Jenni

^^ Or any store with South Asian goods...if it's not in the food oil section, look under haircare! Seriously, many South Asians use it to oil their hair.

^^^ Oh, i've always wondered why it was done! So basically you make your own coconut oil. That used to be done (in the same way) in South Indian houses, but I think most people buy coconut oil now I'm teasing you, of course, I wish I could be more helpful. But maybe you could buy a block of creamed coconut and do it? I find that creamed coconut separates into solid white bit and translucent fatty bit, so it would definitely not be homogenised.

Well..I've never had a can that didn't separate out nicely into cream and thin milk, so I've obviously never had a homogenised can! You are making a Thai dish where the coconut cream is cooked with spices till it separates, no? I have to say that I do not know much about Thai cuisine! In all the dishes I use coconut milk, the milk is not supposed to separate out. So, my suggestion is only to find a non homogenised can, or to make your own. It's not hard, honest! ETA: Ok, so you answered that question!

A theory: eGulleters were so deprived of good food during their childhoods, that upon discovering it in adult life they immediately developed an obsession!

Just want to share how my Dad likes to eat them: In a packet of crisps, with a pint of beer at the pub. Don't ask, I have no idea if this is normal behaviour!

You know what, I never thought about this before. Are you sure the canned stuff is always homogenised? Because I usually find that the cream has separated and is stuck at the top of the can, and the more watery bit is always underneath, so I guess I just assumed they weren't homogenised!

Are you looking to refill your jug or get a new one? Some health food stores have big things of oil that you can fill up from. Otherwise I second Asian stores. You can also get big containers of oil online, but p&p on these can be a bit much as it's so heavy.

Dcarch, everything you make is ecstatically beautiful! I wish my photos/dishes came out so good!

Ok, so actually most recent idlis came out pretty good. Sambar and coconut chutney were damn fine too!

Stuffed courgettes with a hot garlic-yoghurt sauce and saffron rice with a potato crust. Sorry, the sauce is hiding how gorgeous the courgettes looked.

Tamarind is used in Kerala, so don't worry too much about its usage being inauthentic. It's also called kokum and is used quite a bit in Konkani cuisine, and is found in Maharashtrian and Goan food. I believe it is used quite a bit in fish preparations in Kerala, and I've seen it used elsewhere in the South too. Your best bet is to find cookbooks written by people from the actual region they are writing about, or who have at least spent a lot of time finding out about a specific cuisine. I find that cookery writers with a narrower focus (trying to do one cuisine rather than many!) are more likely to produce authentic recipes. Having said that, don't be scared of trying some of the more fusion or pan indian recipes. They can still be delicious and satisfying. It's just that it's nice to make something as it would be made in the place it's originally from, if that makes sense! I really like the following books (Note: Many of these are vegetarian as I am a veggie!): 'Dakshin', 'Simply South' and 'Southern Spice' by Chandra Padmanabhan. These contain recipes from South India. I think some of the recipes from Dakshin are slightly overcomplicated, but they are still very tasty. The other two books contain some recipes that are more homey and less often seen in cookery books. 'Cooking at Home with Pedatha' by Jigyasa Giri and Pratibha Jain is a great book on Andhra cuisine. 'Samayal' and 'Classic Tamil Brahamn Cuisine' by Viji Varadarajan are both great books on Tamil Cuisine. 'Grains, Greens and Grated Coconuts' by Ammini Ramachandran is an amazing book on vegetarian cuisine from Kerala. The author is an extremely knowledgable lady who occasionally has posted on eGullet and also has her own website, here. 'India: The cookbook' by Pushpesh Pant is a hefty, gorgeous tome which attempts to give authentic, homey recipes from all over India. Although I am sure that people from different regions will spot a few flaws in recipes from their own regions, overall it makes a pretty damn good effort. 'Bengali Cooking: Seasons and Festivals' by Chitrita Banerji is a fascinating book about Bengali food and culture. It's basically a book to read, with a few recipes in it. The layout is not great for cooking from, but it's an excellent book. 'My Bombay Kitchen' by Niloufer Ichaporia King, don't actually own this one myself but have heard extremely good things about it from other, very knowledgeable people. It's a book about Parsi home-style cooking. Well, that's a few for now, notice that many of them are South-orientated! I will try and think of some more later. Incidentally, Yamuna Devi's book has some interesting recipes but remember that she is actually an American and many of the recipes are written from that perspective and with an American audience in mind. So not everything is that authentic, though much of it is delicious. And she has some pretty good technical notes on making milk sweets and a few other things. Madhur Jaffrey writes beautifully and has many delicious recipes. Julie Sahni I have always found to be a bit more average, but you can use whatever tastes good to you. Don't underestimate the power of South Asian food forums and regional blogs online. Also make an effort to take notes if/when you travel to India - ask people for their favourite recipes, try and watch people cooking, taste different dishes and note down flavours...this is the best way to get first hand experience! You should never think you know everything about a certain cuisine, and you should never stop learning!

