Milagai

alas, portion control is my doom too: i am prob the only person on the planet who has gained many kgs eating sprouted salads etc. my take: i am lucky enough to ahve grown up in a cuisine culture where tasty and healthy are the same thing (though indian food has LOTS Of bombs and bad things). but indian home cooking is basically so yummy and very healthy that i get really when people start from the premise that you have to give up taste or sacrifice something or other to eat healthy. i know what i eat is very healthy and high in fruits, vegs, grains, etc. sigh.... if i could only stop with one serving of salad and not 4 i would be better off...... but it tastes so darn good..... milagai

india has lots of fused fast food: chhole pizza (chana masala pizza) - not in any chain but street food the indian mc D has lots of desi food including TONS of vegetarian items!! i wish stateside would follow their e.g. their menu link: http://www.mcdonaldsindia.com/ourfood/veg/index.html the non veg items are in a link over to the left. but fusion: paneer salsa wrap, mcaloo tikki (=mc potato patty); chinese food, etc etc. all in mcD's - way to go! i normally loathe mc D, esp the ghastly US fare but i do hand it to the indian versions for inventiveness. i have not eaten there yet, but will do so one day. i tried the indian KFC: they too had a lot of vegetarian fare. BUT they had a really stupid item: KFC chicken curry: they had a little plastic cup of "curry" sauce on the side that was down right yukky: bland and bad tasting at the same time. any small street stall would have beaten them hands down so it;s only for the sake of being global and exotic that locals wuld eat there i guess..... milagai

exact same-to-same snack in india. you can replicate it by toasting shucked corn on your gas range and rubbing the surface with a cut lime or lemon which has had salt and red chili powder sprinkled on it milagai

absolutely great idea... in fact i wish there was a thread on sweet potato recipes..... i LOVE this root and all its savory / sweet and sour recipes and was horrified to see people only know one way of making it: entombing it in marshmallow ick, and then claim they don't like it. a real crime against food..... milagai

to blow the idea that indian "curry" is a cold weather heavy food, i've added several light indian mango savory dishes. each dish has its own name, i.e. no catch all "curry" terminology here. i hope i can get the link right: http://recipes.egullet.org/dosearch.php?st=mine in case the link does not work, the titles of the recipes are: mango more kuzhambu, mango pachadi and mango kalan, or search by my screen name. they are variations on the theme of mango + spiced buttermilk and are all different from each other. these are typical south indian dishes and i know there are yummy gujarati and bengali variations on these too, but i'm getting lazy re entering the recipes in. these are originally eaten with rice, but they work very well with the entire chapati / roti spectrum, and i think will adapt to a more eclectic menu also.... i adore mangoes in savory dishes, salsa, salad, chaat, whether the mangoes are ripe or unripe.... milagai

Mango kalan Serves 4 as Side. Mango kalan is a yummy Kerala dish: ripe mangoes simmered in spiced buttermilk.... Different from the other mango+buttermilk recipes I posted. Many variations on the theme..... 1 c diced ripe mango 1/2 c water 2 c buttermilk or diluted yogurt 2 T freshly grated coconut 1 clove of garlic 1 tsp cumin seeds, toasted and ground 1/2 tsp red chili powder (use more or less to taste) 1/2 tsp turmeric 1/2 T canola oil 1/2 tsp black mustard seeds 1 dried red chilis, broken in half 6 fresh curry leaves salt keep all ingredients ready 1. grind the coconut, cumin, and garlic to a smooth paste. 2. simmer the mango chunks in the water with the above paste, salt, turmeric, and red chili powder. simmer until done. 3. turn the heat very low, add the buttermilk and stir well until mixed. don't let boil just heat gently and thoroughly. 4. in a small skillet or miniature wok, heat the oil, add the mustard seeds, when they pop add the dry red chilies and curry leaves. stir fry quickly for a few seconds until thoroughly sauteed (i.e. this is the tarka). 5. dump this mixture into the buttermilk (it will sizzle). that's all. it's done. taste and check for salt etc. you may want to add a splash of lemon juice if the buttermilk is insufficiently tart, but because you are using ripe mangoes, there should be a definite sweet overtone to this sweet, hot, and tangy dish. it's designed to be eaten with rice, but adapt as wished. goes great with the entire chapati/roti/etc spectrum. Keywords: Side, Indian, Vegetarian, Intermediate, Fruit ( RG1357 )

