Jenni

Deep fried, Bengali style

Yeah they're big in India, but given how much some foreign ingredients have become a big thing in the west, I think I can say they're overrated here. But, I think dhokla are probably more underrated than idli!

I make pancakes with it, steamed snacks, fried snacks, noodles, soups and stews (it's traditionally used to stablise yoghurt in the Indian dish karhi which is a hot yoghurt "soup") and much more. I find that is makes a good "non-omelette" for those of us who don't eat eggs, and since it is high in protein I think this is a pretty good use for it. The Burmese cook it into a thick paste and allow it to set, and then cut it into cubes to make Burmese tofu. Now, I assumed we were talking about ingredients, but if we're talking about foods...well, I would agree with idlis!

A few weeks ago I was able to get some fresh curry leaves for the first time, which I was able to use in a few recipes. I have to say, it was a really noticeable difference over dried ones. The only problem was the place were I can get them packs them into 4 oz bags, which is rather a lot, more than I can use in a short time. At a pinch, you can keep them in a sealed bag in the freezer. They don't really freeze, but they do keep for a little longer. Must be kept well sealed though, or they'll shrivel. On the other hand, you could just start using them so much that you get through them quickly! That's what I do

Gram flour AKA chickpea flour. Amazing, delicious stuff and so under used...outside of India anyway! Also, curry leaves. I dream of a day when they will be as common place in the grocers as fresh coriander.

Can we establish whether or not it's toasted first? I would disagree that if the untoasted kind smells, then it must be gone off. I buy several Indian brands of untoasted sesame oil, and they have a wonderful smell and taste. It's just because they are not refined unlike many oils we get in the west. As for the amount of toasted oil you need, no, you don't need much. However, I have used a tablespoon of toasted oil in a pancake recipe, and it added a great flavour. Not too strong at all actually, though I would never use so much in other recipes.

Sounds interesting, but that recipe kinda has eggs in it! Just to remind - dairy is ok, eggs not ok.

^^ Luckily, I use almost no soy (maybe a bit of soy sauce here and there). The eggs thing is just a personal issue for me.

Hmm, tasting of the eggless cake the day after, when it was cool, reveals a moist fudgy texture not entirely unlike brownies...

Lucky you, wish I could find raw milk where I live! I can get non-homogenised milk, but raw. Not sure how to solve your problem, but if I remember rightly, 2% milk is what we in the UK called semi-skimmed milk. In that case, I wouldn't remove all the cream, as surely that would make it skimmed milk.

It wasn't actually a brownie, but I did make a very delicious eggless chocolate cake today. It was very moist. We cut slices pretty much as soon as it came out of the oven, so the slice in the photo above is not so neat! It's my own cobbled together recipe, so I'd be happy to share if there are any other eggless bakers around.

Don't know how well it will work in a smoothie, but when making juices I have found that celery goes really nicely with apple and pear, as does fennel. Not too much though, as both have quite a strong flavour when raw.

Sorry guys, should have qualified that. When I said "taste like the real thing", I meant that many vegan/ eggless brownies seem to me to have a weird texture and aren't really like a brownie. Bad use of the word taste on my part! Thanks for the ideas, I'm going to give them a try. Stupid as it sounds, I didn't think of doing a vegan recipe and adding the dairy back in. Experimentation certainly sounds fun!

Surely Lindor is the best mass produced chocolate known to man?! If it's too "high class" for this thread, then I suggest (in no particular order) topic bars, snickers and kinder beuno.

I'm not vegan, but I'm a (dairy loving) vegetarian who doesn't eat eggs. I also have a craving for a good egg free brownie! Trawling the internet brings up plenty of vegan brownies, but some of the stuff that goes in them seems a little unnatural to me - I've got no desire to use hydrogenated vegetable oil spread when I could use butter. I'd really like some advice from the baking experts (that's you guys!) about making egg free brownies that taste like the real thing.

I agree with most of these. It's not like I'd be terribly offended or upset if someone broke one of these "rules", but I think that altogether they add up to an efficient, high-end dining experience that can be rather pleasurable. As for the name thing - if I'm really enjoying the dining experience and the waiter is really great, I will often ask their name. If it's told to me at the start, it feels inauthentic (like they're only doing it because they've been told to) and also I won't remember it!

^^^ Ha, no link, I just think it's a really great, underrated place. A lot of the recommendations on eGullet seem to be for the high class, more expensive places, but I think there are plenty of more modest restaurants that are absolutely fantastic. When I eat great food, I want to tell other people about it so they can eat it too.

Rosemary and Tomato pancakes, olives, mozzarella and balsamic dressing. Also had turkish lentil and veggie soup.

^^^ Well, I'm glad that someone can see where I'm coming from! For what it's worth, my family certainly distinguish between the two different kinds, and I know others who do too.

^^^ Argh, totally forgot to report back on my meal! Well, it was very good anyway! Just wanted to share my top tip for lunchtimes in Bath. Arabesque is a little Lebanese place in the top floor of The Podium Shopping Centre. They have a fantastic lunchtime buffet (only £6.95 for unlimited hogging!) of hot and cold dishe, plenty for veggies and meat eaters alike. I'm pretty sure the buffet is always the same, but it's so good I don't think you'll mind. Be sure to eat plenty of the fried cauliflower because it is divine! Also, it's not on the buffet menu, but you may want to save room to get a plate of mixed Lebanese sweets and some arabic coffee to round you off. Whilst you're in Bath, stop off at Minerva Chocolate (right by the Abbey) for a cup of thick, rich hot chocolate or tea and one of their fabulous cakes or selection of chocolates. Indulgent, but delicious!

Oz (should be two dots above the o but I don't know how to do that!) is an amazing place, on the Clifton Triangle. Delicious Turkish food, excellent prices and a very friendly owner. Don't be fooled by the difficult website or by how unassuming it looks outside, this place is amazing.

Another way to thicken yoghurt is to reduce the milk before adding the starter culture. When bring the milk to the boil, simply cook it longer at that point until it is reduced, and then proceed as normal. You can also leave the yoghurt to set in an unglazed terracotta bowl - some of the water gets absorbed into the pottery and this thickens the yoghurt.

Just thought I'd share that I had an amazing hot chocolate at Minerva Chocolate (warning, naked lady covered in chocolate on website...may cause your boss to do a doubletake) in Bath. It was called dark hot chocolate, and I got the regular size. What came was actually quite a small cup, but its contents were thick and oh so chocolatey. Definitely not something I would get to refresh myself, but perfect as a mid-afternoon snack! Actually, the whole shop is pretty damn enticing, because you can watch the staff making chocolates behind the counter. The place smells strongly of delicious chocolate. My parents tried the chocolate brownies and said they were divine, and I hear they do ice-cream too.

^^^ Any shots of the inside? I'm not sure what Boston cream pie is, so I've got wonderful images of loads of cream inside! Tonight's supper was simple but delicious. The pancakes are my take on rava dosa - I love the flavours of traditional rava dosa, but I do not like crispy pancakes. So this is a softer, thicker version. Served with channa dal and coconut chutney.

Oh yeah, if you strain yoghurt enough you can definitely get that cream cheese texture - but the flavour is a little different. I usually strain yoghurt until very thick, then wrap it in muslin and press it to squeeze out as much liquid as possible. The result is thick, creamy and very good. Especially nice of you mix in some finely chopped herbs or some spices.