Suvir Saran

Chaat - Hindi word used usually to describe mouth watering preparations of snack type foods. Juhu Beach - A beach in the northern suburbs of Bombay which was famous for Chaat items sold by hawkers. Kailash Colony & Sundar Nagar - Neighborhoods of New Delhi. Sundar Nagar has a famous restaurant that serves Chaat type dishes and Indian sweets. I am sure Kailash Colony must have a restaurant that is a local favorite. Paani Puri/Gol Gappe also called Puchkas - Little deep fried crips balls made with either semolina or all purpose flour. Holes are made in the balls to stuff them with potatoes, chickpeas, spices and tamarind and mint chutney in the north (lentils, sprouts and white peas in the west) and then these stuffed balls are then dipped in a spicy greenish water (paani) and eaten in one go. It is a favorite Chaat dish and people stand on line and the vendor will stuff each one and then give you gol gappas one by one. Kulfi - Indian ice cream Mango or Rose Lassi - Lassis are Indian milkshake like drinks made with yogurt and some ice. They can be served sweet or salty. And often mango or rose are added to the yogurt and ice.

No gol gappas/paani puri at that dinner. And yes I am known to feed people Gol Gappas filled by me one-at-a-time. That is what I do when at Dimple.

And farsaan is my favorite food from Gujarat. And yes most Bohras are now in Bombay and some in Karachi. Some can be found also in Singapore, NYC, Toronto and Dallas.... But I am sure one could find families around the globe. But these are the larger groups.

If we need a booze coordinator, I too would be happy to relegate it to whoever would enjoy it. I would think it means everyone can bring what they want.. and if they are happy to share... that would make the evening so much more special... but again, that is the persons own choice. How does that sound? Nina you are kind to volunteer...thanks.

It will be special with all the wonderful people that are arranging their schedules to be there. I hope the food will deliver all you expect and then some.

you're not invited anyway. being a NJ person, 7.30 is better for me. Tommy please carry your ID with you. I believe you may be the youngest in the crowd.. and if you are half as lively as your posts... you may have the attention of the restaurant staff. Your boyish charm could work against you sometimes.... I would hate to have you get carded and for you to not have your ID. I want to see you in your full form.

It will be a pleasure to have you with us. I am glad you are able to fit it in your schedule. Think Midtown...

Nina it will be a nice restaurant.... and the meal will not be what you would usually eat. $45.00 gets us our own space in a corner of the restaurant. And the chef doing nothing but our food when we are there. It also includes tip and the lassi for everyone and sodas. Is that really too much? I could do $40 but feel we would be more fair with $45. What is the majority opinion here? 7:30 PM it is. I understand it is a weeknight... Sorry that I did not think of it myself. And be hungry all of you.. there will be lots of food.

I would jump the fence for that cute face... So beautiful even when sad We will miss you Jinmyo. When are you planning a trip to NYC? Maybe we could see if we can do a dinner of eGulleteers... And if it can be planned in advance, we can do an eGullet gathering open to all. The idea would be to share with you our city and our foods.... Let us know.

Do you not eat when planning conferences? A dinner break is always good. Will bring you back at your desk all restored. We will miss you dearly otherwise.

I think 8 PM would be my choice. But I could do 7:30 as well. What do others think?

Suzanne, unfortunately the tables are square or rectangular. Musical chairs is best I think. Will make for people to chat with each other. Always best when dealing with that arrangement. What is the price we have finalized??? It will be tip and tax included. I want to hear it from another person.

Some dishes will be spicier than others. Some will give each of you the option to spice as you choose. Others will be more moderate for that is how they ought to be.

Yes the meal will have a good balance between meats and veggies.

Not working that hard. I may on the night of the dinner to help th chefs, though.

I will share that little detail by the 15th or so of next month. There are many reasons for me to not jump to share that detail just yet. I hope you will understand.

Suzanne... would you be kind enough to add Laura to our list?

I could arrange everything each of you wants and more. But please remember, we are at a restaurant that is also open to the larger public at that same time. We will be only one part of their life that evening. We can only challenge the kitchen of an open restaurant so much when you work around a group of 15 and more people. These are all things to consider when thinking of what the meal should be. I would plan a menu that will include veggie stuff for all, fish, poultry and meat for those that choose to partake in them.. and a glass of Mango Lassi for all. Would $45.00 inclusive of tax and tips per person be fair? Can we pay cash to make it easier for the restaurant and us? Would it be ok if some of us are served dishes before others? I think it is a challenge on any kitchen to serve foods to 35 people at the same time. While we could do a buffet that would make it easy for everyone to eat together, I think we could experience better food if we get it plated individually. But again, it is only my humble opinion. Please let me know if you all think otherwise. Buffets are easy to organise. BYOB is what Fat guy suggested and I think that would work best. If we were doing this in groups of 8 and smaller, I would have been very confident in saying I would have you all taste the best seafood you can ever find, but with such a large group, I will hope that I can get you fish dishes that are 5-7 on a scale of 1-10 (almost all Indian restaurants serve seafood in the range of 1-5). I am always happier being honest and delivering more than I promise. For cakewalk and I we will have a totally vegetarian menu. I hope to give you all an experience of Indian street food, some tawa (griddle) stir fries and some tandoori poultry and meat. I will work on getting a biryaani and a fish dish that are really special. If I were catering or doing this at home.. I could have provided a great biryaani, but even if I give the recipes I share in my book, I find it hard to believe that any chef that needs to work a large kitchen would readily accept making my tedious but really amazing recipe. But I will try. What I will arrange for us is an evening where you can sample some great stuff. Dishes that would be at a level much higher than what you can expect getting even at the best Indian restaurant when you visit it on their usual service times. And I will try and make it as regionally diverse as I can orchestrate with the talent of the chefs I work with. I hope I can make you all happy, it will be my goal. And for those that want to learn how to eat with their right hands, I will be happy to show you how I do it. But believe me, that is not a necessity to eat many of the foods you will eat that evening.

We will miss you, but I am really excited for you. I am sure you will have a lot of fun.. and will come back with great memories and some wonderful food stories to share with us. There will be more of these.. and you can grace us with your presence then. Have safe travels.

Any VEGETARIANS??? Please let me know who wants to give me company with a vegetarian meal. I can then start planning the menu. Thanks!

Look forward to meeting the two of you.

Wednesday, November 20th

I think we can have upto 35 people. Lets start the wait list after we have that number. Also, it would be a great pleasure for me to arrange for a vegetarian meal for anyone that so desires. It would then not leave me alone in being the token vegetarian. Anyone???

You did better than I could have. Always wonder what suhaga really is.... Maybe someone here ought to know. Thanks for your kind wishes spicegirldc.

Nina, I add just the same amount of oil I would use for the onions and spices. Once the onions are nice and brown, I add the spices and the meat. Stir fry for a bit. This helps them get tempered very quickly with the spiced oil... after 5 minutes of such frying, you can add yogurt, tomato or whatever else you are using for the sauce. You can also fry the meat in the spice infused oil first, then add onions and fry them and then add the spices and then the tomato/yogurt with the meat. However you want. Try it next time... tell us what you think. But I would never add more oil to a dish just to fry the meat. I am with you on needing any more fat than necessary. Not that I love health food... But I am not one for fatty oily sauces either.