Episure

Milk -> Centrifugal separation -> Cream -> Butter -> Low heat evaporation -> Filtration -> Ghee Ghee is made from butter which has been cooked to remove moisture content and strained to filter out milk solids. It sounds like a paradox but actually Ghee can effectively reduce the total calorific value of a recipe. This is because it is a very effective flavour enhancer and one can use small quantities of it than the normally prescribed oil. Cholesterol is another matter and there are a lot of debates raging on about it. But if you are making Farm Ghee and have control over all the inputs your Ghee may be probably be a healthier option. Some time back I had done some research at a few Dairies and felt that breed, feed and micro climate affect the taste more than the fixed differences between ghee from the two species. These factors affect a down the line product like Ghee or butter more than the milk itself. You can also make speciality Ghee by incorporating flavouring agents in the evaporation process. A steady and low transfer of heat is the key to making good Ghee. What is the breed of your livestock?

Jason, Could you describe the carrot pudding. Perhaps you had a gajar halwa which is really grated carrots stewed in milk, sugar and a little ghee( clarified butter)? In that case no colour is used. As far as the red colour for tandoori chicken is concerned the correct agent is extract of Cockscomb flowers which very few people use nowadays. An easier and healthier option is Carrot puree.

I went to sleep last night after posting on this site and now there is a thread that has gone into three pages! By any chance are you all holed up together smoking some Indian herb? What a relief after Mongo_jones' literary posts which leave me wordless. Here's my bit. Some remix songs for the forthcoming movie using eguleeters names: Bague mein kali khili..... Chowpati jaayenge Bhelpuri khayenge... Rasik Balma Gauri... Monica...Oh my darling.... I am sure there are more but it's morning here and you all are more elevated than me. Or Sleeping.

Why wouldnt the dungeness crabs work? Sorry for being too curious.

What's the difference? Please.

Grated Horseradish Raita Blend yoghurt and grated horseradish with salt and pepper. Serve as an accompaniment with crudites or chips.

There have been a couple of Movies where the waiter is asked for the menu and he rattles off typical Irani/Moghlai restaurant style:

The other day I was hankering for some Langhar food and thought I'd cook some Maa ki dal with 25% Rajma, which I soaked together overnight. The next day I didn't use a pressure cooker, instead cooked them Dum ( Slow) for lunch. They turned out quite nice and if I would have added more Cream and Ghee, Bukhara's chefs would have some sleepless nights. That night I couldnt sleep because I had abdominal distension and severe griping pain. I learnt the hard way, so avoid cooking such WMDs at low temperature because this is probably the cause Ooooh!.

Neither am I, I guess their woof is worse than their barf.

Norah Jones father = Ravi Shankar

Frresssh Sugar cane juice! With a squeeze of ginger and lime and some flies.

No. Am PMing you again with my details.

Jasmine flowers and sandalwood steeped in sugar syrup overnight makes a very refreshing sherbat and doubles up for me as a sorbet and palate refresher. And I make similar stuff to Bague's recipe. Sometimes I get Bel fruit from Kolkata and that makes a nice musky sharbat.

Tarka, Where are you?

Bague, You and I think alike. I am going to share some recipes with you, PM me your email id.

To parse or not to parse. If you think mongo_jones is taking umbrage you should see my Parsi friends getting worked up when their names are not spelled or pronounced right. Parsis can be very cantankerous and have raw nerves in the most unlikiliest of place. Some weird Parsi names to ponder about: Sodawaterbottleopenerwalla Doctor Workingboxwalla Readymoney Freddy Mercury ( Queen). Okay maybe this is not strange for you all but he was born Farrokh Bulsara and there is someone who shares Vikram's second name- Doctor Doctor. I dont much care whether Cyrus Todiwalla/Toddywalla/Todiwallah/Toddywallah/Todywalla/Todywallah/Todiwala....(get the point?) chooses to call it The Parsee, but I am going to some 'tuddun' bhonu on saturday.

The Butter Pepper Garlic crab was 'invented' at Trishna about six years ago. Trishna is a Mangalorean eatery at Kalaghoda, Fort, Bombay which started off by serving 'home' food to their homesick brethren who used to be employed in this commercial hub of Bombay. The restaurant became famous for it's sea food notably Crabs which were immediately lapped up by the Parsi community of South Bombay. The Parsis are quite known for their Crab eating habits and are often called 'Kekda Khau'. Next to follow were the Members of the Royal Yacht club nearby. But, their Crab had only one style and that is the 'Ghashi' gravy. At some stage they added Punjabi cuisine to their Menus and the Tandoor was also put to use in grilling this Crustacean. This heavily spiced Crab ( the Tandoori worse than the Ghashi) soon lost it's novelty factor and somebody thought it ought to go well sauted in Butter and Garlic. As an afterthought Pepper was added to add some zing to it. Trishna and it's ilk - Mahesh, Apurva, Modern.... soon discovered that this niche market attracted the well heeled glitterati and decided to go upscale. The restaurants were renovated and airconditioned and the menu prices raised. And thus was born this version which is now famous throughout the country. Recipe: Take a large crab, give it an orange colour makeover ( Boil), crack it at sections and put it in a large wok with 100 g butter. Saute, tossing it with the lid closed for a few minutes and then add 2 tbsps. chopped Garlic and freshly cracked Pepper as per your taste. Toss it for another minute and serve it hot. There is nothing new to the recipe, it's just that Crab became more fashionable in these small joints rather than the five star Hotels. One would have thought that it should have been the other way round. Some new variations include the use of Tirfan, Basil, Ajwain instead of Pepper.

There is an old thread in the Mexico section which referred to similarities between the two cuisines and the chickoo

Care to expound? The classes I mean.

Thanks, I' ve always wondered where that word came from.

I've not eaten at the Parsee but your post's style is better than most restaurant reviewers' format. And your Narcoleptic friend has done what most of my Parsee friends would do on a Sunday afternoon, not at a table though.

Spot on! Bhelpuri, where are you based now? Introduce yourself, please.

Rajsuman, the last time I had a meal exactly like that was in a small village, where it is the norm.

Your plaint is justified but au contraire mon ami, your post is so comprehensive that we have no more to add. There is however one difference- when I go to Delhi, my immune systems are already in place, what with Bhendi bazaar, Karims and the other dives of this huge land of cuisines.Therefore I (subjectively speaking) will dig out places that an alien would be rightfully advised not to unless they have made their pact with friends like E.Coli., Salmonella, Listeria, Campylobacter et al. Your advise is correct though I suspect Akiko is a fairly adventurous person and may actually enjoy the real stuff if the hygiene is in place. My suggestion to her is start of with the "safe" ( read expensive and 5 star) places and gradually work downwards where the locals go. The concierge should be able to help too. In jaipur you might want to try Niros which will satisfy your appetite for indian cuisine safely, try the few Rajasthani recipes there. I would rather eat at a camel drivers home, but then that's me!

"sahb, iska toh difference mein lafda hai"