Episure

Possibilities: 1] Like many mediapersons her skills are in writing and not knowing the subject. 2] Some ethnic words can be misheard. This restaurant gets the fish from India? Unlikely, probably restaurant hype.

A stimulating topic, Doctor Jones. I shall respond to this after getting my thoughts together.

Rajsuman, My maid was able to but I could not handle the hot paste and spread it with uniform thickness. So I conceived this jig for which I took a steel foot ruler and attached two ball bearings on either ends. This gave a clearance of about 2-3 mm and spreads the khandvi within that gap. I've not yet been able to find it in my stuff since I moved to Bangalore else I would have taken a picture. A home pasta machine may do the job too. I also think that an oiled steel rolling pin may work if you are adept at making thin chapatis. If I havent been clear, ask more. If any one wants a diagram, I can make one and email it. I tried to put up one over here by keyboard but it didnt work out.

'Indo African' Restaurant in Toronto

Hop across here to India and we will show you the real stuff!

Armchair travelling, SKBhai.

I dont have to worry about copyright problems on this one, here you go Ammini: Parsi Jashan Parsis are a fun loving community and celebrate every possible festival with equal fervour. They eat sweets for Diwali, dance for New Year and dress up for Christmas. Their marriages, fashions and other celebrations are accompanied by legendary feasts of meat, sweets and fish specialities. Though cosmopolitan, Parsis believe strongly in their religion and children are trained to understand the scriptures. Every child is initiated into the Zoroastrian religion at a function called the Navjot. Parsi weddings too are occasions for fun, frolic, dancing and merrymaking. Bottles of colourful aerated drinks are served with fish cooked in banana leaves, mutton pulao, fried chicken and dal. The sweets too are rich and creamy. Parsi pickle, made with carrots, sugar and raisins and vinegar is finger licking and tasty. Almost all Parsi families hold a Jashan or festive celebration on birthdays, anniversaries or to mark success in business or education. Recitations from scriptures, intoned musically by priests are a highlight. The holy fire is venerated and fruit, nuts, sweets are offered in thanksgiving . Naturally a feast of typically Parsi delicacies is also served on this occasion. CHICKEN FARCHA Ingredients: 6 large legs of chicken 1 tbsp. chilli powder 1 tbsp. turmeric powder 1 tbsp. garam masala powder 1 cup breadcrumbs 1 tbsp. ginger-garlic paste 6 eggs beaten Oil for frying Salt to taste Method: Mix chicken with all ingredients except breadcrumbs, eggs and oil. Reserve for an hour. Steam cook till meat is just cooked but not soft. Roll each piece in breadcrumbs. Then dip in beaten eggs and deep fry in hot oil till crisp and done. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SALI BOTI Serves 6 Ingredients: 1 kg mutton, cubed 5 onions ground to a paste 1 tbsp. ginger-garlic paste 1 cup tomato puree ½ cup curd 1 ½ tsps. chilli powder 1 tsp. Turmeric powder 1 tsp. garam masala powder 2 tsps. Sugar 200 gms potato straws (sali) Oil as needed Salt to taste Method: Marinate meat in all ingredients except oil and sali. Leave for an hour. Heat one cup oil in a pressure cooker and add meat. Stir fry till brown. Add 2 cups water and pressure cook till done. Turn out and serve covered with potato straws. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- LAGAN NU CUSTARD Serves 6 Ingredients: 4 cups milk ¾ cups sugar 1 ½ cups khoya (Milk Casein) ½ cup mixed sliced nuts,raisins ½ tsp. vanilla essence 3 eggs beaten Method: Boil milk and sugar till blended. Add broken khoya and stir till creamy. Add most of the nuts and raisins. Cool and add beaten eggs and essence. Stir well and bake in a medium oven till firm. Decorate with nuts and serve warm.You could also bake it in individual portions. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MAWANI BOI Serves 6 Ingredients: 4 cups sweetened khoya 2 tbsps mixed pistachios and almonds 2 leaves of silver varkh (Silver leaf) 1 fish shaped mould Method: Fish is an auspicious motif for Parsis. This dish is a symbol of luck and good fortune. Knead khoya with half the nuts. Grease the mould lightly and line with the varkh. Press khoya tightly in the mould and turn over on a dish. Garnish with remaining nuts. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PATRA NI MACHCHI Makes 8 portions Ingredients: 8 large slices of pomfret, cleaned 1 tsp. turmeric powder 1 tsp. red chilli powder Salt to taste Banana leaves, lightly oiled on one side. For the chutney: 1 tbsp. ginger - garlic paste 4 cups coriander leaves 2 green chillies, chopped 1 tbsp. amchoor or lemon juice or tamarind pulp ½ cup mint leaves 1 tsp. vinegar Salt and sugar to taste Method: Marinate fish with turmeric, chilli powder and salt for an hour. Grind all chutney ingredients to a paste. Apply chutney generously to each slice of fish. Wrap in a small piece of banana leaf and secure with string. Steam these packets till fish is done. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The key words for aromatic sesame oil are 'Kacche ghani ka tel' +'Til' = Cold pressed. If you fry sesame seeds in any neutral commercial oil it will take on the aroma and flavour. I do this all the time when I am making tahini for my hummus. The oil is reserved and put to good use later. Chilli oil is also made the same way. Parachute oil, as my ex used to say, smells like an oily south Indian, which was funny considering she was one(minus the oil). There is a deodorised non cooking version available which doesnt attract snide remarks.

