Jenni

Those of you saying yes, government should control salt content, think about it - Making information available about the salt content of a product and how much people should be eating is one thing. But do you really want the government to tell you what you can and cannot eat? Like, actually prevent you from eating certain things? Personally, I'm happy to be advised. I'd still be happy if it was law that information about salt content must be shown on food packaging and perhaps even on chain restaurant menus (I'm not sure what packaging law states now). But if the government thinks they can tell me what to eat, they can bugger right off.

We were talking about this today in my AAT class! Apparently it's not the first time he's had these kinds of problems. Sounds like he's a good chef, but not good with managing money!

Dal makhani is usually made with whole urad dal (they are small mung bean shaped beans but black in colour) and since whole beans can take a while to cook, I do usually soak them for a while, but I don't always remember and have got away with not doing it in the past. The length of time it takes your beans to cook will depend on how hold they are, and you will want them nice and soft and creamy for this dish. I never use a pressure cooker to cook this dish, as I am a bit scared of pressure cookers, so I cannot comment on the recipe on that thread you linked to.

I have read that excess salt does not cause high blood pressure in everybody - certain people are susceptible to it. This would seem to indicate to me that more research should be done before we start mandating salt content. Not that I'm usually a big fan of very salty food (I don't like it when things actually taste salty - salt in food is fine to me, but if you put in so much I can taste it's not good!), I just think you have to think carefully before banning high salt foods. On top of that, pickles are salty, salted peanuts are salty, but the fact is that you're not supposed to eat tonnes of them. Will the governement take portion size into allowance? How do you prevent people from eating more than the portion size? Answer is, you can't.

Oh god, those things should not be allowed! Seriously, is there anyone who actually likes using these? I always thought they were mostly for show, especially as they often have some horrible floral design or some such thing on them. I'm not a huge pro with a knife, but I like to use a chopping board. If I have a chopping board, I'm fairly fast and fairly neat. Without one, I dissolve into cack-handed-ness. I'm very jealous of my Mum, who can quickly peel and slice potatoes with a small paring knife and no board.

In our house, we don't so much menu plan as cook with what we have. We do a main grocery shop once a week, plus an additional trip midweek for more veg and milk. Once a month I make a trip to Bristol Sweetmart and stock up on store cupboard stuff like dal, rice, spices, tamarind, etc. In the main grocery shop of the week, we tend to buy similar things each week. About 95% of my trolley is fruit and veg, for my parents it's about 75% (we share the cost by buying different things that we each use most, but we actually share the food). If there's something specific one of us fancies making during the week, then we do make sure we buy ingredients for it. We also look out of for anything particularly seasonal, so this changes what goes in the trolley. But mostly we just have a tonne of fruit and veg that's pretty much the same each week, plus a bit of dairy and a few pantry items. This combined with the staples we buy on a monthly basis gives us lots of ingredients that can be used in a huge number of recipes. Rather than planning all meals way in advance, we tend to just use what we have to make different dishes. I think experience helps here, we know what veg we like and we know how to cook it in many ways. Weekends tend to be more planned. I tend to have more projects in mind, like pickling or making sweets. And of course there's more free time for cooking at the weekend, so I might make a special dish. My Dad also tends to do cooking projects at the weekend. For these things, we do plan what we buy to make sure we have the ingredients. Personally, I tend to vaguely plan in my head a day in advance. This is mostly just because I like thinking about cooking and eating! If I actually think about it, I'd say I probably have an even vaguer plan stretching a few days futher. Usually I have one meal in mind, and then I plan the rest of the meals of the day around that. This is because I like to vary what veg I eat at each meal and not have the same thing three times a day. Then there will be other things that need prior preparations to be ready, so I'll plan around that. For instance I might soak some stuff tonight to grind to a batter tomorrow, so in a day or so there will be idli batter ready. So then the day after that I'll have it in my head that I should use up the batter by making utthappam. Or I might start sprouting some beans tomorrow, so I know in a few days time I'll plan a meal around them. I can't imagine planning every meal down to the final side dish in advance! I would definitely change my mind about what I fancy. Far better, I think, to learn how to cook with what you have!

MrsCC, my tongue was firmly in my cheek

Book looks amazing...if I ever win the lottery, I promise to buy it In all seriousness, I'm not having a dig. It looks worth the money, but I'm not sure it's money I have right now! On a related note, I'm not sure why sadistick is so surprised that people on eGullet are willing to spend a large amount of money on this book. I'm pretty sure I spotted a thread on eGullet about using Ipads in the kitchen! The point is, eGullet is a forum where many of the users have a significant disposable income. And these people chose to spend this disposable income on food/cooking-related products. That's their priority, it's really not surprising! I spend most of my disposable income on travel to India (including research on food and cooking...see there's still the same core reason!), that's my priority. I say, let people spend their money where they will! By the way, when people get the book, can they post loving close-ups of the covers, and shots of dishes they have cooked from the book? I want to live vicariously through you!

