Milagai

One of my favorites growing up was Bread Upma: recipe: http://www.bawarchi.com/contribution/contrib4193.html (in that recipe, curd = yogurt) We never had enough leftover bread to do this very often but if you do have ~ 8 slices then it's great for brunch with mango lassi to drink. Milagai

What about bags of trail mix? Maybe the sealed kind from the supermarket would stay better in the car compared to the ones you fill at home. You could probably find some brands with a better ingredient list than others. Good quality juice boxes or good old bottled water along with them? Single serving boxes of cereal? Nuts and raisins? Individual serving baggies of some of the better quality crackers or cookies? Any of these could be vegan .... Milagai

Slightly Luddite post here. Weights definitely make sense for things like baking where precision leads to success and there is little room to wing it. But for many other forms of cooking, insisting on weights (e.g. 0.1 gm of hing) instead of a more intuitive amount (e.g. 1 pinch) sounds really pedantic. Whether your pinch size is large or small won't make any difference to the finished dish. There's a point where cooking stops being a science and begins to be an art. In these forms of cooking, there's no guarantee that 25 ml of freshly squeezed lemon juice is going to give you the exact same result time after time because the lemon itself may be more or less sour, etc. In these situations there appears to be no substitute for trials and iterations and experience. Lack of precision is a challenge for cookbook writers, sure, and for those trying to learn a new cuisine solely from a book (instead of from a real live person). But over-precision in insisting on specific amounts can be very misleading.... Milagai

Re ginger: I just store mine in a large knob next to the garlic next to the stove, in a small bowl. I buy about a 3 to 4 inch long piece at a time, and take about 3 to 4 weeks to use it up and it's never ever gone bad on me.... Not sure why you're refrigerating yours or why it's going bad. (Love all the info in your blog) Milagai

Oh definitely, the fun of traveling is road food. BUT for some of us, that does not preclude loading the commissariat train! Better have too much than none at all. I thought I overloaded, but compared to some posters here I am an amateur! Milagai

Are we getting close to a :"how to cook road kill" thread? Milagai

←

If you're only going to grind dry spices, then the coffee mill is the way to go. If your grinding includes lots of other elements (e.g. dal pastes, dosai batter, onions ginger garlic mush, wet spices, coconut chutneys, etc etc.) that include hard and not-so-hard, wet and dry grinding, etc. then nothing beats the Sumeets. One machine, instead of lots of separate ones. Milagai

actually, i *am* curious! in the US, why did the "i" get dropped and people start saying "aluminum" anyway? or is it something to do with US refusal to go metric? source of many arguments between spouse (he says aluminum) and self (i say aluminium). milagai

Since I'm "traveling with kids", I am like Napoleon: my army marches on its stomach. I have to be prepared at all times with: water; cheerios in a baggie; cookies in another baggie; something like cheese sticks or similar; chips. If on a longer trip, I pack disposable tupperware with: idlis + chutney OR yogurt-rice (south indian travel friendly staples). For myself: a tiny baggie of mom-style lemon pickle (wards off motion sickness, and in general, cures whatever ails you). Plus I have the metabolism that needs small frequent meals or I go crazy, so I nosh on whatever the kids are having that's not sugary (sugar makes me more motion sick). Milagai ps: I'm now thinking of adding a small bottle of red chili powder or similar to my stash, to spice up bland food (I can't handle bland). I beleive Zubin Mehta (famous conductor, Parsi origin) did the same.....

who said beef is not authentic to indian cooking? there are large non-hindu indian communities who "authentically" eat beef. so areas with large non-hindu populations (e.g. kerala, goa) have distinctive beefy regional cuisines. so why should not indian restaurants have beef? some of "outsiders" perceptions of authenticity appear to be based on lack of information. that bugs *me* second point: what's "authentic" anyway? culinary traditions, like any traditions, are dynamic and evolve with history. nowadays who can imagine italian cuisine without tomatoes or indian cooking without chillies? all revolutionary imports a mere few centuries ago. milagai

