Monica Bhide

We are on for this... just confirming. The Chef is really excited. If you need any other information please PM me. Sept 20th, 5:30 PM -- bring your appetite!!

Prasad my mouth is watering.. I wish Thali was closer...

Mongo, i will add a simple raita or yogurt dish as a side to your delightful dish. People generally shy away from okra, I hope this dish will make you as big an okra fan as I am!! BTW-- Mongo, My first book focuses very much on simple Indian cooking at home. Fried Okra in Yogurt Sauce (Bhindi Ka Raita) Serves 4 1/2 pound okra, chopped 3 cups vegetable oil to deep fry 2 cups plain yogurt, whipped 1 tablespoon cilantro, minced 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder 1/4 teaspoon red chili powder 1 tablespoon cumin seeds, toasted Table salt to taste 1. Heat about 1 inch oil in a deep pan, to 350 degrees Fahrenheit on a deep-fry thermometer. 2. Add a few pieces of okra and deep-fry until crisp. Remove from the oil using a slotted spoon. Drain on a paper towel. Continue until all the okra is fried. Set aside. 3. In a bowl add the yogurt, cilantro, cumin powder, red chili powder and salt to taste. Mix well. 4. Add the okra to the yogurt mixture. Sprinkle with cumin seeds and serve.

I would definately add Suvir's name to celeb chefs. In addition to all the other stuff he does he is also on the editorial board of the respected Food Arts magazine!

I recently had this at a Japanese restaurant.. YUMMY!! Have a delicious time -- I am so envious!

David, I am really enjoying this class. A question for you -- do you ever get writers block.. what do you do about it? Help!!

Monica - Do you mind posting a recipe for this one? It sounds incredibly good. I don't like cashews and it sounds good. Here it is -- I make the gravy and use that as a base and then add the fried paneer (INdian cheese) and mushrooms and boiled peas. Dont forget to remove the whole spices as you spread the sauce Cashew Nut Sauce Prep Time: 20 minutes Cook Time: 45 minutes 2 tablespoons unsalted cashew nuts 4 tablespoons vegetable oil 2 green cardamom pods 1 black cardamom pods 2 cloves 1 1-inch cinnamon stick 1 bay leaf 1 teaspoon minced garlic 1/2 teaspoon red chili powder 1 teaspoon coriander powder 1 small red onion, minced 1/2 cup plain yogurt or cream, whipped Table salt to taste Water, if needed 1. Soak the cashews in a cup of water for about 20 minutes. Drain and grind to a paste in a food processor. Set aside. 2. In a medium skillet, heat the vegetable oil over medium heat. Quickly add the green cardamom, black cardamom, cloves, cinnamon stick, bay leaf and minced garlic. Sauté for about 30 seconds. 3. Add the red chili powder, coriander powder and minced onion. Sauté for 2 minutes. If the spice mixture sticks to the pan, add a few tablespoons of water. Continue to sauté until the onions are golden brown, about 7 minutes. Add the cashew nut paste, stir for another minute. 4. Add the yogurt. Mix well. Simmer on low heat until the oil starts to separate from the spice mixture. If you prefer gravy to be thinner, add water. 5. Add the salt and cook for about 2-3 minutes.

Sorry to sound like an ignoramus.. but what is white truffle oil??

Okay some details. I had a WONDERFUL conversation with the amazing and talented Chef Vinod of Indique. He is thrilled about this event. After a lot of discussion we settled on 5:30 pm on Saturday for the dinner. It is a bit early because he wants to be able to spend sometime with us and talk to us about the dishes. The restaurant if FULLY BOOKED that night (as it is on many weekends) and so doing it later for so many people will be hard. The price will be $50 per person, including taxes. Tips and drinks not included. Chef Vinod is promising us an experience to remember. i will post more information as I get it.

Stacie35 Vengroff +1 Helena +2 Monica +1 bilrus +1 Hannah +1 hjshorter+1 bbhasin ssseth tobys +1

Okay so here is what I made: (DAMN i need to buy a digital camera!) 1. Tomato Mozarella and Eggs -- courtsey slkinsey. This one went over well. Although I had to watch it cos I dont have a stone 2. I made a sauce with onions, cashews and cream and used it as a base. The toppings were small pieces of fried indian cheese, mushrooms and peas 3. Sauce for the base was a stirfry chili sauce. Topped with caramelized onions, tomatoes, fresh basil, mushrooms and tons of fresh green chilies YUM!! Thanks for all the suggestions and just for the record -- I HATE OLIVES

Caramlized onions sound delightful. Hmmmm.... now I have some really delightful things to cook. Will post an update tomorrow

Actually I love to eat non vegetarian food. We are having company over and they do not eat meat.. eggs and cheese is okay.

tomato, mozzarella and eggs, a la slkinsey .... more info please...

I am making pizza for dinner tonite and could use some vegetarian topping suggestions.. we usually do the same old stuff -- tomato, onion, cheese, green chilie... any suggestions??

Al dente? Mark? Would love it if you guys would come

Great Bill that you will come. I hope that your wife is feeling better and Hannah -- yes we do have place for 2!! I hope more folks will join, seems like we have a great group here. BBhasin?

I have quite a few of these sorts of books -- I will PM you details. I have the original Veeraswamy one from the UK, one from New Zealand, for what its worth the original Dalda cookbook from the 1940's and many more

So far I have: Stacie35 Vengroff +1 Helena +2 Monica +1 hjshorter?? Bilrus?? Others? Malawry?

Boy would I love to go to this.

I finally have a lot of folks interested in going to Indique for a tasting. I would like to do it on Sept 20th. Can you please either post here or PM me and let me know of your interest and what are somethings you would like to try (allergies or restrictions etc)... and I will work with the chef to do a custom tasting This would be fun. Tom Sietsema talked about this place last week on his chat and said he really loved the food Thanks

I have a few good squash recipes.. which type of squash are you referring to?

You can get kokum easily at many Indian stores now. I have not yet seen a parsee recipe for this dish with kokum in it. Learn something new each day

8 now. I hope some more folks will join in

We are hoping to create detailed materials on different cuisines, techniques or ingredients. Have an expert pull together materials to teach them, post pictures along with the materials to show -- say steps in a recipe -- and then later that day have the expert on "live" to answer questions. It will be a structured approach -- say a technique is explained, folks are encouraged to try to try it and then post questions. Or menu planning is discussed in detail and then readers/students menus are critiqued other suggestions are welcome!! Thanks -- let me know if I can provide more information