Jenni

Do you absolutely have to deseed for your dish? I never deseed but that's just because it doesn't bother me and it has never seemed to bother anyone who has eaten my food either! Saves time, less waste and it tastes great! I guess if you have to deseed though, you are just going to have to accept the loss. I wouldn't worry too much though as many chefs deseed and I've never heard anyone eat a dish and say "Damn, if only the chef hadn't deseeded those tomatoes it would have been umami-tastic!". Incidentally I hope you are going to use that tomato water for something and not just throw it away? It wasn't clear from your post.

^^ Ah, well I believe the eruric acid content of mustard oil (related to rapeseed actually) is also high but it has never stopped me from using it. It's only a small part of my diet, and on top of this mustard oil has been used internally and externally for a long long time so I'll take my chances. Anyway, I did think that the health effects were not yet fully understood. ETA: This post is of course directed to brucesw, sorry for confusion

Just took a look at your website - your job sounds awesome and is pretty much what I want to do! Looking forward to your blog this week.

Ah so is canola oil what Brits would call rapeseed oil? Because I thought that was supposed to be a pretty good oil.

^^^ Fair enough, but you don't need unpasteurised milk to scoop the cream off anyway, just unhomogenised.

Well let's not be too rosey eyed about India's dairy industry. Whether your fresh milk is from a local doodhwala or you buy the bags of Amul milk (it's still pretty local), you can't pretend that these cows and buffalo are having a nice life. I won't go into it any more but let's just say that for me, the UK has the best dairy in that the quality is high (if you buy right) and the cows have a better life (again, if you buy right). Cows in nice big rolling fields, that's what I like. Ah, must be my West Country roots! By the way, you must be able to get unhomogenised milk in the US? In the UK, raw is hard to get (unless you have a good relationship with a farmer) but unhomogenised is easy enough, at least in the south west. Used to get organic, unhomogenised jersey cow milk from a local-ish farm back in Bristol. Could also get an extra creamy milk that wasn't jersey cow from a different company. I think they added some cream back, that's all. Lovely childhood memories of our summer visits to an "uncle" (can't remember the actual relationship) in Devon who was a farmer and getting lovely fresh milk straight from the cow. As for my Mum, well she grew up with milk that her brother bought home every day from the farm he worked on. Again, fresh from the cow. He's still farming away but sadly they don't have dairy cows on the farm any more so she can't call in any favours!

Nothing wrong with ghee from sweet butter, it's delicious and works well in recipes. FWIW, here is how I set about making ghee from scratch in one of the traditional ways (more on that below): Step 1 - Bring the days milk to the boil and leave to cool for several hours. I use Amul gold which is something like 6% fat. I am almost certain it is buffalo milk but would appreciate if anyone could confirm that. I don't use a doodhwala at the moment as I am not sure how good our local one is (with watering milk down, etc.) and I like knowing that my milk is definitely all milk! Step 2 - Scoop the cream off the top of the milk. Resist the temptation to eat it all there and then, and set it aside in a tub in the fridge. Step 3 - Repeat for several days until I have enough cream. Step 4 - Add a little yoghurt to the cream and leave overnight to culture it. Step 5 - Churn the cream into butter. Step 6 - Resist the temptation to slather it all over roti and instead make ghee in the "normal way". Other ways that people round here use: *Make yoghurt from the milk everyday and scoop the cream directly off that, then follow same steps but no need to culture the cream once enough is gathered. *Don't add yoghurt to the cream as by the time enough is gathered the cream sours a little naturally (depending on time and on refrigeration). *Don't bother making butter from the cream - the cream is put directly in a pan and cooked into ghee. Have never done this myself but apparently it works.

