Yajna Patni

I have some kaffir lime and ginger sitting... it has bee a week. i think the ginger needs a little more. Not sure what i will put it in.

to the PG tips vs. US lipton... I think i would compare it to a very rough Italian Chianti, not sophisticated subtle or costly, but at least to me, a rough almost elemental essence, and completely valid for certain occasions, vs. Boones farm... cheap, sweet, mild and just nasty to me, completely unacceptable for any occasion.

About the PG tips..... it should be made with boiling water, bubbles coming out boiling. left to brew very briefly, then drunk with milk and probably sugar. it is not meant to be savored, there are not meant to be flowery over notes or reminisces of berries or fruit or honey. It does however to me taste a million steps above US lipton (international Lipton is another thing) in that it has enough caffeine to have a kick, and it should be very astringent in the mouth before milk is added. It should be strong, and astringent, and be totally free of the vegetable taste of green tea. It must be said though... it is very possible that the pg tips that has become available in US supermarkets is not the same as the english/indian/where ever else they drink tea variety. Lipton in the US is completely different. It would not surprise me if PG was going the same route.

I am an everyday tea drinker. I came to the US 20 years ago, and gave up tea for coffeefor many years because it was too hard to find tea that didn't taste like vegetable water. My budget is basically very very low. I am laid off at the moment and trying to keep costs down. But here is what i drink, and my strategy for maximum tea, minimum budget. from the Indian Store: Brook Bond ( I think) Green Label. Green Label is Darjeeling. No flushes mentioned, but as long as it is made properly, makes a great cup of tea, for my taste. Tetley Massala Chai bags, decent but not fabulous. For real masala chai i get CTC tea, i like Taj Mahal, and boil it up with cardamom, ginger and pepper. from China Town: Keemun in a little orange tin oolong in a pretty tin (this is not good oolong, but it brews up fine for a quick cup of tea.) I also have some lychee tea in a lovely pink tin, its pretty disgusting, but it was $2 and the tin is cute. On Top of this i have the ends of a bag of Lapsang souchong, this si my favorite and I ration it out. When i get really broke i mix it with assam or something of that nature. I have a little bag of golden tippy assam also from the tea shop. its ok but not worth the money Also i have a box of barry's tea bag, irish brekfast and gold blend, because they taste like home. I always drink my tea with milk, so my choices reflect this. I only put sugar in Massala Chai, but i find that needs it. so there... there are my teas. Cheap and very basic.

I had a litre bottle of smiroff, so into the left over i put a little grated ginger, and some leaves from my Thai Lime tree. I plan on putting a little honey in it when it is ready. it has turned a kind of sick green. It looks like the problem pee.

Thanks! its sitting on my counter right now. Looks a little pee like, but it smells amazing already!

Masala Chai is always good! I usually use a CTC tea and boil it a bit with spices. I don't have a recipe either. I like some fresh ginger and black pepper in mine for a kick. Some times thats all, sometimes with cardamom, sometimes cardamom on its own, a little star anise and cloves are good too. Just however you like it. I boil the spices with the tea, and then add the milk and sugar and simmer a bit. I like the tea strong enough that it tastes like spiced tea and not a sweet goopy spicy mess.

By black chickpeas do you mean kala Channa? their color cooked is a dark brown, not the purpley grey of a black bean. Also their skin is much thicer than a regular garbanzo, so i wonder would it make the humus lumpy?

It sounds like tablet. I dont have a recepie, but its like fudge that was not beaten so much so its more crmbly.

Madras is a city in Tamil Nadu, a state in India. Madras coffee would probably mean south Indian style coffe. Coffee is grown in south India. It is usually prepared in an indian coffee filter. This is a small metal filter in which hte coffee is packed really tight, and left over night to drip through into a strong decoction. This is then mixed with boiled milk, which is sometimes aerated by pouring it from cup to cup. You can buy Indian coffee beans and indian coffee filters online. But i cant find the link. try googling it.

Its amazing how many look like vomit.

I am with Dianabanana. I dont think bringing your own tea will make any difference. The issue is water that is not boiling.

My most recent winners... Jallebis in Chandni Chowk some chinese chilly paneer stuff in Karol Bagh an incredble thali in a sketchy looking place in Jaipur that our rickshaw driver recomended. pedha and barfi in Brindaban much more... and some incredible not street style food also some amazing but expesnive paneer tikha in Bukhara in the Sheraton in Delhi. Had heard some reports that the restaurant was over rated and over priced. maybe, but it was spiced in that amazing delicate everything in the right way that I will pay for. and my friends cook's aloo parantha in Vasant bihar in Delhi. Also his tomato rasam.

I have made it! it is easy. you get the pearls an cook them, and add them to ice tea. if you shake it in a cocktail shaker it is better. The powders are gross and i hate bubble tea made from them, they are just a generic fake flavoured milk shake. I have used diffrent teas, thai milk tea, and if i am not making it hong kong milk tea. on that subject, any one know how to make hong kong milk tea? I say forget the kit an just get some pearls. if there is a china town round you you should be able to find them there.

THere are however some really really knowlegable and talented egullet members in the area of Indian food. Suvir, Gautam, and Monica Bhide come to mind, but there are many others. Not sure how often any of them are around any more. But i think if you search the India forum archives for samosas, you should come up with expert discussions on the subject.

Samosas dough generally, in my experience has no baking soda in it. Usually I use ghee in the dough, a fair amount, and I pour it in melted. They should defiantly be deep fried. That doesn’t mean you can’t bake them, but it is not traditional. If you are going to bake them, I would make the dough more like western pastry dough, i.e. quite a lot of fat, and rubbed in, and not too much kneading. If they are fried they don’t need as much fat in the dough and the dough needs to be kneaded like roti dough. As far as the yoghourt goes, I have come across it used sometimes instead of water in the dough; it makes it a little tenderer and a little richer.

Just a comment on the lack of chilies. I have not been to kampuchea so i am just taking a shot in the dark. I have been to cambodia and their food is not nearly as hot and spicy as thai food. quite diffrent really. anyway. just a thought.

I would not worry about substitutng for fenugreek. It is not used in most Indian recipes that i know, with a very few exceptions. I would find recipes that do not call for it, or just leave it out. With a few exceptions i dont think you will have any problem.

you can use a muslin bag of lemon pits to add to the pectin.

There is a really good recipe in the marion Cunningham Fannie Farmer baking book.

I love Rhubarb too! Rhubarb fool is good, just stewed rhubarb and whipped cream. I make Rhubarb and ginger jam every year. i put in a lot of lemon rind so it "jells" and it come out tasting very exotic and delicious.

It is really hard to find here. I recently found some in a bangladeshi store in Cambridge MA. I was thrilled, bought a bunch and have been eating camplor flavoured every thing since. Otherwise i have found getting people to bring me back a lump from India is the best thing.

I am vegetarian, and travel a lot so I am used to avoiding things! My first recommendation is to figure out how to ask in Thai if it has hot peppers in it, then half your battle is won. When I was in Thailand I ate gallons of congee which was part of the breakfast buffet in every hotel I stayed in. it is bland and you get to add what you want. I avoided the shrimp, but you wouldn’t have to! and there is something very very delicious about its bland smoothness and all the crunchy tasty things you add.

about the big pot little pot question.. I have no answer, but the same thing happend to me. my big pot makes nasty bitter weak coffee, and my ancient little one is perfect. frustrating.