Well: if it's hot chili and garlic ketchup (e.g. Maggi) http://www.maggime.com/english/products-ke....asp?prodtype=3 then it's great...... Otherwise plain ketchup only because it's better than nothing.... Milagai

After draining the water, I just take my coconuts outside in the back and whack them hard against the corner of the brick wall. Breaks them neatly apart. I already wear glasses, and no sliced fingers. Then I wrap and freeze the pieces. When needed, I thaw small pieces and grate in the mixie. Milagai

Well: You can have the same gravy for a meat/poultry OR a veggie dish. It can be the exact same dish, except for the "main ingredient" (eg chicken makhani or paneer makhani; etc.). In the Indian cooking vocabulary, all the wet stuff is gravy, and flour is almost never used to thicken. The word "sauce" is only used by those trying to communicate with people not familiar with Indian food.... (otherwise it's something ketchupy). Milagai

Hi Peppertrail. great to hear from you. I call it "gravy" because that's the terminology I was raised with. I don't get the "sauce" thing. People I've asked say that "sauce" is drizzled over or under the food. (I then start thinking "ketchup"). The "curry gravy" doesn't at all work like that, as you have described.... Braising liquid sounds too technical for quick common speech, and sounds like something you may discard, rather than an intrinsic part of the dish. (A cookbook in the making? she said hopefully) Milagai

I agree with most of this, but I'd like to make one thing clear. In my post upthread, I spoke to the issue of cultural bias, but I was not making an argument from "cultural relativism" about there being different standards of anything in different cultures, or the possible legitimacy thereof. I also did not mean to say that I endorse the view that so-called ethnic markets are dirtier than so called generic or Western supermarkets. In fact, in my own armchair sociological observation, I tend to associate different types (not levels) of cleanliness and orderliness in markets with different socio-economic conditions (which are surely intertwined in complex ways with ethnicity). But armchair sociological observations are what they are. If there are any worthwhile generalisations to be made about some delineable standards of cleanliness in culturally marked types of food markets, then the issue is an empirical one, which should definitely not be settled from the armchair (or computer desk). My point was that when we make evaluations about groups of people that we identify in terms of cultural markers, and we are uncomfortable about possible bias in our evaluations, we should not ask the question: "Am I culturally biased?" The important issue is whether cultural bias distorts perception in some relevant and problematic way. To ask this question does not make one a "cultural relativist" in a shallow sense (i.e., someone who believes something like "everything is relative" or "if its your culture, its okay"). Asking the question also does not commit one to accepting that one's initial armchair sociological observations about certain cultures are legitimate. On the contrary, by drawing attention to one's own perspective, the question is meant to force one to reflect critically on where one's folk sociological observations are coming from. This is an armchair activity that I would say is, to some extent, useful. As I say, I probably agree about there not being worse standards of cleanliness in non-Western cultures. And while I am not deliberately trying to turn the discussion away from food, I think some of the terms of the discussion are so problematic to the extent that they distort the part of the discussion that is about food. Specifically, I don't think the term "relativism" should be brought up unless one's usage is very clearly explained. Otherwise, accusations of relativism generally dismiss some point of view by implying that it is premised on a shallow version relativism that no one actually holds (e.g., the versions described in the above paragraph). From my point of view (I am an academic philosopher), this is very problematic. ← what *she* said! Khadijah: excellent points about conflating ethnicity with socioeconomic status (i.e. income level etc.); and about using a cultural marker to indicate any difference, and using "ethnicity" to explain any differences..... And the stuff in your past paragraph is excellent. Milagai

If you're reserving some for bread type uses, consider making aloo parathas. Recipe: http://www.ivcooking.com/p269_75.php or http://www.bawarchi.com/contribution/contrib4148.html goes great with raita ..... fabulous brunch. milagai