Part of the reason that breast feeding and breast milk related topics cause a lot of squirming is the fact that breasts are associated with something sexual in many peoples' minds. However, beyond that, the taboo surrounding a non-baby drinking breast milk serves a useful purpose - making sure that all the milk is saved for babies themselves. So although I'm not sure that drinking breast milk is really any more "disgusting" or "weird" than drinking the milk of other animals, I do think that breast milk should be saved for the infant or infants it is produced for. Remember that breast feeding a child is highly recommended by medical experts and all sorts of benefits come from doing so. It's a very precious fluid and should not be used frivolously. I suppose if for some reason there is a large surplus of milk you could experiment...if you really wanted to and had full permission of the mother involved.

Looking on wikipedia I did find a link that includes these little snippets (read in full here): So it looks like it is difficult to prevent people from "faking" service animals as you are not allowed to ask for ID. However, it does seem that businesses can claim back for damages caused by misbehaving animals and can ask a customer to leave if they fail to control their animal. So I presume a store could charge for any goods that an animal rendered unsellable (by licking, nibbling, etc.) and could possibly take action if an owner repeatedly did not stop a dog from barking/going to the toilet/ etc. in a restaurant or store.

I suppose it is like the difference between sweet butter and cultured butter. A lot of the milk in India is buffalo and yes all the normal dairy products (butter, ghee, paneer, yoghurt, etc.) are made from it. Ayurvedically, I believe cow ghee is slightly preferred.

? (I meah other than the fact that many commercial ghee brands contain ingredients that don't come from butter - or cows - in the first place and so to me are less authentically ghee than what's traditional ?) It is my understanding that ghee is to clarified butter what dark roux is to light roux: the butter is cooked until it is golden brown and then clarified, as opposed to clarified butter, which is cooked such that it is not coloured. I'm interested in any additional differences as well. Ghee is clarified until the milk solids go golden and sink to the bottom and all the water evaporates off. The milk solids are carefully strained out. What is left is pure fat and can be used even for deep frying. I am not an expert on clarified butter but I think the main difference is that less carmalisation of the milk solids take place. Does less water get evaporated off too? I don't know for sure, but I think that ghee is heated for longer. In our house we heat it until the ghee stops "singing" (making little musical plip-plop sounds) as this shows all the water is gone. By the way traditionally in India ghee is not made from butter made out of sweet cream. The cream off the top of yoghurt is set aside for a few days until there is enough, and then it is churned into butter which is in turn made into ghee.

Can anyone here clarify how easy it is to get a "service collar" for an animal? Is it very easy to just go anywhere and get one? Are there any fines for putting one on an animal that is not a service animal? Like others have mentioned, I wouldn't pretend to be an expert on when an animal is a service animal or not and I would not even attempt to guess. However, I would have thought it was up to a store or restaurant to politely ask to see some proof that an animal is service animal if they have any suspicions. And I'm assuming that if someone could not produce proof, then the store or restaurant owner would be entitled to ask them to leave the animal outside.

I don't know if you were joking, but those aubergines would be awesome stuffed btw...

I had it with onions at my favorite Indian restaurant that just recently closed. It was wonderful! I'd appreciate your ideas on the best recipe. I'm going to an Indian market on Tuesday (the closest is 90 miles away). Ah but homemade will be much better! I do have a recipe but I am currently writing it up as part of a book that I am foolishly going to try and get published. So I won't reveal my personal recipe. However, I did a quick google and found a couple of recipes that are fairly similar to what I do. http://www.awesomecuisine.com/recipes/676/1/Vengaya-Sambar/Page1.html http://anubhavati.wordpress.com/2009/04/22/vengaya-sambar-onions-sauted-and-boiled-in-tamarind-gravy-with-ground-coconut-spices/ These are made with a fresh masala prepared especially for the dish instead of a premade spice powder. This always gives a very different flavour, even if you make your own sambar powder (which I do).

