Mighty Spice Cookbook: Over 100 Fresh, Vibrant Dishes - Using No More Than 5 Spices for Each Recipe [Hardcover]

This is a brilliant cookbook - all the recipes are really easy to make as they use a maximum of 5 spices each, so you don't have to spend hours shopping beforehand as the chances are that you'll already have most of what you need in the storecupboard and, if you do need something, there are no ingredients that can't be found in your local supermarket. Everything I've made so far - Golden Temple Lamb Curry, Cambodian Coconut and Ginger Aubergine, Mayan Hot Chocolate, Asparagus, Green Bean and Wasabi Salad and Prawn and Lemongrass Rice Noodle Salad - has been absolutely delicious and very simple to make - lots of the recipes can be done in advance so you can relax as your guests arrive, ideally with one of the spicy cocktails that are also found in the book - Lemongrass & Ginger Rum Cocktail is FANTASTIC!

Another great thing about Mighty Spice Cookbook is that the recipes are inspired from all over the world - there are alot of Asian dishes, as you'd expect, but also South American, Mexican, Moroccan and Middle Eastern recipes too...

I cannot recommend this highly enough, especially to those who would like to expand their repertoire to include some exotic, really tasty dishes that will seriously impress your dinner guests!

John Gregory Smith, the author of Mighty Spice is a seasoned traveller, and as he has travelled the world he has also cooked, eaten and collected many recipes. Mighty Spice is the result of his globe trotting, containing over 100 recipes inspired by his travels, but crucially adapted for the British kitchen (and supermarket shopper) by using no more than 5 spices per recipe and easily available ingredients.

By using 5 or fewer spices per recipe, each flavour used can shine and the resultant dishes have a clear distinct and fresh flavour. On a practical note, the use of 5 spices at a time gives you a chance to slowly build up your collection if you do not already have them, and learn the flavour and uses of every new spice you acquire.

The booked is divided into 8 chapters; soups & salads, poultry, meat, fish & seafood, vegetarian, rice & noodles and a mouth-watering desserts & drinks chapters. The book is prefaced by an evocative introduction by John, which has me reaching for my passport and wanting to pack my bag, which describes his travels around the world where he cooked, ate and collected recipes.

Interspersed throughout the book are spice "profiles" and there is a spice directory (which inexplicably is not alphabetical) that runs through the 30 spices used in the book (25 dried and 5 fresh).

I was slightly concerned that by imposing a limit of 5 spices (this includes fresh garlic too) that some of the recipes might be a little flat. But the dishes I have cooked have been full of flavour and freshness. The recipes are easy to follow and comprehensive cross referencing links each dish to two or three others hat it goes well with.

It is global book covering Asia, North Africa, South America and the Middle East. Dishes I want to cook include a Chinese tiger salad, Vietnamese chicken with chilli & lemongrass, sticky Szechuan pork with sesame seeds and some chocolate, clove and cinnamon brownies.

About half the recipes have a full-page colour photos and a similar number have an introduction to them, about their origin and inspirations.

I enjoyed this book, it would also make an excellent present for anyone who is looking to broaden their culinary horizons and start cooking different world cuisines but who does not want to buy lots of different country specific books.

Wow, I'm absolutely bowled over by this book. Really exciting, innovative recipes that are easy to make and don't use an impossible array of ingredients. I love that every recipe uses 5 spices or less and there are great sections that look in depth at different spices, explaining the difference between fresh and dried, the advantages of dry frying etc.

The recipes come from cuisines all over the world and I can't emphasize enough how vibrant, unusual and utterly delicious they are. Goodbye tired old Tikka Masala and Beef in Oyster Sauce and hello Malay Yellow Mussel Curry, Chinese Tiger Salad and Pueblan Almond Duck. Delicious!