I’ve wanted to write this post for ages, but was stymied by the fact that I only had two favourite cookbooks. ‘Nobody wants to read a post about just two books,’ I told myself. Sometimes I considered posting it anyway. ‘Don’t let the fact there’s only two hold you back from raving about them! The world needs to know!’ I thought, in grander moments.
And so, today I decided to take the plunge, still feeling some trepidation as I went downstairs to take photos of the chosen two. But then, as I looked at my shelves, I realised that something had changed.
I now have three favourite cookbooks, which obviously makes all the difference. Now I am writing without the slightest hesitation, and I hope you enjoy these reviews of my top culinary catalogues:
1. Hamlyn All Colour Cookbook: 200 Healthy Curries by Sunil Vijayakar
This is the cookbook I’ve had the longest from this mini-selection. I think I bought it on a whim in The Works, along with the equivalent volumes about cocktails and pasta dishes. But this little book punches far beyond its tiny weight. Let me tell you, it is an absolute STAR. We make dishes from this book at least twice a week and are even now, eight or so years on from first buying it, discovering new wonders. The recipes are from or inspired by various different parts of Asia, and include a variety of foods, though I am partial to the chickpea ones. We mainly cook vegetarian/vegan food, and there are plenty of recipes in this book that meet that criteria – to be honest, I barely notice the meat and fish ones, the veggie options being so tempting!
My favourite recipes from this book:
- Potato and french bean curry
- Curried cabbage and carrot stir fry
- Lebanese tomato and courgette curry
- <South Indian vegetable stew
- Chickpea and red pepper curry
- Chickpea and spinach curry
Buy: Amazon (affiliate link)
2. The Green Roasting Tin by Rukmini Iyer
I love this book so much I collected all the other Roasting Tin books, but this remains my absolute favourite. It’s just so full of good stuff, much of it quick to prepare and incredibly satisfying. There’s something about one dish dinners that makes me feel very smug. What is it? Oh yeah, the lack of washing up and the time you get to spend swanning around your home while the oven does all the hard work.
My favourite recipes from this book:
- Three bean chilli (officially this is ‘three bean chilli with avocado salsa, but I hate avocados)
- Groundnut stew: sweet potato in a peanut and tomato sauce (VERY filling, skip the rice on this one)
- >Beetroot, chickpea and coconut curry
- Crispy gnocchi with roasted peppers, chilli, rosemary and ricotta
- Sweet potato with mozzarella (onions) and basil (I skip the onions and add paprika to this one)
Buy: Amazon | Bookshop.org (affiliate links)
3. The Soup Book, edited by Sophie Grigson
I’d had this book on my shelf for a while, but it was only getting an Oddbox subscription that led me to start paging through it and discovering all the wonders it contains. Suddenly I had all these random fresh vegetables to use up, and I couldn’t fit them all into dinners, so weekend lunchtimes have become soup-from-scratch time. And I almost always reach for this book.
My favourite recipes from this book:
- “Penny” soup
- Celery and celeriac soup
- Leek, carrot and potato soup
Buy: Amazon | Bookshop.org (affiliate links)
