Monica Bhide

LOl. Today we packed in yogurt and cheese nips CHEESE NIPS. oye

People swear by frozen leaves. I just prefer to use them fresh. I think time it such that you can use it.. they are inexpensive now. The other thing is to spend five bucks and get a tiny curry plant. That way you have them when you need them. ANd they are always fresh. Heck even I can grow a curry plant.. trust me.. I kill silk flowers. So if I can do it, anyone can ← I'd love to hear more about curry leaves. What are they used for? What is the taste like? I was under the impression that "curry" was a mix of spices, not a particular plant, so this is a new item to learn about. ← They are used for providing a pungent lemon like flavor and have NO CONNECTION TO A CURRY POWDER. As different as chalk and cheese. Use them fresh. Unlike bay leaves, they can be eaten.

I agree - SWAD is good stuff. If you can find NIRAV brand there too -- they are pretty good. I love this chutney too. So easy to make. I think we will do okra two ways tonite -- deep fried and sauteed. I love okra. Its perfect in my opinion. (Even electronic brickbats hurt Okra haters, so choose your words gently)

Good morning all! I am back and wanted to start the morning by having you look at pictures I have been looking at.... its a good way to start the morning Here is another view from our trip to the islands I loved walking thru the streets of St Johns. This tiny stall caught my eye. The locals are so amazingly friendly. And everything has RUM -- wahoooooo! For coffee this morning (and breakfast) -- we are having Brazilian coffee that my friend brought me from San Paolo. Dont feel like eating much so I am munching on almnonds For dinner we are having OKRA -- YAY-- dont know about lunch yet

I love champagne mangoes -- they are long and slender, with a yellow skin like bananas. They are fragrant and always sweet, and never tart , even close to the seed. I can't always suck on the seed with other types of mangoes. Could that by any chance be what they use to cook Keralan sambar soup? ← Champagne Mangoes -- sounds so romantic. Thanks for the note on my article. By God's grace it was very well received. Yesterday it was picked up by the International Herald Tribune. Do u cook Indian food?

Let me see if I can get all your questions answered -- 1. Sambhar powder comes from the south of India and is used to season sambhar (prepared with lentils and if done right is to die for). I have used it sometimes to season sauteed potatoes. Gives them a great tang. Most stores sell them. 2. Yes I grow them.. and they have not died yet.. its been six months - that is a record for me. Just be careful curry leaves and curry plant are two different things. One is edible the other one is not. I think my previous post said curry plant -- it is curry leave plant 3. The small papads -- My son loves them so I make the colored ones. No nothing special other than just that 4. Cilantro Chutney -- I make mine with cilantro, mint, lemon juice, a touch of garlic and on occasion grated coconut. I used to hold events at Whole Foods and here is how we served it -- Take thick slices of warm french bread, spread on some sweet cream butter, top with the chutney and then place a thinly sliced English cucumber on top -- YUM Hope that helps and keep reading

People swear by frozen leaves. I just prefer to use them fresh. I think time it such that you can use it.. they are inexpensive now. The other thing is to spend five bucks and get a tiny curry plant. That way you have them when you need them. ANd they are always fresh. Heck even I can grow a curry plant.. trust me.. I kill silk flowers. So if I can do it, anyone can

Post his pic? Yes I can do that. That will be the highlight of this blog, I can tell you that. Personally I just love Parle G. Its interesting, I lived in a semi cloistered convent for about 5 years and the highlight of tea time was hot spiced tea and Parle G.

SUrely you must try it. It is such easy food to make. Yes there are complex dishes, but is that not true for all cuisines?

I adore roti canai. I had it in Penang restaurant in Boston a few years ago - it was delightful. I would love to visit Malaysia some year. I have seen only parts of the far east and loved them (Thailand, Singapore etc. )

I am off to bed. I will be back tomorrow morning .. good night my friends.

Yes, he was born on my 30th birthday. I will share the recipe. Mom made mostly rice pudding and carrot pudding. i guess because that is all we loved to eat. My grandma would make all kinds of desserts. Most Indian desserts tend to be time consuming to make. I buy them sometimes. Ofcourse I am addicted to icecream.

Mom never made too many desserts growing up so I dont do too many. I do make a killer rice pudding if you would like to see that

see tonite's dinner and this afternoons lunch. Pretty typical for me

The mango is different -- sweeter and has more depth. Its the Alphanso mango that I love

Rochelle -- I missed you!

I love mangoes and miss the Indian mangoes so much. Which mangoes are the sweetest here in the US? What do you all buy?

I had some good shrimp in the freezer so its shrimp curry for dinner. I like to defrost my shrimp under cold running water. How do you do yours? So we had -- some colorful papad (wafers), coconut shrimp curry and basmati rice. For dessert just some slices of cold mangos. First -- here are the fried wafers -- unfried this is how they come in the bag -- Here it is -- deep fried The we had the shrimp curry -- here is how I make it. First heat a bit of vegetable oil (dont use olive oil). Add some brown/black mustard seeds (these are called Rai in the Indian store. Dont use the American mustard seed). When the seeds begin to pop, add a handful of curry leaves. *there is no substitute for these. If you cant find them, leave them out. We get it at the local Korean store here for about a dollar for a huge box. Now add diced fresh tomatoes. Yes you can use canned, but now is the time to use fresh. I found some really good tomatoes in the grocery store today. Let the tomatoes cook down for about a few mintues. Use a masher if you need to but make sure they compeletely cook down. The oil will start to separate from the tomatoes. Now add the spices -- chili powder, turmeric and salt (I add chili powder at the end.. I will tell you why in a second). Now add the shrimp and cook for just a few minutes till the shrimp changes color. Add coconut milk -- and bring to a slow boil. Cover and simmer for 3-5 minutes. Now if you have a monkey like mine who does not like hot things - remove a cup of the curry for him. Now use a small saucepan and add some oil to it. Heat it well -- add a pinch of chili powder. Pour this heated mixture onto the shrimp. Here it is -- Finally the rice and the mangos --

I am not sure I know what you are referring to. Can you have him describe it a bit?

I am glad I was able to feed you well

I just love henna and think it brings out a real beauty.

Oh yes. Making it now.

It really is. In my two cents worth of an opinion Indian cuisine tends to be very forgiving for the most part. Just use fresh spices and herbs -- even if you use premade spice mixes they should be fresh and you cannot go wrong. That is my opinion anyway.

Its a simple dish and one that I make often -- Heat some oil in a pan, add some minced garlic. Add tomatoes (diced) and cook down until the oil starts to separate from the tomatoes -- this will take a few minutes. Add whole coriander seeds, turmeric, red chili, whole dried red chili, dried mango powder (optional) and salt. Cook for another minute or so and then add the potatoes. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Add water, cover and simmer til the potatoes are cooked. Dosas -- Tejon - to get crispy dosas make sure your batter has had a chance to sit and ferment (the raw batter at this point tastes a bit sour). Also when you are making them try to keep the dosa thin -- like at thin crepe.