Edward

food processor homemade butter is the best, but.......... Health food store organic "European-style" makes good ghee. The little 1/4 pound boxes of Amul are my favorite though. Tell me, is the imported from India Amul we get here the same product sold in India? Had 3 freshly made chapati slathered with Amul at midnight last night....its part of my all-carb diet....

I guess I am one of those weird people too! I love, love, love, green beans. My standard way is with garlic and turmeric. Heat oil and saute very thickly sliced garlic until it just starts to get golden. Add green beans, trimmed and left whole, along with turmeric and salt. Turn-fry for about 5 minutes. You need tongs and a very large pan to do this easily since the beans are left whole. Then add a little water, cover and cook until as tender as you like. remove the lid add a spoon of sugar and turn-fry until glazed. Good hot, room temp or right out of the fridge. Sometimes green onions replace the garlic. You can also try garlic shoots as well.

it may or may not be traditional, who cares?...It works for you...As long as you don't try to pass it off as some traditional Indian recipe, I doubt that the culinary purity police will be breaking down your door in the middle of the night... In a way it is traditional. Radishes, cashews, curry leaves, rice and yogurt-all traditional ingredients. Its just not the "classic" combination. The using of what is available in an ingenious way is the true tradition of Indian cooking, in my opinion anyway.... The dish does not have to be classic to be "authentic".....right?

Same here. I bought some at Kalustyan's about a year ago....I stare at them every now and then, but nothing happens. Maybe adding one to a plain pulao along with tejpatta, cloves, cinnamon and elaichi would be good way to try them and to use them up..

The results are not worth it. Stick to the old fashioned way. I'm too lazy to make rooti everyday...thank god for rice!

I added it. I changed the ingredients to include peanut oil instead of plain oil. Important for Gujarati flavor, you know.

Black-eyed Peas with Dill (Lobhia aur Suwa) Serves 4 as Main Dish. I got inspired by a can of blackeyed peas in my cupboard and a bunch of dill sitting in my fridge. Here is what I came up with. This recipe hasn't been officially tested, but its simple so it should work out fine. It turned out delicious. This goes great with plain Basmati rice or flatbreads. 3 T ghee or peanut oil or a mixture 3/4 tsp mustard seeds 1/2 tsp cumin seeds 1/8 tsp fenugreek seeds 1 medium onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup) 1 large garlic clove, minced 1 c peeled and diced fresh tomato 1 tsp Gujarati or Marathi-style garam masala, divided (see note) 1/2 tsp paprika 1/4 tsp red chili powder 1/4 tsp turmeric 1 tsp sugar (optional) 1 (15.5 ounce) can black-eyed peas, with liquid 3/4 c coarsely choppped fresh dill Water as needed (up to 1 1/2 cups) Salt to taste In a medium saucepan heat the ghee or oil over medium-high heat. When hot toss in the mustard seeds. As soon as they begin to splutter and pop add the cumin and fenugreek seeds. Cook until the cumin darkens a few shades. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until it begins to turn golden, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and stir for 1 minute more. Add the tomato to the pan and cook, stirring, until it begins to turn into a pulpy sauce, about 3 minutes. Toss in half of the garam masala and all of the paprika, red chili powder, turmeric and the sugar if using. Stir once or twice. Now stir in the blackeyed peas with their liquid and the dill. Add enough water until you get the consistency you want, up to 1 1/2 cups. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer, covered, for about 10 minutes. Stir in salt to taste, the remaining garam masala and 2-3 tablespoons more chopped dill before serving. Note: If you don't have Gujarati or Marathi-style garam masala, the regular kind will work fine. Though I would avoid a pure Moghul garam masala, it is too cardamomy for this. You can make an approximate version by adding a little fennel seeds, ajwain, sesame seed, dried red chili and a star anise to your regular garam masala recipe. Keywords: Beans, Easy, Vegetarian, Indian ( RG1097 )

