Kim D

Dinner is over. He said it was fantastic. I asked him what the Dry Meat was like. He compared it to BBQ Pulled Pork. Not in taste but in texture and amount of sauce. He said the saag aloo was more rustic (in appearance/texture) than what we make. When we make it, the spinach is more creamy. He also ordered paratha. And mango lassi. Total bill was less than twelve pounds. He'll be recommending this place for sure. He got a kick out of watching the service. The servers were dressed in black and wore earpieces so that they were in constant communication with somebody but obviously not each other. Someone would come out with chutneys and bring it to a table. Someone else would come out with chutneys and see that the table already had them. Busy, busy, busy. When he got there, the place was full of Pakistani men and women. No music was playing. When he left, the place was full of white men. Club music was playing in the background. He said the place is geared toward large parties. Most tables had a group of 8 or 10 people. He watched one such table give their order. The server walked into the kitchen and came right back out with said food. Just like magic. Fast, fast, fast. If you want cheap fast good food, this is the place to go. I'm looking forward to getting to try it firsthand. - Kim

Homemade yogurt is now a staple in my home. My husband likes it on top of Raisin Bran with a little milk. I like it with honey drizzled on top. We both like it very thick. I slowly heat a quart of milk and half a cup of powdered milk until it steams. I let it steam for several minutes until I think enough liquid has evaporated. Then I cool it down to 115 F and add however much yogurt is left from the last batch. I let it sit out at least 12 hours (overnight) and finally put it in the fridge when I notice that it's still sitting on my dining room table. I don't see any reason to ever buy it again. Unless I run out and need some for a starter. I make it because making it is a no-brainer and because it's thicker than any yogurt I can buy and it tastes better.

He just called from outside Tayyab. Said the neighborhood was interesting. He asked which door. Door number 1. Door number 2. Or Door number 3. I told him that all three were served by the same kitchen. He said he was going to go in the one that had the most people.

My husband is in London and he called to ask me where he should eat. I did a search on "Brick Lane" and found this thread. I've convinced him to go and he's headed there now. I'm bummed because he gets to eat there without me. Dry meat sounds wonderful. I may have to find a recipe if he says it's as good as the press it's getting here. - Kim

It does indeed. Thank you very much. I have never put vermicelli in rice. And I'm interested to see how that changes the mouthfeel. I'll be making this over the holidays. Looking forward to it. - Kim

Books (or for that matter, CDs and DVDs) in Australia tend to be expensive. For instance, the Alford/Duguid and Thomas Keller books cost around $AUD100 (or approximately $US75). A couple of years ago, they were $AUD120 ($US92). Anyway, I'll post up a recipe in the next few days. Is there anything in particular (poultry, meat, pastries etc.?) that you want a recipe for? ← My husband says he hates chicken but if pressed, he would have to admit that many of his favorite dishes do indeed feature chicken. So, a poultry recipe would be nice. I found a writeup on Saha that mentioned a few recipes. Potato kibbeh stuffed with spinach, mozzarella and pine nuts sounds really good. The only recipe I've seen for kibbeh calls for lamb. I might make that if you don't post the recipe as I like lamb. I've never had bulgar and I'm always interested in trying new ingredients. Quails in fragrant rice with dates, ginger and pearl onions also sounds good. I have some quail (farm raised so I don't have high expections that they will have a lot of flavor) in the freezer and need to find something to do with them. Or how about fassoula? I've been wanting to buy beans from Rancho Gordo and this would give me a reason to. I'm not sure if there's a recipe in the book but the author does mention it in an article about his travels prior to writing the book. The more I read about this book the more I want it. Home cooking. Nothing could be better. Saha (a blessing or toast to good health) - Kim

