Rushina

I love pickles and collect em from all over so here is what I have. North Indian Stuffed Red Chilli Green Chilli mustard Sweet Lemon Jackfruit Mango Sweet Mango Mango with Hing Gujerati Chundo (grated unripe mango sun cooked with sugar, spiked with chilli powder) Murabba (chunks of unripe mango cooked with sugar to a golden yellow color, spiced with clove and cinnamon) Godkairi Spicy mango Garlic Goan hot sweet spicy tendli pikle and the same with mix veges Seasonal pickles that pass thru Turmeric Green pepper mix veg in lemon and split mustard Milagai we get a green pepper in brine at my local masallawalla. Would that interest you? I can only send it after I get back though (4 July) ... Just pm me. Rushina

From somone who has thoroughly enjoyed Mongos posts on Food, I am really looking forward to this one!!! Rushina

The soaking water should be lukewarm is all I have to add. Monica those Dahiwadas look perfect, I do not think u could do any more. Maybe just a few more dollops of the Imli chutney. My nani makes amazing Dahiwadas for me whenever I go to her house, my cousin and I are legendary cos on those days we drown everything in Imli chutney and eat it. Rushina

so many questions nicely asked... no replies..... where are all the wise ones of this forum????? Please add a recipe for Chicken Chettinad and Kothimbir Wade... to my list of recipe requests.... Rushina

Hmmm... All right since I have not found ready khimchi anyplace, I am guessing I will have to just make my own. jschyun, since we are both planning on oing it at home, how bout if we do it simultaneously? I am going to Dehra Dun on the 19th but will be back in the first week of July, so how bout we do it then? We could use skchais dads recipe (thanks skchai and mook sounds really interesting too...) as a starting point and see where we end up... we could compare notes along the way... Mongo, (and Monica - I got ur PM thanks) the book goes well, thanks, I am looking forward to the coming trip to Dehra Dun, as I intend to go deeper into some of the regional cooking in Garhwal. As for you trip to Bombay, whenever it happens you're on! (Needless to say I am curious to meet you and your wife...). Maybe we can do a pahari dinner, accompanied by Khimchi and whatever else catches our fancy.... (edited to add that i am sure vikram will have something to say here....) Rushina

Whats the book by busybee called and whats the one by Vir Sanghvi called? Rushina

Those Nilgiri Bikkies sound Good (hint, Hint.... Vikram) Talk about being shameless... I love the bourbon bikkies... My son is into opening them and licking off the cream needless to say I get the bikkies sans the cream... Sigh!... thems the breaks of motherhood... Any body remember those jelly biscuits the oval ones with strawberry cream and jelly centres???? mmmm have not seen them forever, I wonder if the still make em... Rushina

Thanks everyone, for all of the detailed replies. I still have a few questions, Is Khimchi store bought or homemade? If made at home, is it possible to make it in the humid environs of Bombay? Mongo, do you make yours at home, would you be willing to share a recipe? The one I tried was definitely fresh, however it did not have the squeak to it. Vikram looking forward to that red chilli paste, and anything else you can find. I am sure we can work out something to trade. My trip to Dehra DUn is finally happening and while researching for my book I have found out that Walnut and Apricot oil are produced in Garhwal and I intend to bring some back ( I am told that walnut oil has an amazing flavour.) Would u like some? Maybe when I am back we can have a bombay egullet meet... and compare notes... Rushina

There are two kinds, one is made with gur and is soft and flaky and the other is the sugar one, hard and candy like. I like to gur version better. THere are many avatars of this from the little balls to laddoos/ chikkis and flat oval cakes. In Ajmer, they had til papad paper thin sheets of sugar in which whole sesame seeds were embeded. However I too prefer roasted sesame in savoury spicy pairings, salads and chutneys... (I have been experimenting with Korean food off late and roasted a batch of til for that. Found myself sprinkling it into all sorts of things after that! Rushina

That was a good one!!! I like the I fry the heat of my pans too.... I would love to have something clever like that under my name but somehow cant think of something!!! Rushina

Okie so here is my question, Funnily enough this is a debate that has been on for a while at our table. How do you deep fry? I cant do it! It's a disaster every time I try! Could someone go thru a step - by step process? Rushina

