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whippy

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Everything posted by whippy

  1. monica, even on short notice i think the contest is an excellent idea! of course, i love asparagus. and as i wrote on the "exotic" thread i think it will be wonderful cooked with indian techniques and seasonings. i wouldn't worry too much about overpowering it--asparagus can be subtle (certainly no more so than white radish/mooli or turnips/shalgam when cooked!), but its shape and texture also lend it great power. i'll post a recipe on the 15th, and i imagine most other folks are polishing their recipes as well. i hope. when i make asparagus pakoras, i like to leave the batter unspiced, and serve it with a creamy toasted coconut chutney flavored with chana and fresh cilantro and mint. i find the flavor of the asparagus plays with the notes of the chutney and the crisped besan batter, and isn't overwhelmed at all. i hope somebody is working on a stuffed paratha recipe out there! i think the flaky toasted flour/atta will go so well with asparagus. oh! and hey--if you don't get a reasonable showing in the contest, just extend it a bit. asparagus deserves thoughtful treatment from this incredible board.
  2. so much knowledge given. love it! i took edward's tip that amul ghee is made from buffalo butter. saved me from having to buy a water buffalo, thanks! i have to admit that i believed a tinned product could not be as good as homemade. i was wrong. i thought the cheesy, rich flavor showed great depth, and can see it complementing hearty fare quite well. i spent the afternoon with two other new butters, after reading a great article at www.sfgate.com on different butter varieties. episure's comments started me down this path, thanks. i made ghee from organic valley, and a batch from cremerie classique. (considered celles sur belles, but too pricey.) i have been using my local tillamook butter, but both of the higher end butters made ghee that was absolutely remarkable by comparison. and while the cremerie classique was excellent, the organic valley was better: fragrant, sweet, toasty and lingering. if you go to the butter article, you'll find a great chart illustrating the different butter varieties chemical compositions. i found it interesting that the organic valley had the highest milkfat solids content, and hypothesize that more toasted solids = more flavor. anyway, i ate a dangerous number of delicious, ghee oozing chapatis, and decided that from now on my pantry needs both cow and buffalo ghee, as the situation warrants.
  3. i would make the case that exotics might not stand up to indian cooking (history, place, nostalgia) but exotics unequivocally stand up to indian flavors (how does it taste?). after all, what wouldn't be improved by a thoughtful masala? when using foreign ingredients, i try to follow some rules: --one exotic ingredient per dish --never use exotic spices (thyme, lavendar etc.) --adhere to indian cooking techniques --taste carefully and recognize success/failure as mentioned above, and i make these often, asparagus pakoras are excellent. (i think leeks, cut lengthwise, braised and squeezed would also make splendid pakoras.) asparagus would be lovely chopped and used almost anywhere peas or green beans are used. wouldn't crab be succulent and flavorful atop a chickpea chaat? i make dungeness crab cakes tikki-like and serve them with a simple swirl of lime juice, cilantro and a quick tarka of mustard, minced curry leaf and urad dal. definitely not an indian dish, definitely tastes like india. here's where i cross the line, i know! but i have to confess: i toss whole romaine leaves in a spicy dal chutney, scatter roasted peanuts and green chilis on top, then microplane fresh coconut all over. indian caesar salad.
  4. just found august 2002 post on this very topic! interesting, with suvir stating that buffalo ghee is "richer and tastier" with less aroma than cow ghee. i've sourced some pricy buffalo yogurt, and will do some more research. any thoughts on makin butter from yogurt versus cream? does the sourness of yogurt impart flavors lacking in fresh whole milk? to me, ghee is so spectacular i want the best. is my time misspent?
  5. i've made a couple of batches of cow ghee recently, and in my research i came across the fact that historically ghee was only made from the milk of the water buffalo. (such sweet tempered creatures!) i've learned that buffalo ghee has less of the yellow pigment carotene in it, producing a "whiter" cooking oil and that the cream of the water buffalo has a higher fat content than the cream of a cow. of course, the unheralded success of mozzarella di bufala adds some intrigue to my question: are there differences in flavor and texture? sadly, i don't live in proximity to a water buffalo. and though i've discovered that i might purchase a texan male for $1,000, or a texan lady for $2,000, i'm not ready to commit without your advice.
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