Mango kalan Serves 4 as Side. Mango kalan is a yummy Kerala dish: ripe mangoes simmered in spiced buttermilk.... Different from the other mango+buttermilk recipes I posted. Many variations on the theme..... 1 c diced ripe mango 1/2 c water 2 c buttermilk or diluted yogurt 2 T freshly grated coconut 1 clove of garlic 1 tsp cumin seeds, toasted and ground 1/2 tsp red chili powder (use more or less to taste) 1/2 tsp turmeric 1/2 T canola oil 1/2 tsp black mustard seeds 1 dried red chilis, broken in half 6 fresh curry leaves salt keep all ingredients ready 1. grind the coconut, cumin, and garlic to a smooth paste. 2. simmer the mango chunks in the water with the above paste, salt, turmeric, and red chili powder. simmer until done. 3. turn the heat very low, add the buttermilk and stir well until mixed. don't let boil just heat gently and thoroughly. 4. in a small skillet or miniature wok, heat the oil, add the mustard seeds, when they pop add the dry red chilies and curry leaves. stir fry quickly for a few seconds until thoroughly sauteed (i.e. this is the tarka). 5. dump this mixture into the buttermilk (it will sizzle). that's all. it's done. taste and check for salt etc. you may want to add a splash of lemon juice if the buttermilk is insufficiently tart, but because you are using ripe mangoes, there should be a definite sweet overtone to this sweet, hot, and tangy dish. it's designed to be eaten with rice, but adapt as wished. goes great with the entire chapati/roti/etc spectrum. Keywords: Side, Indian, Vegetarian, Intermediate, Fruit ( RG1357 )

ITA with Bernaise; and, if youa re in the US, usually canned beans (esp Black eyed peas) are usually extremely cheap. ARound 3 cans for $1. can't beat that with a stick. 1 can will feed you for several days, if drained, and simmered in "curry" sauce. you can approximate "curry" sauce even cheaper by sauteeing minced onion +garlic+ginger with turmeric, cumin+coriander powder, garam masala and a little red chili powder to taste, along with salt. takes ~ 10 minutes. Becomes even more nutritious and one-pot dish if you add a carton of frozen chopped spinach. Eat with rice or tortillas, and yogurt on side, and you are set... you can sub any beans (e.g. kidney, chick peas, etc etc) milagai

Mango more-kuzhambu Serves 4 as Side. More-kuzhambu (=buttermilk soup) is the Tamilian version of the spiced buttermilk dish that is popular with regional variations all over India. It's called "kadhi" in the North. The South Indian versions are distinguished by the use of coconut and vegetables; though this particular dish for some reason has no coconut. Can be eaten with rice, chapaties, the usual. 1 c ripe mango chunks, large dice, peeled 1/8 tsp hing (asafoetida) powder 1/2 tsp turmeric 1/2 tsp black mustard seeds 1 tsp urad dal 1 tsp fenugreek seeds, toasted and powdered 1/2 tsp red chilli powder 6 fresh curry leaves salt to taste 1 tsp sambar powder (available in any Indian store) 2 c buttermilk or diluted yogurt 1 T rice flour or besan (chickpea flour) 1 T canola oil 1. keep all ingredients ready. 2. heat the canola oil, add hing and urad dal; when browning add the mustard seeds; when they pop add the fenugreek powder, red chili powder, curry leaves, turmeric, and stir quickly for ~ 5 seconds. 3. add the sambar powder and saute for another ~ 10 seconds. 4. Add the mango pieces turn the heat low and saute till done. Add a little water here. 5. meanwhile, whisk the besan or rice flour with the buttermilk. 6. when the mango is done, turn the heat very low, add the buttermilk, and don't let it come to a boil, simmer for a couple of minutes. 7. add salt , serve warm with the usual Keywords: Side, Indian, Vegetarian, Intermediate, Fruit ( RG1353 )

