cover, sunshineband. The recipe was specifically for chops, not a whole leg. I remember because it was good for just the two of us. And thanks for the advice Janeymiddlewife. From the blurb in the book I've just bought, I have a later edition of the one you have. Seems ridiculous to be so hung up on a particular book, but it's been bugging me for years!

Looks like I'm in for a good few hours of trawling through all of her books on Amazon. She's written a fair few, that's for sure.

[Livinhope]

In desperation and failing all else you could try contacting Sainsburys.

[SUTTY1]

sounds like it could be "ultimate curry bible" ISBN 0-09187415-7 published 2003, let me know if this too late, if not will get it out tommorrow and check for the recipes (I'LL HAVE MY GLASSES THEN THAT I LEFT AT PLOT TODAY) lol

[Snoop]

Hi Sutty1 and thanks for the info. It's definitely not too late. My book was published before 2003, but maybe your book includes earlier recipes or is even a reprint of a previous book. While looking for her books, I've noticed that there seem to be a fair few reprints, often with different titles, which doesn't help!

[Pip Judgeford]

   blow the book, its the loss of the records I find tragic!!

=Pip

[Snoop]

At the time, we suffered greatly over the loss of the records. Especially as we received 'intel' they were going for 50p in one of the local pubs, but no-one wanted to say who was selling or who was buying. And the police weren't interested either. We replaced a few on CD but they didn't sound as good as the old vinyl. And now that we live in very different circumstances (no record player and currently very little electricity as we're off grid), we don't think about it as much.

But what we do have is great food: fruit and veg from the vegetable patch and generous neighbours and a truly amazing old-style butcher (her husband is a traditional shepherd, so you can imagine what the lamb is like), so my mind tends to wander towards recipes rather than music these days.

[Casey76]

Definitely sounds like A Taste Of India

ISBN 10: 033029394X / 0-330-29394-X
ISBN 13: 9780330293945
Publisher: Pan Books
Publication Date: 1987

Binding: Paperback

Have looked high and low, but no cover page available as a pic file

ETA:  Check here for a range of photos from different editions, maybe you can remember the front cover:

http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?an=Madhur+Jaffrey&bsi=30&tn=A+taste+of+India&x=49&y=4&prevpage=1

[Snoop]

Thanks Casey. I too thought it was this book from the title and era, but the cover doesn't ring any bells at all.

[Snoop]

Does anyone out there have this book?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Madhur-Jaffreys-Indian-Cookery-Jaffrey/dp/0563165731/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1283250109&sr=1-4

I can't look in it on Amazon to see whether the recipes I'm looking for are in here. If anyone has it, could you do me an enormous favour and look to see if the recipes I'm after are in it.

Sorry for being so cheeky!

[Val H]

We've got a copy. There's a recipe for whole leg of lamb in a spicy yoghurt sauce and one for fresh coriander chutney (no coconut though).