You know how excited I was about this cookbook. Absolutely. Well, my dreams of making wonderful, yummy Indian dinners are dashed to pieces. Being a former teacher and having been trained in the necessity of grade-giving, I give this book a FAIL. Okay, I cheated, because I didn't give the author and publisher a rubric ahead of time, and I never sufficiently explained objectives and how to achieve mastery of such, but still, the book does not pass muster.
First it was Cauliflower and Potato Curry. I knew something was amiss when it had me grinding and sautéing three different blends of spices, only to throw them all together into a mixture of ... well, it claimed to be coconut milk, but it was just soaked coconut shreds in water. Ew. I tried to blame the not-so-yummyness of that one on the fact that I had run out of olive oil--because as you know, olive oil is a necessity for a successful kitchen.
But today, it was Goa Beef Vindaloo, which I know is good, because I have had it at restaurants. I had plenty of olive oil, plenty of "plump cloves of garlic" and I even bought a weird-looking plastic can of tamarind. I ground up and blended my spices exactly as directed, coated the meat, sautéed the onions, and tossed it all together with 4 cups of water. 4 cups? What are we making here? Soup?
It turns out it was a good thing it called for so much water, because as it was, I had to add some flour paste to thicken it, which in turn toned down the fire. We do happen to be lovers of wasabi and peppers, so I mean it when I say that if it's too hot for my dad, it shouldn't be attempted. Oh, sad.
On a happy note, dropping a cinnamon stick into your jasmine rice is a nice touch. And I got to wash down the spicy failure with a spoonful of loveliness called "Dark Chocolate Almond Butter."
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