foodietraveler

Edward that is perfect. exactly what mom taught us. also we brown spices to different doneness for different dishes. And different families, regions, cultures within India treat tempre oil differently. Did you buy Indian Home Cooking by Suvir Sarna? In chapter for rassam, there is explanation on tempring oil. You know lot about Indian food. Impressive. Thanks for sharing.

boiled condensed milk is more like dulce de leche... is that correct? Monica? Suvir? Monica did you grow up outside of India? My mom makes similar kulfi. It is immigrant kulfi as mom says. Not as special, but does the trick if you want to be lazy, which I often want to be. We add toasted nuts and saffron into our home version. Makes it seem special without much effort.

Banana Pudding was made for dessert this weekend. My gf's family said it was better banana pudding than they had grown up eating. Grandma would have found it superior is what mother said. Dinner was pea samosas (thank heaven for recipe that makes this easy) as appetizer with pakoras (better than mom's, Suvier has a way with making things simple and better I think). The pakoras were so crisp and delicate, more like tempura and the batter was light and the veggies amazing. A recipe I told mom I will share with her. Dinner was lamb-orange biryaani, I never knew orange was used in Indian cooking. mom says it is and a vegetable of the rich. We grew up in modest middle class homes. The biryaani will convert just about anyone into Indian cooking. It was amazingly perfumed, without smelling of artificial flower type smell most Indian biryaanis have which we like but non-indian find abhorrent for the most part. I have plenty non-indian friends that love the rose water and kewra though. Mushroom recipe from Srinagar club was just out of this world. We ate it all and hoped we had made double batch. It is a recipe that will become a all time favorite for in-laws. Matar Paneer was like moms. Thin sauce, runny and spicy and delicate. Finally a home style recipe for a home dish. Thanks Suvir. I hope I can discuss this with you. Why do so many cookbook writers and other authors not use home recipes for dishes like this? Can you please share with us? Are home style recipes more difficult to document? Less famous? trendy? Please do tell us what you think about this. Sad that yours is first book which makes effort to try sharing simple version of this famous dish. Cumin aloo (jeera aloo) were simple and superb and easy to make. Will make them for brunch often now that I realize jeera aloo does not need tomato sauce. Another thing all cookbooks do differently from home chefs. Today gf will make dinner from book. I shall let you all know. Suvir, what are some of your favorite recipes from the book? Can you share a list of one or two dishes from each chapter. Please.

we never remove seeds or water either. I think slow cooking make all difference and you can skip the step. I like a garnish of parsley also. And sumac or bahaar (Lebanese) are used traditionally. Mom being Indian was happy using cumin, but she always maintained most home chefs do not use it.

We char eggplant whole. It takes some time, but really is best way. The inside gets cooked, but not contaminated with too much char. The skin gets totally black, you will have to use heavy spoons and spatula to handle if you are using grill... I often do it on stove top... sometimes in toaster oven. Key is to do slow charring. The inside gets very soft. The creamy-ness is controlled by how much tahini you add. Eggplant that has been charred long and carefully mashes easily with a wooden spoon. And is not too chunky at all, only as chunky or mashed as you want it to be. I once tried charring eggplan after cutting it. Not the same end result.