Just had a thought, Episure and baque25 are eating a lot of Aubergines this week So did u guys buy, like a whole sack of them? Rushina

yes all the best.... we're all waiting to hear how it turned out... Rushina

recipes please Rushina

I remember Mongo mention in an earlier thread that Khim chi paired very well witrh Indian food. I meant to ask him to elaborat then, but did not get around to it. THe question came to mind again recently when I at at "All Stir Fry" recently. IMO the Khim Chi there was very good. There were two types bothe with large pieces of cabbage and a subtle sweetness. One was SPICY (red chilli flakes and chilli powder were in it I think) and the other was sweet sour and worked to soothe the flames of the first. It had little bits of carrot in it and corriander as well but besides that it also had an underlying flavour which I think was imparted by lemongrass since thought I saw bits of it in there. I am not sure however. What I am sure of is that I am hooked! I have been trying to duplicate the flavour since then using white and red cabbage but I want to know more. What is the authentic version, is there only one or does it vary? Is ther food lore attached to it? Basically if Mongo or anybody else is so inclined a detailed post on the subject of Khimchi and recipes (please) are more than welcome.... Rushina

Indian Chinese I mentioned in an earlier thread somewhere that I love hot and sour soup. I am an addict and I could write poetry on a good version. I actually judge a chinese (indian) restaurant by the Hot and sour soup. Anybody have a recipe. (Episure??? ) IMO for those who are curious, the hot and sour soup is at the Cricket Club of India, the Chinese room and Something Fishy at the Tunga Intl hotel are worth going back for again and again. I also love a few other chinese dishes that I would like recipes for with the objective of trying them out at home. Manchurian (chicken and veg). I really like the flavour of this one but the recipe proves elusive. There is a delicious starter served at the Chinese Room and a few other restaurants in bombay, It goes under the name Corn curd / Cream. I have some Idea of how it is made but need a proper recipe. Could anyone help? Thanks Rushina

The shrikhand is a really good idea. also doing the chutney ahead of time should be a breeze since letting it stand will help the flavours develop. The Red chilli and garlic chutney sounds really great but you might want to think about garlic breath, there are some great chutneys in the chutney thread here. We do some very nice chutneys in my family, sesame and mooli, Cilantro and roasted tomato chutney in the hills. (They are going to be a part of my book so I wont post them here but if you'd like I could pm one of them to you.) Rushina

I love Momos. I had the good fortune of having them for the first time at the royal palace in Nepal, with the late king and his family. The Princess Shruti was in our class and the royal family hosted our class for our mid term trip. On our way there a lot of the girls from Delhi were telling us uneducated bombayites about momos but the real thing was far beyond my expectations. I loved ever bit of them! I had to wait many many years, till I got married to have em again. Now every trip to Dehra Dun includes a trip to the Momo man. The Chandigarh restaurant Cinnamon Roof serves a very good version. Does anyone know if momos are available in Bombay??? VIKRAM??? The momo sauce I have eaten in Dehra Dun is nothing like the one you describe. I have duplicated the one I had with great success. Finely chopp onion, tomato, coriander, Pound hot chillis, garlic, salt, red chilli powder to a paste. Combine everything with fresh lemon and let stand for a while before consuming with momos. The chillies are really hot and the whole has a slightly raw flavour to it because of the hand pounded spice paste. I have tried mushroom momos also with great success. I am really looking forward to hearing from Ellen on momos. Maybe Ellen can do a eGci course on momo making. (Are the powers that be reading????) Rushina

Seems the appropriate place to ask this. Which is the strangest restaurant you have eaten at and why? Was it the food, ambiance...? What? Rushina

Hi all, Please help me out with this, If an Indian was in your city, where would you send him if he was longing for indian food. (FYI, I am compiling this for an article). I would appreciate it if you could mention the city, regional cuisine that the restaurant serves and the contact details or website. Rushina

Okie I checked, its actually a recipe for kachri of baigan and aloo. In fact now that I think about it, I remembered your thread on kachri when I read it that is how I connected it. Rushina

Hi Nessa I did not give rice too much importance untill I married. My husband comes from Dehra Dun which is famous for its Basmati. I am told that the older the rice the better. In my in-laws house a whole years rice is bought and put down for the next year. which essentially means we are currently consuming the rice that was put down last year. I also learned to soak basmati before we cook it, this brings out the fragrance. to cook the proportion of rice to water is 1:2. (1 cup rice to 2 cups water). Put it on a high flame till all the water has been absorbed. Do not stir, this will break the kernels. You will be able to moniter the water by the little "steam vents" that form on the surface. when the water is dried out cover tightly, lower the flame for about 2 mins and take off flame. Leave covered for a while. Uncover only when you are ready to serve. Rushina

Funnily enough I came online with the express intention of telling you, Nessa that you should PM episure and ask him.... Nobody better when you have a question about an imgredient!!! Rushina

Hi Episure! FYI Tarla Dalals Gujerati cookbook mentions a kachri of baigan. Thought you like to know. Rushina

it can go in when the Kitchen king goes in. sorry if I missed mentioning that. Have editted the recipe now. Rushina