Ok, that freaked me out. Amazon has the book priced at $10.17 (USD). Much better. Although that sounds too good to be true for a 352 page hardback. ← $USD10.17???? Assuming postage of about $USD10.00 to Australia and an exchange rate of $AUS 1.00 = $USD 0.75, then the book would $AUS 26.90. I know that for many cookbooks, it's between 10 to 20% cheaper to buy them from Amazon than from an Australian bookshop, but this price difference is too good to be true. ← List price is shown as $14.95. It has to be a mistake. If I'm doing my math correctly, $AUS 69.95 is $USD 52.46. Ouch! I don't think I've ever spent that much money on a book. And you say it's worth it. I am definitely intrigued. Can you share a recipe? - Kim

Actually, the fragrant, thin-skinned Meyer lemon can substitute for the lim doqq lemon, the creme de la creme of Moroccan lemons destined for the salt pot. The taste isn't a perfect match but it's close enough. When using them, add at the end of a dish to avoid falling into shreds . The thick-skinned lemon called limun buserra is similar to the Californian Eureka and after curing you can use it in a tagine without it falling apart.. ← That is very good to know! - Kim

Ok, that freaked me out. Amazon has the book priced at $10.17 (USD). Much better. Although that sounds too good to be true for a 352 page hardback. Unfortunately, it doesn't get released in the US until September 1, 2006. Amazon.co.uk doesn't even list the book. I wonder why. Well, it's on my wishlist and I'm just going to be patient. Unless I wrangle a trip to Australia before then. Thanks for the review. - Kim

Whole Foods had Meyer Lemons for $2.99/pound so I bought all they had. Um, except for three ugly little ones. My husband loves Meyer Lemon Sherbet and since I had more than enough for that recipe, I looked for something else to make with them. I have The Slow Mediterranean Kitchen. I looked at the recipes for the 30 day and 7 day Preserved Lemons and decided to go with the 30 day recipe. Because that will give me time to figure out what to make with them since I've never even tasted them before. Anyway, I was wondering why the 30 day lemons are good for a year and the 7 day are only good for a week. The biggest difference in the recipes (other than the ratio of salt to lemon) is that the 7 day lemons are cut into 8 pieces while the 30 day lemons are kept in one piece - albeit they are quartered by cutting down to 1/2" from the bottom. While I did reshape the lemons as directed, I wasn't obsessive about it. When I squished the lemons down with a wooden spoon to get them to fit, the lemons smushed and the parts are no longer perfectly aligned. Is this a problem? Is it the exposure of the flesh that makes the lemons not last as long? The first time I make a recipe, all I care about is whether or not it has potential. Worst case scenario is that I inadvertently made 7 day lemons. - Kim

Good enough for me. Not that I needed much encouragement. I've placed my order. Several recipes from Hot Sour Salty Sweet have become part of my repertoire. I'm looking forward to the same result from Mangoes & Curry Leaves. I already know that Cumin-Coriander Beef Patties will become a staple for camping trips. - Kim

Tonight we made Cumin-Coriander Beef Patties. Jessica's Biscuit (ecookbooks.com) has the recipe. It's an Indian version of a hamburger. We loved it and we'll be making it again. The patties are very juicy. And spicy. Even so, I squirted on some sriracha. Just because. Tucked it into pita bread. And started munching away. Wonderful. I had hoped to hear a review from someone else before I plunk down $27 but I don't know if I want to wait. I haven't bought a cookbook in almost a month and I'm going through withdrawal. - Kim

The first time I had lentil soup was in a small restaurant in the back of a jewelry store. Very cheap. Very good. And I've been trying to find the right recipe ever since. But none of them had the right spice mixture. Until, I searched RecipeGullet. Indian-inspired Lentil Soup was exactly what I was looking for. I made it for the second time last night and I'm looking forward to having it for lunch all week. Thank you Carolyn Tillie! The spice mix is Panch Phoron. Equal parts fenugreek seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, mustard seeds and kolonji (aka nigella). - Kim

