pastameshugana

I read a book a while back called "The sharper your knife, the less you cry." Of course, no matter how sharp I get my knife, the wife always protests onion duty...

Okay, here goes: The best sandwiches in the west have got to be at Speeds Hangar Deli in Prescott, AZ. Each sandwich is named after a WWII plane, and the place has been around for decades. It used to be located in a stand inside the town liquor store, so you had to explain yourself walking out with a paper bag... The best sandwich I've had in Bangalore has to be Mrs Meshugana's Grilled Cheese (but that probably doesn't count since it's at home...). Sandwiches are hard to come by in these parts. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - Cafe Dome - Pastrami sandwich on rye with thin sliced pickled instead of sauerkraut, what a treat! I have one before AND after each meal when I visit. Las Vegas: lots of little deli's nothing that stands out Melbourne, OZ: I remember very clearly having a killer pastrami sandwich, but can't for the life of me remember where. There was also a great one in a suburb called Dandenong, in a lower floor foodcourt of the big mall in town that was far above expectations for a mall... but again, I can't remember the name of the place.... oi!

Kent, here (at least in Bangalore) it's almost exclusively chicken or veg. Pork is available, but it's either very bad or very expensive. With the high muslim population (20% or more), and little to no pork in the native cuisine, it's hard to find. There's also quite a bit of lamb/mutton, but we don't have a taste for it.

Ok, so I took stab #1 last night. Unfortunately, I was feeling ill (as was my youngest of three 'helpers'), but I promised the kiddies momos, so I had to deliver on my promise. I made some eggless dough, just flour and water, rolled it thin and cut out the circles with cups. The first batch ended up too small: The second batch, with a larger cup to cut was better: My 'shaping' certainly leaves a lot to be desired, as most of them ended up looking like misshapen alien tumors....I definitely need some practice! For the stuffing, I blended chicken breast (leg meat would've been better), garlic, fresh ginger, coriander and chives. By the time I got to this point, I felt like I was about to keel over, and had no appetite at all, so I totally forgot salt (which they desperately needed) or even a bit of MSG (which I unfortunately don't have, and Mrs. Meshugana is preggo so that's off limits for now). Once I got them steaming I also let them cook way way too long, mostly on account of the fact that I was feeling so queasy that the mere thought of undercooked chicken was worrying me. Anyhow, when they were done, the kids loved the dry little hockeypucks! We used soy and sweet chili sauce for dips, and they weren't all that bad. What they needed: Salt! Fat! Moisture! I'll definitely try again and let you know how it goes. In the meantime - happy eating!

Okay, well that explains a lot! In Bangalore, the majority of the food service industry is either run by, or staffed by what the B'loreans call 'northerners.' That's a gross simplification, but basically means anyone from the northern states commonly known as the Seven Sisters (wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_Sister_States ) and their cuisine is much influenced by Nepal, et al. Okay - so I'm going to start experimenting with a few dumpling ideas I've gotten from some threads here, and I'll snap and post pics as I get them. Of course I would be foolish to try to master the whole art, but It's something I need to 'own' you know? I love feeding people to much to leave this one out. My ultimate goal (maybe I'm crazy) is to get down enough varieties, with some different dipping sauces to make a meal. I'm thinking starter to savory to dessert all in a dumpling package, maybe 7 or 8 courses. One of the ideas I've robbed so far that I like is one steamed chicken variety using cabbage as the wrapper (props to Jamie O). I'll keep you updated!

