rajsuman

Hi, They have a full series of these books - 1000 Chinese, low-fat, vegetarian etc. No author mentioned for any of them as far as I know. I remember borrowing the Indian version from the library a long time ago - still have the recipes I wrote down from that book. As is the case with so many recipes that I have collected over the years, I have yet to try any of them. The book has a good cross-section of recipes, but I also remember finding some incorrect ones. Perhaps they have revised that edition, I don't know. Suman

Hello Suvir, Sorry that you are leaving - hopefully we'll see you here frequently. Good luck with all your ventures. Don't forget to let us know when your book comes out. Thanks for sharing so much. Best wishes, Suman

[very spongy Paneer = Rossogolla - Sugarsyrup] Yes, I thought of that too, but this wasn't squeaky like a rasgulla. I'm still trying to work it out - will let you know if/when I have any success. Thanks! Suman

Wow Episure! Do you know Kannada? As for the recipes, yes I will definitely share some soon (because of my two small children, my 'soon' often means 'in a few days/weeks' ) Also, because I don't have recipes as such (same story as with many other Indian homes: I learnt cooking from my mum, so I just instinctively add the ingredients 'andaaze se'), I'll have to make the dish first, measure out stuff and then post the recipe here. So please bear with me.... And yes, I agree with an earlier post elsewhere: If you want to sample a wide range of excellent Indian food (even the home-cooked type) in a short space of time, go to Dubai. The food is often cheap and very authentic. I love the Sind Punjab samosas - I'm trying hard to recreate them at home, but they don't quite taste the same. I must try and bribe the samosewallah to part with his recipe. Can't wait to try the much-recommended Clay Oven when I go to Dubai in Jan. BTW, has anyone ever asked for a recipe in a restaurant/eatery? I've never done it for the fear of being refused. I suppose I should try and be more thick-skinned. Please pass me any tips you have to get the recipe out of the chefs - have you offered them money etc.? I've heard about lots of cases on other forums where they just ask, but I haven't done it yet. And I do rescpect the chef's wish to maintain the secrecy, after all it's their livelihood. But then 'cracking the code' becomes a challenge to me and I keep trying and trying until I've come up with a similar result. But I digress. I promise to post some recipes 'soon'. In the meantime here's a list of recipes on the net (I haven't tried any of them, so I can't vouch for their accuracy) http://culture.konkani.com/Cuisine/ As you can see there are also some non-Konkani recipes included like pav bhaji, mango mousse, murgh mussallam etc. Suman

Hi Suvir, Are Barberries the same as the Middle-eastern Sumac? What is their Hindi name? Thanks, Suman

Hi folks, Before I delve into the details of this little-known cuisine, I'd like to introduce myself. I feel really lucky to have come across this wonderful forum where everyone is passionate about the same thing as me - Indian food. My name is Suman Varadaraj and I live in Dublin, Ireland. I used to be the Indian Food Guide at About.com - the best part of my job was helping all those who wrote in with their queries to discover the wonderful world of Indian food. I've lived in Ghaziabad in U.P. (Have you heard of it Suvir?), Bombay, Mangalore, Bangalore and Dubai. It might come as a big surprise , but I am, of course Konkani. We're a small community and yet it's amazing to see the variations in the cooking styles, depending on where we come from. - My parents are from Mangalore, which is a coastal town down south in the state of Karnataka, famous for its wonderful seafood. We love our fish and our food is 'bold' in the sense that it makes liberal use of garlic. - My husband comes from Bangalore and their food is more 'saathvik' - it leans towards the famous Udupi-style of cooking. They use very little garlic, if any and their food is purely vegetarian. They also tend to add a little jaggery to their side dishes. - My maternal grandma's family was amongst the many Konkani families in Northern Kerala, they have some distinctive dishes not known to other Konkanis. In general though Konkani food can be described as thus: Ghashis: Coconut, chillies and tamarind ground with or without any additional ingredient and made into a sauce for fish, beans or even chicken. The baghaar or tadka also differs. Sukke: Dry vegetable dish, again using coconut, chillies and tamarind with ingredients such as roasted or raw coriander, urad dal etc. Upkari: A stir-fry of vegetables - in Mangalore they generally prefer it with a baghaar of mustard and red chillies , in Bangalore it's usually mustard, green chillies, curry leaves and grated coconut Thalasani: Again, a stir -fry of vegetables, but with garlic and chillies. Thoy/Kholombo: The former being Konkani-style toor dal, the latter being our version of the sambhar. I could go on and on, but at the outset I hadn't even intended to write so much. I'd love to know if any of you have ever come across Konkani food or have tried to make it at home. Thanks for making me feel welcome on this forum. Suman

Hi Suvir, Somehow you seem like the kind of person who loves to share things, be it food or recipes. I'm sure your cookbook will do well. Thanks for welcoming me into the forum. Sorry I haven't properly introduced myself yet, will do that in the near future. Suman

Hi Suvir, Just wondering how long I'll have to wait ... Please, please, PLEASE make sure you include all the secrets that most other cookbooks neglect to tell you. I'm particularly waiting for Panditji's Paneer Koftas. And how about Bukhara's famous Dal Makhani? Will there be a UK edition (I find it so much more convenient to weigh rather than go by volumes) ? One of my favourite books on Indian cooking is 'The Art of Indian Vegetarian Cooking' by Yamuna Devi, because she, unlike most authors, explains in great detail the techniques, the temperatures etc. It's the next best thing to having a personal cooking coach. To think I only paid £3 for such a magnificent book! I'd have happily paid a lot more than that. Best wishes with your book, Suman

Hi, The brand is Natco, widely available in the UK and Ireland. Not sure if you can get it in the US. Initially I did suspect that there might be some kind of raising agent involved, but apparently not. The list of ingredients is as follows: Spinach, cottage cheese, onion, tomato, vegetable oil, salt, green chillies, mixed spices and citric acid. Perhaps they don't need to list soda bicarb as an ingredient? Suman

Hi all, The other day my husband brought home a tin of Palak Paneer . I don't care much for tinned stuff, especially curries (Tinned beans are great). The Palak lived up to my expectations - it was pretty awful. But the paneer amazed me. It was nice and spongy - you could see the holes in it if you cut it open. I've never eaten such lovely paneer in my whole life, be it at home or in restaurants. And let me tell you , I eat a LOT of paneer. Does anyone have any idea how they might have done it? My guess is they might have added something to the milk before adding the souring agent or they might have added something to the paneer . The paneer was in cubes like they just made it and put it directly into the curry. Any ideas? I'm one of those people who can't get proper sleep at night until I get to the bottom of this mystery. Thanks, Suman