From Booklist
Healthful variations have been developed by Batmanglij for nearly 100 traditional Persian dishes, providing low-fat substitutions for such ingredients as butter. The book is a feast for the eyes and an inspiring invitation to sample Persian cuisine, with full-page color photographs illustrating the recipes and a French flair enlivening their presentation. Among beguiling combinations of spices and herbs, saffron is often the dominant flavor--in a dessert pudding as well as in many specialties, such as eggplant kuku, baked lamb, and sweet and sour stuffed quail with rose petals (an exotic-sounding ingredient that is easy to obtain these days in many markets). Easy-to-follow instructions make this a fine introduction to Persian cooking. Alice Joyce


Booklist
The book is a feast for the eyes and an inspiring invitation to sample Persian cuisine.


Washington Times
I don't know when I've been more tempted by hunger by the images of food.


Book Description
Persian cuisine is exotic yet simple like a poem by Omar Khayyam, healthy yet colorful like a Persian miniature painting. It combines rice, the jewel and foundation of Persian cooking, with a little meat, fowl or fish; plenty of onion, garlic, vegetables, fruit, nuts, herbs; and a delicate, uniquely Persian mix of spices such as rose petals, angelica seeds, dried limes, candied orange peels, cinnamon, cardamom, cumin and saffron to achieve a delicious and balanced diet. Drawing on her 15 years of experience collecting and adapting authentic Persian recipes, and inspired by her years in Southern France and the United States, Najmieh Batmanglij has brought about a marriage of ancient Persian cooking, French Provencal food presentation, and contemporary American eating styles. The result is Persian Cooking for a Healthy Kitchen, 95 exquisite kitchen-tested recipes that are low in fat yet high in flavor--a feast for both the eyes and the taste buds--that meet the current health goals of limiting the calories from saturated fats. The recipes have been kitchen tested by both American and Persian chefs. They are intelligently written and easy to follow, one per page, each facing a magnificent photograph by the renowned French photographer, Serge Ephrahim.


About the Author
Najmieh Batmanglij was raised in a very traditional family in Iran. She has spent the last 20 years cooking, researching and collecting authentic Persian recipes. Her books include: Ma Cuisine d'Iran (Paris, 1984), New Food of Life (Mage, 1986), and A Taste of Persia (Mage, 1997). She is currently working on a vegetarian cookbook.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Persian cuisine is healthy yet colorful like a Persian miniature, exotic yet simple like a poem by Omar Khayyam. It combines rice, the jewel and foundation of Persian cooking, with a little meat, fowl or fish; plenty of vegetables, fruit, nuts, herbs, and a delicate mix of spices such as rose petals, angelica seeds, dried limes, candied orange peels, cinnamon, cardamom, cumin and saffron to achieve a balanced diet that is uniquely Persian. After 15 years of adapting authentic Persian recipes for the West, Najmieh Batmanglij presents in Persian Cooking for a Healthy Kitchen, 95 exquisite recipes that are low in fat yet high in flavor. From her years the South of France and the United States, the author has brought about a marriage of ancient Persian cooking, modern French Provencal food presentation, and contemporary American eating styles. The result is a feast for both the eyes and the taste buds. The recipes have been kitchen tested by both American and Persian chefs. They are intelligently written and easy to follow, one per page, each facing a magnificent photograph.

SYNOPSIS