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Geetha

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Posts posted by Geetha

  1. I feel thereis much to know if you observer yourself in activity I was not going to go on indepth so I realize I just wanted to know some stories and outcomes, sometimes I've ended up discovering new recipes too so it is fun and useful I didn't give credit to my moods until now now I do

    To me discovering is more of finding things new withing my own space not reflecting anything outside of it.. so I do these things to enjoy cooking when I repeat some ones process it is boring in time and excruciating but even if I am only changing the mode of cooking I will enjoy the process, I think I forget to look if it is done yet and instead watch the amazing changes in the food happening before me

    Then again its all musings that is what mood is about it vanishes to nothing enjoy it while it lasts however you can

  2. Yes I would love to do that to think of the flavors it would infuse into food, it is worth trying to lug it despite the worse conditions of travel

    I would love to try the small copper or brass (colored or actually made with them) vessels too it will help create good dining etiquette and portion control

    I saw a mini kadai once in the stores and wondered what one can cook and I am still picturing it

  3. I wonder if anyone has tried the non-veg version o rasmalai, its ingredients are khoya and egg, and the milk for liquid, I think this was the one I tried to get right after all... it tastes very different than the one from the only khoya.

    you prepare the mix with the same ingredients above adding the egg into it( 1 egg), and boil it in the milk as usual. and the shape of the rasmalai is like a pattis or rather flat instead of round.

  4. I realize too that methods might be a main part of discussion rather than cookware itself, but when it comes to sauce pans vs wok there seems a very little difference in method both can be used to stir fry.

    I tend to gravitate to a vessel if not for months for a week or so and then I will change over to another kind of vessel and maybe using a sauce pan only if no other choice is a vailable

    so I am thinking interms of vessels does anyone remember this occurring too often

  5. I got to know more about cooking after leaving India, I guess distance gives you a new perspective and some times a clearer one.

    I wanted to share those ideas I've used to substitute for standard cooking methods I learnt from my area of origin.

    Main theme to start with was does our mood tend to influence the kind of vessel or style of cooking for instance using a sauce pan inplace of a regular kadai or wok(other than due to lack clean ones)..

    Often times I am looking for a different texture (might I call that a mood :huh::rolleyes: ) so I tend to use a certain vessel.

    I put a list together on the kinds of cookwares

    steamer :biggrin: yet to be used

    Sauce pan

    Pressure cooker

    Dutch Oven

    Tava or griddle

    Baking (method rather than vessel)

    Kadai (a recent favourite of mine :biggrin: )

    give us all other[moods and vessels cookwares] you've had in the distant past too :wub:

    maybe as a result of this I will know more about myself :wink:

  6. I like the fact that you like the bitter taste. It is an acquired taste I did not first like it , only when my mom forced me to try a new version of the vegetable preparation did I get hooked on to its bitter taste so I understand how you feel about your curry too

  7. Seems interesting I've not tried this version with cardamom and all the other ingredients but you could easily make it with a normal curry recipe for the basic sauce or gravy, and then add the bitter-gourd, maybe some tamarind if you are daring :wink: it might take the taste to another level or otherwise you may have an entirely different version of taste. Maybe you can do it with out tamarind :rolleyes: to begin with

    I think you might know the basic gravy recipe with the onions and tomatoes if not you could follow any curry recipe just include the cardamom and cinnamon in the tempering. And jeera or cumin goes well too, and is very subtle in flavour.

    I don't know how ginger will change the flavour. You could add it coarsely chopped in 1/4 inch squares directly into tempering oil or very finely chopped along with the onions.

    Good luck with the trials :smile:

  8. I love it too I make it with out cinnamon and black cardamom, and usually make it dry like a stir fry.

    Recipe:

    2 melons cut into quarter inch pieces

    1 or 2 tomatoes

    1 green/yellow/ red onion

    1 cup Water

    2 Tbsp coriander pwdr

    1 to 2 Tbsp chilli pwdr

    1/4 tsp turmeric pwdr

    3 tbsp to a quarter cup of oil

    1 tsp Mustard

    and 1 tsp of jeera for preparing the sauteing oil

    Heat oil atleast 1 minute on medium flame before adding mustard and jeera.

    Add onion and let it become translucent or 2 min on medium flame, add tomatoes,

    (Cook Covered or uncovered based on the dryness factor to be acheived )lower to low flame to let the tomatoes lose their texture and become soft.

    Add powdered spices and salt and 1/4 cup water.

    Allow the water to be absorbed(if covered) or evaporate ( if uncovered)

    Let the steam be an indicator of the next stage, when the steam venting stops add the bitter-melon and 1/4 cup of water.

    When the water becomes less, add 1/4 cup. Repeat if desired for more even browning and deeper flavours of spice rather if you prefer your melon taste to overpower it may be best to stop.

