Suvir Saran

Thanks for the recipes and the historical information. Both are relevant and appreciated. It is funny that Grandma Hayes who hosted me in West Virginia has in her older age decided to use Jiffy Mix. She adds a 1/3 cup of flour to a package of jiffy mix, one egg, and enough mix to make a thick batter. It is then poured into a 6 or 7-inch iron skillet that has half a stick of margarine that has been melting in the oven. It is baked at 350?F for 20-25 minutes and then turned over. It is then smothered with more margarine. Her grandson, my friend, was shocked that she used Jiffy Mix. The resulting bread was actually very tasty. She does use that one skillet only for corn bread. And she went on to say to me that I must season my skillet over many years before it becomes completely reliable for baking corn bread and guaranteeing success in the turning over act at the end. Her skillet had been seasoned for almost 5 decades. It was her mother’s cornbread skillet.

What should a skillet baked Corn Bread taste like? What should it be made with? Is there a near perfect recipe? Where should I go looking for it? What are the essentials for a good Corn Bread?

Where are they??? I have heard that rice and beans/lentils make for very good protein. And protein that is easiest for the body to digest. Maybe those scientific types you refer to can shed more light on all of this.

Scrambled Tofu Indian Style

Yes that is why in India we always have rice with lentils and or beans. It is great for one to get proteins.

Samosas are perfect. I can remember them as far as I can go back in memory lane. And the memories are fond. We were given Dals, different kinds of potato recipes to train our palate with spices and chapati and yogurt with every meal. RIce would only be served after we had eaten at least 2 chapatis. The rice and lentil/beans make for protein. The yogurt gives protein as well. And with every meal a salad was served. Even if that salad was nothing more than just slices of cucumber, onions and tomatoes sprinkled with cayenne and lemon juice. One or twice a week we would be served Sambhaar (South Indian style lentil dish, served as a side with Dosa) so that we would get more veggies in our diet. Peas and sweet peppers were two vegetables I remember acceptable to most of my peer. We were served soups almost daily through the winter months. An hour before dinner. This was another way we would be served veggies. Omlettes on the weekends. An egg, two slices of whole wheat bread (jam and butter) and a tall glass of milk was breakfast prior to school. As we grew older (in our teens) more exotic veggies were added. In fact sometime after I turned 15, I developed a taste for bitter gourd. Many of my peer even now, cannot accept that vegetable. On the other hand, my sister, just a couple of years older to me, ate all veggies from the very begining.

The rings are made at Dwights by using Buttermilk, Sugar, Crackermeal and Cornstarch. They were amazingly crisp, very light and really perfect in texture and also so beautifully fried. Nobu would be proud.

Radiator Charlie's Mortgage Lifters (I may have transposed some of the words?). The story about them is that during the depression, a mechanic named Charlie paid off the mortgage on his garage by growing these very big pink heirloom tomatoes. I think he lived in West Virginia (although I may be wrong about that too). Mortgage Lifters is the name. Thanks Toby!

I had my best ever restaurant onion rings in Huntington, West Virginia. They were so good that I made my friend take me back to this dive at least 5 more times in 4 days. They were served as a side dish and also as a large plate. The rings came almost grease free. That impressed me most. For most other food in this diner was greasy. Dwights, the restaurant I ate them at has been open since 1947. It is a small diner style restaurant in downtown Huntington. These were simply the best I have ever eaten. And I have eaten plenty of french fries and onion rings for a lifetime. I will go back to Huntington to eat these Onion Rings.

On my trip to West Virginia, I was being hosted by a friends grandma. She froze tomatoes daily. At each meal, she served sliced tomatoes. These were from her yard... They were "Mortgage ....?" variety.. and very good. Grandma Hayes freezes these slices in ziploc bags and keeps adding to the bag till it is full. In fall and winter when tomatoes are not as fresh in the market, she uses her frozen ones. She says they work perfectly. I am going to freeze some this next week.

Tell us more about their experience. If you are comfortable that is.... Sounds like you had a very special one. Yes I cannot agree more that the host and the environment are the key ingredient in shaping what any given evening around food and entertainment will be.

