Monica Bhide

A few weeks ago in the India Forum there was a discussion on what the "next" Indian restaurant should be. I read it with strong emotions -- one particular posting made me both sad and really mad at the sametime. Someone posted that they would never take their clients to an Indian restaurant (number of issues indicated in the post) -- and I began to wonder.... what if.. what if there was a place that had true (not watered down) cuisine, service to write home about, an intelligent wine list and beautifully plated food... sounded hard to replicate here in the States. I kept goint back to the experiences that I have had with Five star hotels in India.... why can we not do that here? Turns out that someone has... My husband and I had the pleasure of dining at Indique on Friday. Finally a restaurant that did away with the everday and familiar and shows you what Southern Indian cuisine is all about. Think Salmon and crabs and calamari.. all dressed with aromatic spices and flavorful sauces. To say that the food was good would be an understatement. Served beautifully on elegant white plates by a trained and attentive wait staff. (My husband was trying to decide on two different types of chicken -- the Chettinand and the Makhani. He decided on the latter. When our dinner was served, the restaurant sent over a complimentary portion of the Chettinand for him to try!!) They have put a lot of thought into the drinks menu. I enjoyed my Tamarind Flavored Margarita and my hubby savoured his Mango Martini The desserts were pieces of art.. beautifully plated and yes very delicious. Closing my eyes, I could feel myself transported to the Taj Hotel in Kerala (South India), sitting on the sun drenched beach, sipping my tamarind margarita and eating appams and stew. We will definately return there, many more times I hope PM me if you want to know more!

Monica's Trifle Recipe from Monica Bhide's upcoming book, Everything Indian, copyright © 2003 Adams Media 1 (4-serving size) packet strawberry Jell-O 1 (4-serving size) packet instant vanilla pudding 1 1-lb. sponge cake, store-bought 1 c orange juice (from concentrate!) 1 c mixed unsalted nuts, chopped Whipped cream (from a can!) 1. Prepare the Jell-O according to directions on the packet and pour into a shallow bowl . Cut into small chunks, set aside. 2. Prepare the pudding according to directions on the packet, set aside. 3. Cut the sponge cake into small pieces of equal size. 4. Place the cake pieces in a deep glass decorative bowl and layer the jello over them. 5. Pour the juice over the jello. 6. Layer the pudding over the jello. 7. Chill for about 20 minutes. Sprinkle with the nuts and garnish with whipped cream. Serve. Keywords: Dessert, The Daily Gullet ( RG538 )

Sound delightfull Suvir. I hae a dear friend who makes a wonderful tea with fresh basil leaves. I can never seem to get that recipe quite right. It is a very refreshing tea. How do you make the creme brulee with basil?

It was really nice to read your piece JAZ. What is your favorite spice?

I do quite a few indian recipes with Basil or "western" tusli as my dad calls it. Marinated shrimp wrapped in a basil sari and then cooked, basil rice pulao, using it in Indian kachumbars or salads Getting hungry just typing!

That is one of the problems I have with a cookbook I am working on. It seems that some of the “family” recipes I have been given are from published works. In most cases I think they where modified works of the original. In other cases they seem to be direct copies from old cookbooks put out by some of the food manufactures. In this persons case I think she was being lazy and deserves to be let go. Too much cut and paste now is passed off as original work. As for my dilemma, I will not use anything that I cannot prove to be original or get clearance for. They changed a lot of the laws related to intellectual property over the last few years. Too many thin lines to deal with. What might have passed, as derivative work may not. As much as I like Aunt Sarah's fudge, I have a suspicion that it is an old Borden or Nestles creation rather than her own. I agree with you. I put my name and my approval on the recipes I sent in to the publication -- vouching for the authors and making a big deal about the originality of the pieces -- and was left with egg on my face. I have just completed my second book with over 300 recipes. Working with my family and friends and trusted editors we have created recipes -- each one has been worked from scratch, bettered after testing and then worked on some more -- this is even before the editors looked at it. It is HARD HARD WORK. It makes me really mad when people just pick recipes up from places and say they own them Okay, I am off my soap box

"just a food column"! how can she even say that! I am totally appalled, so its okay to cheat on a food column but not on a XYZ column? A few months ago I had asked a couple of fellow foodies, all well established in their areas, to contribute recipes for a magazine in NY. I had been asked by the magazine to pull together 15 recipes. I collected it all, called and asked each person to ensure that it was their own work... was assured that it was. Then a few weeks ago, I was looking through a very very old cookbook at Borders (you know the ones that they have for sale for $1.00) and guess what -- yes -- one of the "established food writers" with their own food business and website -- had copied the recipes (WORD FOR WORD) from this book and sent it to me... I WAS SO MAD... I know its a small thing compared to what is being discussed here.. but it makes me really angry that people do this all the time Monica

First, let me apologize for the delay in posting. Thanks to all for the wonderful directions.. I did not get lost and was even on time!! We ordered multiple dishes off the menu since I really wanted to taste as much as I could. I can honestly say from the bottom of my heart that this was some of THE BEST food that I have ever eaten in my entire life over the three continents that I have lived on!! I would describe the service inside the restaurant as really attentive. It was quite busy, yet despite no reservations, we did not have to wait. I would love to go there again -- this is a place to go with a whole bunch of loud friends!! It is full of energy and life and chef is passionate about his food -- its shows in each dish! If I can provide any more information, please feel free to PM me

This is an interesting list... just the beginning though... think of -- SHeermals -- Warqui Parathas -- Roomali Roti -- Doli Wali Roti I will add more later!!

