Pompollo

About the emulsion idea. Torakris asked about what to do with the eggs while counting 6 seconds. I had to think about it all last night, since I couldn't immediately come up with a written technique. I usually do it all by sight and feeling. It dawned on me: What matters is how hot the pan is. If the pan is really hot and the eggs start to congeal right away, they will not be runny enough when you put in the rice. And you will loose the emulsion effect. I guess the technique is (1) to use medium heat so that the eggs don't congeal before you put in the rice. and (2) during the 6 seconds use your chopsticks/spatula to slightly stir and even out the eggs on the bottom so you can mix in the rice right away. There are so many techniques to making chahan. I've done the "make a space trick" to fry the egg among the rice, etc. etc. It's really intersting reading these. I will try the soy sauce in the oil trick. Never knew about that. Also, a friend of mine sprinkles hondashi/dashinomoto (soup flavoring) and mixes it up. This gives the chahan a definite "Japanese" flavor.

Speaking of tandoori and wood and charcoal. Can I ask a dumb question that's kind of relative? (Maybe it's been brought up elsewhere, but...) Is there a technique to making "tandoori" taste good/close to authentic by using just a home oven or stove-top grill? Can't fire the charcoal grill or burn those stacks of wood in the kitchen. Any suggestions?

Ha Ha. I have to laugh at the site Kris posted. In addition to asking peple what they put mayo on, there was another section devoted to "What I Eat That's Different from Most People". And again our white, gloopy stuff showed up a number of times. People said: Natto, soy sauce, and MAYO Fried egg with ketchup and MAYO Boiled spinach with MAYO Curry with MAYO on top Squash/pumpkin with MAYO Tuna sashimi with soy sauch and MAYO That white stuff gets on everyTHING!

On NHK there is a program called Tameshite Gatten. (If any of you know it, you may agree that it is fun and very informative. Every week [Wed. 20:00 JST] it highlights a subject like Karage, Tofu, Diabetes, Tea, Cholesterol, laundry, you name it. ) Not to digress, but one night they had a show on how to make the best tasting chahan. The main point boiled down (no pun intended) to what Hiroyuki mentioned--emulsion. The scientific studies, as well as people studies, proved that the combination of eggs first emulsifying togeher with the oil in the pan, and then adding the rice later into the semi-cooked eggs, created the best taste sensation. But cooking was down to a science. The directions were the same as Hiroyuki's, but timing was of the essence. 1. Heat the oil one minute. 2. Add the eggs and count 6 seconds. 3. While the eggs are still very raw/runny, add warm/hot rice (NEVER cold according to the TV experts). If you use leftover rice cold from the fridge, you can heat in microwave first. 4. And then stir like crazy until each grain of rice becomes coated in raw egg. (It's hard and I am still trying, but that is the entire key to good-tasting chahan, according to the show and now my own palette.) 5. Once the egg has cooked enough, then you can add whatever you want after and mix in. I have been doing this now and it really works. I used to cook all the ingredients separately, one by one and then throw them all together in the pan with cold rice and heat. I don't do this any more after watching the show. Finally, one of my favorites is what I call "bacon n eggs" chahan. Ingredients are eggs, bacon (obvious) and yellow onions (tamanegi) not naganegi. I slowly cook together the bacon and onions (chopped roughly so you can see and bite into them them). Slowly cooked, the onions release their sweatness and this is really what adds to the whole taste combination. Once these are cooked enough, I remove from heat. I cook the basic chahan as above, counting my 6 seconds. After my grains are all coated and golden, I add the cooked bacon/onions and stir together. I only season with salt and pepper, as I think it tastes so much better simple and plain.

To all that attended. Sorry I couldn't make it this time. I hope to get to the next one. Thanks Torakris for organizing. As it was, I also caught a cold and was feeling lousy on Saturday when I was with clients all day. Went home and slept 11 hours. Feeling much better now.

Stepping in here... My limit to mayo is on tuna sandwiches... With that said I have a few comments/tidbits I've observed. 1. Not only mayo but ketchup comes in tubes. So, I think it's a packaging question (easier to use--squeezing) than "frequency of use" issue. 2. Japanese like tart mayonaise. Ajinomoto many years ago tied up with Best Foods, and the end result didn't make a hit in the market at first. Reason: the mayo was like American Best foods and thus not sour/vinegary enough for the Japanese. Ajinomoto has remained persistant and still sells all kinds of mayo now in competition with Kewpie. 3. Japanese for the most part HATE the Best Foods mayo that comes in a jar. They say it makes them sick to look at it since it resembles pudding or custard more than mayo. 4. There are a number of mayo cookbooks in Japan that use the white stuff into all kinds of stuff such as drinks, oshiruko, yogurt, cake, etc. 5. Which reminds me. My aunt in the states made a "Decadent Chocolate Cake" that called for a cup of mayo. (Also 1/4 cup of red food coloring too!!) The idea of mayo in cake to a growing boy was icky. But the cake itself was soooooo moist because of all that mayo. 6. At one time in the States there was a popular casserole dish called something like Chicken Devanne. You put cooked chicken, broccoli, 1 can of Campbells mushroom soup, and the same amount of 1 can of mayo. Mix and bake in oven and serve over rice. I remember it wasn't bad, but the idea of cooking with mayo is "foreign" to Americans. As is putting mayo on french fries. 7. There are all sorts of flavored mayo in Japan: Wasabi, tarako, mentaiko, tuna, katsuo, mustard, etc. I am sure there are more, but I'm not a fan and don't keep up on the latest on the market. 8. I do not like all thsoe breads baked with mayo on them. Ham rolls, cheese croissants, tuna rolls, pizza, whole-corn rolls, etc. Alt those delicious-looking breads ruined by having mayo gooped on top. 9. People always ask why Japanese food such as potato salad tastes so much different from what they are used too. It's the soury tasting Kewpie, in my opinion, (in addition to cooked carrots and cucumbers first salted, momi momi-ed, and then sqeezed). 10. Funny, ne. With all this talk about mayo, and hardly a mayoara around. Happy squeezing!