Fantastic! And that too would be less said. Finally an Indian cook book that is so beautiful, printed by a leading American publisher and with of the minute design and photographs. We cooked a big meal for just my gf and I. Cooked more than we should have, but with this book, it will be something easy to do. The back cover of the book quotes Mark Bittman, a fan of Suvir Saran, and a man greatly admired by Monica Bhide and many others who love good and honest food as saying "This is one of the most interesting and accessible Indian cookbooks ever written. Suvir's food is fresh, delicious, authentic, and straightforward, and the input of veteran Stephanie Lyness virtually guarantees recipes that will work for home cooks, even those who've never attempted Indian before." My own favorite food person, my Middle Eastern food favorite, Paula Wolfert, says: "I really like this book - a fine collection of light, vibrant, fresh, and easy-to-make authentic Indian home cooking. The resulting flavors are complex and sophisticated without being fussy or difficult. The writing is friendly, the instructions are practical, and the food is exciting. Bravo!" And then to top it all of, the author of one of my most trusted cookbooks on the foods of Emilia Romagna, Lynne Rosetto Kasper says: "For pure, unadulterated pleasure, just try Suvir Saran's food. It is the stuff of midnight yearnings. Never has indian food tasted this fresh, this exciting, and rarely has it been this easy to do. He is as generous a teacher on the page as he is in person. if you've ever considered an Indian cookbook, this is the one. It will be happily stained and dog-eared within weeks." But if this unmatched praise for a first work were not enough, the back cover has others praising just as high if not even more grandly. My gf tells me it is far from common for a first time writer to have such respect and admiration from those that will be their peer in the future. Clearly Suvir has earned praise in the world of food and writing that maybe people in his genre will never be able to get. One of my gfs favorite TV Show has been Queer eye for straight guy. I find it somewhat challenging of my style. But it is funny and the men are very brilliant at how t hey changed the people they work on. Maybe secretly I wish our home, closet and kitchen could find their touch. And so jealousy makes me distracted. Ted Allen, the food guy says: "You have GOT to cook this book! Much as Rick Bayless opened people's eyes years ago to the underappreciated wonders of Mexican cooking, Suvir Saran and Stephanie Lyness are poised to do the same for the rich and fascinating cuisine of India. Not only does this volume reveal the mysteries of this vibrant food in an exciting and affectionate voice, it makes it attainable to the home cook--and that makes this book a triumph." Is the comparison to Rick Bayless a sign that Indian food is coming of age, or that Suvir will soon become a man of more millions? A chef I had never heard of, but had to google as I found him mentioned in the book and then on Suvirs site, Art Smith (private chef to Oprah Winfrey), has made an even more eloquent assessment of this book, saying: "Suvir Saran speaks the language of the home cook, yet his food rivals that of top chefs everywhere. His recipes demystify this world-class cuisine, bringing its irresistible home cooking to our kitchens. Food and its meaning are universal. To see the common thread, we have only to open our mouths, and our minds. Guided by Suvir, we can do both." One of the chefs whom I have never understood, but people tell me has a big following, Roseann Gold, says: "If you crave the flavors of Indian cuisine and long to recreate them at home, then buy this book! With warmth, charm, and formidable expertise, Suvir and Stephanie beckon you into their kitchen and teach your tastebuds to dance." Each authority that reviewed the book has said something very different. My gf says they have said what they feel because she cannot sense the same language coming across in each. Never thought of it this way. And now, after reading several back covers, I realize how many books have one person writing quotes and people just allow author to use their name. Must have been difficult to get such many big people to find time to review the book. It does make sense. As I mentioned to Monica on another correspondence, Indian food is now being looked at as a growing food. And this book and her own efforts will change how people think of our counrties food. My gf is smitten by him. I guess I should message him here to let him know he has people in love with his food for sure, but also his style. She believes this book could not be so beautiful if it were not for some personal sense of taste that Suvir has been born with. I doubted that and said maybe it is easy to buy a team. She did some google searches and found out he is a designer and retailer and so is now convinced he is his works own artistic director. Could that be the case? Will publishers allow authors such power? Is it smart? Or are exceptions made when talent is apparent? Who decides if talent is good and substantial? Why can we all not find such believers? But all men are not really created same. Suvir, will you be traveling with this book? How many cities? What cities? Will you teach classes when you visit other cities? How can one enroll? We are waiting for Flan from the book to cool down. We made it, again, simple recipe. My fingers are crossed that it works. Will let you know. GF and I are having fights about who gets to read it tonight at bed.

Mom says not too much garlic at all. It kiss baba. Not the same thing. Baba is about balance she says and best Syrian chefs spend lots of time roasting eggplant carefully. Garlic can be rough on tongue she says, and raw garlic even more. They use raw garlic and so use little. Lebanese do same thing in Lebanon. She has not eaten much Lebanese or Syrian food in America, always cooking for me and my non-indian friends, food from India when she visits.

Sorry, congratulation Suvir! I forgot to say that to you.

Ok, I have the book. Better than I thought it could be. I was nervous Methome Magazine raised my expectation too high. But book is better than magazine, in design and look. Colors are amazing, recipes simple home food and photographs are just from a post card, so nice. I mistakenly write review on other conversation here. Below is link. http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=47309&st=30& I will cook more and write later. I ordered two books. Busy weekend I think ahead.