Mango more-kuzhambu Serves 4 as Side. More-kuzhambu (=buttermilk soup) is the Tamilian version of the spiced buttermilk dish that is popular with regional variations all over India. It's called "kadhi" in the North. The South Indian versions are distinguished by the use of coconut and vegetables; though this particular dish for some reason has no coconut. Can be eaten with rice, chapaties, the usual. 1 c ripe mango chunks, large dice, peeled 1/8 tsp hing (asafoetida) powder 1/2 tsp turmeric 1/2 tsp black mustard seeds 1 tsp urad dal 1 tsp fenugreek seeds, toasted and powdered 1/2 tsp red chilli powder 6 fresh curry leaves salt to taste 1 tsp sambar powder (available in any Indian store) 2 c buttermilk or diluted yogurt 1 T rice flour or besan (chickpea flour) 1 T canola oil 1. keep all ingredients ready. 2. heat the canola oil, add hing and urad dal; when browning add the mustard seeds; when they pop add the fenugreek powder, red chili powder, curry leaves, turmeric, and stir quickly for ~ 5 seconds. 3. add the sambar powder and saute for another ~ 10 seconds. 4. Add the mango pieces turn the heat low and saute till done. Add a little water here. 5. meanwhile, whisk the besan or rice flour with the buttermilk. 6. when the mango is done, turn the heat very low, add the buttermilk, and don't let it come to a boil, simmer for a couple of minutes. 7. add salt , serve warm with the usual Keywords: Side, Indian, Vegetarian, Intermediate, Fruit ( RG1353 )

That's really interesting, Milagai. Do you know of any food-related examples in the scholarship? I think that it would be very interesting to read some of the discussions around here (gumbo and cassoulet come to mind) through this concept. ← sorry, i don't really know much more about food related applications of this concept: may be an under-explored area.... maybe it can be launched from here... are you up for it, mongo? milagai

your first e.g. sounds great. the second: no guarantee they could be unemployed software engineers looking to diversify. i think in my part of the US there are several AWFUL indian restaurants, really BAD cooking, all staffed and cheffed by indians, but who seem to have no idea of cooking or service. they give the whole food a bad name.... no idea why they are in this biz at all: to make or launder bucks? milagai

No part of Egypt for cultural/culinary purposes is part of the Maghreb. I want to post more about this, but this is food site. The explaination goes way back into history. The present day group of people who identify themselves as Maghrebis are simply put Moroccans, Algerians and Tunisians. (Sometimes Mauritania and Libya. But again, that goes into other non-food related topics) ← right you are. not wanting to hijack thread, simply to say thanks for the explanations... milagai

Mango Gojju Serves 4 as Side. Gojju is typical Tamilian / South Indian sweet and sour dish; can me made with fruit (e.g. mango or pineapple) or vegs (e.g. tomato, eggplant lots more). It's a side with rice based dishes, e.g. pongal but is versatile and can adapt to many things; e.g. it's spectacular with pooris or rotis. 1 c unripe mango chunks, unpeeled 1 T canola or similar oil 1/8 tsp hing (asafoetida) 1/2 tsp black mustard seeds 1 tsp urad dal 1 tsp fenugreek seeds 2 dried red chillies, broken in half 6 fresh curry leaves 1/4 tsp turmeric 1 T tamarind paste 1 T jaggery or brown sugar 2 c water salt to taste cilantro for garnish (optional) 1. keep all ingredients ready. 2. heat oil in saucepan, when hot, add in the following order: hing, urad dal; fenugreek; when these start browning add mustard seeds; when this pops immediately add the red chilies, curry leaves; stir for ~ 5 seconds. 3. immediately add the mango chunks, turn the heat lower and let the mango cook with the spices for a few minutes until ~ half done. 4. meanwhile mix the tamarind paste and jaggery/brown sugar with the water. when the mango is half done, add this mixture, and simmer until the mango is cooked (another 10 mins approx). 5. salt to taste. take off the fire, garnish with cilantro. serve hot or warm with whatever. you can substitute a mix of sliced onions and diced tomatoes for the mango; or add diced eggplant + cooked chickpeas, for different variations. Keywords: Side, Indian, Vegan, Intermediate, Fruit ( RG1352 )

