Suvir Saran

Do you see yourself cooking more with Lamb or Goat? What recipes do you use? Where are these recipes from? What cuts of lamb do you use for these recipes? Where do you buy your meat?

Yamuna Devis book is actually quite nice. I personally have not tried even a single recipe, but have friends that have enjoyed using it. It also has some fun stories in it.

Rau's cooking of India is great. Not sure how easy it is to find anymore. Raj at the Table and Curries and Bugles can be found at Kitchen Arts and Letters in NYC. They are fun to scan through. The recipes are not always functional or correct. But great fun. And absolute must if you want to get a small glimpse of the Anglo-Indian lifestyle. But I much prefer Simon Majumdar for that. His memories, posts and recipes are far more interesting to me. For they are current. A Taste of ...... These are good books. But the recipes give little help to those that are not familiar with the dishes. But make for fun books to have if you just want to read several Indian cooking books. The Indian Spice Kitchen had great promise when I first found it in a catalog. When it was delivered, I found it not as fun. But thanks Suzanne for mentioning it. It is a great reference book to have for ingredients. It actually may be one of the best books out there with so many hard to find ingredients explained and identified. It is a good book to have in the library.

Steven has mentioned a great book. But it may not inspire you about cooking Indian food. It is dry but acutely laden with facts and history and cultural details. It is a must read, but not a first read. To enjoy it or even simply grasp any of it, you may need to first accept Indian food and culture as a part of your realm. Just as on the other threads on this site, there are books being discussed that would intimidate the novice, but captivate the old hand. I usually reccomend Julie Sahnis Classic Indian Cooking and Cooking With Grains and Vegetables as the Bibles to Indian Cooking. These are full of detail and a lot of cultural anecdotes. The recipes are good and work well in a western kitchen. They are rather oily though and you can correct that by using just a little over half the fat she asks to be used in a recipe. Madhur Jaffreys books are wonderful in their sensual approach to Indian cooking. Her recipes leave a little to be desired. The Indian cookbooks that is. I guess they were written some decades ago, and were tested for another generation maybe and with a standard different from today. But I see myself read her books with more love and care than Julie Sahnis. But that is why one is the Bible and the other the Gita. One is epic (Bible) in ways and the other more fluid and of the time (Gita). I say this with no disrespect for one over the other. They are simply two very different animals. Each of these books and authors have given us much to be thankful for and much to be inspired by. Dakshin is a great book on Southern Indian cooking. If you can find it, buy it. It will bring to you the world of Southern Indian cooking. If not by its recipes, at least in the pictures and some of the text. It is a great book. 50 Great Curries by Camelia Panjabi is another good book. It has some of the famous Indian dishes in a pretty book. The recipes work if you know the cuisine. They are not as easy to replicate as those of Madhur or Julie. Mrs. Balbir Singhs books are great ones to have. They are also somewhat tedious in their style of writing. Especially recipe structure. But she covers the base adequately with large number of recipes. Cook Books To Read The above link will take you to some cook books I have mentioned on my site. It will tell you a little more about each book. I am sure the other members have their own list of favorites. What are they???

TANDOORI ROAST CORNISH GAME HENS Serves 4 For the best flavor, the hens should be marinated overnight, but in a pinch, marinate 4 hours. Line the roasting pan with aluminum foil for easy clean-up. 2 Cornish game hens 1 tablespoon paprika 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon turmeric Juice of 1 lemon MARINADE 1 small onion 4 garlic cloves 2 inches peeled, fresh ginger 1 teaspoon ground, toasted cumin 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1/4 teaspoon paprika Pinch ground cloves Pinch ground cinnamon Pinch garam masala 1/3 cup yogurt 3 tablespoons tomato paste 1 teaspoon canola oil 2 tablespoons canola oil Lemon wedges, for serving 1. Pull and cut the skin off the hens. Make several deep slashes in the breasts and thighs. 2. Mix the paprika, salt, turmeric and lemon juice together in a bowl. Rub the mixture over the hens and then massage the birds with the spices for about 1 minute to ensure that the spices are rubbed in nicely. Set aside, covered for half an hour. 3. Meanwhile, put all the marinade ingredients in a blender and process on low speed until smooth. 4. Toss the hens in the marinade until coated. Place in a zip loc bag and marinade in the refrigerator overnight or for up to 2 days. 5. Bring the hens to room temperature by placing outside the refrigerator for an hour before ready to cook. 6. Preheat the oven to 500?F. Add the 2 tablespoons oil to the bowl with the hens and stir with a rubber spatula to coat. Remove hens from marinade with whatever marinade sticks to them. Put them on a rack in a roasting pan and roast 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let stand 5 minutes. Cut in half and serve with lemon wedges. Note: This is my version of Olivas recipe. I use this for making butter chicken for those friends that like their butter chicken made with bone-in chicken pieces. This recipe is also great served as a main dish.