Chris - as I'm reading through the other posts, I think I may be a bit confused. Most of what I've been describing are steamed, and most of what I read about dumplings are boiled...so is the difference between 'momo' and 'dumpling' the cooking process? I confess I'm a chinese food neophyte, so maybe it's a silly question, but I want to know more! One of the other threads had this link about folding/pleating: http://www.digsmagazine.com/nourish/nourish_dumplings.htm

Okay - now I realize I'm in deeper than I thought! heidih, thanks for the great links. Kent Wang, I've been around a lot, but one of the places I haven't been is Hong Kong, so I couldn't tell you. Chris, the ones that I know I'd like to try are regular 'momos' (at least that's the standard term here in Bangalore, which seems to generically describe just about anything!). But I've had very nice varieties of chicken, pork and vegetarian ones, usually pinched into a crescent shape and steamed. One place also serves Sui Mai which seems to be the same stuffing, but with an open top. I've had very nice varieties of fish/shiitake, shrimp, crab. The fish ones had translucent green wrappers and were formed into an 'x' shape. The shrimp were round, with pink wrappers. Kent, funny you should mention it, but I arranged a 'stage' a few months back at one of my favorite places, but the 'dumpling guy' was gone that day, and I spent my time honing my prep skills instead of learning the momo secrets. I'll have to give it another shot. One of my most burning questions is: Should meats like chicken/pork be cooked before the dumplings are steamed? What would be advantages/disadvantages? Thanks so much for all your help!

So, the family and I have been spoiled by a wonderful selection of dimsum here in Bangalore. One restaurant serves almost nothing but different varieties, each with it's own special sauce. Naturally, as a cook, that means I've now set the task of mastering it. I'm going to cook dimsum until my wife shoots me or I perfect a few varieties to impress the friends with (that's what it's all about, right? ) Anyhow, I'm looking for some general guidance and specific ideas. General Guidance: -Basic wrapper preparations from scratch? I've seen the thick 'bread' type, the thin rice dough, ultra-thin sticky potato wrapper...any ideas on best way to make each? -Basic rules of thumb about steaming, pan-frying or deep-frying them? -Should certain things be pre-cooked? Ideas: -What are your favorite flavors/combos? -Unique presentation ideas -Sauces other than soy and chili paste? I'm all ears, and I think it would be great to have all this info in one place. Thanks a million in advance!

Sorry if this has been posted before (it's been a long couple days catching up on all 99 pages of the thread!)... In my search for equipment for SV I ran across this link: SV Equipment Cheers!

We always love to go for crostini platters. You can get just one 'flavor' or a whole variety - plus high margin. One of the places here in B'Lore does a great thing with it: Just serve the bread with some peeled garlic cloves, basil leaves, cherry tomatoes. The customer rubs the garlic on the bread, then the basil leaf, then salt/pepper/olive oil, then the tomato half, and it's done. It's got that 'hip' vibe of doing it yourself, with the added benny of no overhead for kitchen staff. Plus the usual suspects for crostini toppings: Mushrooms, diced tomato, etc. My .02,

All the veg prep. I work at home, with a very very busy schedule, but I love having an excuse to ditch the office to go chop a bunch of veg for whatever is happening in the next meal. A couple days ago, I wasn't paying attention and chopped several things we didn't even need because I had gotten so absorbed in the process! +1 on the Roux, as well...

Some more Bangalore tips... I've lived in B'Lore for a little over two years, my home is the US (AZ and Las Vegas).. In Koramangala (near Forum Mall, ask anyone and they'll know the place) you can find: -A Taste of Rampur - one of the finest places in town, yet little known. They serve a selection of 'Mughlai' cuisine. More cream, less spice. Definitely try the Murgh Khali Mirch and Makhan Murgh Rampuri, true classics. -P!ng - a nice, affordable Chinese place specializing in dimsum -China Pearl - old-style asian food - lots of chinese, malay, thai cuisine, many seafod options In Indiranagar (old airport road): -Little Italy - veg Italian food, very nice -Shangai Salsa - hard to explain, but absolutely worth a visit - some cuban and chinese influences (it's better than it sounds!) Near MG Road: -Harima - best sushi in town. Tell Chef/Owner Mako that Mr. Jonathan sent you and get the special treatment -Nandhini Palace - it's a chain of south Indian places, the one on St. Marks road is the best. Lots of Andhra style food -The Only Place - tremendous beef (if you want it), the double-fillet and chargrilled sirloin are the best, my wife loves the wienerschnitzel -Aromas of China - at the bottom of Brigade road, very classy, and a great lunch buffet, beautiful roof-top setting Hope this helps!