    If a subtle taste of melon is desired or if the bitterness is to be reduced, repeat the step and in the end add some more coriander when water is reduced and stir on low flame.

    Other variation is to add egg white or an egg beaten up along with (preferably hot)1/4 cup water and then add coriander when it is dry. It is as good as adding coconut which results in a milder bitter taste.

    The gravy version is entirely different. Since bitter melon is prepared with usually a detailed instructions in order to lessen the bitterness.

    Would you describe more of your flavours like its sweetness/sourness factor too. I could give you a simple recipe on that basis

  9. Sometimes scientific thinking goes a long way to disturb the things, and belief goes a long way in setting it right :biggrin::blink: thats all that we have heard from very very experienced cooks fromm moms to grandmoms and so on

    I have practised this technique to perfection as long as my belief in their method was strong. I do falter sometimes disbelieving these things in unproved science

    It is more of consistency question so too is science and belief

    I don't know if it can be decifered by inspecting it is just to be followed in belief, thats is why some people :unsure: ask to train along side so that they may impart some of their intuition and constant belief to their students

    Indian cooking can only be explained in this way the methods are similar always with total belief, for a foodie it is a new thing to learn to do :rolleyes: but pays off a lot in terms of satisfaction

    edited:Oh a lot of minor changes to improve readability

  10. I wanted to add that I had this in US so I guess all of the materials are available here, I'm ok with some variations to the taste which I can remember to be very mild flavour but enough to be different from plain whipped cream

    Okay I admit I did have had a clue all along that it is whipped cream and flavoured with something but I've been wondering what the flavouring is or rather how I can get the flavourings in US

    thanks for your help :smile:

  11. For a simple whipped cream-based fruit mousse, just add melted gelatin well before the soft peak stage and then fold in fruit puree. I make this all the time and it is dead easy.

    Ok seems fairly simple I will try making this. Although this is a healthy approach I would like to try out the other flavourings the site mentions too. Is there a good place I can get it from online or otherwise,

    edited: it means other flavours

  12. it may just be the German authors  interpretation of the word glaze, not filling

    I was actually referring to the cream topping, I think the cream topping is mixed with this flavour giving liquid (which is also used to glaze the dessert) called ripples by the company I was wondering if the product is also called by other names here

    I'm not interested in the glaze at all :raz: only the cream topping although glaze might take to another level :rolleyes:

    I am looking seriously for any commercially available product close to this dessert, I think it is like ice cream over a dense cake or cookie crumble :sad: I don't know exactly

  13. Any ideas to make this topping there also some information about it here

    webpage and here

    Actually I don't know the desserts name I loved it the only time I had at a reception banquet please help :wub:

    I have looked for the likes of it all over the place I am entrusting this to anyone who can take a guess :smile:

    (edited by host nightscotsman to fix broken link)

  14. :smile: Jason there are a lot of things Indians don't know about the food they eat, westerners may be kind to intoduce some elements of food perception to Indians :shock::sad: I see of ten people here in US overwhelmend by the notion of cooking Indian food.

    I think there is a lot of things to be mutually deciphered about cooking itself and food flavours by eastern and western people.

    Many of the Indians are also figuring out ways to communicate their needs in food now, so there is a gap in terms of understanding of food in itself by both the groups.

    I would find it hard translating the perception of food to you but on the other hand you may be able to describe the flavours more easily as I can see from your discription above.

    In answer to your question on how your cooking may be palatable to other Indians you may want to know the exact specifics of their methods or rather closest you can get to it.

    Indian food seen in restaurants are more of popular items and any dishes yuo like to introduce should be also in those lines or it would take time and several attempts to reach their satisfaction, Indian foodies are not adventurous when it comes to their own cuisine it takes a miracle to create a popular dish

    I do hope it will be an exciting and successful attempt for you, if you keep it simple I think you'll get there sooner than you know.

    Geetha

  15. milagai

    I have only tasted or rather remember having heard of mango ginger when in north mango turmeric I remember a scant mention in our homes in south.. I am not sure if mango haldi is used for pickles as readily as mango ginger.. in north that is as far as my memory goes. :raz:

    But I love both these :smile: I would love to see photos or any illustrations any any related info you might have sabiha

    gEetha

  16. :blink: Sabiha I think you must be talking of mango ginger, I've had this in my stay in the north.. I know it is sought after vegetable root in one of the seasons, as is the big red chillies

    I too love lemon pickle and the methi seeds are added to mostly north indian preparations of pickle :smile: I've always wanted to know all about pickles something that ticlkes your imagination as to how it tastes sooo good..

    Good luck in finding mango ginger in your local market or on web ??--

    Love

    GEetha

  17. :biggrin: I don't know... must you ask..