Sesame oil (not the Chinese toasted kind for last minute flavouring, but the South Asian kind for cooking with) in dishes with tamarind in them. Coconut oil (the good kind that really smells) in most dishes from Kerala. Mustard oil in many many Bengali dishes. Peanut oil for Maharashtrian dishes. Ghee in as many places as possible. Especially for frying puris, loochis, etc. And jalebis. And in khichdi. And dal. And rice. And sabzi. And for adding at the table to any of the aformentioned dishes and more. Seriously, if the dish can be cooked in ghee then do it. And if another fat is more suitable for the cooking process then add a little ghee at the very end - so for instance mustard oil is used in the cooking process of shukto (a Bengali "stew" emphasising delicate bitter flavours) but a teaspoon of ghee at the end of the dish makes it sing. Home-made white butter on top of sarson da saag and makki di roti...or on top of jowar roti...or on top of any roti. Excuse me whilst I go off and eat something full of ghee.

Well to be fair, I've never made "custard base" (i'm assuming that means eggs). Just good cream, something sweet and something tasty!

Aha, there is a turtle involved! (though in the UK we would call Terry a terrapin - so your name is well picked!) Love the market photos. May I ask you about your ice-cream? I have always gone out of my way to find ice cream made with good cream, sugar and whatever natural flavour additions are desired. Nothing else. That's also how I make ice-cream when I do it at home. My vanilla ice cream is good fresh double cream, sugar and vanilla (from high quality pods, not extract or "flavouring"). I am curious as to why you find cream cheese and cornstarch (or cornflour - damn us Brits eh?!) to be so much better? I am by no means an ice-cream expert (I make it maybe twice a year) and this is an innocent question. You're going against everything I ever held to be true!

Are you familiar with the South Indian dish sambar? Because vengaya sambar (shallot or "baby onion" sambar) is one of the finer things in life!

To me it seems that the gluten free thing has been marketed as much as a weight control gimmick as anything else. However, there are definitely people who suffer when they eat wheat/gluten (some to a lesser and some to a greater degree) and it's a shame that they now find themselves associated with what to many people appears to be a dietary fad. A good friend of mine in school was wheat intolerant in some way and her tummy basically swelled up like a balloon when she ate items like pasta or bread. It caused her horrible discomfort for hours afterwards but she really loved a lot of wheaty items so she often suffered for the taste! Also, being young and wanting to fit in probably meant that she would rather eat pizza out with friends and feel lousy afterwards than cause any kind of "fuss". Sent from my HTC Wildfire S A510e using Tapatalk

Shouldn't bother with my blog, haven't had time for it in ages and never really got it going. There are far better Indian food blogs out there. I am working on a book atm though and it's coming on nicely. Actually the rajma recipe is in there. Wait for me to finish that, eh? Sent from my HTC Wildfire S A510e using Tapatalk

No absolutely most definitely not. Let's summarise quickly: *Masala means mixture. So all these masalas are spice mixtures. *However, Indians also use masala to mean spice. So "What masalas (or masale to use the Hindi way of pluralising) did you put in the dal?" means what spices did yout put in the dal. "Oh, I put in some turmeric and chilli powder and then did a tadka with cumin and hing". *Garam masala is a popular spice mixture made up of warming spices (but not, traditionally, chillies). By warming spices I mean spices that have a warming effect on the body. There are certain key ingredients common to pretty much every recipe for it but there are regional variations. It is mostly associated with North Indian food but not every North Indian dish contains it. However, for whatever reason it has become something that seems to be put in every Indian restaurant dish ever. That's an exaggeration but you know what I mean. *There are lots of masalas. Lots. It means mixture, remember? Different people make the same masala differently. But more often than not there will be a common theme to these various versions of a masala and it is possible to pick out the core ingredients and/or features that make it what it is. *Sometimes spices are roasted before being ground. Sometimes not. Sometimes they are roasted heavily, sometimes they are barely toasted. Spices are also used whole (a masala does not have to be ground); added to hot oil before being added to a dish; used raw; etc. Different techniques bring out different flavours. *In terms of the roasting thing, some of this is down to preference. Some of it is down to what flavour is desired. Some of it is down to how much the spice will be cooked after it is ground (e.g. is it added to a dish which is then simmered for an hour or is it added raw to a salad?). Some of it depends on how long the masala will be stored. You see, roasting seems to me to make a spice grind easier and it certainly releases the smell from the spice. But apparently this makes the aroma and flavour of the spice disappear more quickly so spice powders that are to be stored for a long while are sometimes just sun dried thoroughly before being ground. That's all for now, I am sure others will chip in too.