Malai Kabab (Used in Chicken Tikka Masala) 2 lbs. boneless chicken breasts 2 tablespoons garlic paste 3 tablespoons ginger paste 1 teaspoon white pepper powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 large egg 1/4 cup mild cheddar or even baby gouda cheese, grated finely 1 habanero pepper, very finely diced 1/4 cup very tender cilantro stems, chopped finely 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg 1/2 teaspoon mace 1/2 cup hung yogurt (traditionally made with cream, a tablespoon of cornflour is added to this mix in that case) 1 teaspoon oil 1. Mix the ginger and garlic paste with the white pepper powder and salt. Rub this onto the chicken pieces and leave to marinade for 20 minutes in the refrigerator. 2. Beat the egg and add the cheese, habanero, cilantro stems, nutmeg, mace, yogurt and oil. Mix well and add the chicken into this marinade and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or even overnight. 3. String the chicken onto skewers and grill on red hot charcoal for 5 minutes or in a preheated oven at 300?F for 6 minutes, or until almost done. 4. Remove from oven and let the chicken dry some before you use for the butter chicken recipe. Note: You can cook the kebabs fully and serve as an appetizer. Simply toss the cooked chicken in some lemon juice and a pinch of garam masala. I have had people who are vegetarin eat these and think they are biting into Tofu or cheese. They are a great kebab to make for just about any party. People love them.

I have seen the best results that have pleased the most critical food critics and foodies around NYC to come from my using Empire Kosher Chicken. Almost as good results from the Free Range chickens from Union Square farmers market. Great results with Cornish Hens from D'Artagnan (sp?) or even other store brought cornish hens. In fact I often use cornish hens for smaller parties where I am making roasted chicken (Tandoori Chicken). Butter Chicken as it is made in Bukhara in New Delhi and some other restaurants that copied Vivin's families recipe and have made great success with this dish, is made in the following way: Makhani Chicken (Butter Chicken) 1 Kg. Tandoori Chicken ( Two small birds, cut into 8 pieces each) 1/2 cup butter 3 tablespoons finely minced garlic, puree preferred 3 tablespoons finely minced ginger, puree preferred 1 teaspoon paprika 1/4 teaspoon cayenne 1 kg. ripe vine grown tomatoes, pureed 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste 2/3 cup cream Garnish: 1 tablespoon julienned ginger root 1. Melt a 1/2 cup butter in a pot and fry the ginger and garlic puree in it for a couple of minutes or until the raw smell of the garlic is gone. Add the paprika and cayenne and a teaspoon of water. This keeps the paprika and cayenne from burning. 2. Add the pureed tomatoes and salt and cook till the butter glazes the tomatoes, around 20 minutes. Maybe longer if the tomatoes have higher water content. Add 2 cups of water and simmer for another 5-8 minutes till the water has turned into a thick sauce. 3. Add the tandoori chicken pieces and bring to a simmer and cook covered on the lowest flame for 8 minutes. Stir in the cream and bring to a simmer and serve garnished with juliennes of ginger. Note: My recipe comes from what the restaurant (Bukhara) made daily. I personally would cook with almost half the amount of butter. But that goes for most of my cooking. The Chicken Roast recipe from Oliva is great. I do a few things differently but for the most part follow a similar recipe. As Vivin pointed out, cook the chicken till almost done. As it will cook more in the sauce. I have made this with equal success with boneless chicken breasts. They are marinated and baked in the oven and then thrown into the sauce and cooked for 5 minutes in the sauce.

Wingding, You are adventurous. Paan, eh? Wow! Appams.... how do you like them? They are a great dish. Do you make the stew that goes with them? Do you use coconut milk in it? Tell us more... You seem to have been lurking on the sidelines here even as you knew so much. Anyone that can make Appams must know Indian food very well. What do you like about that Vindaloo?

Polly, where else did you live as a youngster? Your life sounds wonderful. Do you have a good recipe for butter chicken? I made some last week. As usual people loved it. I think we may have a recipe or two posted on the Chicken Curry thread. YOu may want to check that out. I think Julie Sahnis recipe is good. Cut the oil by half or even more. I love fresh Jalebis and also every other dish you mention. Wow! What site did your father work at in Southern India? Sounds wonderful.