Interesting. I don't think your review is particularly harsh, though it is a little condescending at times. I also think you were a little precious about the birthday thing. Personally I've had some really nice surprises laid on at restaurants who knew it was my birthday, but I don't think it's something you should expect. What did you want, freebies? The chef to come out and sing? I'm sure if Marcus had been there he would have come and wished your wife happy birthday, but he wasn't. I hope this doesn't sound harsh, I do understand that you probably had a few thoughts that something special might happen, but you don't want to be too greedy now do you?! What puzzles me is why Marcus rang you. I have to take it at face value, that you are not exactly friends but that he is aware of you, and that he rang up and was rude to you. What I find strange is that the review is not even that bad! You say you liked some of the food, and some of it was not bad and not amazing. You commented that the service was lacking it's usual spark. That's pretty much it. Now I can understand that he might ring up and point out to you that sometimes restaurants have an off-night, and that he is sorry you visited on such a night, and would you please come back another time for something better. Possibly implicating a free meal...though perhaps he thought you were angling for one and this is why he got mad.... The other odd thing is the state of total brainless-ness that Marcus must have been in when he rang you. Ok, so he wants to complain because you blogged details about a bad meal. You have blogged about meals before. You are a BLOGGER. And yet he rings up to have a go at you, with apparently no thought that you might share such a call with the rest of the world via your blog or some other means. Tell me, did he sound drunk when he rang?!

^^ nakji, no basmati would not usually be used. It's a south indian dish, so some south indian variety of rice would be used. In practice, you can pretty much use any rice that cooks into nice separate grains, so any long grain rice really, or a medium grain. I have even used rosematta rice (which is really quite short and plump) with success. Basmati would be unnecessary, and a bit of a waste. Remember that the aroma of the sesame is strong, so it would mask the delicate aroma of basmati. ETA: As for serving suggestions, ellu sadam (that is the Tamil name of the dish, there are others in other languages) is one of many rice "variety" dishes, such as lemon rice, coconut rice, tamarind rice, coriander rice, sambar rice, curd rice, etc. They can be served with chips (appalams, potato chips, tapioca chips, dal chips, plantain chips, etc.) and various relishes for a light meal (especially good when travelling) or with many other dishes as part of a meal. I usually take a rice variety for lunch every day.

Snadra, no the South Indian version is quite different from Erin's. There are many variations, but I did quick google and here is one version. This is similar to what I make. There are also versions without coconut, and with less spices in the tarka. Google "ellu sadam" and you will find many recipes.

What is "Tuscan" kale? Is it cavalo nero, or is it a variety of curly kale?

There are a few spice powders that utilise sesame seeds. Also, when roasted with spices such as cumin, black pepper and chilli, and ground and mixed with a little water they make a lovely sauce for cooked potatoes (the sauce should be heated). There's also a South Indian rice dish sesame rice - it's really good.

I think you're better off just grinding the whole seeds just before using them - it's hard to tell how long the pre-ground stuff has been hanging about, plus you might well end up paying more for them.

If you need to stay fish-free, you could try working at a vegetarian restaurant. I think nuts would be more diffcult to avoid...how allergic are you? Can you handle them, or does being in a room with them make your throat close up (don't laugh, I have a friend who starts to choke if someone in the office eats peanuts)? Don't give up your dream, I'm sure you will find a way.

^^^ Barley tea is quite different.

^^ I just googled orgeat to see what it is, and I notice that the wiki article says that it was originally made with barley...I'm guessing you knew that though..

Sounds rather like this, which my Dad likes. I don't think it's made from roasted barley malt though, just roasted barley. I could be wrong though...

Hmm...my life is crazy busy, but when I want to make a certain dish, I make it properly. I suppose that if your quick method results in the same taste it doesn't matter, but I have found many times that changing the method results in something that isn't really like the "real" thing anymore. I don't understand the preserved lemon example though. It takes a very short amount of time to make preserved lemons, and it's not even difficult. Or is he saying that he doesn't want to wait for the lemons to be ready? In which case, it's just lack of patience, and I would really encourage him to get some...they are worth waiting for! ETA: More thoughts! Much of the time, I think "good" is the enemy of "perfect". So many magazines, websites, etc. nowadays have recipes, and often they end up being pretty blah versions of the original dish. For example, we live in a world where plenty of people now know what risotto is. They've eaten it in a chain restaurant, they've seen and maybe even tried a recipe off a cooking show or food blog. But have they ever eaten a decent risotto, or have they just eaten something that vaguely resembles risott? The problem is that, now that all sorts of different people are posting recipes online, and coming up with their own versions in books and on TV, there are loads of watered down versions of dishes. People call something risotto if it's made with arborio rice and is a bit sloppier than a pilau. People call something chili con carne if it's a meaty stew with chillies and beans it (even though there is some debate whether chili even should have beans in it). There are probably large numbers of people in the world who think you can make a bechamel sauce with cornlour and milk. I'm not saying that we should all become completely anal about "authenticity" and making things "the long way" all the time. But I do think there should be standards, an understanding that when you make something differently from the traditional way, maybe it's not always appropriate to call it by the name of the original dish. Otherwise we end up in a situation where most people don't know what a dish should actually taste like - because they've only ever been served or made an approximate version.

