Cooking with Kurma

Drutakarma Dasa, one of the authors of classic Hare Krishna cookbook The Higher Taste, writes in his introduction, "Cooking with Kurma is an invitation to embark on an exciting journey of culinary exploration. Each lucidly explained recipe is an adventure into new lands of international culture, taste and nutrition."

He couldn't be more right. Kurma takes us on a culinary journey across the world. Thailand, Mexico, Italy, Jamaica, Germany, India, Azerbaijan and many more countries all offer up the cuisine of their culture. In no time, Kurma will have you cooking both familiar and completely new dishes with equal confidence. And all in a large format cookbook that allows the author to really show off his dishes – the photographs are simply mouth-watering.

With over two hundred pages of recipes, the variety here is enormous. Explore tastes from across the globe: Thai-style fragrant rice balls, Jamaican pepper pot soup, Azerbaijan-style savory rice, Egyptian broad bean croquettes, and Indonesian crispy corn fritters, to name but a few.

There are breads such as the Punjabi flat-bread, spicy Cajun cornbread, and German Sourdough pumpernickel. There are soups and vegetable savories. And then there are the desserts. Did I say desserts? Try twenty-seven mouth-watering recipes including pies, cakes, fudges and puddings.

By now you're probably feeling pretty thirsty. And here you'll find drinks for any palate or occasion: There's lemon punch, ginger tea, papaya refresher, mango cocktail, and many more. And if you fancy yourself as more adventurous, you might want to try the iced tamarind soda or Vietnamese Avocado smoothie.

Cooking with Kurma also contains a fabulous glossary. There are detailed descriptions of many of the more exotic items such as tamarind or sesame seeds. And handy photographs allow you to identify less familiar ingredients more easily.

Another great feature is the Suggested Menus page. Here Kurma brings together many of the recipes in stylized lunches, dinners, and even a banquet. Under titles such as Greek Dinner Party or Asian Banquet, Kurma lists the recipes which, when prepared together, make an impressive dinner, a satisfying lunch or a magnificent banquet. What could be easier?

The book concludes with an easy to read index and a biographical page on the life of the author. Born in England, Kurma moved with his family to Australia. Here he became a disciple of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. "It was from Prabhupada that Kurma first became inspired to follow his natural propensity as a cook, and at the same time satisfy his spiritual cravings," the biography reads.

Satisfy your spiritual cravings, and get your copy of Cooking with Kurma from the Krishna.com store.