CharityCase

Like NulloModo I am too budget-conscious to over-order except the odd time in group settings, but this does bring a great story to mind. While in Toronto several months ago, a group of four of us decided to have Dim Sum together. While I'd dined with these friends before we had not, as yet, been to a Dim Sum place together. At this particular location items were ordered checklist-style and not a la carte based on the small size and high traffic in the place. My dear friend Jenn, bless her heart, thought that the item description also implied one item per serving, so since there were four of us it made sense to write "4" next to the Char Siu Bao, and hey since we all like shrimp let's get "6" shrimp siu mai right? I definitely knew better and I tried to alert our companions to the sheer quantity and trouble we were about to get into but they weren't convinced. It's hard to describe what goes on in your head when your tackling 4 x 3 pork buns, or 4 x 3 turnip cakes, or 4 steamers of pork ribs amongst four people. Even harder is getting to apoint in this meal where you think the constant flow of steamers to the table has ceased, only then to see that mischievous grin on the server's face as she plops down 12 shrimp, 12 pork and 12 vegetable dumplings and says something in Cantonese to the other servers, probably akin to "look at these four tub o'lards!".

I'm sure this has been discussed, but following on Monica's excellent food blog I'm curious as to your overall preference: North Indian or South Indian? I am most definitely South, as I feel there's more variety, better presentation of the vegetable's natural taste and texture, and although I'm a carnivore I don't really find Indian meat dishes all that they're cracked up to be (save Vindaloo, Dhansak and the odd tandoori craving). South India totally redefined how I look at lentils, okra and coconut. And if the heat of it (I thought Andhra Pradesh would give me a heart attack) doesn't kill you it most certainly makes you stronger.

It is at home right now, but I will take a photo when I get there. It is a sort of medium rusty brown red color, and all crushed up. ← I'm with you Nullo. I have some of the tan to reddish-coloured seeds and based on Monica's advice I may pick up the leaves as the seeds have little to no discernible taste or flavour.

I'm very much a mise man. Last night for instance, I made three indian dishes with a range of ingredients, cooking times and stages. I remember coming back from India and trying to do the same thing on the fly to impress my girlfriend. And so, everything was terrible. In some cases (as others mentioned upthread) it's essential for a recipe. Raise your hand if being a mise fanatic drives your non-cooking partner crazy? (raises hand)

This comment puzzles me, Charity Case. We were regulars at the East India Company in Winnipeg while we lived there and were delighted to find out they had also opened a restaurant here in Ottawa. We eat there once in a while and have always found the reception and service to be friendly. Yes, the food does vary. Some times, especially Friday nights it seems, it can be quite wonderful, and other times perhaps less so. ← I could potentially give it another try now that they've gone BYOW. My last experience was pretty unpleasant in terms of service, and their food was comparable to cheaper buffet-style restaurants in Ottawa that are not wallet-breakers.

I'm enjoying this blog immensely, partly because of my affinity (addiction?) to Indian Cuisine but also because you write so eloquently. Last night I made two of your recipes from the EGCI session and recipeGullet: Green Beans with Coconut and Pork Vindaloo (used Canadian Lamb instead). Both came out great and I was especially pleased with the Vindaloo as most recipes for it are more complicated, requiring longer marinating of both meat AND potatoes in some cases. Three questions for you, take your time as you're being inundated right now: 1. The green bean/coconut recipe reminds me of some kerala dishes, particularly thorens and dishes with plenty of crunch. What is the origin? 2. I've always found fenugreek difficult to deal with, as the whole spices are quite hard whereas the powder has almost no scent or flavour that I can pick up. How would you use it? 3. What do you use for grinding whole spices? Coffee grinders do the trick but the affordable models seem to breakdown within a year or so. I don't have room for the giant slabs of granite that the Ammas of this world keep in their kitchen..mortar and pestle? 4. Re:Gingerpeach's question about onions, I've often wondered about whether shallots make a difference in recipes calling for onion, as I too observed most cooks using something closer to it than a white or sweet onion. Thoughts? Comments for random things: 1. A Curry plant is very easy to grow, you can do a search on The GardenWeb Forums to see if it will work in your climate/gardening zone. As for the leaves I haven't been successful in finding them in Ottawa but the community is quite small. Oh, and I ruined a Mangalore Fish Curry using the dried version once...it tasted like a great fish dish that someone had raked leaves onto. 2. Alphonso Mango = Incredible. I watched a man in the Mumbai airport get arrested for having stashed them in every available suitcase, bag and..ahem...physical location on his person. 3. Gingerpeach: There was an interesting discussion about South Indian Filter coffee in the relevant forum on Egullet, should you wish to re-create it at home: South Indian Filter Coffee Thanks again Monica, and keep up the good work!