Another passage that may help explain why people entertain, host and spoil others. "............. The diversity that we are shown in these parties is also religious: there are Muslims, Hindus, Jews, Christians, Buddhists, Parsis, Jains and Sikhs as well as others. Some are so identified with their religion that, while they may be relatively liberal and tolerant on other topics, they are mostly inhospitable to other religious beliefs. Others don’t want to be identified with any organized religion and have whatever personal, spiritual belief system they have. A third group is made up of people like Kabir who have a religious affiliation (Kabir is a Hindu) but are curious about other spiritual beliefs and have integrated aspects of several belief systems into their lives. Holding conversation in the midst of so much religious and cultural diversity is difficult and often frightening. People struggle to hold fast to their point of view in the face of others’ deeply held convictions, misperceptions and misunderstandings. Sometimes they are successful, often they are not. At these salons, we see the guests polish themselves by rubbing against each others’ harsh edges. They tease each other, call each other out, pull away and try to talk it out. The food is the glue that binds people together in the midst of their differences. The comfortable and universal ritual of eating gives everyone a way to relax and be themselves while they jockey to find connection with one another. Conversation flows easily around the food because differences of opinion about tastes and recipes are relatively easy to talk about. And Kabir is a fine Indian cook. He teaches Indian cooking at a school in the city. As a child, he apprenticed informally to his household cook, Maharajji, a Brahmin by birth, who worked at the family’s home in New Delhi. In the course of their relationship, Maharajji became Kabir’s mentor and schooled the boy in religion as well as in cooking. As a result, Kabir cooks and feeds his guests as a kind of spiritual calling. He and Geoff understand that food provides more than just physical nourishment at their parties. It is a kind of spiritual lubricant, greasing the wheels of group interaction to help people function at their best. ............."

"...............What was important to the Baroque age of the 18th century was style, structure, form and presentation so that as much emphasis was placed on how one spoke as what one spoke. Salons of that period were a kind of theatre where thinkers presented their ideas to the other members of the salon in order to judge their audiences’ reaction. Kabir and Geoff’s salons are more like jazz improvisation. The two men structure the evenings to the extent that they choose their guests, the food, the music and the occasion. But once the crowd gets together, the conversation flows from the alchemy of the invited guests and it falls to the two men to intervene in and manage whatever happens. When asked why they host these parties, Kabir and Geoff will talk about how they do so for their friends: to introduce people to one another and to give friends in trouble a place to come and get support and help. While this is not untrue, it obscures a deeper story. The relationship between Geoff and Kabir has not been easy. They come from cultures that are radically different and they are consequently significantly different in their experience and values. When it’s just the two of them alone, they squabble and irritate each other. They don’t agree about much. They fall into a habitual back-and-forth game of provoking and reacting. The parties that the two men throw together give them a forum in which to explore and build their partnership. In partnership, they recognize in each other a shared love of entertaining and people. They respect and rely on each other for that. The parties give them a common purpose, a place to stand side by side, so that their differences, irritants and disagreements become of secondary importance to their shared work. They can disagree and not lose sight of what they’re doing together. By observing their partnership we are given a window into the inevitable challenges and satisfactions in the meeting of two cultures..........." As you read above, you will understand that people host parties for different reasons.. and also different people will tackle situations differently. And how people are driven by different needs.

A good host, who is hosting guests that have been in such lavish settings way too often, will never stop short of anything. In fact it has been my experience that hosts like these understand quite well how far each of their guests likes things to go. And many of them actually indulge their guests all the way through. Most often even anticipating the needs of each of the guests uniquely and differently and ensuring the amazement of each one individually and collectively. This takes me back to the diamond and a gemologist and also a jewelry designer. While they certainly see many fine stones daily, they also know how each of their prized jewels will need to be handled so as to best showcase its most winning angles and yet mixing it with other stones that will look brilliant but will be compromised just enough to make the one stone they want to see shine most come out as the most brilliant. The goal is not to make any one stone look bad, but to bring out different qualities of each stone and create a grouping that is brilliant in its entirety and also complete in each of its individual strengths. I think an understanding like this will make all the difference and a host such as one I mention, is intuitive in how they handle these challenging situations. But to their trained and experienced mindset, these are fun ways of entertaining their own need to be in charge and orchestrate a perfect time.

It is a very good book. The food is honest home food for the most part. And like Bengali cooking in general, it is very delicate whilst still having every complexity of Indian cooking. My copy recently made it back to my library. It had traveled to London and back.

These were some of my favorites as a child as well.

