Milagai

I know - I did mention this in the original post. I try and keep my food miles down but it's around this time of year you get a little tired of cabbages and root vegetables, especially as we have had a couple of bright sunny days this week. ← In my grocery (big chain) store today, lo and behold, large purple eggplants labeled Produce of USA on sale at 99c / lb.... Hothouse? Other explanations? Milagai

Your recipe sounds great and I must try this (with veg stock); and must check out the eggplant cutlet too... Re your recipe above, a product available here that I love is Nasoya Super Firm Tofu, cubed! It's already cubed and the results are great when you drain it, pat it dry, and put it in the toaster oven. The cubes brown up beautifully.... I'll try your recipe above and see.... Milagai

My friend lives in an apartment building called "Bobo County"(no kidding), not far from that photo taken of your hubby and son in Ilsan. The building is full of one room apartments filled by unmarried young professionals. If you get there around eight in the evening, everyone has left their dinner trays in the hall to be picked up. You can walk along and see what each apartment has had for dinner! The downside is that the entire place reeks of doncasse sauce. Nobody bothers to cook anymore, and it was the number one complaint of a lot of my young married students, that their wives didn't know how to cook! A note for MarketSt - In South Korea, even in small country towns, most development is of the large apartment complex kind. Of course, this makes sense in the city, where there is a lot of pressure on land-use. However, here is very little modern single-family housing in the countryside, where there is a lot of room for it. People say they prefer to live in the apartment complexes because they're more modern and convenient. Most houses in Korea date from the early eighties and haven't aged well. Ilsan, a developer-planned city, pictured above, has some duplexes and single family dwellings, complete with suburban sidewalks. When my friend and I got homesick, we would walk around it and pretend to be back in Canada (New Zealand for her). It was really weird to take a train to a small country town, with acres of mountains, farm fields, and forest around it, and see three or four giant apartment complexes clustered around one small main street. Interestingly, this trend of everyone living in small (by North American standards) apartments has led to the spawning of several kinds of businesses that we don't have in North America, because we have family rooms. For example, instead of having friends over to play internet games together, kids probably go to an internet room, where each of them can have a computer for a dollar an hour. Instead of young couples making out on their parents' house in the basement, they rent a DVD room, which has a big-screen TV, a DVD player, and a sofa. Karaoke? Go to a singing room. Want a hot tub and sauna? Go to the public bath house. I didn't mind living in a small apartment in Korea, because so many services were available to me in the public domain. Is that really King Sejong's tomb? Wow. He was one cool dude. ← This reply is so interesting in the light of the other thread on women in the West exiting the kitchen in droves etc etc. The world around, women seem to be leaving care-work because it's drudgery, it's taken for granted, and gets no respect. But it's so interesting to my eyes that your students were 1) male (no women students?) and 2) complaining that their wives didn't know how to cook - hey boys, why not learn to do it yourselves? I also love the "urban planning" notion of small clustered dwellings surrounded by large open spaces, with lots of shared amenities in the public space; opposed to the sprawl model with huge homes with everything inside them (and people whine about heating/ aircon bills; and having to drive everywhere and get stuck in traffic jams....) (I wonder the score differences between the former and latter dwellings on www.footprint.org)..... Milagai

Wise words dividend. From the sociologist's perspective, I think it is *one brand* of Western, upper/middle class feminism that has focused on: 1) women looking out for # 1 2) making efforts to participate in high compensation work 3) consequently pooh-poohing the realm of unpaid and unappreciated housework that seems to be operating here (after all, this style of operation served the boys so well). This has been one reason why large numbers of women in the West who always worked (poorer women, women of colour, etc), who always had to juggle home and work, and who were doubly debarred from high paying professions, their voices got left out of that vision of feminism. The result seems to have been: 1) criticism of ALL feminism as being ultimately about selfishness (so many writers female and male start with "I am not a feminist but..." and then go on to articulate classic feminist ideas) but not about the positive virtues of connectedness, co-operation, and nurture.... (seen as code words for domestic servitude). 2) devaluing of the "sphere of reproductive labor" (=housework to you and me) because it's seen as servitude, holding women back, etc. So the message being sent to bright young women AND men is that this stuff is not worth doing; focus on what brings big bucks. The message is not going out, as it should, that CARE WORK (=again housework) is something everyone should do well because we all need it emotionally and physically. And all young men and young women need to learn this stuff, like they learn any other basic skill. If you can program a computer, drive a car, etc. you can jolly well run the dishwasher and washing machine and whip up decent (_______ insert iconic dish here); and freeze a week's worth of dinners. Milagai ps: dividend, the three young men you lived with, what chores if any did they do? It was great that they appreciated the meals you enjoyed making for all, but did they ever learn to cook anything however basic?

gotcha, thanks Milagai

Do men of similar background feel the same way about their Mr Tool Belt skills? Milagai