Yajna Patni, I must insist that you post your thoughts on the OP's question! Always love to hear your take on things as you have loads of knowledge and experience - far more than me! As I often point out, I just have a big mouth and like to talk about India, doesn't mean I'm some kind of expert! sdkittykats, I recommend a pressure cooker for everybody! Excellent for cooking all pulses that require long cooking times in a convential cooking pot, such as kabuli or kala chana and rajma. Many people have various different sizes so they can cook different amounts and also at the same time. I would recommend getting at least a 3 or 4 litre, as it's better to have plenty of room than to get a "small size for a small family" and then end up not being able to make anything in it. I've got a prestige and also a hawkins, both have worked wel for me. But I do not know a lot about pressure cookers, so you should probably check out this eg thread to get an opinion from the professionals!

Are you asking me what spices I personally use in rajma? Because here is where I have a particular point of view which is at odds with the restaurant definition of "good rajma". You see for me the rajma itself (the beans) are so tasty that they require certain careful handling. First, tip of the day is to buy the small Kashmir or Jammu variety of rajma. They are small and beautiful and have a wonderful flavour that is superior to the larger beans. Secondly, I think you need to give the beans a chance to shine. Restaurant rajma is generally chock full of garlic, onion and garam masala. Actually so much restaurant Punjabi food contains too much of these, everything ends up tasting the same. Restaurant rajma also often gets a heavy dose of other powdered spices too, from coriander to turmeric to amchoor. I go a different way, but many many people do like this kind of rajma. And yes, many Indians make rajma at home with heavy use of masalas. It's all down to personal preference. Just for fun, I will share how I make my rajma. For my rajma I pressure cook the rajma with salt. Then I heat a nice amount of ghee in a pan (ghee is an absolute must, it makes the taste here). When hot I fry some (but not loads and loads) of finely chopped onion until golden before adding a good amount of minced fresh ginger. The ginger is an important taste for me in this dish, plus it is an excellent digestive. Remember that rajma is a heavy bean for your stomach to work on! The mixture gets lightly browned, then I add some freshly ground (as in I just did it for the purpose of using it in rajma) cumin and some high quality chilli powder (again, ideally freshly ground but this is difficult at home for many). Stir and fry a minute or so. Then I add some finely chopped tomato - high quality fresh tomatoes please. Not too much tomato, don't want to drown the dish. I also add some liquid from cooking the beans. When the tomatoes are pasty I add the cooked beans and enough liquid to get the texture I desire. I like it not too thin and not too thick, but keep it looser at the start to allow for the sauce to reduce. Check for salt, beans can take a lot. The dish simmers for 20 minutes covered and then 10 minutes uncovered. Serve over plain rice. No need for a fresh coriander "garnish", no need for fancy side dishes - this is simple, home-y food. I like raw onions, raw chillies and veg pickle on the side. You can taste the glorious flavour of the beans. You can taste the glorious freshness of the onions and tomatoes that hopefully you selected at their best to prepare the dish! The spicing is ginger, cumin and chilli and again you should be aiming for these ingredients to be very high quality. Finally, ghee brings the dish together and adds a subtle undernote that cannot be missed. I know what I'm having for supper tonight...just put some beans in the pressure cooker!