The books arrived! And the cover of Indian Home Cooking is even better look then what you see on amazon.com. The colors are just so fresh and indian and also have good feel and look. Book looks more like table top book for design accent. I know gf will want to decorate side table with the book. I have quickly read through book. Could not stop myself from wanting to see all photographs. One more better than the previous. It beats Methome actually, I hope I do not get Suvir into trouble with editors there. Both very different really. Book is competing at same level as the bigger name chef books, I am sure Suvir pay more money for photograph then he makes from book. It will make big difference. I showed my neighbor the book and he could not believe this was Indian food. So different from restaurant and other book stuff he said. And yes so true. Monica, thanks for so many recipes. I will give your book to colleague that want to see the books I rave about. I get into trouble with gf if I give away both books. I know she wants to see them too. Methome story has made us very proud. Thanks. Will cook from books and say more later. You all make us proud. Suvir, your book will have us hungry, you write well (with Stephanie) and share good stories about your dishes. And your food is like home food we eat as my family traveled all across India and Middle East. Thanks.

Yes. Though oddly, the credits say: "Produced by Linda O'Keeffe. Photographs by Jim Franco. Written by Stephanie Lyness." I've never seen production credit given in a magazine. I did not read your comment. I repeat what you said. Sorry.

I was interested in knowing if Suvir Saran gives tours. There are many others that do. I hear about them every time one reads stuff in India Abroad and other magazines. That was not what I was going after. My girlfriend fell in love with the Methome Story and her parents who have more money than I can make as a artist, were the people I was going to send to him. If you have not read the piece, I guess you are going by what you hear. I urge you, who leads us to go get a copy. It is not just a good article, it is a first for Indian food. It can sow seeds for the change that needs to take place in how Americans think of our food. It shows what new blood like Suvir and you Monica can do and have done for Indian food. My girlfriend is a designer and gets the magazine and always loves the food stories. And it was a first for them to give so many pages to food and to top it, to her boy friends native food. Stephanie Lyness is the writer and yes she is the coauthor. It is beautifully written, simple style of the Americans and sharing the intricacies of our culture and food and showing how Suvir is leading the movement to change perceptions about our food.

Suvir, can you share some recipes that use white cardamom? I shall ask mom is she ever uses them. I have never even seen them.

Monica, mom makes the same chutney as your mother-in-laws. In fact mom calls it kari pachadi. She dry roasts the sesame seeds and always asks me to use Indian white sesame seeds. which ones do you use? she uses peanuts from India, roasts them at home, she feels the ones I buy in supermarket here are not the same. I find the difference slight but not all that much. she uses lime peel and juice instead of mango powder and add whole dried red chile, that has also been roasted. It is amazing and we eat it with bread, buns or pita.

I absolutely agree with your mom. Char the heck out of the eggplant! Must be mashed by hand and add garlic, lemon juice and tahini. Perfect! Your mom's a genius! you are sweet. I shall pass along your compliment. But she will say what I say now, the recipe is not hers, all our neighbors and friends prepared it almost the same way, some hands used more garlic and tahini than was necessary and others more balanced. With eggplant, no matter what you cook, you can go two ways mom says. One is to overspice and use the eggplant to become a texture element and not the flavoring element, for too much seasoning and spices can overwhelm eggplants own subtle flavor, or you can do what mom does with many an eggplant dish and keep the seasoning and spice simple and thereby highlight the complexity that can be tasted in charred eggplant. And for my personal taste, nothing is worse than a strongly garlicky baba... but I am biased, for I grew up eating the less garlicky baba. And they also drizzled a generous amount of olive oil over the baba. I actually do not think it was extra virgin, even though I use extra virgin in mine. Some garnish the baba with chopped parsley others with some aleppo pepper. But again, most do not do anything, leave it simple.

mom always substituted lemon or lime for tamarind or even tomato or amchur. She always says you have to be clever in kitchen and not worry what is authentic to a recipe. Importance is in having correct taste. you say same thing... glad to read your words.

See, I was wrong. My parents lived and traveled a lot in Lebanon. This shall be tomorrow's question for mom. I know she said we use more garlic in Lebanese cooking here in US then they do back there. Also the garlic there is very different from ours. Smaller, finer cloves and very flavorful and sweet. She cannot understand our garlic, but has now understood that it is similar and also different. Mom and dad have traveled a lot to Israel, since India does some strategic work with Israel, will ask for her impressions of baba they had there. I have no impressions of Israeli and Lebanese food from the countries, since I have not traveled there. I have only eaten foods form there in other nations. Do we have someone on site who knows foods from the region? someone who has traveled and lived there? My parents spent more than 14 years in Syria. And they traveled a lot from there to other neighboring countries.

