The Best of Lord Krishna's Cuisine

If you're willing to withstand a little discussion on the Hare Krishnas, you'll find some very worthwhile vegetarian recipes in this book

Cookbook author Yamuna Devi (birth name Joan Campanella) first met Srila Prabhupada in 1966 at the wedding of her sister. This man, the founder of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (informally known as the Hare Krishnas), was first introduced to her only as an "Indian swami," but he so impressed her with his gentle personality and mastery of Indian vegetarian cooking that Devi soon became his disciple and personal chef.

Years later, Ms. Devi drew on her years of cooking experience in India, England and America to write Lord Krishna's Cuisine, a tome that was awarded the honor of Best Cookbook of the Year in 1987; it has since become the "Bible" of Indian vegetarian cooking. However, Lord Krishna's Cuisine certainly was not designed with newcomers in mind—it's a massive, intimidating hardback, over 800 pages long and prohibitively expensive. To encourage those who want to try their hand at a few vegetarian dishes, Ms. Devi published The Best of Lord Krishna's Cuisine, a paperback containing a selection of 172 favorite recipes from the original.

I ought to mention here that I am neither a Hare Krishna nor a vegetarian. I love meat, and suspect I always will. If I choose to cook recipes from this book, then, it must be primarily because they are delicious, cheap, and/or relatively easy to prepare, not for any health reasons. As it turns out, though, the recipes in The Best of Lord Krishna's Cuisine come through on all counts—tasty, usually inexpensive, simple to make and healthful.

The book is divided into ten chapters: Rice, Dals (legumes), Vegetables, Dairy Products, Salads, Chutneys, Light Meals and Savories, Snacks and Nibblers, Sweets, and Beverages. Each recipe contains a lead-in description and background of the recipe, a list of ingredients with both English and metric measurements, and a detailed explanation of cooking procedures. Cooks are encouraged to read through the recipe before beginning and (much as with Chinese cooking) to prepare most of the ingredients beforehand, so the actual cooking can proceed smoothly.

Nearly all the recipes I have tried have yielded good results. We are particularly fond of Savory Chickpeas in Tangy Tomato Glaze (Tamatar Kabli Chana Usal), a savory mixture of heat, spice and tang; Sesame Yogurt Potatoes (Ekadasee Til Aloo Bhaji), a dry potato dish that's almost as addictive as French fries, and arguably tastier; Sautéed Brussels Sprouts with Coconut (Chaunk Gobhi Foogath), surprisingly sweet and delicious even if you don't much like Brussels sprouts; and Buttery Spinach (Sak), which managed to win over even my reluctant hubby to the appreciation of "cooked green stuff." Numerous salads, chutneys, desserts and beverages will help round out a vegetarian meal that is both healthy and yummy.

No, this cookbook isn't perfect. Unless you live close to a huge farmers' market and well-stocked spice store, you may have some difficulty finding such items as colocasia corms, urad dal, chat masala, fresh coriander, asafetida powder, ajwain seeds or bitter melon, and may have to pass over some of the recipes requiring these items. Also, as with any recipe calling for dry legumes, there is often some time involved in soaking, parboiling and otherwise preparing the raw ingredients for cooking—you'll need to plan ahead to cook some of these recipes. Finally, Ms. Devi is definitely a devoted Hare Krishna and does not swerve away from discussion of the religious culture which spawned these recipes. If you find any measure of religious discussion annoying, sections of this book may grate on your nerves; be warned.

Overall, though, if you're curious about trying a few vegetarian recipes in your own kitchen and you want to avoid tofu at all costs, The Best of Lord Krishna's Cuisine may well be the book for you.

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