polly

Lately i've been wondering about the use of food colouring in Indian food. Is there a traditional aesthetic use of it, or is it maybe to reproduce the colour that chilli powder or saffron would have given to a dish?

You know what is absolutely gorgeous with big sage leaves? Sandwich a piece of really good anchovy fillet between two sage leaves, dip into a thin cornflour batter and deep fry. It's a bit of work to do lots, but it's really easy. Fantastic with drinks or as part of a mezze/antipasto.

"Can anyone tell me how you make roasted cauliflower?" I do it similarly to sandra but I like to keep the florets large. That way you get the browned and crispy outside and the creamy sweet inside. If you have a lot of people over or you're doing a buffet, you can simmer a whole head of cauli 'til it's just cooked, drain, then spread with butter or fruity olive oil, salt and pepper and roast the whole thing until it's golden.

You've got me inspired now. I think i'll make some spicy lentils laced with fresh chilli and raw mustard oil, and mash them into some yoghurt or maybe creme fraiche. Imagine a blob of that on sauted mushrooms. Earthy, spicy and creamy...

The fabulous Claudia Roden gives quite a bit of information about Jewish communities in India in her book 'the book of jewish food'. Maybe we can share some of the more unusual or unique recipes. I'd be interested in hearing more about jewish Indian food from those who know.

Thats interesting. I knew that if you cooked with it the flavour of the oil mellowed, but I didn't know it was meant the be 'pre-cooked'. I actually like the raw taste on some foods.

CC, the lentils in the mayo are intriguing. Do they get whizzed up to a puree or do you have some texture in it?

I love mustard oil. You should be able to find it if you have a good Indian grocery shop around you. I have found that different brands have different levels of flavour and aroma. The best ones I've had are from India and have a pronounced mustard taste and smell. It is great to marinate steaks in mustard oil, especially if they have some fat on them for the fat really soaks up the mustard flavour. I have heard that mustard oil tenderises meat aswell, but i'm not sure if thats true.

Couldn't have said it better myself

I never buy curry powder for myself because I like to have control over how I spice each curry or other dish. One thing that I've always found a little odd is the use of curry powder in french sauces. The Roux brothers, Paul Bocouse and others of their ilk have published recipes for french sauces ( butter sauce, sabayon etc) flavoured with curry powder. I would have thought that such good cooks would put together their own curry flavourings for the sauce, as they put so much care into the rest of their sauces and food.

... absent-mindedly strain stock by placing a colander in the sink and pouring it all down the drain

Using butter and cream isn't really a convenience trick , they're just important things to add to food that needs them. Of course, there are bad cooks who will over use any ingredient. That's bad cooking technique, not bad butter. It is possible to add many things to mashed potato (for example) to make it taste good, but if you have decided to make a creamy mash then it is imperative to use cream. To finish off a risotto it is imperative to use butter or olive oil. It is not a dishonest trick that one does to achieve creaminess, it's just part of the process in achieving creaminess. Bad cooking aside, I think people have a worrying tendency to view fats as evil.

A method that I just learned, to speed up the process of making preserved lemons, is to freeze the lemons first, then thaw them and proceed with the recipe. The freezing and thawing breaks down some of the cell structure, softening the lemon rind.

Hmm, I s'pose it could. Nah, we'll think up something to argue about.

You are in good company here. I eat both meat and tofu, and I eat the tofu for it's own merits. Sounds like we are all starting to agree...

Ahh, mezze is something close to my heart. There may be repetition in my suggestions b/c the others have come up with great ideas but here's what I would like to eat for mezze: Hummus Baba Ghannooj Pickled turnips Dolmades- filling of rice, dill, pine nuts, garlic and onion Pickled green olives Z'ataar bread-crisp rounds of homemade pita with z'ataar baked on Labne balls in olive oil w/ mint and chilli tabbouleh or fattoush chicken wings with garlic kibbe-baked or deep fried kebabs sambousik and speha deep fried cauli flower Fried eggplant slices topped with yoghurt fried eggplant soaked in cumin infused vinegar with walnuts and tahini dressing I have recipes for all these things if anyone wants them.

Basic questions are my forte, Cabrales. Most rosewater that is sold in a food shop or the food section of a shop, should be edible. If the bottles have an ingredients list check that the main ingredient or 'base' is not alcohol, for this would be perfume. In Australia I buy a Lebanese brand called AL-RABIH. They make all sorts of flower waters, pomegranite syrup and a lovely fig jam with whole fennel seeds in it.

Yeah! Tell us about the opera cake. Was it all pink and rosey or did you still cover it with chocolate? Sounds very pretty. Slightly off topic, but I have made a nice middle eastern style fruit salad with a mixture of dried fruit ( apple slices, apricot halves, prunes, currants) and almonds and pistachios soaked in a rose water and orange blossom flavoured syrup. It's lovely for breakfast with yoghurt.

jinmyo, your bibimbap sounds beautiful. i've only ever had it with hot veg, but the hot/cold contrast would be great.

Ahh, I look like a silly chicken then don't I. Do try the chicken version if you can. They are both gorgeous, but chick is my personal favourite. If you find a place that serves the sausage with whole black peppercorns in the soup, give that a go too. Have you come across pizzle?

Pho-pronounced somewhat like far, is vietnamese noodle soup. Made with either chicken or beef stock, slices of appropriate meat and rice noodles. Topped with herbs, beanshoots and a squeeze of lime juice. It is manna from heaven. Simple pure and divine.

YES YES YES! Or, how about pickled peaches? Peach butter or jam? If you've still got some left after everyones nice suggestions, give them to a place that makes food for homeless people.

Home made meringue with raspberries and cream toast with lots of butter and a little vegemite chicken pho really good bread with really good butter the elusive perfect peach

I wouldn't try too hard to fit one ingredient into a specific type of cuisine unless it makes sense to you . If you eat something and think 'ooh yum, this would be relly nice with...' then go for it. If not, don't force the issue. Having said that, lots of people have worked out ways of incorporating tofu into european food, like Malawry's suggestions. You may like to try tempeh, it has a firm texture and a lovely nutty flavour that may work better with Italian food. I have a small house and I've been making lots of indian food lately, and yes, the house smelt like an Indian restaurant for about a week, but it's not the worst thing that could happen. Just keep all your windows open. It's summer where you are isn't it?