gingerly

I am now completely confused. Amla is "Aamloki" is Bengali, which I *thought* was the same thing as Phyllantus Acidus: http://www.tropilab.com/phyllantus-acidus.html Isn't Nellikai the same thing? Isn't gooseberry the same thing? Phyllanthus emblica and phyllanthus indofischeri are what's generally knowm as amla/nellikai. http:// www.ias.ac.in/currsci/jun252003/1515.pdf (problem posting link). the other one phyllanthus acidus(and one very like it with fruit along the branches)are less astringent,more succulent-a bit like a carambola.

dosakai is the telugu name for the yellow stripey thing.

indian gooseberry

these maybe? . there's one in the penguin andhra cookbook otherwise at ammas.com.

we should do tea sometime! slabs-always slabs.slabs of cake ,slabs of bread,slabs of butter..somebody slabp me.. the same-somehow cilantro conjures up the overgrown,flat leaf parsley lookalike and coriander the feathery,flavourful ( yes !yes!) with some flowers still on them. the one in front off to plant some now.

have in the house right now-the usual suspects mixed pickle-priya( bedekar not available when sought) panchranga(back in a big wayafter many years avoiding it due to unpleasant association with bits of hairy,mustard oil scented kernels flattened onto dusty playgrounds of ones youth) sri lankan katta sambol need to replenish ferns' prawn balchao(yes me too) want gooseberry pickle-it's been too long.. wake flushed from dreams of mtr gongura and hog plum smiling sardonically at me... secrets secreted packets of bedekars pickle mix for upcoming batch of carrot pickle.

Akiko, if you can, get hold of a copy of the book mentioned earlier'romance of the mango'by kusum budhwar.here are some links mentioned in the book- http://murugan.org/research/dubiansky1.htm www.freshmangos.com http://tfphotos.ifas.ufl.edu/021100.htm www.fairchildgarden.org/horticulture/mangocurators.html http://www.rajans.com/links.htm#Sites%20on http://www.mango.co.za/recipes/ http://asspaulo.8m.com/mangos.html

mmmackerel..i knew it. heh! enjoying.

samovar and you might find one at an iranian grocery near you.

Vikram-the soapstone info is from the site of a brazilian exporter of soapstone products-countertops primarily but here's another with some rather nice cookware. as to the question of seasoning,from what i can tell,soapstone needs hardening more than sealing to make it cookworthy.hence your friends method of packing with salt( steatite+sodium chloride-insert equation here) and the stonemasons' directive to fill with hot water are probably the way to go.the kanji thing i suspect is a carry over from the seasoning of earthenware vessels that are very porous and need the starchy water to seal the surface.it's probably the hot,liquid part that does the job.personally i would go with the masons' advice since i'd trust him to know his material.good luck and enjoy! (turning an unbecoming shade of soapstone envy green.)

fruitcake...with cheese i'm sorry but i was a hapless 'as read in..' food victim as a child.enid blyton did the most damage (cream teas anyone?)this particular one was brought on by james herriot. cilantro of course.

thanks for the reminder!i've retrieved my copy and came across this-

came across these listed as some traditional utensils in an iyengar home- kalchetti-for sambar cast iron frying pan-for frying and curries narrow mouthed brass vessel-rice and pongal lead-for rasam wooden bowls -salads(kosumallies) about soapstone- a number of temples are carved from this stone,including those at belur and halebid.

came across in a search.

you're quite right worm@work-acacia sinuata to be precise.i tracked it down!this book is full of typos and wild translations but good reading nonetheless.as for cooking with the leaves-well anything 'saar' will do i guess!i love the use of ingredients like hibiscus,orange peel,pomegranite peel and the like.

kudampuli/cambodge

: anodised eh?! you will also recall how the loverly colours rubbed off with the lighest touch! there are lots of new urli esque vessels to be found since they seem to have become quite trendy in the last few years.how many are safe to cook in i really can't tell but since i don't cook on gas i have to limit the use the few i have to serving only.it's quite amusing/amazing how much the flavour of the food is enhanced ! i do have a beautiful earthenware dish for curd though.

this looks like a mangosteen photographed from the other perspective... still not too clear Don't we have a botanist lurking around?? dashed amateur i'm afraid! ok bague25 -was this what you ate? i have the pruthi book too and from his and others descriptions,the kokum fruit is"2.5-3.75cm dia. dark purple when ripe,enclosing 5 to 8 large seeds.when freshly harvested the fruits are reddish green and turn red purple in a day or two.the fruit has an agreeable flavour and a sweetish acidic taste" obviously edible but no mangosteen that! pictures of freshkokum? seem a bit scarce. sort of similar mangosteen rind does seem to have medicinal value for a number of nasty conditions! edited to add pic of squash bottle and apologies for posting purdue link again-gooooogle fatigue!

scroll down and worship

memories?i still have a set of miniature brass kitchenware somewhere-also some lacquerware ones from chennapatna near bangalore and soapstone from near the temples at belur and halebid.

sol kadi Monica?!love the stuff!

tasted both yes and without a doubt the jilebi is the outright winner.there's something unctuous about the jangri and it does seem to have the ability to absorb odours rather rapidly.that said,i'm always game to try again if it looks promising!

voila!