This engaging cookbook delights as it demystifies the home cooking of southern India, offering more than 100 well-tested recipes and sumptuous photographs of the food and the region. Challenging the stereotypes that Indian curries are rich and heavy, difficult to prepare, and made with hard-to-find ingredients, this book introduces the light, tropical tastes of south India with accessible ingredients and simple methods. Adapting these south Indian recipes for the average kitchen, the author familiarizes the home cook with this lesser-known cuisine. With everything from appetizers to desserts, this is an excellent introduction to Indian cooking. The author has an extraordinary talent for explaining unfamiliar cooking techniques. She reveals how easy it is to pop mustard seeds in oil, use legumes to add crunch to a dish, and create unique spice blends. Specially commissioned full-color photographs provide helpful visual cues for preparing a wide variety of dishes. The inspired recipes, purposeful photographs,,extensive notes on ingredients, practical menu ideas, and useful source list make it a primer on Indian cooking as well as a significant exploration of regional specialties.