I wonder if I merely enjoy hearing myself talk? Can someone recommend a latin restaurant in Ottawa for me to try? Failing that please suggest authentic mexican that is NOT feleena's, mexicali rosa's or that place on Elgin St.

Pam, Thank you very much for the wonderful blog and contributions to EGullet.

Garlic Powder. Onion Powder. Dried Parsley. Three substitions, if not ingredients, that I have immense problems with.

This debate can be neatly concluded as follows: Toronto has only slightly better restaurants, while Montreal is an exponentially better city on all fronts.

Funny stuff. Would it be safe to assume based on some comments earlier that Pakistani cuisine has picked up the sweetness and fruit/nut additions that can be found in some of the Northern dishes?

Of Note for Ottawa folks; 1. this morning's bus ride yielded a new Oyster bar on Bank Street just North of Gladstone. 2. A Taste for Life is being held Wednesday, April 27th. Visit any of the Participating Restaurants on that day and 25% of your food bill goes to support Men, Women and Children living with HIV and AIDS.

Thanks for the response compass. Indian restaurants can be a real mystery sometimes, as your experience mirrors my own at the East India Company, Ottawa's snootiest Indian restaurant. At times the food can be quite good but at other times it's absolutely terrible. It's also expensive in comparison to others who do their dishes justice. More philosophically I don't believe Indian food should be expensize unless it's fancy nouveau Indian, or the vindaloo is made with prime rib or something. In other Ottawa news I tried Forno Antico the other night and was let down after having heard so many positive reviews. I am all for authenticity but my asparago (asparagus, roasted red peppers and spinach) was far too sparse on ingredients and sauce. Whatever sauce had been applied was so thin that it baked into the crust, and the "spinach" was quite honestly tiny little flecks that you'd expect to be basil. The texture of the crust was indeed outstanding owing to the wood oven, but you gotta give those pizzas some flavour.

Compass, Light of India = Meh. The flavours are tame even by Western standards, although the Nan is very good Taj Mahal = Better, more creative and portions would suit a military man for sure. I really enjoyed the flavours and the heat was more reasonable. I'm not a fan of the Roses Cafe (or the Roses Also) but if vegetarian is a priority then they may be better options for you, since the menu tends more towards South Indian cuisine. Unofrtunately I'll have to reinforce Ceylonta though, as their vegetarian options are plentiful and their food is outstanding...easily my favorite indian restaurant in Ottawa so far. Next on the list to try would be Coconut Lagoon as it specializes in Keralan cuisine...south indian, very spicy, lots of coconut and predominantly vegetarian cuisine. I think your trip was going to be over Easter so apologies if these reco's come too late.

Just came back from a trip to NYC, and I should cast my ballot for Mamoun's Falafel, on Bleeker street. There were several falafel/pita establishments on either side of the street but the lineup was longest here, and for good reason. An adequately-sized sandwich, with tahini, lettuce, onion and tomato and I suspect 4 falafel balls was only $2.00. Definitely one of the best I've had outside of Tel Aviv.

Several years ago I was on a Co-op work term along with a university friend who lived nearby. Having met in residence I was already familiar with his decidedly Northern Ontario drinking habits, but was about to meet his Northern Ontario eating habits too (which don't present themselves when eating cafeteria food prepared by someone else). I was invited over to the new apartment for a dinner one night, which I imagined would be meat heavy with some sort of francophone flair (i.e. French Quebec) since that was his origin. Item number one was "cucumber salad", and yes I'd be happy to share the recipe with you. Slice a cucmber, add one cup of white vinegar, salt like crazy and serve. It was edible if you let all the vinegar drip off....sort of thai cucumber salad gone haywire...but also great for cleaning any wounds. The main course was a patented special recipe that I wasn't allowed to share. Since you're all trustworthy I guess I can let you in on the secret. First, brown one pound of beef. Next, add 1 cup of soy sauce. Boil noodles until they are soft, MASH THEM A BIT WITH A FORK, then toss with meat and soy sauce. I never did figure out the pasta mashing part, and to be fair if the amount of soy sauce had been quartered it might have just been bland rather than saltier than all get-out. Oh, if you choose to make this recipe please use grocery store soy sauce that tastes like motor oil, anything else would betray the dish's roots. Since that terrible meal I have witnessed several other fascinating and very cost-effective recipes such as tomato juice spaghetti and the "poundf of bacon" breakfast.