What always seems to work for me is to eat a nice-sized meal of some good food, and it doesn't even have to be Indian Maybe it's psychological, but after waking up feeling lousy, I find that by eating a good meal along with drinking a lot of non-alcohol liquids (tea, water) I always feel better fast. I think it ties in with replenishing your body of fuel and fluids. With a splitting head, food may be the last thing you want to think of especially if you've been making trips to stand over the toilet. Even so, I've heard it's better for your body if you don't have an empty stomach when you arrive at the toilet. (EAT! EAT! It puts less stress on your body: or so that's what cruise lines tell seasick passengers.) And to jschyun, thanks. I enjoyed reading the article about Tylenol. I had heard it was bad to take with alcohol, so now I know more to the story.

Interesting timing for this to show up. I have to laugh at the coincidence of asafoetida showing up as a topic. It showed up for the first time at my home on Sunday. I live in Japan and recently went to India and ate myself to death... That being the case, I am now at egullet discovering how to cook, besides just eat, Indian food. I started looking at cookbooks and recipes and figuring out what needs to go in ny Indian spice rack. I compiled a list and gave it to an Indian friend living in the States who was coming on Sunday to visit. (Unusual spices are cheaper and more readily available in the States.) Although unbeknowgst to me (about the potent aroma, that is), I saw that it is a spice often used in recipces, so I asked her to bring some. Well, my spices arrived individually wrapped, but placed all together in a large shopping bag. For the life of me for two days I couldn't figure out what THAT SMELL was. I wondered what had gotten rotten and why do all my spices have that digusting. particular smell that wreaked all the time. I was afraid they were all ruined. I finally had to investigate and my nose narrowed it down to the little bottle of LG Asafoetida. It's not even opened yet, but to stiffle my olfactory organ, I double wrapped it in two baggies and put it on top of the dish cabinet. It kind of smells if I go near, but if I stay away from the shelf, it's o.k. I am afraid to store it near anything edible. As a consolidation, I am glad she bought LG, as that seems to be THE brand according to Lalitha's post above. And, now my questions are: Is this stuff safe to use in food? Meaning it smells so strong that if I put into any recipes, I am afraid the whole dish will taste, and worse SMELL, so bad that I won't be able to eat it. When cooked, does the smell mellow out? And does it blend in well with the other ingredients/spices to make a dish taste good?

I am hoping you can give advice on the best grinder for me. When our neighbors moved, they gave me a Krups (says on back Model: Type 863) made in Switzerland. They said that they hardly used it. Trouble is, I have used it 3 times in 2 years, one reason is because it is such a pain to fill the portafilters, among other things. Talking to a friend aobut getting rid of the machine, he suggested I look into getting a grinder that feeds into the portafilter. Since that sounded like a good idea I started looking for a grinder. Now I am confused as ever, because of all the types, sizes and prices. Maybe you can offer some suggestions. This is my situation: 1. The espresso machine I have is an out-dated low-end to mid-range home-use machine (from what I can tell.) 2. The 3 times I used the machine I made espresso shots so I could make cappucino. (I don't usually drink espresso straight, except at Italian restaurants.) 3. I make coffee at home at least once but at the most 3 times per WEEK. (That's not per day.) 4. When I make coffee I use a drip coffee machine. 5. I have an old Krups blade grinder that is still twirling at 23 years old. I bought it in 1981. 6. I grind only enough beans at a time for each pot of coffee. 7. After grinding the beans, I always soap wash grinder top and wipe out the blades so left over grounds don't go rancid/acidic. 8. Since I clean/wash the grinder each time,I would like a machine that is easy to get out leftover grounds/static. 9. I keep unground beans in freezer, and would never leave them in a hopper or doser of a grinder just sitting on the counter. 10. Finally, my initial feature was to get a grinder that feeds into the portafilter directly. (Idea sounds great in theory but in reality does this cause a great big mess? ) The issue just isn't money alone, although it's a big factor. I can spend at max US$150. I've seen the Rocky but besides the hefty price it's maybe overkill for somebody like me. I would like a better grinder than the Krup blade and one that easily cleans between use. For someone who has been using the same blade grinder for 23 years, I definitely have no experience at all and I've learned that I have the worse kind of grinder and a pretty bottom-of-the-line espresso machine. I need to spend big bucks for both new espresso machine and grinder. But if I don't go that rounte, and just get a grinder for now, what grinder should I get???? Thanks for any feedback.