Hi! Marlena, I didnt realise you were a member here when I linked to your story on Parsi Eggs on Potato in the Indian food-media and news section. RE:Pickled Lemons, here is what you may be looking for: It's very easy to make and is served with all South Indian fare. Mix 10 Limes (quartered) with red Chilli powder, Turmeric powder, Asafoetida, Salt and keep in fridge for a few days. Then saute mustard seeds in half a cup of oil( preferably sesame) and add to the pickle. After a few days more the pickle should have softened and is ready to eat. If you are using lemons which may be thick skinned, the pickle may take some more days to be ready. The pickle is ready when the skin is 'al dente'.

Chutney Villa serves south Indian fare in Vancouver

My Bombay maid used to make it on the hob in a nonstick Kadhai/Pan When the besan flour and yoghurt had thickened, she would immediately spread it thin on the granite counter with a spatula. I found better results using a steel ruler with two grooved ball bearings on the ends but that didnt prevent her from laughing at the very idea.

Dal soup is a regular item in most Middle East Arabic restaurants too. It just tastes like a thin unspiced dal. Another instance of Dal soup is in Gujarati cuisine - Osaman, which is like Rasam in the sense that only the dal water is used.

first-press? now, there's a painful thought. can we say first-extract instead? and the old bastard did live to be almost a 100 and was pretty sharp till the end. hmmm. Anomalies of drinking in India

Some nice basmati rice being cooked smells heavenly. Some burnt rice doesnt smell after a few days of airing.

I just decant it.

The red in cooking and the white for raw consumption. Then we have the small sambhar onion(shallot) which is a must in south indian cuisine and as a pickle.

Maybe you heard it wrong it could be kanthol, a small round karela?(i am tempted to make an awful pun with this one but desist) And Jesth Madh is something that goes into a Paan.

Bukatman, who trained as a pastry chef, first became aware of tamarind a few years ago when she began eating a lot of Indian food. She kept noticing a distinctive and intriguing ingredient in many of the Indian dishes she enjoyed. Each time she asked what was in the dishes, tamarind seemed to be the pleasant surprise. San Fransisco Chronicle's Marlena Spieler learns to make Parsi eggs on Potato Charoli (also called chirongi) are the tiny dried seeds of a bush called Buchanania lanzan, which is cultivated across India, primarily in the northwest. After the hard shell is cracked, the stubby seed within is as soft as a pine nut, its popular cousin that is pallid by comparison

Freshly roasted and ground jeera and rock salt is the key.

Miss Rathna, my maid is a peeler, chopper, stirrer and cleaner of kitchen counters extraordinaire. I hope she doesnt log on here and find out what I've been saying about her.

Thom Hetherington had voiced the same concern when he had contacted me to cast my nominations. I think next year's list will be slightly more universal and will continue to be more broad based to justify the title 50 Best Restaurants in the World.

Go Monica, go! Of course, it's the right thing! Combining passion and writing is a winner combo. Shubh Kamna! I am another example who's following a similar journey.

All the same I am PMing you his name, Google and you will find his work.

Beer Drinker, try this one day: Take an Olive remove the red pepper stuff and replace it with a thick paste slug of wasabi. Make a martini the usual way. There is no usual way but nevertheless! Sip it slowly and let the wasabi do it's stuff. Call my Korean SIL and ask her to partake of it. Ummmmm! Ummmmahhh!

Dada, First of all, single malt is not expensive or exotic for that matter. Actually it is nary but a mere Pehli dhar.. sort of! Anything oral is of more than a passing interest to me. So please tell me more about this Annapurna Amber, I am more than intrigued.