Indian Vegetarian Cooking Video No.1: Breads & Starch Group

The first in a projected series on Indian cooking, this low budget venture shows viewers how to prepare very simple Indian breads such as Roti, (a round flour tortilla), Paratha (a triangular flour tortilla--which can be prepared plain or stuffed with a filling, such as potato), Poori (a half-dollar sized flour tortilla that is deep fried and puffs up like an airy ball of bread), and finally a tasty sounding lemon rice dish with Spanish peanuts and chopped cilantro. Since the program featured neither on-screen recipe cards nor an accompanying print preparation guide, I found myself frantically writing down the dishes and the recipes as host Geetha Raman verbally listed ingredients. Soft spoken and very low key, Raman is a registered dietitian who points out that this and future volumes are based on the Indian Food Guide Pyramid, without, unfortunately, explaining further what the Indian perspective on nutrition is or how it differs from the American version. With the sophistication of all-food-all-the-time network shows and beef-cake boy Emeril in the kitchen, the cooking video bar has been raised to new heights and a one-shot camera honed in on an instructor quietly kneading dough in real time just doesn't cut the proverbial mustard anymore. Still, consider this an optional purchase for larger cooking collections due to its off-the-beaten-menu focus. Aud: P. (N. Plympton)