Monica, It's nice to receive your welcome. Thanks! I'll look forward to hearing a reply if you can. And thanks too for helping us out with great advice on how to cook delicious Indian food. (And I also mean: Indian food deliciously too) Pompollo

Torakris, Thanks for the welcome. Yoroshiku. I happened to remember what I forgot to mention in my first post. Making the curry with only spinach (either raw, cooked, or frozen) as your vegetable instead of the standard COPs (potatoes, onions carrots) makes an interesting variation from the routine. Also varying the cuts of meats makes a difference in taste too. Instead of the usual chunks of pork or beef, making the curry with ground beef or ground pork, or even flavored meatballs, creates a little variety. Finally, using very thinly sliced cuts of beef or pork is easy, takes little time to cook, and imparts a different texture and flavor. Well, all curried out for the moment.

HI. First of all I found this great site for people who love food and cooking. In fact what brought me to the site in the first place was a search for Indian cooking and curry recipes. Since I live in Tokyo I couldn't resist taking a peak at the Japan site too and found this thread. In getting back to the original querry for making Japanese curry taste different, I'll share what I do. I slice up some eggplants lengthwise (1/8 slices) and fry them in a little oil (I prefer olive oil) and salt. After they go limp, I put them in the curry with a can of crushed tomatoes. To me, this really changes the flavor the curry, but still doesn't do enough to make into an "Indian" type curry. Just in case you are thinking of shortening steps ...... I was lazy once and sliced the eggplants and just threw them raw into the curry with the tomatoes. Unfortunately, the eggplants never got limp enough to my satisfaction, and even after they softened up they had no flavor. As for favorite Japanese curry roux in the box, I love the Glico one that has the carmalized onions in a separate pouch. It's sometimes hard to find, but it does taste different because of those onions. Also, instead of the roux, I sometimes make Japanese curry from scratch with curry powder from Shinjuku no Nakamuraya (the breads/foods/confectionaries store). It's my favorite curry powder. Although it's kind of like Indian, it still tastes Japanese, but good to me.

Hi. I'm new here and I've discovered that I've come to the right place for help on Indian food & cooking. Great advice. I'm a foodie living in Japan who loves Indian food and who also loves to cook, but never attempted to make Indian food, as it seemed so exoctic that I figured I could never replicate those flavors and taste sensations myself. Luckily there are some great Indian restaurants in Tokyo. I recently went to India for 10 days, and for good or bad (as I don't like hype), I figured for the experience I had to have dinner in Delhi at least once in my life at Bukhara, renowned for its tandoori cooking and dal. Besides these two dishes, we wanted something with "gravy", a word which always made me laugh on my trip since it's what westerners refer to as a "curry" in India, but which Indians refer to as a dish with some liquid or sauce. Not expecting much, we settled for the Murg Makhani (Butter Chicken) on their menu since it was one of the few "gravy" offerings, and besides it's sometimes fun to compare the same dishes from one place to another, as we had eaten it once or maybe twice during the trip and liked it. I remember the tandoori as being o.k., but after a while the huge portions got to taste too smokey. The dal very good (no offense to Indian cooks/cooking, but it tasted like the great cuban beans my friends make at home. It's definitely the smokey flavor common to both.) Anyway, when I took my first bite of the Makhani Chicken, I thought I'd died and gone to heaven while sitting on my Bukhara stool. Now, ever since then I cannot get that taste out of my mind. I have since hunted the Internet (one reason I ended up here.) to look for a recipe. I settled on three and ended up combining what I thought was the best of them. One had a supurb combination of spices for the tandoori marinade. Another added cashew nut paste and cilantro, and the 3rd called for a pinch of mace and nutmeg. If I do say so myself, it came out better than I had expected. I am now also into trying other dishes (potato cauliflower) was another favorite discovered during my trip. I am also having fun trying to decide on Indian cookbooks too, as I am getting into "doing it myself". Anyway, I know that on this forum many members have given ricipes for butter chicken. Suvir has offered some, one from Bukhara, in fact. But what was noticeable/remorable about the Bukhara's was the richness of flavors, the thick texture of the sauce, and hints of various spices. Topped with a good helping of cilnatro cooked in as well as garnished fresh on top. The dish just wasn't butter, cream and tomatoes, as there were definitely other tastes in there. The finishing touch of this ambrosia at the Bukhara was a slice of lime to squeeze in and mix up. I know they have the dal in cans, but if their makhani sauce were to be next, I'd be first in line to stock up on some. I know butter chicken has been hashed around by many and often here, as the dish is popular for good reason: it's an unforgetable taste sensation that's addicting. Sorry to bring it up again, but is there really one recipe that creates the taste I'll never forget? And with all your good help I feel more confident already in "polishing up my elbow" (as the Japanese say) when it comes to cooking Indian food. Thanks.