The mysterious parantha/parotha/choose your own word for it. I absolutely fell in love with this bread in Kerala, where I recall a few things about it's preparation: The street vendors in Kodaikanal and in the other hill stations used ghee very liberally: A flat metal table was greased and the dough was stretched, rolled and flattened on it. The parantha was then fried on a tawa, whereas further north and in AP it was cooked in a Tandoor. I can't speak for states north of AP but despite the availability there were a number of variations. The Aloo ke Parantha I had in...Chennai maybe...was quite good but not as good as the plain paranthas in Kerala, eaten for breakfast with a simple vegetable or with Rasam.

Re:Spanish Food, Don Alfonso's (Corner of Gladstone and Bank st.) is an old standard, food is always top-notch although they stick to the classics. it reminds me of a place my parents would take me in the early 80's...it's very reasonable price-wise and the food is very good but not avant-garde or anything. Still, I have returned a few times for their fish specialties as well as their fried smelts. I would steer away from Azteca in the market...overpriced and the weakest guacamole ever. Beckta and ei8teen are solid, even Daly's at The Westin hotel is decent for dinner (overpriced for brunch or lunch though).

I haven't tried Sante...probably because no one has recommended it thus far. Wilf's (in the Chateau) is quite a nice place to dine when an expense account is part of the equation. I'm tempted to suggest crossing over into Hull and trying some of the classic upscale restaurants there, but I think others could be more helpful in that regard.

A friend of mine recently came back from Hawaii with a can of "potted meat food product" for me to try. It was as bad as one could ever imagine, with an ingredient listing identical to that which is on Steve's page. Really, truly horrendous.

I don't have the article in front of me, but at the moment it appears that in Ottawa, the ONLY restaurant to have jumped on this new option is the East India Company - of course I haven't a clue why they of all places would do so. I'm sxure more will follow.

Ha ha, sorry 'bout that. I mean you're sitting in the same chair in that graphic so the two of you are obviously an item...thus like so many of my attached friends you've become a singular being and not two distinct people :)

I must say, this has been a great discussion all around. Darcie I think you summed up my feelings better than I could do so myself. And as for the PR department WHT I believe you could move to GReensboro and work with Syngenta there. Opportunities...endless! :) In some ways this arena of food politics has weighed on me for most of my adult life, having a father in his 30th year at Syngenta Crop Protection, having added a minor in Environmental Studies to my Bachelor of Commerce, having worked for two years at Nestlé Canada and ultimately leaving the private side and working in the NGO sector in the realm of International Development here after an eye-opening year in India. All of these different perspectives and I find my perspective either better informed or more easily diluted, depending on the day. A few people have commented on the romanticism in play when we talk about the Organics movement, or buying locally from a good ol' boy, the farmer. Here in Canada this sort of thing has been perpetuated by ads ranging from Foodland Ontario to Natrel...as recently as last night in a commercial I found out that Natrel (filtered milk) has the "taste of summer in every glass"?! Should these romantic notions be played down or exploited by small-scale producers? Is it just one more tool in the toolbox or is it deceptive? Is it the ONLY thing that will motivate consumers to change their consumptive patterns?

You can't buy alcohol in Quebec? I always thought it was the most European of the Canadian provinces... I'll second (or third) how wonderful Poutine is. Thing is, I have never, ever, had bad poutine in Canada. Heck, I even got some from a KFC in Gannanoque a couple years ago and it was hellaciously good. ← The province-run liquor store employees are striking. Now Imagine if the COUNTRY of Quebec had no liquor? :) And for you to motion to a bucket at the thought of poutine makes me very sad. I think you must leave La Belle Province to us Ontarians who indulge each time we're in your fair province. Chacun son gout :)

Peppertrail could you please share your recipe for Aviyal wih me? By private message or publicly if you think others might like it.