Vivin, Thanks for posting about your meal. I have loved Mavalli Palace in the past and then stopped going there after many uninspired meals. Their Sambhaar was always better than Pongal when they were good. Their Aloo Bondas were sensational when good. The Aloo Chaat used to be very good. Idlis have never been good there. But I do not like them at Pongal either, and for the most part in any Indian American restaurant. I am so spoiled by the perfectly steamed, soft and cooked Udipi classic recipe. It is to me the finest food I can want in my life. And yet one I really never seem to eat anymore. Living in the US that is. But it has such a strong power in its simplicity and yet very complex ability to please the palate in such intricate ways that Idlis live in my memory as vividly as a yet to be born child does daily in the mothers womb. I remember Idlis everytime I think of good food. And that is all the time. Maybe I will go have dinner at Mavalli Palace tomorrow. Interestingly enough in the past when I had poor South Indian meals at Mavalli Palace, the Chaats were good. And now the reverse is true as it should be. Good for them. But I am like your wife. Nothing like a little chaat. Just as the word "Chaat (to lick)" implies, it wakes up my palate. Even on the most hot and miserable day. That is the power of Chaat in my book. So, if a menu has chaat on it, I order at least one kind. Mysore Masala or Plain Dosas are my favorite. The extra heat and complexity of flavor make it even more exciting for my palate. For some the spiced chutney they brush on the inside of the dosa can be too spicy. But I love spicy. What can I say. I now want to go eat at Mavalli tonight. I can never have enough of Dosai or "Good" Idlis. Maybe others have been to both Pongal and Mavalli recently and can help us with their thoughts on how they compare. Not that comparisons are always good. But at least we can find out if the Sambhaar and Chutneys are anything like they ought to be. Those are the things that trouble me the most. Even Pongal which has in the long run been more reliable has often served bad Sambhaar and Chutney. They are the life of good Idlis, Dosai and Vadai.

Looking forward to the recipe Bux. Sorry it was lost in cyberspace. I cannot wait to try the recipe. Thanks for your efforts and thanks also to Mrs. B.

Thank you Markstevens and Toby! I will try and see if I can post a picture of my stuffed pepper pickle. These are great pics and such good information. Thanks!

How long does the pepper season last? Could you connect me to your nephew? Each year I pickle close to 40 or more pounds of chiles into pickles of many different kinds. I never seem to find enough. And I only buy these from the Union Square Market. I would never pickle commercial produce. I love the chile stand in the farmers market. And yes I too see faces light up across the demographic as people see those peppers t hat they grew up with. It is a beautiful moment.

Actually it was great to have gone to Pongal. If someone has never eaten Dosai, there is no better treat to share with them. In the richness of complexity, subtlety, layers of spicing, technique and variety of ingredients; this one dish could not ever be overlooked easily by most any others. A Dosai well made is a magicians creation to charm and convert people into becoming believers. I have taken those "American Xenophobes" I know who hate any cuisine other than French or American for nothing more than ignorance, for a first Indian meal to Pongal and they are hooked and changed for life. Some I take to a good Indian restaurant for Tandoor Fare. Even that is a great way of breaking someone in. But a Dosai is a gift that will give for centuries to come. I see children of all races enjoy in its pleasure. I see adults become greedy as they eat them. I see those that eat them daily salivate at the very mention of them. And certainly there are those ignorant xenophobes that change, but only if they are willing to make a one and only try. I love Bhel Puri as well. Another dish "American Xenophobes" are able to accept and enjoy. In fact for most that eat it, it is a addiction that becomes apparent soon enough. If these "American Xenophobes" would only know how to make it and eat it as obsessively as they eat other "American style" junk food, we may have less weight related problems in this country. It is a healthy snack food for the most part. And also complex, bold and also subtle in the many complex layers of spicing and cooking technique that come out for those that are able to understand and unveil foreign cuisines and their technique and structure. I write this not for I think your friend is a Xenophobe, but to make the point that you took her to a great spot and ate great food. You shared with her a great gift of food and restaurant. That meal you shared with her will haunt her memory for a long time to come. It will have lustre in its memories that did not come with its setting. What the restaurant lacked in table-setting and elegant and thoughtful and inspired service, it overcame in the complex rich-subtle-bold-wondrous-tasty-spicy-tangy-bitter-sweet-salty-savory undertones of each of its bite. Someday, as she is dining at another restaurant, she will revisit this humble meal, and thank you for having shared it with her and exposed it to her. That is a gift one can only find when eating foods that have history, culture, sense of place, sense of time, technique, boldness of rendering and an immediate flirtation with every and all human senses. These are not always found in those temples of cuisine one finds in every culture. Sometimes, one has to wade through even filth to experience that raw but lasting impact of foods that are meant to outlive the shallowest of our momentary existence. Dosais, Bhel Puri and Idlis are some of these dishes. Every culture and cuisine has some of these most compelling treats. They are not always noticed as they are not bold in superficial and fragile momentary impact. They are bashful but on the very opposite extreme from being worthless. These are dishes I crave daily and also when I am eating a grand feast at Arpege in Paris. When I enjoy the wonderful courses of food coming out of that kitchen, I re-visit in my memory all my other favorite foods. That is just me. I do not look for the superlative, but in fact, when faced with the need to give a dish such a grand status as calling it one of the supreme dishes I have eaten, I easily and willingly reflect on all those other dishes that inspired similar thought from me at other settings. Very quickly I become calm and able to enjoy that glorious moment without going overboard and losing grip of reality. Within a matter of minutes, I am able to find in that setting of Arpege or ADNY or French Laundry, Charlie Trotters, Aruns, Four Seasons, Bouley, Bukhara or Tabla the gift each of these places gives my life and how what they bring me more than just a taste of something sublime, is my being able to in that beautiful isolated moment, reflect upon the many others of similar vibrancy that I have lived in settings that are isolated in their occurrence but just as powerful and magical. Dosais, Idlis, Bhel Puri, Tarte Tatin, Croissants, Soup Dumplings, Cassoulet, Magical Pastas all teach me about the gift every cuisine has in abundance. A gift only available to those that are willing to embrace those other cuisines and cultures that seem so easy and affable but have every complexity and challenge that our own supreme culture and cuisine may seem to offer. Your friend will remember her Dosai for a very long time. And in NYC, there are not many other options that would be better than Pongal for that experience.