Milagai, me old chum - is it not true that the Indian diet relies on the three - a grain (rice or bread), beans and *some dairy* (paneer/yoghurt mostly, of course) for a complete supply of protein ? ← This may or may not be true - I am not sure. From the little I have read/observed, vegetarian communities in India tend to rely on some dairy in addition to grain+bean; non-vegetarian communities don't do so much dairy except in desserts etc. Regarding "complete" protein, that was a myth exploded years ago by the nutrition gurus. And if you want to combine proteins, nutritionists suggest that beans+grain does it for you, with or without dairy. Not sure what your question referred to. Milagai

Just a tiny point and nothing to do with dogs really. If people are eating mountains of rice, veg, and mung beans, there is abundant protein and other nutrients in that meal. Dog may be low on the local hierarchy of meats, but from your description, hardly sounds like it's needed to stave off starvation. Milagai

You will have no problem at all. Most of the food you encounter will be lacto-vegetarian. There will be plenty of variety, too. Be sure and try some of the delicious sweets. ← What Edward said is right. The meat-ness is very caste-based. The Kshatriya (warrior) groups eat more meat, to promote warlike energy. Other groups are typically vegetarian. Also, other important local religions (e.g. Jain) have taken vegetarian philosophy to a fine art..... And meat is a luxury so you're not likely to be slipped some unless you specifically ask for it..... And the great thing is that in India people really understand being vegetarian so you never have to worry about being offered fish, or deal with hidden ingredients (e.g. stock etc.)! Eggs are considered non-vegetarian, though dairy is a big part of the vegetarian diet. Most "strict" vegetarian food will not include onions or garlic because these are associated with Rajasic energy (see the Kshatriya comment above); and I think very strict Jain food will not include root veggies as this involves destroying the plant and inadvertently killing the insect life associated with it.... Just say you are "vegetarian" and if you eat dairy products you will have absolutely no problem. The food is extra delicious. If you want to avoid dairy, you will have some communicating to do, but say "vegetarian" and say " please no milk products, no ghee, no dahi, no cream, no milk".... People do respect these views unlike the bafflement you get in other places. It's been decades since I was in Jaipur but back when I was there, Lakshmi Misthan Bhandar (=Lakshmi Sweet House aka LMB) had great desserts and snacks (light meals). They have a deep fried milk concoction called "ghevar" that will clog your arteries but transport you to heaven before you die...... Rajasthan specialty....... Milagai

Hi Domestic Goddess: thanks for yet another vastly enjoyable eg food blog.... a few questions: 1. The flavor profile of Filipino food seems very different from Korean or SE Asian food; I mean that just looking at what you have posted it seems like Filipino food seems much less spicy and uses much less red chili etc. Do I have this wrong? Can you shed some light on this? Which do your kids prefer? 2. Re Korea: is there such a thing as "vegetarian" kimchee, I mean all bottles I've seen in stores call for fish sauce as an ingredient? Before I knew about this, I used to love Kimchee in our local Korean restaurant..... 3. Explanation of your "moniker"? Thanks... Milagai

The recipe is a little more complicated, but those who enjoy the process of cooking (as opposed to just the outcome) and enjoy South Indian home cooking, try the Asparagus Paruppu Usilli recipe I posted ages ago on recipegullet. It was my first post to this group, and I won a contest on the India forum with that .... (fond memories.....) Milagai

That last post looked just fantastic! Thanks for posting. Memo to self: newly found 2007 resolution; perfect homemade felafel.... Milagai

If you google "fresh turmeric" and "chutney" you'll get dozens of hits for great recipes. Chefadamg: if you ever get hold of some fresh turmeric I hear it's not that hard to grow, stick it into a flowerpot and it will grow like ginger.... Milagai

Thanks for the tip on soaked dried uncooked chickpeas. Anyone had luck baking rather than frying the felafels? TIA Milagai

Another vote here for plantain chips (with salt and red chili powder), also tapioca chips, and Lay's of all people are marketing a totally addictive sweet potato chip around here! Among potato chips as available in the US, I like Utz Kettle Cooked or Lays Crispy.... Indian potato chips of course.... sigh.... I like the extra spicy with curry leaves.... Milagai

I second Ludja's suggestion of interlibrary loan. Great way to check out books before deciding which to buy. I also endorse Pan's suggestion of Madhur Jaffrey's World of the East Vegetarian cooking. It's one of the most used cookbooks in my collection, and I usually get good results.... Milagai

Hi: cone pizza is very popular in India too, I can't remember the name of the chain though. The fillings are Indian style (spicy paneer, etc.). Another popular chain is Cafe Day (similar to Starbucks) that are sprouting just EVERYWHERE you look! Milagai

What Pan said! Cardamom rules, whether sweet or savory. I have a hard time thinking of cinnamon as a sweet spice, I like it better in savory. It's my own private dream that all the cinnamon flavored baked goods in US/Euro coffee shops turn into cardamom flavor.... Actually for me, all spices rock. (I can't think of one I don't like). I tend to think of other ingredients in a dish as a vehicle for the spices ..... And to the "curry" lovers - what specific spice note do you like in the whole mishmash? Or are you referring to curry leaves? Milagai