Thank you! Pan, what dishes do you prepare with curry leaves? Please do share. Suvir -- how about you... what are your favorites?

This sounds really good... do you crush the leaves or create a puree?

We are heading to try Indique this weekend. Have others tried it? What did you think? They got a favorable review in the Post a few months ago

ROCKY ROAD -- big time

Bilrus, I am so glad you enjoyed your experience there. I am headed there again next week! I wish they did deliver out to where I lived, I would have loved it! Not sure about the waiters directing questions at you.. not cultural.. at least not as far as I know A few other friends dined there last week and came back raving positively about the food!

I am glad fimbul you agree. I thought I was loosing my mind when people around me kept saying how nice the food was. Other than the salad, it was really not very good. Somehow lamb drizzled with honey is not my cup of tea! $50 bucks a head just to stop at McD's on the way home to get a burger.. not worth it!!

A few weeks ago a group of friends and I dined at Marrakesh. it was quite an experience to see belly dancing in conservative DC! Expensive but worth the experience. I did not enjoy the food -- a pity -- I love food from that region Has anyone else tried it? What are your thoughts?

Too many to name right now.. but one i love -- In Bahrain, where I grew up, Pringles sold these red chili covered potato chips -- They were to die for!!!!!

Busboy -- what are your favorites there?

Thanks!! I am off now, will report later today.. I am so thrilled to be eating there.. this should be a treat!

How did it go?

I am headed there for lunch today. Can someone help me with directions. if I take the train to Metro Center is it walkable? I am still quite unfamiliar with DC so any help would be appreciated Thanks Monica

Mamster, when I used to visit India for summer breaks (as a child), one of my fondest memories is of this really old man, who would come around 11:30 at night with a broken down old cart. The cart had a "tava" or a hot griddle and tons of eggs. He would make omelets on his broken down cart for about 10 cents and serve them with "double roti" or bread and some stuff that looked like tomato ketchup! Best stuff I have ever had. He mixed in minced onions, cilantro and green chiles with the eggs.

It is really hard to find what we call "Prawns" here. I use the largest size shrimp that I can find!

Hi Tom, I religiously follow your column. Thanks for participating in this Q&A! Here is my question: There are a variety of factors that contribute to the dining experience: the quality of the food, the service, and the ambiance being the big three. Some restaurants are excellent at some of these, but quite dreadful in others. For example, I think a certain DC Indian restaurant has excellent food, and I know from your review in the Post that you agree. But I have found the service to be horrid, and based on the feedback on the Post's website, so have others. Many service problems are easy to fix so I can't understand why they don't fix them. I wonder if you could share your opinion about why some other restaurants operate in this way? Do you find it more typical in Indian restaurants, or those of any other specific cuisine? How much do you think it detracts from the dining experience or from customer's willingness to return? How much do you think it affects their long-term viability?

Patio is acutally a Parsee dish, coming to you from the Parsi community in India. Here is my simple recipe for Shrimp Patio. Shrimp Patio (Kolmino Patio) Serves 4 If you thought one dish could not marry sweet, sour, hot, salty, tangy, spicy and tarty; you have not tried this dish yet. This comes to you from the Parsee community of India, the Parsee’s have an Iranian ancestry. I cannot encourage you enough to try this. It really has an amazing taste. Serve with INDIAN BASMATI RICE It is worth a trip to the store to get Jaggery for this recipe ( you can substitute brown sugar. ) 3 dried red chilies 2 teaspoon coriander seeds 1 teaspoon cumin seeds 1 teaspoon mustard seeds 4 fresh garlic cloves 1/4 teaspoon black peppercorns 1 1-inch cinnamon stick 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder 1/2 teaspoon red chili powder 1/4 cup white vinegar 3 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 large red onion, minced 1 ½ lbs. shrimp, peeled and deveined 1 tablespoon jaggery or brown sugar Table salt to taste 1. In a spice grinder, grind together the red chilies, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, mustard seeds, cloves, black peppercorns and cinnamon, as finely as possible. Place in a glass bowl and add the turmeric, red chilies and vinegar and mix well. If you need more liquid, use water. Set aside. 2. In a large skillet, heat the vegetable oil. Add the onions and sauté for about 7 –8 minutes or until the onions are well browned. Add the spice paste (from Step 1.) and cook for another minute. Add the shrimp and cook for 2 –3 minutes. 3. Add the jaggery and salt to taste. Add about 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for two minutes. 4. Serve hot. Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 15 minutes