But mind you hers is not an american recipe, she learned it when living in Syria. Some in the Middle East believe Syria has great cooks. Many of the chefs in other parts of the region come from Syria. But mom could be wrong. Also, I find it funny she says add a little cold water. she makes me do that also with hummous. Again, not sure how real any of this is... but I share what I know with you. Sorry if I am wrong.

crunchiness is best for mooli. nice to see your mom adds sugar too. We grew up adding little sugar to some things mom made. Not to make dish sweet, but as mom says to balance the flavoring. We ate mooli ki bhujiya, mooli parathas, mooli ka raitaa, mooli pachadi, mooli waala sambhaar, mooli aur lassan ka soup. And of course raw mooli as salad. I remember my dadi would serve it in glasses that had mooli, think and fresh from garden and filled with chilled water in winter.

Green papaya salad, but I think mom learned it from living in South East Asia. She makes green papaya paronthas. The papaya is treated as you would radish (mooli) and she salts the flour. So water from papaya does not make stuffing watery. Green papaya koftas, good for those that need extra fiber mom says. So dadi gets plenty of these every week.

mom says when we lived in Syria, our neighbor had taught her how to make baba. It was charred on the stove, and my mon charred it in toaster oven. Charring till very burnt is the key mom says. Also, it cannot be processed in machine she says. Has to be mashed by hand. Garlic should be mashed in raw. The smallest clove you can find for one very large eggplant. Eggplant is very subtle and she says garlic can kill the baba. She added lemon and tahini and says a teaspoon of cold water keeps the baba from turning brown. Not sure if that makes sense. But I wanted to be a good new member and help in my small way.

thank you.

I am going to cook an Indian meal friday. Not sure what dishes, but I shall cook from two books, both by our experts from egullet. I have ordered books by Monica Bhide and Suvir Saran. They arrive later today and what inspires me shall be prepared for mom, girl friend and non-indian friends. What wines would be safe ones for me to buy? Any ideas? Or am I too naive to think I can buy wines in advance of having a menu planned? Guidelines for pairing wine with Indian food??

Mummy always used Parmalait Tomatoes, I think she says the chopped ones are good to use when fresh tomatoes are not ripe. I cook my Indian recipes using them. Also make pasta with them. But if you have good ripe flavorful tomatoes, fresh are best. Monica and Suvir can give us better advice about their experiences.

I have ordered my copy of this book. Glad to read others have done same. The cover is very nice looking. I have only seen its image on amazon, but it still looks very attractive. Somewhere on the net, one of the editorial reviews raved about the photography of the book. Then I saw the photographs in Methome Magazine. They make me proud to be Indian. The food is what I ate at home cooked by mother. But the pictures are very different from other Indian cookbook where food looks of India from my dadis generation. The photographer or stylist must have very good taste and passion for India. They give our food a very good look. The magazine made me google Suvir Saran and I learned of his many contributions to Indian cooking. And about eGullet and this online community. Below is excerpt from the magazine story. Methome Magazine (September 2004) Veggie Table Chef Suvir Saran has developed his own casual, modern style of Indian cuisine featuring a full complement of satisfying, flavorful vegetarian dishes. "There is a revolution in Indian cuisine going on in America, and Suvir Saran is one of its leaders. The popular cooking teacher, a native of Delhi, learned traditional northern Indian cuisine from his family's Brahmin chef and then spent many years cooking and eating his way around the subcontinent, gradually incorporating the country's many regional styles into his own dishes. Now he has adapted his vast repertoire of Indian recipes to an urban American lifestyle, making them more accessible and inspiring to home cooks." Jaymes, did you read the magazine, does the book have similar recipes and photos? I want my girl friend to see the book and have the same reaction she had to the magazine. She looked at me and said if Indian food can be served this way, it can become mainstream. Can that be the case? I am not sure an entire cookbook could look as enticing as the photos in the magazine, but I know there are books out there, not Indian or Chinese or Thai or Italian, that can make food look good. But as an Indian, I am resigned to not having our food look the same way. What is your impression?