Ok, so I'm back now! You mention chaat masala in your list. This masala is commonly sprinkled on snack foods (especially chaat), various small dishes (such as kabob, tikka, etc.) and so on. Again, variations in the recipe exist. But the notable ingredients are amchoor, kala namak, black pepper, cumin, ginger and chilli powder. There are of course many other masalas. Rasam masala/podi is a spice mixture used for rasam. Key ingredients are often cumin, black pepper, chillies and curry leaves. Again, other ingredients are often added. There's chai masala for seasoning chai which often contains cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, black pepper, nutmeg, etc. Some regions are particularly famous for use of a masala. So Bengal often makes use of panch pooran, a mixture of five spices that is most often sold and/or stored whole but is sometimes ground and added to a dish. The five spices in this are cumin, fennel, fenugreek, kalonji and radhuni (mustard seeds commonly replace the difficult to find radhuni). Goda masala is associated with Maharashtria. This dark masala contains many of the ingredients of garam masala but also adds sesame seeds and/or copra, dagad phool ("stone flower" - a kind of lichen), nagkesar ("cobra saffron" - actually cassia buds I think) and other spices. There are many more masalas. If you go into a grocery shop in India you can buy all sorts of ready made masalas designed to speed up the food preparation process. Jal jeera masala, dahi masala, "kitchen king" masala, korma masala, rajma masala, dal masala, etc. You don't actually need to buy any of these because you can make a spice mixture especially for whatever dish you are cooking at the time and choose what you want to put in it. But ready made masalas make it quick and easy for very busy people who are perhaps not so particular about taste. Traditionally, an individual masala was prepared for each dish as it was needed. This allowed for variation on the day depending on mood/availability/need/etc. and also gave a better taste. Of course, some masalas are very complex and have many ingredients so they have most often been made in batches and stored. But still, the key thing is that they were prepared at home and according to each home's personal style. Remember that many Indian dishes do not make use of complex masalas at all. There is no need to prepare/use a masala with 10 ingredients for every single thing you cook and doing so only muddies the unique flavour of a dish. That is one of the reasons that I am not interested in all these new commercial masalas - they are not fresh and they just mean that it is too easy to overspice a dish. Plus after a while all your dishes start to taste the same because you use the same spices in everything and never learn to adjust the flavour. Personally my style is to make up individual masalas for each dish. I also keep on hand a small number of home-made prepared masalas that I use frequently. I make a small batch of sambar podi once a week as sambar is a regular dish in my house. I make punjabi style garam masala once every 1-2 months. Goda masala I make once every 3-4 months. But simple masalas such as basic garam masala I make just before adding to a dish. I would always rather have that fresh flavour.

Masala means mixture and in India is also used in a general way to mean spices. Yes there are some guidelines about what spices go in what. But it's also a regional thing and a personal thing. Let's get started on one thing - in India traditionally there is no such thing as curry powder. This was invented by the British do they could go back to England and make all the "curry" (whatever that is) they wanted. Now days people in India do use the word curry because it has become so commonly understood around the world. So garam masala. This means warming spice mixture and contains spices that warm up the body. At it's simplest this could be cloves, cardamom, cinnamon/cassia and black pepper. Nutmeg, mace and cassia leaves are also common. Pre made blends often fill up garam masala with coriander and cumin as these are cheap. Personally I never use coriander in garam masala and if I do use cumin it is in small amounts. Garam masala has a number of regional versions and can be used whole or ground. Sambar masala/podi is spice blend used to make sambar. Variations occur across south India but key ingredients are coriander, chillies, various dals (chana, urad, toor), hing and curry leaves. On top of this fenugreek and cumin are also common and other spices are also used depending in region. Chana and chole masala are both used sometimes to refer to the dish itself. The spice masala can vary. For chole I usually make a garam masala with some extra spices and a separate wet masala of ginger, chilles and onion. I will come back later to talk chaat masala, etc but I gave to go to class now. Key thing to remember is that masalas vary although there are common themes and traditionally they are made at home, often fresh for each dish. Sent from my HTC Wildfire S A510e using Tapatalk