bague25

Rushina I quite like the Indian Pantry (BTW I have it in English and in French). When in Bombay, I used to be such a regular at Strand that Mr Shanbhag gave me a 15% direct discount on the books! Do you collect cookbooks/food related books? Which are your favorites? Do you have classics like the Larrouse Gastronomic. Larrouse has some excellent cookbooks unfortunately most in French (My fav after the LG is the Pasta cook book).

I may be wrong - I did a search and fell upon this. http://www.humnri.com/HumZone/Recipes/read...RecipesCatid=15

Rushina I use Kitchen King often - it is not the same thing... Bottle masala is really a family thing. It's not commercialized, or maybe, by some enterprising housewife in a very small quantity. Maybe Vikram will know of places where one can buy some in Bombay

... and jaipatri is javitri that is mace...

Bhasin Thanks! Triphal is Schezuan peppercorns for the rest others may be of help

Bhasin thanks! Ttriphal is Schezuan peppercorns for the rest others may be of help

I'll add another basic recipe to Vikram's... Basic fish/seafood recipe (called fish/seafood kalvan) 4-5 cloves garlic 1 1/2 inch ginger 2-3 green chillies 1 onion chopped 2 Tbsps oil 1 golf ball size tamarind (soaked in 1 cup warm water and juice extracted) 500 g fish (approx) 2-4 tbsp bottle masala Grind or preferably pound in a motar and pestle garlic, ginger and green chillies. Fry the paste with onions till golden add bottle masala and stir for a few seconds. Add tamarind water and bring to a rolling boil. Add fish or seafood (small prawns are wonderful) and salt and cook till done. Potatoes can be added to this dish. Its best eaten over rice. In season, a couple of chopped green mangoes are added. And yes, Vikram, papads, pickles and masalas are prepared as you describe in my family. Ladies from neighbouring houses are invited to help and ofcourse the favour is returned - it's quite festive...

Here is a recipe using the goa sausages: 1 packet goa sausages 4 BIG onions chopped 2 garlic cloves chopped fine 1 inch ginger chopped fine 4 Big potatoes cut in 1 inch cubes A chilli and some bafat masala if you want it really hot (I don't use these two) Snip a corner of the packet and let the fat run into a bowl. Use this fat to saute half the onions till transluscent. Add garlic & ginger cook for a couple of more minutes. Add chopped sausage and potatoes (with chilli and masala, if used). Cook for about 20 mins till potatoes are cooked. Serve steaming hot garnished with onions and some pau (if you can find some!) If this dish is very fatty - add some potatoes of absorb the fats or you could drain it off but what a waste! The last time I cooked this was when I was in India (a year ago) for my borther, and boy, did he have a gratified look on his face I'll investigate to see if I have a recipe of how to make these chorizos over the weekend, if you're interested

Bong Thanks for your recipe! I think I'll have sorshe "some freshwater fish" for dinner tonight. Have you tried using mustard powder or Dijon mustard?

Suvir I read an earlier thread in the archives where you ask for this recipe. Excuse me if you've got your reply and this post is a repitition but here is one of my family recipe that is made either by my Mom or an Aunt every summer. Jars of this masala find themselves in various parts of the globe: Bottle masala ¾ kg chillies ¾ kg coriander ¼ kg turmeric ¼ kg sesame ¼ kg poppy seeds ¼ kg mustard ¼ kg chana dal ¼ kg wheat ¼ kg cumin 125 g pepper 1 nutmeg 50 g shahjeera 50 g cinnamon 50 g cardamom 50 g cloves 50 g star anise 50 g allspice 50 g triphal 50 g nagkesar 50 g jaipatri 50 g maipatri (don't ask me for an English translation of the last four spices) Dry ingredients in sun for a couple of days (or dry roast each ingredient separately). Powder and store in airtight tins. I have never made it myself but have tasted it and I have a jar in my spice cupboard.

Mongo_jones Please, please, can you post the shorshe tangra and shorshe illish recipes? thanks

Jaggery is available quite easily in Brussels in the Indian groceries (both block and powdered varieties). I would never use sugar to make my chikkies and my murmura & til ladoos. A lot of manglorean sweets use jaggery too.

I remember this jaggery - covered in some palm leaf. These Canara stores also have occasionnaly sukeli (dried bananas, yum), turmeric plant leaves for us to make pateleos (yum, yum) and instruments like shevgo (rice vermicelli) machines (not the usual chakli sancha) to make shevgo (rice vermecilli served with jaggery sweteened coconut milk (yum, yum, yum)! Now I'm drooling all over my desk!

A few of my favourite cookbooks are: The Chef by Isidore Coelho (available only at the Examiner press in Bombay at Dalal Street) - this book is a must and will be found in EVERY Indian Catholic house. I got two copies one worn out hand written one handed to me by mum (who is hindu !) and one I got for myself. Gives you most Manglorean, Goan and East-Indian recipes. Modern Cookery Vol I & II by Thangam Philip (basically a Catering College text book) Rotis & Naans of India by Purobi Babbar (95 bread recipes! ) I also have in three Malini Bhisen books (one on veges, one on snacks and one on sweets) - sorry I don't have them here so I cannot give the exact names I have some Marathi books that I just love: Annapourna by Mangala Barve Ruchira Vols I & II by Kamalabai Ogale

I spent my holidays in Bassein (now Vasai, north Mumbai). The Warli tribals (known for the wonderful paintings on their huts) used to work in the fields during the monsoon. And we would spend our time with the Warli kids and often got to taste their food! I remember being told something I ate was fox! My cousins once brought down eggs from the sea gulls (I'm not too sure now that they were seagulls but they were white birds) nests in the tamarind grove next to our house and we had boiled seagulls eggs. I was too young to remember the taste but I remember that the whites were not white but opaque. Also during the monsoons there used to be tortoises that my grandmother would cook. There was a special cleaning process to be done and since she was the only one who knew how to do it, I do not think anyone cooked tortoise after her death.

Hello Suvir I just received a pheasant from a neighbour! Besides that, I have quails, venison et wild duck in the freezer now. I usually do a classic French dish but I occasionally make a curry using Mom's Bottle masala! I was wondering if any of you use a special technique for game. For example tThe book "Cooking delights of the maharajas" by Digvijaya Singh has a recipe that was cooked when on shikar and used only chillies, salt & ghee... I was just trying to get more ideas. How do you cook the game at your restaurant? I stay and work during the week in Brussels (I know the Indian restaurants there better) & am in France only on weekends... Gosh I almost forgot - thanks for the warm welcome...

Hello I'm Indian living in France. Since it's the season now, have you had experience in cooking game Indian style. Back in India, in the north of Bombay where my parents have a farmhouse, the Warli tribals used to cook game. Thanks