^^^ If you ever have the opportunity (probably somewhere in South or South East Asia or the Caribbean), try sipping coconut water straight from a young coconut. The trick is to slurp the juice out with a straw and then hack off a bit of the edge of the coconut to form a sort of spoon, and use it to scoop out the sweetish, gelatinous flesh inside....heaven!

Chris, I really like your menu, I'm hoping you have time to take some pictures during all the madness! I also am after that rice noodles with greens, green peppercorns, and thai basil recipe...

dcarch, those salads look absolutely amazing!

Agreed! Jenni, I hope you're contributing to the Wiki, this would be a great contribution. Oh no no no! Seriously guys, I am a mere novice and the small amount of information I have provided barely skims the surface and only picks up on some of the more well known regional differences. Let the experts write on the wiki!

^^^ I love Madhur Jaffrey, but just be a little cautious of some of her regional recipes as they are not always super authentic (though often they are very delicious and a very good shot at a dish). I agree the book is wonderful, partly beause of all the descriptions she gives of her travels.

^^^ It's a refreshing cool drink, very good for quenching thirst and replacing electrolytes lost in hot sweaty weather!

^^^ They are the same thing, just different languages. Btw, you should definitely share some pictures of the dishes you have been making.

I'm not a blancher - not even for bitter melon!

I feel really stupid for asking, but I don't think I've really come across you before on the boards robirdstx, so I don't feel I know much about you! Apologies if you have to repeat something you've posted elsewhere, but can you say a little about yourself? I'm particularly interested in your New Mexico connection, it seems you go semi-often? Do you have family there, or is it just a favourite destination? Btw, your sister's meal looks utterly divine! I feel like I should be rooting for the nice healthy salads, but I'm drawn to the naughty plate!

Idli upma with peanut chutney. My idlis are not super perfect when eaten straight as idlis (fermentation is a tad slow and incomplete in current weather ), but they make lovely upma!

^^^ djyee, that sounds like an extremely well organised class. An assitant seems like an excellent idea, if one is available. I also think what you say about the instructor watching over to make sure the dishes come out "right" is an important point - you are completely right when you say that if mistakes are made, then students don't end up knowing what a dish was supposed to be like. And if they are learning to cook a cuisine that is very alien to them, then it's 10 times worse!

Hmm, I'm surprised either of these menus took very long to make, even with the teaching aspect. I guess that's the trick: realise that things take longer than you think when you've got a class of people.

Hey, I'm a big fan of Indian food, just spreading the love! Do let me know where you end up going.

Yeah, but it used to be mostly canned and the canned stuff isn't all that great at all, IMO. Plus they are often sweetened, and it's just not the same as the fresh. The tetra pak ones seem much better, though like I say they are pricey. Incidentally, I always find that the chunks of coconut in the packaged versions are much harder and less tasty than the wonderful gelatinous flesh you get in a proper fresh coconut. Ok, so it's a given that it wouldn't be as good, but I just thought I'd mention it.