    Hard to speak about this, without conjuring up tasty favourites from either regions, anyway north and south is too general, I'd rather pick some dish and ask which region it comes from. Not to mention the current palates are seasoned by the continuous mixing trends from all regions.

    For instance I love poha which is maharashtrian, and also the fact that they use dry curry leaf powder for every thing and dhokla's.. too but on the whole I should say that every cuisine is not independent in itself, I thought that certain practices of cooking are unique to a region but it is not so, and the taste difference comes from very small variations that keep getting adopted by others too..

    Gujarathi cooking uses dry powder of spices like chillies for tadka and so do bengalis.. so my apologies but if we were living in a time when there was little or no travel and consequent mingling amongst people

    I would consider one's cuisine as one's cuisine on other terms no. :raz:

    Only few dishes have so far remained unique to a place so we can comment on a

    of them I guess

    North in general stuffed parathas, tandoor, all tomato based roux curries, mint/coriander chutney, tamarind chutney, dals, vegetables spiced with cumin

    South Rice pancakes (dosas uthappam ..), sharp spice and acidity, coconut based curries, less or rather independent of tomatoes curries like avial/kootu sambar, chutneys(very specifically called toghaiyal)

    I think my balance will be almost on equal by now if I were to weight both sides.. so I think it is really beneficial to take one at a time and enjoy it as it comes.. :laugh:

  18. milagai does the thirattaipal as the name refers to being 'broken milk' or curdled , mean that the thick milk was later used for produce ricotta cheese like khoya. I think that is what it is, is there some other dish that used only thick milk I'm not remembering the one which uses only thick milk not curdled later on..

    I think I am not in possesion of the recipe for thirattaipal so may be I should be excused for mentioning the above satatement on thirattai pal, I must ask some one..

  19. I'm not so sure whatgoes into palkhova, but I think there a few of the recipes we have in India, many are so different from others that you wonder why they have been calledby same name.. yes I've been confused by this for long, I know that my husbands grandmom made the tharattaipal, and it used to be made from thick milk I think so, but my mother has been in North and I've learnt many of my recipes from her, or rather influenced by her assumptions. I remember the unremarkable salesman of khoya who used to come at odd number of times in a week and barter khoya. I used to remember asking what it is for and my mother would respond in various terms depending on her time constraints :-) mostly referring to things that are not too demanding of her in case I should ask of her to make one of these dishes, any way once I remember her telling me that khoya which I think is similar to ricotta cheese in texture needs to be hung on cheese cloth and then presssed to drain water(or that liquid whey ) and that would beused for the prep of paneer.

    So the point here :-)) is to know that there are people who have different meanings of khoya and would not like to discount any of those views.. I'm one of those people lol!

  20. :blink: I think I may have an answer or two

    There is a sweet dish called palkhova, nevermind the pronunciation .. means khoya which is a little bit different from paneer in that khoya is not so compact, and has to be drained to get paneer and not to mention pressed for a week(I think ?).

    Now I am not sure as to who were the first makers of this preparation of palkhova whether it is known by just other names like petha(which has some other ingredients in it too), as I see it 'pal' means milk, 'khova' means the cheese.

    So its your guess whether paneer is known or used in south or only in north, my guess is it is used by both our indians north and south..

    But I do not know of a dish as in a curry for paneer used in south it may be but not known to me :hmmm: .

  21. Nice to hear from you again Geetha. We appreciate the updates.  Stumtpown Roasters is indeed very good - they actually have a national reputation despitebeing a regional roaster.

    The same is true for some of us in egards to Yemeni coffees such as Moka Ismaili, Moka Harrar and Moka Mattari.  They have a wild, winey spiciness that is unique and makes them very good in blends.

    I'm going to try them too as you say blends are good. I've one called Morning Joe from my gourmet coffee section of grocery, and what can I say its really good if you have everything right interms of freshness, milk :unsure: (though there is good reason to believe that the milk used at home in India might be homogenized), and the right mood for the right outcome:wink:

    So I might be trying some blends in the future

  22. Coincidentally, the "Ultimate India" episode of Globe Trekker last night (PBS travel show) featured a very brief segment on South Indian coffee.  The pouring ritual, as described so well above, was remarkable to watch; the speed and dexterity of the coffeemaker spoke of highly developed skills.

    :wub: Ghostrider I was thinking of an outline of what it was that keeps me attached to coffee from home(method and beans), Icame up with these three pertinent points:

    * Beans quality(preferrably from those bounteous hillsof malabar since I sure there is majic there :smile: )

    * milk (still continuing to experiment)

    * Athi-fying (in tamil English) the process you mention above is truly unique to generate the ultimate outcome interms of flavour in the just right emphasis of all the other elements other than the beans (air water caesin..)

    Love to hear from others who ever tried to see what this pouring does to effect the outcome

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