I think it's a wonderful book, but perhaps not for the beginner cook. I actually quite like the style of quite loose ingredients and instructions - this is cooking like our grandma's did. I also really like the way she gives background information and little tidbits about her experiences and so on - this is my favourite part about any cookbook.

Cookies look good. I think I've spotted various cookies in PJ's other packed lunches - they have that chunky home-made look about them, so I'm guessing you make them?

Are we talking things they don't like, or things they say they don't like but that you sneakily feed them anyway?

You have to remember that there's proper traditional buttermilk, and the yoghurt-simulation of buttermilk. Although salt lassi can be quite thin, I have generally noticed that in restaurants the distinction between buttermilk and salt lassi is that salt lassi is made thicker and is richer whereas buttermilk is more watery. I'm not sure many restaurants outside of India would serve proper buttermilk. Incidentally, did you read the milk, yoghurt, malai thing on the wikipedia article for chaas? If you read the article carefully you will see that it says that one of these is churned in order to create the chaas. What it doesn't make clear is that this is the process for making butter, and that the chaas is an additional product leftover from this process. So you don't have the butterfat in the chaas, which you might be expecting if you just read that chaas was made from milk, malai and yoghurt. If you read the article on buttermilk you will see what I mean. The article does also explain the difference between what most Americans think of as buttermilk (e.g a cultured product a little like yoghurt, thicker than milk) and what buttermilk means in India. Personally, I think it's a mistake to talk about these two products in the same article, as they are very different. Also note that in the description of how buttermilk is made in India it just says the yoghurt is churned to make butter. From what I know, it is actually the cream that rises to the top of yoghurt that is churned, as traditionally the milk for making yoghurt would be unhomogenised so the creamy bit would not blend in unless stirred. The cream would be taken off the top of the yoghurt (possibly for a few days if only a small amount of yoghurt was made, or if a large amount of butter was required) and the butter would be churned from this. I think butter is also sometimes made from sweet cream in India too. [if anyone with more expertise has anything to add/change about the above, I would be interested. I do not claim to be an expert in this area!] In terms of your disappointment about the ingredients, I should point out that drinks made from yoghurt and water are popular in several countries. As well as various kinds of lassi from India (which come in sweet, fruit, salt, masala, etc.) there is also aryan (found in various countries in the middle east) and doogh (mostly associated with iran I think, but also found in other countries in the middle east). I think doogh might be made with carbonated water. These drinks are very refreshing in hot weather!

Hi Bruce, I am only an enthusiastic eater and cook, I do not promise to be an expert and always have the (right) answer! For instance, it may not have been rasam. But there are a number of varieties so it is a possibility. As for the black mustard seeds, remember that they are popped in oil first and this changes the taste enormously - they become nutty. You can try it very easily at home. Heat up a little oil in a very small pan. Then add 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds and cook until they pop and splutter. You will see that they change colour and size. Pour into some yoghurt and stir in. A little sprinkle of salt, perhaps a tablespoon chopped cucumber or tomato and you can just see how that tastes. As for the payasam/kheer, there is a lot of variety in this area. Sometimes you will be served something that is basically a drink, other times it will be thicker. Bear in mind that there a couple of seviyan (vermicelli) puddings which are not specifically called kheer that are also similar. I am glad you enjoyed the chaas. It's also called buttermilk. Traditionally it is the liquid leftover from when butter is churned, and it is very different from the cultured product called buttermilk in America and the UK. Also bear in mind that in India butter is made from the creamiest part of the yoghurt rather than sweet cream, so both the resulting butter and butterrmilk have a different taste. These days it is more likely that your chaas was yoghurt diluted with water and seasoned, as in salt lassi. Very easy to make at home!

Even if it is a viable mechanism for weight control, I personally don't think it's healthy for long term use. If you can only eat food when you calculate the calories, how is that good for your mental wellbeing? Isn't it sad that people can't learn to control their eating habits without so much measuring and calculating?