Black-eyed Peas with Dill (Lobhia aur Suwa) Serves 4 as Main Dish. I got inspired by a can of blackeyed peas in my cupboard and a bunch of dill sitting in my fridge. Here is what I came up with. This recipe hasn't been officially tested, but its simple so it should work out fine. It turned out delicious. This goes great with plain Basmati rice or flatbreads. 3 T ghee or peanut oil or a mixture 3/4 tsp mustard seeds 1/2 tsp cumin seeds 1/8 tsp fenugreek seeds 1 medium onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup) 1 large garlic clove, minced 1 c peeled and diced fresh tomato 1 tsp Gujarati or Marathi-style garam masala, divided (see note) 1/2 tsp paprika 1/4 tsp red chili powder 1/4 tsp turmeric 1 tsp sugar (optional) 1 (15.5 ounce) can black-eyed peas, with liquid 3/4 c coarsely choppped fresh dill Water as needed (up to 1 1/2 cups) Salt to taste In a medium saucepan heat the ghee or oil over medium-high heat. When hot toss in the mustard seeds. As soon as they begin to splutter and pop add the cumin and fenugreek seeds. Cook until the cumin darkens a few shades. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until it begins to turn golden, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and stir for 1 minute more. Add the tomato to the pan and cook, stirring, until it begins to turn into a pulpy sauce, about 3 minutes. Toss in half of the garam masala and all of the paprika, red chili powder, turmeric and the sugar if using. Stir once or twice. Now stir in the blackeyed peas with their liquid and the dill. Add enough water until you get the consistency you want, up to 1 1/2 cups. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer, covered, for about 10 minutes. Stir in salt to taste, the remaining garam masala and 2-3 tablespoons more chopped dill before serving. Note: If you don't have Gujarati or Marathi-style garam masala, the regular kind will work fine. Though I would avoid a pure Moghul garam masala, it is too cardamomy for this. You can make an approximate version by adding a little fennel seeds, ajwain, sesame seed, dried red chili and a star anise to your regular garam masala recipe. Keywords: Beans, Easy, Vegetarian, Indian ( RG1097 )

I hope you like it. Let me know....

Hello Everyone, I got inspired by a can of blackeyed peas in my cupboard and a bunch of dill sitting in my fridge. Here is what I came up with. This recipe isn't officially written or tested, but its simple so it should work out fine. It turned out delicious. Gujarati-Style Blackeyed Peas with Dill (Lobhia aur Suwa) 3 tablespoons ghee or oil or a mixture 3/4 teaspoon mustard seeds 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds 1/8 teaspoon fenugreek seeds 1 medium onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup) 1 large garlic clove, minced 1 cup peeled and diced fresh tomato 1 teaspoon Gujarati or Marathi-style garam masala, divided 1/2 teaspoon paprika 1/4 teaspoon red chili powder 1/4 teaspoon turmeric 1 teaspoon sugar (optional) 1 (15.5 ounce) can blackeyed peas, with liquid 3/4 cup coarsely choppped fresh dill Water as needed Salt to taste In a medium saucepan heat the ghee or oil over medium-high heat. When hot toss in the mustard seeds. As soon as they begin to splutter and pop add the cumin and fenugreek seeds. Cook until the cumin darkens a few shades. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until it begins to turn golden, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and stir for 1 minute more. Add the tomato to the pan and cook, stirring, until it begins to turn to pulpy sauce, about 3 minutes. Toss in half of the garam masala and all of the paprika, red chili powder, turmeric and the sugar if using. Stir once or twice. Now stir in the blackeyed peas with their liquid and the dill. Add enough water until you get the consistency you want, up to 1 1/2 cups. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer, covered, for about 10 minutes. Stir in salt to taste, the remaining garam masala and 2-3 tablespoons more chopped dill before serving. I ate it with plain basmati rice and a raita, but if you make it on the drier side it would go great with rotli. Try this and let me know what you think. If you don't have Gujarati or Marathi-style garam masala, the regular kind will work fine. Though I would avoid a pure Moghul garam masala, it is too cardamomy for this. You can make an approximate version by adding a little fennel seeds, ajwain, sesame seed, dried red chili and a star anise to your regular garam masala recipe.