Mango Gojju Serves 4 as Side. Gojju is typical Tamilian / South Indian sweet and sour dish; can me made with fruit (e.g. mango or pineapple) or vegs (e.g. tomato, eggplant lots more). It's a side with rice based dishes, e.g. pongal but is versatile and can adapt to many things; e.g. it's spectacular with pooris or rotis. 1 c unripe mango chunks, unpeeled 1 T canola or similar oil 1/8 tsp hing (asafoetida) 1/2 tsp black mustard seeds 1 tsp urad dal 1 tsp fenugreek seeds 2 dried red chillies, broken in half 6 fresh curry leaves 1/4 tsp turmeric 1 T tamarind paste 1 T jaggery or brown sugar 2 c water salt to taste cilantro for garnish (optional) 1. keep all ingredients ready. 2. heat oil in saucepan, when hot, add in the following order: hing, urad dal; fenugreek; when these start browning add mustard seeds; when this pops immediately add the red chilies, curry leaves; stir for ~ 5 seconds. 3. immediately add the mango chunks, turn the heat lower and let the mango cook with the spices for a few minutes until ~ half done. 4. meanwhile mix the tamarind paste and jaggery/brown sugar with the water. when the mango is half done, add this mixture, and simmer until the mango is cooked (another 10 mins approx). 5. salt to taste. take off the fire, garnish with cilantro. serve hot or warm with whatever. you can substitute a mix of sliced onions and diced tomatoes for the mango; or add diced eggplant + cooked chickpeas, for different variations. Keywords: Side, Indian, Vegan, Intermediate, Fruit ( RG1352 )

a random thought struck: i've heard of people (who are lucky enough to have access to all the different glorious mango varieties in india) having a "mango board" like a "cheese board" where you taste different slices and compare the taste.... you can really distinguish the creamy incomparable alphonso vs. the more tart and firm dassehri; and how the langda is different from those two etc etc etc only three and dozens to go..... totapuris are more sour and considered inferior and used for cooking.... no idea what mango varieties are available in the US, like many others i've only seen the flats of champagne mangos in indian and hispanic stores. i think madhur jaffrey has an article in the latest saveur on different varieties of us available mangoes.... milagai

There is no "must" when it comes to naming a dish, unless you happen to be a purist. For every genuine article out there, there are a million pretenders, and most of them are perfectly valid, in my opinion. edit: I split off several posts from this thread in the Middle East forum (and managed to screw it up in the process, in case some of you were wondering why some posts appeared and then disappeared). Everything's fixed now. ← Sociologists talk about the power of "ex nomination" that is, who gets to decide what something is called, how it is pronounced, what is included in the category, when it is in / authentic, etc. The power over these choices and imposing them on others reflects the power you have in society. There are examples all around: pronouncing the name of the region: Appalatcha (local and authentic to locals) vs Appalayshia (fancy outsider mostly Northern pronunciation) but because in popular culture and real economic terms the locals of the region are perceived as lacking social clout (I'm trying not to say Hick or Hillbilly), the latter pronunciation is not going to go away any time soon. And this is my take on the whole Western term "chai" vs "masala chai" or "spice tea" thing..... etc. Milagai

Are these entrepreneurs calling North African food 'maghrebi'? If so, they most likely come from the Middle East, perhaps even Lebanon. Doesn't Maghrebi mean the land to the west? ← One has to look slightly deeper in the meaning of Maghreb which you might find of interest. We have to take into account two words: Maghreb and Mashreq Both in fact have been given to an area which spans the Islamic world at the time of the Fatimid with Egypt being the centre and the Nile being the demarcation line. Therefore we are not talking about Norh/East/West...etc but we are talking about the sun rising and setting over the Islamic map which is the Maghreb west of the Nile and Mashreq east of the Nile. In the strict etymological Arabic translation of West would be Gharb or The West would be Al Gharb. However Maghreb or Al Maghreb is both the time of day for sunset and Salat el Maghreb would be the prayers at sunset and same apply for Sharq - Al Sharq and Mashreq which is sunrise. So Maghreb is the west of the Nile where the sun sets on the Umma. ← Thank you! this is exactly what I was curious about, but too clueless to ask properly about. ANd it explains to me why Egypt (east of Nile) is not included in the Maghreb region in the local view.. Thanks Milagai

North Africa includes Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia, sometimes Libya. Libya is also considered a Middle Eastern country even though geographically it is in Northern Africa. Restaurants, perhaps. The cuisine, I'm not sure. Are there any Ethiopian cooking threads here? ← oho! so egypt too would be considered more middle eastern than north african? milagai

there is mango fool. mango slices replacing or complementing apple in a tarte tatin or mango + peach in a pie. lots of savory mango dishes: mango kalan (mango with spiced buttermilk); mango kadhi (ditto, different spices); mango raita; mango souffle; so many many ideas; milagai ps: if you have extra mangos, pl send them to me