A year or more ago, I wanted to buy a tart ring. Because a recipe said to use one. I didn't know what it was, so I searched for it on Amazon. The results weren't what I was expecting. So, I complained. And they listened. If you do that same search now, you get books with the word "Ring" in the title as well as Tart Rings. And at the bottom of the list, you get this message: "These search results have been filtered to remove adult products." Much better. Back on topic, I love reading this thread but I can't bring myself to buy the books. Because I have no willpower when it comes to sweets. I must live vicariously through you all instead. - Kim

Clarissa Dickson Wright is a huge fan of cardoons. I had never heard of them before I picked up "cooking with the two fat ladies". The second time I ever saw them mentioned was in this blog. If you need to use big quantities, "Chicken Tagine with Cardoons" (from the book mentioned above) might be of use. Ingredients include 2 pounds of cardoons, a 3 pound chicken, a couple preserved lemons and Kalamata olives. Great blog. Thank you. - Kim

London. Does that sound strange to you? It did to the woman who checked my passport a couple of days ago at Heathrow. I've made several trips to London in the last year and she wanted to know why. I told her I come for the food and she didn't believe me. But it's true. Yesterday I shopped at Steve Hatt and bought scallops with the coral attached. From what I've read, it's illegal to sell them that way in The States. Best scallops I've ever had. Sweet. Melt-in-the-mouth delicious. I also bought halibut steaks which were cut for me on the spot. I can't get such fresh fish in Chicago. Cooked with butter and fresh fennel and served with a sauce made from white wine, fish stock, tomatoes, shallots and lots of butter. Fabulous. Today I'm going to Borough Market. I might pick up a Label Rouge chicken. French butter. Irish cheese. Jamon Iberico. Food from all over Europe but all in one convenient location. What I wouldn't give to have a Farmer's Market like this in Chicago. I'll make another trip to La Fromagerie and pick up more Vacherin Mont d'Or. That stuff makes me close my eyes with ecstasy. My husband shops there so often that they know him by name. When I'm not with him, he stops there on his way to the airport so he can bring me a special treat. Every time I come to London, I find a new culinary treasure. Just by wandering the streets. This time it was a middle-Eastern grocer Green Valley on Upper Berkeley. I love grocery shopping. And a wonderful independent wine merchant called Philglas & Swiggot. The name of the shop drew me in. I picked up a nice bottle of Greek wine. Partly because I had never seen a Greek wine before. Nice and crisp. Perfect with the scallops. I love London. I am comfortable walking around town and I don't worry about getting lost. I don't speak any languages other than English and I enjoy being in a country where I don't have to worry (too much) about being understood. I hate to leave and I always look forward to coming back. For the food. - Kim

I've bought it from Harrod's.

Went there tonight. I had the pulled pork sandwich. 5 quid. My husband had the pulled pork dinner. IIRC, 11 quid. What did he get for that extra 6 quid? (I still don't know how to make that British pound sign.) A small amount of baked beans. They were tasty. I've never tasted anything like them in The States but I liked them. So did my husband. About the same amount of fries. They were good. Better than Burger King anyway. Not as good as McDonald's in its heyday. A bit more pork. Could it have been twice as much. I didn't think so but maybe. The pork wasn't bad. The chipotle bbq sauce said "Hot" on it but it wasn't. My opinion? Go for the pulled pork sandwich. Definitely worth the 5 quid. My husband said if he lived in London he'd go here when he needed a bbq fix. We don't get great bbq in Chicago so we were happy with it. Our expectations were low and we weren't disappointed. - Kim