I have a friend.. my co-writer actually, her daughter became vegetarian for her own reasons soon after Stephanie and I started writing the book. She has grown to love the Dals (lentils and beans) and also the chickpeas, kidney beans and some other lentil and bean preparations. They seem to have made it easy for her to be vegetarian, get the nutrients and also get to grow into accepting spices. She also fell in love with Indian breads... and got into making them. She especially loved the flat breads that were stuffed and the puffy deep fried Pooris. Both of which she learned to prepare. I would be happy to PM you recipes for the breads. Will think of more ideas and post. I was headed out.. saw your post and had to respond. This will be much easier than you think. And between us eGulleteers... we will help you through it.

Aloo Chaat Recipe This may not be what you had... but you can see this version.. and make your own.

That sounds correct... Or Rai Wal Gobhi Aloo... Or just Gobhi Aloo

How was the Payesh Simon? I was in the hills of West Virginia. Had some lovely American food.... Sorry I was not around to help.. your recipe seems lovely. What did Baba think?

Huh ? Are you from NYC ? I've seen more grand tamasheas done in here (NYC); like sending a personal do-hicky to get a certain cache of unhatched eggs from central asia to make in time for the next-day pre-prom party ..... enough said..... Tamasha - Anil you may want to explain what that is. And yes thank you... I have attended and catered parties where Tamashas of the kind one can never imagine are recreated... Perhaps not as frequently and spontaneously as they might happen back home... but when one has money... Anything can be done... In fact it seems to drive some into being spontaneous... and it is their big thing.... Charming others by making what some may find impossible happen. Tamasha is the perfect word. Thanks for mentioning it.

You know what.. There is something called stopovers? And there is something called organization? It happens. And most of all, there is something called hospitality and a deeply ingrained notion of wanting to serve and entertain and spoil. It is now not common in many places… In fact, it is even getting lost in India. But when one has those qualities, fuel, stopovers, pilot salaries and time all fade…. The goal becomes to lavish one in most unexpected ways one can. If you knew of the Thapars.. And actually Samir Thapar, you would not be surprised by the tricks that man can pull. With his mind, his families’ wealth and connections, anything is possible. They can do what you and I can not even dream of. But theirs are dreams that get to be so different, growing up with so much.. They certainly have had dreams I did not envision. Maybe that is why, to Samir, taking care of my partner was a necessity that you may not fathom. These little pleasures give him more joy than his work in boardrooms buying and selling stock and companies. And yes actually, in India, it is not uncommon for people to help one another out. And yes that was what was most amazing about that lunch.. Within hours... fish had been brought from Bombay and cleaned, prepared and served. And you know what... you may be right... My eyes are brown.. And so I may well be full of what you say I am... but if has affected my eyes.. Not my mind... And funny you mention Russia... Yes we may have had some CIA spies that we were entertaining before they actually flew into Pakistan to plan the covert operations they were planning with the ISI... and strange enough.. When that happened... the aircrafts they flew on.. Were Russian. Any ways... back to facts... Yes the fish was flown in from Bombay... It was brought in within a few hours of us arriving. It helps to be Indian.. and be able to go with the flow.... the lunches never start before 2 or 3 PM..and dinners at private parties such as these begin by midnight... if at all.. even later than that. But perhaps it is a world most could never imagine. But that again makes those memories so beautiful.

I know James does... Jaymes... Where are you????

The number of dishes would hardly matter. If a chef like Gyaneshwar was cooking, even the one item they prepared would be food fit for the Gods. It certainly makes life so full of pleasant and unexpected but also somewhat understood surprises when one finds such great talent in the most unlikely of places. Sometimes though, I feel it is a given... For we lose real touch with brilliance when lost in its midst. It is as if the shine a diamond is lost in the company of many other brilliant diamonds such as itself. How could one really find one better than another without spending too much time de-constructing the stome completely. I could not agree with you more about lovable hosts serving the best meals and making one most comfortable. Even the best food cooked and personally served by the finest of chefs would be poison in my mouth in the home of one bereft of love. Love and genuine desire to share and spoil make for a great host and a memorable experience. If someone is loving and genuine, they are all one needs for having a special time.

Another similarity. How funny... so many family and friends of mine believe that the generosity that the Randhawa brothers blessed on those they knew and the countless thousands of destitutes that ever came to their hotels, soup kitchens and rest houses, made their competition very jealous. Their generosity rivaled any and all of the worlds foremost philanthropists. For they gave without getting anything back. No tax breaks to speak of.. really... But a love from the poorest of poor and some personal satisfaction that should ultimately drive each of us anyways. But Alas, all of this many believe may have caused the elder brother to die of cardiac failure in his early 40s.. and was responsible for the murder of dear Rajan... a man in hus 30s.