Like many of the Hermes House cookbooks I've found at Borders, this book has wonderful photographs and is nicely organized, but the contextual information is mostly limited to the introduction, which includes a glossary of ingredients and tools that may be unfamiliar to some cooks. The contextual information about India is much more limited than others in the series, though this is probably due to the vast diversity of this particular nation and the huge range of cultural traditions that produced these recipes.

Like other cookbooks from this publisher, the measurements are given in both English and metric but they don't always match - liquid measurements especially require care in dishes like rice where the wrong amount may drastically change the texture. ( )

This cookbook is lavishly illustrated with wonderful photographs of finished dishes and the steps to making them. The introduction includes a long introduction to the special tools and ingredients you'll need and instructions for producing a few ingredients if you can't find them at local grocery stores. It may not be the most "authentic" Indian cookbook out there, but it's a great introduction for Western cooks. All measurements are given in metric and English requirements. ( )