Milagai I've posted about this before. Traditionally Magrhebis eat with our hands, sometimes from communal platters. Of course there is nothing wrong with it. But people who aren't used to don't get nor do they always understand it. And eating with one's hands as you know has it's own etiquette, which someone who is dining at a restaurant probably doesn't want to be taught on the spot. My point is the utensils are available in North African restaurants. ← Funny this hand eating statement. Do you know that the largest percentage of people on this planet eat in fact with their hands! And wait a minute, are you not supposed to eat a Hamburger with the hands and what about a Pizza, did I mention Hot Dogs or Spare Ribs, BBQ anybody? Anyone heard of a Sandwich? ← ITA re the above foods, and lots of wackos eating them with silverware. some wonky westernized indians also try and eat dosais, parathas, and idlis with silverware, for howling out loud. now another q: ethiopia is or is not part of the maghrebi culture belt? ethiopian restaurants are fairly widespread, at least in larger urban areas. and i don't recall seeing any one eating with utensils in those, they are also communal style eating.... i can't conceptualize how one could even eat injera with anything other than fingers...... so, is ethiopia part of the discussion on north african foods? if yes, why do ethiopian restaurants have a higher profile? (despite negative press on famines, civil wars etc.) milagai

Thank you Ed for your frankness about the unadventurous crowd. Well, judging by the responses in this thread (many which are sincerely helpful), I get the impression that there are lots of misperceptions about North African foods. 1. I've never been to one that doesn't provide utensils. 2. I've never been to one with belly dancers (not that difficult to avoid). 3. Same, never been to one with a hookah, although that doesn't seem that unappealing. Also, seems that there is a segment of America that's being discussed that won't try anything that's perceived as too different. On the other there is a market for lots of other so called 'ethnic' cuisines. And really there are many Algerian dishes that are just as mild as French dishes. I've said this in numerous other threads, the Algerian cooking I grew up with was very mild and delicate. The odd thing is in my experience Americans ask for spicier. Whenever I teach a class on the subject or cook for American friends, "Oooh spices, exotic flavors!!!" So there's a market for that and a market that resists that. I also think that maybe writers exoticized North Africa and the cuisine too much. ← just what is so ** wrong about eating with your hands? this q is not directed at chefzadi or anyone in particular; just a thought / vent. but if someone has an answer that makes any sense then i would love to hear it. why is distancing yourself from your food by using metal claws something superior? there is an entire etiquette for eating politely with your fingers i heard a quote attributed to someone or other: eating your food with a knife and fork is like making love with your clothes on..... milagai

a propos of nothing else in this thread: it's pronounced moong beans, not mungg (rhymes with hung) beans.... trust me, the native speaker, indian food pronunciation nazi of egullet milagai

In conservative markets such as the one where I live the "but it's too spicy" misperception describes who most people perceive Afghani, Persian, Vietnamese, Thai, Jamaican and darn near any other cuisine that they have never tried. ← It finally dawned on both of us that too spicy for her husband and in-laws meant ANYTHING THAT STRAYED TOO FAR FROM BASIC SALT AND PEPPER!!! This would include many of the spices found in Moroccan, Indian, Ethiopian, Middle Eastern, Thai etc. cuisines. What these people seemed to have an aversion to was actually too much flavor. I don't think there's anyway to overcome that hurdle. ← ← heh heh! reminds me of a cartoon i saw a few years ago: the caption was "fine herbs and spices of indiana" and the picture was of a salt shaker, pepper shaker, and a packet of sweet and low. i could start wondering WHY are people afraid of flavour then i remember there are several i am probably afraid of too... milagai

another classic use of kala jeera (hindi also has genders for things, like french, so kala jeera, black jeera NE kali jeera, black jeera ) is to make pulao: wash and drain basmati rice, fry in ghee with kala jeera, black peppercorns, bay leaves, big cardamom, cloves, cinnamon; pinch turmeric if you want it yellow. boil with water and a few veggies (diced carrots; peas; eg) salt, till done. garnish with crisp fried onion shreds (not breaded; just caramelized). serve with whatever goes with it (raita, some main dish, etc.) milagai