Welcome Monika, Are you from a Marwari family? What is the Indian grocery situation like in Finland-are you able to get all the essentials or is it difficult to find things, like....besan for instance?

Avocado raita is really good. Cube the avocados and fold them into salted yogurt. Season it with green chilies and mustard seeds fried in oil. A little hing can be added also as well as chopped cilantro.

Butter chicken is known in Hindi/Punjabi as Murgh Makhani. It is really just left over tandoori chicken simmered in a tomato-cream sauce flavored with shredded ginger and cilantro. In restaurants it is also made with boneless chicken tikkas and is called Chicken Tikka Masala. Most of the well known writers on Indian cooking have a recipes in their books, but I bet our Monica(who is fast becoming well known!) has one she would be willing to share.

I do have that book. It is one of my all time favorites. I have been told that the ultimate dish made with Khashi is the Kaccha Biriyani. This is where the rice and meat are both sealed in the pot raw and cooked together at the same time. Egg halva is a unique one. When I was learning Indian music, my music teacher's wife (she is a Bangladeshi) made it for a holiday dinner. What I am really hoping to bring back with me is olive pickle. Not the oily kind you can find it jars at Bengali stores here in the US, but the dry kind. It is sweet, salty and bitter. Sort of like dry pickled Ber. I love it!!!

I will be staying with a friend while there and since he is there alone without his family, who are all now in Bethesda, he has a cook. So this will give me the chance to both eat and cook home-made meals. Yes, the Hilsa will be gone, but there will be no shortage of other fish!

Hey Edward - recipe please? How do you make this dish.. what makes it your favorite? Actually, I have always relied on a certain recipe for this. Later after work I will post a paraphrased version. It is my favorite because it is delicious!!

Oh yes, I forgot about that one. They just moved to that space in the last year. Glad you mentioned it to Sandgaw.

My kitchen-bengali is not so good, but that is what I thought. I had just always thought of palm sugar as palm gur or the lighter colored thai variety. This stuff definitely has an unusual taste. Maybe it tastes alchoholic because it spoiled on its journey from Bangladesh?

I picked up a jar of some type of sugar while in NY not too long ago. It is labeled as TAL MISHREE. It looks like a yellowish rock candy and has a very strange smell. Almost alchoholic. All the shopkeeper had to say was "good for stomach". It doesn't taste too bad. Sort of like fermented sugar mixed with car exhaust Does anyone know what this is and where to use it? Edward

Hello Everybody, In about 12 weeks (I will soon be counting the days) I will be in Dhaka and am wondering if anyone knows where to get great food. I am especially interested in good Dhakai Parota, Rezala and Maacher Biriyani. Any tips will be much appreciated. Thanks Edward

There is an excellent recipe for this very chatni in Yamuna Devi's book. She wrires that she was taught it as "Tarun Baba Ghosh's Plastic Chatni" because of the transparent look of the papaya slices after being cooked in the acidulated sugar syrup. I love that! My favorite papaya dish is Bengali-style potato and papaya torkori.

Sounds divine. Would it be appropriate to add yogurt to this as is sometimes done with shorse begun or do you think the green tomatoes are too sour for this?

You sure did mix up your Virginias! I, too, live in the Reston area. One place you can get goat meat is at Madina Market on Elden st. It is an Afghani store and halal butcher. They also have a decent selection of Afghani, Persian and South Asian groceries. This place is in the K-Mart shopping center right after Baron Cameron becomes Elden st. There is also an Indian grocery there, Indo-Pak. it is my everyday Desi store. The owners and staff are very friendly. If you need any other tips on local shopping just ask. Edward

Hello, When you say "mutton" do you mean fresh goat meat or mature lamb?

Lets see.... homemade chappli kebab patties ready to fry cilantro chatni frozen parval frozen guvar curry leaves a batch of matar paneer that is 1 year old!!!