Monica Bhide

SUvir, you are a treasure of information! Thank you, I promise pictures and notes

Sounds yummy, I grew up in the Middle east and this bring back some wonderful memories, I must get out and try some of these places!!

Ajay,thanks for the suggestions. I will try them out when I am there

Thanks Anil. I have never lived in Bombay (lived in india for a total of only 5 or 6 years), so each time I go, I am like a kid in a candy store, so much to explore and try and it never ends! I will try the Parsi food, someone mentioned to me Mahesh Fish House -- is that good?

Yes to the tawa question interesting about Baltistan, perhaps someone who knows a lot more about this than I do can help

One more thing, I thought your mom might enjoy is chicken marinated in pomegrante juice, broiled or grilled and then diced and served on baby greens! Enjoy

Balti cooking, which has gained popularity in the UK, is one of my favorite forms of cooking. It gets its name from "Balti" which literally translates to bucket in India. The cooking is an indian /pakistani style of cooking that uses the wok or Balti as the main utensil One myth is that Balti originated from Baltistan, a place in the is situated in the dry arid Karakoram mountains between the international borders of China & the northern sector of the disputed "Kashmir" territories of India & Pakistan. I was informed of this by a friend who is from the Baltistan area. My family is from Multan originally, a close neighbor. Balti cooking was created, it is my understanding in the UK. There are some wonderful Balti sites and recipes out there. I have eaten some prepared at the homes of friends here, but alas have never been to the UK to taste the magic there Simon, can you tell us a bit more on this cuisine? Does anyone have recipes they would like to share?

Monica: When I left for "vilaate", I called it Bombay - There was a song "Bom Bom Bom, Bombay meri hai....", In mumbai, check/ask around - I'll probably make my pilgrimage in 'Feb 03. Good food in Mumbai tends to be in clubs/Gymkhanas - Juhu/CCI/BreachCandy/..... But then this is my humble opinion. In my younger days, at Juhu Beach, there were only three portable Bhel-puri-walas... And I can go on an on about us being the only other punjs in Juhu apart from DevAnand -- Thanks foryour note and PM. I am actually panju too and my hubby is Maharastrian, so we will check out the local joints you suggested, I have been enjoying your other posts on your trip.., if a specific place pops into your mind, do let me know

I quite liked Bomaby Bistro. The food was quite good as was the service A 7 on a scale of 1 to 10 I just called the Bombay Club and should be able to review it shortly, before I leave for a two months overseas trip

Coordinating now with Bombay Club, will keep you all posted. Would be fun to go together!

Suvir, same question for you on good places to eat in Delhi

Perfect way of saying it Anil. We miss you in this forum. I know you travel a lot.. safe travels. Did I smile enough for you Anil? Yes, it is kind of garam masala.

Anil, I am headed to Bombay in a few weeks, any places you would recommend that I try.. I love the secret hole in the wall places that no one knows about

Yes, rather different. I had the same reaction when I tasted it. It was actually at a friends home, she is from Calcutta, so I am assuming it was original. It was quite good actually. SHe added a bit since the spices are strong and did not want to over power the soya sauce it. I have not tried it at home with my recipes, but I have for sure had a good experience with it

Gosh, it must have been over 30 years ago. Doubt that he remembers. But I have seen whole garam masala used in the Fried Rice dishes in some places. I will certainly ask him if he remembers any specific dishes, he does remember the experience

Thanks for your kind words. THe next book will be out end of next year, it is called " Chai and Chow", a light hearted book focusing on Indian inspired Teas and Appetizers. Is there a specific recipe that you liked?

Well, at the risk of sparking of a debate, I will attempt to answer some questions honestly. I think some Indian out there, seem to feel that it is okay to treat other Indians poorly but would not do that to a person of another skin color. THis is only my opinion and experience take it for what it is worth. This is not true for all places, I have been to some really good places, Mantra in Boston, Vatan in NYC, Dimple in NJ -- all good. I will try Heritage and Bombay Club. The reasons, Bombay Club is kjnown for its food and service to all. I have heard mixed reviews about Heritage India, about the service, the food I understand is really good. I will keep you all posted Steve, I have a major sweet tooth, anytime you are looking for tasters, ANYTIME, you can count on me

You know Suvir, when my dad first travelled to Calcutta and ate the food there, he said of the food (something that is usually reserved for the beauty of Kashmir) -- if there heaven on earth, it is here, it is here, it is here. He ate at a lot of the road stalls and flavorings of the garam masala with red chillies to the softness of the corn starch and the mildness of the noodles is just a flavor to die for

