Gruzia

if you add the yogurt to the boiling base, it will curdle. i would take some of the base and stir it into the yogurt, first, and then add to the rest of the base, which should be at a simmer, not boiling. at least, that works for me why did you add the cornstarch and water to the yogurt? in north indian cooking, the veggies tend to be cooked for a long time, so they become soft and permeated with the flavors of the curry. in south indian cooking, the veggies tend to be cooked shorter and still left with crisp texture. the decision about the timing of adding veggies is really up to you and depends on what kind of texture and taste you want to achieve.

thanks for the kudos, but i was not the one who found the blog...though if you insist i will take full credit

i had that happen to a bottle of white wine...i shrieked, made my boyfriend get the cork out and swab the inside of the bottle to make sure there was no mold on the inside of the neck...after that we drank it and the wine was very good, not at all affected by the mold! I guess it depends on how far into the bottle the mold goes, mine was only at the very top.

That's odd. I had a bottle of this a couple of weeks ago and it was just fine - aromatic and refreshing. Is it possible you just got a bad bottle? Did you try it with food or just by itself? Often a wine can seem "off" when consumed by itself but will soften dramatically when consumed with the salt/fat/acid in food. ← i was so put off with the aftertaste (flashback to childhood of horrible tasting medicine!) that i didn't even think of trying it with food! but thank you for the suggestion, i will try it out next time something like this happens.

did anyone try the Flora Springs Soliloquy 2003 ? i opened a bottle last night and while it smelled lovely and tasted good, it had a bitter, mediciney aftertaste so bad I ended up pouring the bottle out after two sips! That bitter taste is not a normal thing, right? it was reminiscent of the taste of aspirin if you chew it up

lipton chicken noodle soup...straight from a packet into my pan...salty, full of noodles and no chicken....ummmmmmmm

anyone know if its possible to get the block form katsuobushi (dont know the proper name, but the kind you were talking about having to shave off pieces) in the states or over the net?

Maybe, it's really been a while...but if it faces a parking lot of an office buuilding and further down the road is an overpass for the train tracks, and the pizza shop is small, then this may be the one! from what i remember it was between two other small businesses right off the corner of haverford.

i don't know the exact address, but there's a pizza place on haverfield rd/ave in bryn mawr, a little down from the intersection with Bryn Mawr Ave (maybe) there's a wawa on the corner and it's at the point where lancaster ave is a block away from haverfield rd/ave, anyway, a block or two down in the direction of Philly, across from a building that has Kaplan Prep Center, is the place i know, these are not the best directions. anyway, i think it has the best cheesesteak in philly - a fresh italian roll, chewy but not overwhelming the moist meat well mixed with the perfect amount of cheese...and, it's consistently good (well, i've not been there in about a year, but before that, i'd go often). If anyone actually recognizes its location from my directions, i highly suggest a visit.

black, loose-leaf tea with lemon - an absolute must through the fall to early spring season!

i'm in the prioritize-to-suit-the-moment tribe! I love to splurge on a nice restaurant and try out dishes not easily accomplished at home - when i have the money. I love to try out new recipes and techniques, spending three hours on a single dish - when i have the time. and i love to eat a quick and cheap lentil and rice dish when i have neither. And, i am a stressed out medical student so, on occasion, I've derived guilty pleasure from a one a.m. TacoBell run For me, priorities on my time and resources definatelly rule everyday life...but on a day when i'm not feeling the threat of impending medical board exams, i try to eat and shop according to principle - so i'm not a vegetarian but i always try to buy cage-free eggs and free-range meat, and have vegetables, grains and fruits make up the majority of my diet. Lately, though, it's been bread and butter with sea salt, and a frosty Cherry Coke!

thank you for all the suggestions! I'm going to look into the D&R Sharpening, I just checked out the website and I think i can entrust my knife to them

I live on the edges of west philly and have taken my knives to be sharpened to the kitchen kapers in King of Prussia, but thought they did a so-so job. i need my Mac santoku knife sharpened, though, and don't fully trust Kitchen Kapers. Anyone know of a good place to go in or around Philly?

what do you guys think about the truffle recipes in Alice Medrich's Bittersweet?

i just got the mag yesterday and my first thought upon completion of the article was that it needed to be posted up on eGullet! I'm glad someone beat me to the punch. Personally, as a grad student on a limited budget with foodie aspirations, Philly's BYOB scene is a huge plus in its favor. True, you might not know ahead of time what you'll be ordering, but you can always check out the menu and website (when available) to give you some idea of what to bring. And, you can bring your favorite wines that are not featured on wine lists! Really, is it that hard to make a detour to the liquor store before going to dinner? In most places they are open untill at least nine pm and on sundays, too. And if you are a visitor and find it hard to find a liquor store, is it so terrible to just focus on the food? And, while the state run liquor store is a bit of a hamper in terms of diversity of offerings, the Chairman's Selections program is an incredible boon for those wanting to check out wines that are normally out of their price range. As for the food side of it....why should bringing forth Budakkan-type places be the ultimate goal of the Philly restaurant scene? The flourishing BYOB scene enables talented chefs to put forth their creations easier, thereby contributing ideas, inspirations and motivation to others who are considering getting into the business. The multitude of BYOBs is precisely why I think of Philly as very "foodie-friendly".

Try Cidre Bouche Brut de Normandie by Etienne Dupont (i think, at least those are the names on the bottle) - better than actually biting into a crisp, tart, sweet, juicy apple - or at least just as good the flavor is bright, would rather serve than champagne any day Bellot Cider - not as good as above, lacking some of the fresh taste, not as balanced but, at 7.5% alcohol, drinks like a cider with half the strength...

Today - Rogue's Brutal Bitter - not that great, a bit off on the aftertaste Brasserie La Choulette "Les Sans Culottes" - french farmhouse ale...tastes surprisingly toasty for something that light, sweet, malty, yummy Yesterday - Unibroue Don de Dieu - apricot finish, refreshing, a bit of honey, really good...this brewery is pretty consistent with the quality factor.

Haven't had a chance to try it but it is highly rated for chocolate-y tastiness - Rogue's Chocolate Stout