Most Indian dishes are eaten with rice or rotis, few if any are eaten plain unless they're rice-based or something, and even then there are the accompaniments.... Curry powder is not used by Indian cooks because it is too generic - each specific dish has a specific name and needs its own customized spice combination. You'll find the specific mixes in the Indian store (e.g. sambar masala to make sambar, chana masala to make chana, tandoori masala to marinade anything intended for the tandoor oven, etc.) The cardamom, fennel, garam masala etc. are useful. Broccoli is not widely known in India -cauliflower is more common. But cauliflower recipes can be broadly speaking, converted to use broccoli (with a few major exceptions, eg. gobhi musallam). And Indian cuisine has fantastic okra recipes - crisp and tangy - these have converted many an okra-phobe..... Lots of eggplant recipes however, from every region, so bon appetit! If you decide on some recipe/s from any of the links provided or from google, and have more questions, do say.... Milagai

Cooking on stove top (don't know about rice cookers) I find that it varies by type of rice. 1 rice : 2 water for Baasmati. 1 rice : 2.5 or even 3 water for Sona Masoori or other ordinary long grain white. Milagai

Here's a recipe for Kari leaf chutney: http://creative.linux-delhi.org/?q=node/1206 Kari leaf and garlic chutney (search halfway down the page) http://indian-recipies.blogspot.com/ Further down on the same page is "Brinjals in mustard" (brinjals = eggplant) which uses mustard oil Milagai

Nice topic..... I've not used fresh bay leaves, but dry ones - what are the fresh bay leaves used for? I've realized that fenugreek leaves (not substitutable with fenugreek seed) can be fresh - used as a vegetable similarly like spinach; or dried - (kasoori methi) which becomes a powerful aromatic, sprinkled sparingly on some dishes at the end of cooking. Very different entities. Dried cilantro OTOH is a total waste of time. Milagai

In Indian cooking, long grain vs. medium grain or other depends on the use. There are dozens of varieties of rice in India depending on traditional cultivars, new hybrids, now GMO's etc.... Agricultural scientists talk about length of time taken to grow the crop, disease resistance, yields, etc. but don't readily tell you whether it's short or long grain. Cooks care about length of grain, fragrance, sticky or not, etc. From the Indian cook's perspective, here's some partial information: Long grain rice is generally more prized, expensive, and used for "fancier" cooking, baasmati is the best of these. There's also cheaper long grains (e.g. Sona Masoori) that are good for everyday cooking or spicy rice dishes where the delicate baasmati perfume would be lost (e.g. vangi bhaat). There are also the parboiled rices used to grind, and make batter that ferments for idlis, dosais, aapams, etc. Here, the rice is steamed before being husked..... I think medium or short grain varieties are used for idli grinding. Then there are short grain rices like Bhutan red rice, and some Kerala and Andhra varieties. Used by different peoples, with different recipes. There are dozens of brand names for each of these varieties. Moral: not all Indian rice is Baasmati, or even long grain.

There is nothing surprising about it. The Dutch starting trading with India and other Asian countries beginning in the 15th century. Here is more about the Dutch East India Company. ← Swisskaese: did you really think I of all people would need to be informed about the East India companies and trade routes? The overt similarities between Dutch cooking and Indian cooking are not that great, compared to Indian and many other cuisines.....Or Dutch and other cuisines..... Plus, as we discussed a long time ago on Chufi's Dutch cooking thread, despite the spice trade, Dutch cooking pulled back on its use of spices in most dishes (e.g. the arguments in Schama's "Embarrassment of Riches" which someone pointed out to me) except desserts. "Main" Dutch dishes seem very far from "main" Indian dishes, etc. The surprising thing is the similarity of *specific* dishes from the two cuisines (recently Chufi mentioned the Dutch drink that older Dutch men are familiar with that's amazingly similar to Indian 'masala chai". Now this Shrikhand-like dessert. Hmf. Milagai

Ow yay! Chervil soup! Followed by a plate of tender white asparagus topped with hard boiled eggs and new potatoes on the side. Drenched in melted butter. For desert one of my favourite Dutch puddings: hangop ('hangup'). This is made by draining buttermilk in a piece of cheesecloth, for about eight hours. You will end up with a very creamy yet light, fresh and slightly sour substance. Stir in some sugar, vanilla, a drop of cream, all to taste, or nothing at all. Classically served with strawberries. If you don't have good buttermilk you could use yoghurt but the texture will be not as smooth and the flavour more acidic. ← I am so often astonished to find similarities between Dutch and Indian dishes - two cuisines you'd never think together! Your recipe just described Shrikhand (use yogurt instead of buttermilk and cardamom instead of vanilla)!! Add saffron if desired and it forms a delicate golden color, which is rather spring-like. For the main thread, the *cook* could get into the spring party mood by glugging Thandai (sweet cold drink of milk and crushed nuts) laced with Bhaang (cannabis slurry). This is a traditional drink in the Indian spring festival of Holi.... http://www.thecolorsofindia.com/recipes/bh...ki-thandai.html Milagai