Each time I read some of the posts on egullet, I am humbled by the ability of the posters. I read and re read your post and a couple of things come to mind: -- This may spark of a lot of unease but I have noticed that the other customers at the same places sometime received better service than we did. That is what made me mad, if it is bad all around that is fine -- I think many folks who run these places are not foodies at heart and the chefs are not "professional chefs" and so it is a business and not a passion. They are not picking up on the trends as they should be, the public is craving and even asking for more and more authentic meals. Particularily in larger metros where people are well traveled and exposed to different cultures -- I have heard mixed reviews on Heritage India, better ones on Bombay Club -- I think we should plan and go out to Heritage India and do a tasting -- I WOULD LOVE SUVIR TO COME OVER.. ANy time Suvir, stay with us, you have a home here Some of the smaller places that I mentioned are run by real cooks -- the food is real, very authentic and tastes like back home.. to me that is good food. More and more I am starting to read food columists pick up and talk about the need for authentic indian food.. hopefully some of these owners are listening.

I tasted Shrikhand for the first time after I married my hubby. It was not something made in our North Indian home, but is a staple in his house, he is from Mumbai. A funny thing, when we got married, a few weeks later I made rice pudding .. a north Indian staple.. my mother in law was horrified.. apparently it is only made on very sad occacions in their part of the world.. live and learn!

Actually, Simon, I think Calcutta is where it all started... am I right? It was a few hundred years ago the Hakka Chinese migrated from Canton Province, China to Calcutta, India. it is in India that the Hakka Chinese tasted and embraced traditional Indian cooking. I think this was the start of a wonderful new cuisine. … Some of the most popular dishes are : Fried prawns, chilli chicken or shrimp, hakka noodles, Manchurian veges, and American Chop Suey Here is a simple recipe to try, ithas not been edited by a professional editor .. Chilli Paneer 1 cup cubed Paneer/ Indian Cheese 2 tbsps.All purpose flour or Mochitko (sp?) flour -- this is a wonderful flour 1 tbsp.Cornstarch A few green chillies, sliced (de seed them if you want to loose the heat) 2 tbsp.Soya Sauce Pinch of white pepper powder 1 bunch of finely chopped Spring onions 1 clove of garlic crushed To fry Oil Salt to taste Method 1. Make a paste with cornstarch and little water and keep aside 2. In a bowl coat the paneer with the flour. Deep fry in hot oil and keep aside. 3. For the sauce, heat some oil in a pan. Now on high heat, add the spring onions, garlic pieces, and the green chilies.. Add the soya sauce, pepper powder, and salt. 4. Add the cornstarch paste ( a bit of water, depending on how you like your sauce) and paneer pieces and cook for a few minutes. 5. Serve with steamed rice

Have any egulleters tried Indian Chinese? This is a wonderful combination, I think many of you had a taste of this thanks to Suvir at Diwan -- the garlic cauliflower I would love to get some discussion going in this area... I would be happy to share some recipes here as well Thoughts? Comments?

AROMA hosted a signing and tasting for my book and I have to say that I found them to be very hospitable. The food was okay. My experience at HAANDI is better left untouched

Since i am still new to the area, I would like to try some of the "poor" places again, before I publically shame them There are many reasons I did not like them. BAD SERVICE was number one. One place we waited 30 minutes for our drinks, the waiter practically threw the naan at our face and then tapped impatiently till we left. One of DC's best told us this: We went to eat there at Diwali (a huge Indian festival). The place did not look festive, so we asked.. are you all not getting ready for Diwali and the response was "No one here cares about that, we are focused more on the American audience." This is a place that is supposed to be promoting Indian culture. Some places the food was just bad, I am not a gourmet professional chef, but i know bad food when I eat it. Steve, it was horrid. The chicken was rubbery, the sauces bore no reality to Indian cooking or any other cooking for that matter. One place, I visited the kitchen and we left mid meal -- it was so bad. Now that I have it off my chest, I would be happy to do reviews at the others that I mentioned in my last post as soon as I try them out

SInce I have been here only a few months, I am still sampling. Here is what I liked so far (prices are really reasonable) Their weekend south indian buffet is really good as is their CHaat spread. Woodlands Pure Vegetarian Indian Cuisine 4078 Jermantown Road Fairfax, Va 22030 Tel: 703-385-1996 For authentic north indian buffet. The owner is a delightful man. Punjab Dhaba Indian Restaurant 7263 Arlington Blvd Falls Church, VA Ph: (703) 698-5262 For more upscale eating try, Check out Bombay Club downtown or Heritage India in upper Georgetown. I have not eaten there yet, but will check it out There are a few I did not like, PM me if you have a question on that and I willlet you know thanks and enjoy!!!