We had dinner at Busaba on Wardour last night after a very short wait in line. Best cheap eats I've had in ages. (I wouldn't have considered it cheap in Chicago, but this is London after all.) Before tip, our meal was 40 quid. (If I knew how to put in a pound sign, I would have done.) Goodly amount of food. We left feeling very satisfied. Two fruit drinks (jasmine smoothy, guava collins), three appetizers (Thai calamari, Pomelo in Betel leaves, Chinese Broccoli, two mains (jungle curry and something with cod), plain rice and coconut rice. It was my first experience with Jungle Curry and it was wonderfully warm. I can't wait to make this at home. The calamari was bland but tasted much better after being dipped in the Jungle Curry. Maybe we should have squirted on Sriracha or Squid brand fish sauce but that never entered our minds because we liked the jungle curry sauce so much. My husband loved the Pomelo in Betel leaves. I liked it but it was too sweet for my taste. But I liked the coconut rice and he thought that was too sweet. Go figure. I had been afraid that we had ordered to much food but it turned out to be the perfect amount. The service was what I've come to expect. My husband gets very friendly attention from the waiter and I get much less attention . I would definitely go back. A friend of ours says she eats there once a week for lunch. Now I understand why. - Kim

I just looked verjus up on www.m-w.com and it doesn't have a listing. Verjuice does. So, if you're pronouncing it as verjuice, I don't see how you could be wrong. I have not yet been to the New Covent Garden and it's been on my list of places to visit for over a year. If I don't make it this trip, I'll make it on a future one. You sure did. My bad. I'm only in London for a week so I don't have time to get a delivery from Kai Kitchen. I had no idea that verjuice came in red, but why wouldn't it. If nothing else, I'm getting an education on verjus/verjuice. - Kim

Verjus. I not only don't know where to buy it, I don't know how to pronounce it. I'm sitting in a Starbuck's near Leicester Square but I'm pretty mobile. I brought my folding bike with me on this trip. But, I only bought an hour of air time so I'll be signing off soon. I'll be back on tomorrow. Crossing my fingers that someone will have an answer. - Kim

I use it in Strudel. IIRC, mixed with an egg, sugar and vanilla. Friends from Germany spread it on toast. Yummy either way. - Kim

Great pictures of the Green Market. It was a gorgeous day. By any chance were you wearing an orange sweatshirt? I'm still wondering if I saw you. I almost said "Maggie" as I passed by. I was going to offer my DSL so you could upload pictures. Hope you're feeling better. Murphy's law that you would catch a bug while blogging. - kim

So, did you go to Green Market? I saw someone there with a camera and wondered if it was you. - Kim

If it weren't for this thread, I never would have bought a Smart Chicken. Never. Dumb name. And I don't buy meat from Dominick's. Especially chicken. Because supermarket chicken tastes spongy. And now I'm singing a different tune. Because Smart Chicken is way better than the chicken I buy from Whole Foods. The first thing that impressed me was how clean that little napkin-y thing was that the chicken rests on. Sure, there was a bit of pink but most of it was white. I had a bunch of herbs in the fridge so I decided to put them to use. I chopped up oregano, sage and thyme. Ground up some fennel seeds. Added some salt. Mixed it all into most of a stick of softened butter. Put about half of that under the skin. Put more on the outside of the bird. Reserved some for later. Threw some herbs into the cavity. At some point I salted the bird inside and out. I roasted the chicken in a 350 degree oven. Halfway through I added some quartered onions. Later I added about a head of peeled garlic cloves. I basted the bird now and then. In the meantime we made basmati rice. And chopped a bunch of dill. Because we had been inspired by a rice dish Madhur Jaffrey made with Julia Child. When the bird was done, we made a sauce. The pan had a lot of liquid on the bottom. I cooked it down with a cup of homemade chicken broth and a couple glugs of dry vermouth. I poured it into my gravy separator and poured off the fat. Put the liquid back in the pan and thickened it with the last of the herb butter and some flour. I'm drooling just thinking about this dinner. That was the best chicken I have ever made. Hands down. My husband rarely eats the skin. Because he thinks it's rubbery. I talked him into trying the skin. And he loved it. The onions still had a bit of crunch. Perfect. The garlic cloves were just soft enough. The fresh dill on the basmati was delightful. But the chicken. Man. It tasted like chicken. I am totally sold on Smart Chicken. - kim