What she said Also: I take comfort from the research showing (sort of) that kids raised in a slightly dirtier environment end up with healthier immune systems, less asthma, etc. than those in super sterile surroundings (except those who have some immune disorder or some such). And those who obsessively clean their surroundings with "antibacterial" products etc. contribute to longer term problems with resistant germs etc.... Like others have said, somehow the less obsessively standardized and hygenic surroundings have tastier food for some reason. Each annual trip to India I "inoculate" myself with street food (again paying attention to more subtle cues e.g. dirt vs decay) and it's been great. Looking fwd to when my kids are old enough to appreciate such things.... Milagai

Eh? The first 5 items and the last 2 items on your list would fit your definition above. But since when is religious requirements or plain veg*an preference (for religious or other reasons) a "condition" or a "dietary handicap"? Milagai

But, remember, Mother Nature ain't nice. We generally kill our food because it is much easier to chew when it's not trying to defend itself. We have really anthropomorphosed our food supply into an amazingly heady construct of compassion, etc. ← Cooking has little to do with Ma Nature anyway. Why not eat your food raw (though dead)? And before you say "ceviche" or "sashimi" to me, why combine various ingredients, flavorings, etc etc? Eat like evolutionary ancestors, and live like them also (catch your daily mammoth, die young). And what's wrong with anthropomorphizing, empathizing, and with compassion anyway? There's PLENTY to feast on in the world without eating things you feel sorry for. No need to feel sorry about feeling sorry. Some of these parallel threads are really interesting : - some posters need a whole EG cheering squad before they can bring themselves to cook rabbit, and end up having to think of it as something else before they can process it (why bother - just eat the "something else" already, and donate the bunny carcass to some carrion-eating wildlife). - others here wonder whether a creature that's struggling and trying to defend itself can actually feel pain (if you care, why eat it? if you eat it, face the fact that you are going to enjoy it whether the critter died in agony or didn't feel a thing). - past threads where people who will happily chow lobster or crab won't eat spiders or lizards or snakes; will eat cows or pigs but not dogs or horses (at least most of these people openly acknowledge their double standards). - amazing numbers of people who will proudly eat all of the above but turn pale when confronted with tofu, okra, etc. (what was that thread where the OP disliked vegetables so wanted a meat-based way to lose weight?) Somehow it's good to broaden your mind to enjoy bull's testicles or whatever, but wierd to savor tofu? Milagai

Would you cook one again? As I stated upthread, we have cattle, and although we don't butcher our own, we (my family) take a quarter every 6-8 months.. I do a fair amount of carving, cutting, boning, etc of the cow that was once outside on the hill. As I get older, I find that I have a more difficult time participating in this event. Has anyone else felt this way about cutting/trimming meat that bears a resemblance to a fuzzy creature, or chicken, sheep....etc/ ← OK: I'm sticking my neck waaay out here. I'm really curious, I don't intend to offend. To the OP (or anyone else): Like I asked semi-facetiously before, if cutting/trimming rabbits or other animals is so disturbing, and if others on the list are advising you to steel yourself for the task by pretending it's something else, why *are* you doing it? Why is not doing it not an option (sorry for convoluted sentence)? There's no shortage of other things to feast abundantly on? Milagai

Please update later with the feedback you get? Shalmanese: what did your friend have to say after all that amazing shopping and cooking? Went home a happy new cook? Or resolved to visit you more often but continue to open cans at home? Curious.... Milagai

Why are you doing this again? Why twist yourself into such awful knots? If it's getting to you so much, stop resisting, BE the bunny, and enjoy yourself a nice bowl of carrot stew ..... (Anyone else read their kids the Little Golden Book story of the Tawny Scrawny Lion? ) Milagai

Mango mania in India, as described by today's New York Times. http://travel2.nytimes.com/2006/05/10/trav...mbailetter.html Somewhat pedestrian article, with a slightly dubious description of how locals enjoy this passionate fruit.

On the opposite note, I like dinner for breakfast because I like regular food more than so-called breakfast food..... (I'll eat yogurt+rice Tamilian style anytime, anywhere) Milagai