The simplest reason why most (if not all!) recipes are flawed is due to their inherent ambiguity. Sambhar can me made out of tamarind that is 'about the size of a lemon'. Small lemon? Large lemon? If assumptions are anything to rely on, you'd probably end up making sambhar out of tamarind that is 'about the size of a coconut', all the while thinking it would tend towards the 'size of a 'large lemon''! That's just one example..'Salt to taste' is another misleading term. Whose taste? After I've tasted it, how do I know how much 'more' I need to add to get to the 'required taste'? 'Fry till it turns brown' is an interesting statement. Ok, I'll wait till it's brown, then decide that's not the brown I want, and wait still more; finally ending up messing the whole thing.
There is also the logic that we cant go on standardizing everything, lest we go mad. The ambiguity in recipes lends the creative edge to cooking, and the variety. Imagine what would happen if people starting measuring 'salt to taste' in milligrams (accurately!) and pippetted out water (again accurately!) to add to sambhar or to rasam. It not only takes time but kills the exciting aspect of it; which is, you dont how your dish will taste 'exactly'..
The wise thing to do, in this case, seems to be to keep the 'recipe' as just a guideline and add your own 'innovative' ideas to dish out 'delicacies'. (Definition of 'delicacies' here is subjective!) :)
