OP: Kerala Cookery

K. M. Mathew, Kottayam, Kerala, 1973. Hardcover. Good. Second edition.

Founding editor-in-chief of Vanitha, the largest circulating women’s magazine in India, Annamma Mathew (1922–2003) was also a prolific author of more than twenty cookery books. Kerala Cookery (1964) was the first of just a handful to be printed in English.

Self-published in Kerala, the book features recipes that assume familiarity with terminology, technique, and the expected result. 

Dishes include:

• Pickled fish (achaar)—an aromatic and piquant condiment
• Duck, heavily spiced and slow roasted with potatoes, onions, and coconut milk
• Banana curd curry (kaallen)—bright with turmeric and chili, further seasoned with asafoetida, curry leaves, cumin, mustard seed, and fenugreek
• Cashew curry
• Jackfruit halwa, made with jaggery, ghee, and cardamom

Rare and not often seen on this side of the world. We’re happy to offer a copy of the 1973 second edition in Good condition. The interior is clean and unmarked, and the case is heavily worn along the bottom edge. While the jacket is (mostly) present, the spine is long gone, and a previous owner has secured it in a plastic sleeve taped to the flaps which are, in turn, glued to the boards.