It took Chuck some time to accept that part of being Indian. People calling the day of the party to ask for directions, to ask if they could bring a guest or three with them, to ask what they should wear.... you know we can be very casual with friends.... but now, he is well aware that any given party of 12 can become a party of 30. I always have extra stuff in the pantry. While I would not be able to have extra vegetables, I will quickly prepare new dishes using lentils, beans, yogurt etc... and if you know Indian cooking, one is never afraid, with some clever thinking, you can plan within 15-20 minutes of good thought, and an hour or three of more work, an additional set of dishes that would go with your menu and beef it up to feed the extra guests. I remember Panditji would always be ready to receive at least 5-10 extra guests at any given meal time. I asked him this last trip how he managed for waste and left overs. He said that he never worried. For if there were left overs, he would not cook more for the staff. And if we had the usual "jhamghat" (army of people) the food would get eaten and as he was preparing the chapatis and parathas for the meal (flatbreads) he also was preparing the staff meal. Mind you, nothing about our home is Lavish. It is comfortable and welcoming and that makes it special. Friends know they can be here, they can bring their friends and that they can relax here and be themselves. We do not judge nor care about the results when we are. There will always be those that complain, we ignore them as best as we can. They learn with time to either accept the rest of us, or they move on, on their own. The magic of entertaining at home does not lie in the grandeur of stuff. Not often can one compete in a home setting with what a restaurant of great repute could offer in a contrite and clearly business minded setting. While as a caterer I have all the paraphernalia that goes with being decadent and over the top, not always do I use every trick I know. I leave that for my work. I have a few hundred platters and bowls. Antiques collected from across several continents. Our apartment houses fine china that as my mother says, would be enough for the wedding trousseau of 5 brides from very rich homes. I have glass ware that would shame the collection of most any snob, I have sterling beyond what I would ever use even in all my entertaining. But these are things I collect. Not for me to use. In fact I use my precious stuff for those very unfortunate meals we HAVE to have. For the best meals, and the magical ones, I have 80 plain white dinner plates, same amount of dessert plates and classic flatware in stainless. All of these can go into the dishwasher. Similarly I have beautiful dishwasher safe glassware. This makes it easy for me to insist that the guests not worry about my having to clean the stuff by hand. It gives an air of ease to the evening. A clever host know better than to impress by using trivial stuff. A clever guests knows better than to only be moved by antiquity in a setting of far greater merit. Those parties where I use gilded plates, sterling flatware, sterling frames for glasses and china, gold accents and silver and gold leaf as garnishes are those few but occasional meals where we seat a very small group of people that want to eat with my collection of antiquity and I know are coming to our home to see what I do with the stuff I collect. These are the clinical meals. And while some could fill pages defending their beauty, I enjoy them for that moment and then they are gone from my collective memory. They are poor in soul. The other parties have a life of their own that exists beyond the realm of the temporary and the superficial. They are about a package that was once a very basic fabric of life and has been slowly lost in a world that has become too busy to be in touch with the very basic necessities of life. It is magical to be able to enjoy the decadent and extremely precious, but even more magical is to know them and yet know that they offer not more than what is on face value. If you know that difference, you can then enjoy life in a very subtle but fulfilling manner. Our home affords are friends and theirs that special luxury. One of complete sharing but at a very simple and human level. Where children, infants, adults, seniors, sick and in good health, frail in mind or over excited, young and old, of many cultures and ethnicities and religions, can come together with no fear. The parties are a way for all of us to collectively at that time create a new world within this apartment where we forget all those superficial things that separate us and for at least several hours, we live in a world that brings us together in our passion for living a life of great beauty of spontaneous expressions.

All was prepared by my hands. A friend came a half hour early and made the raita. She is a sweetie, always ends up helping me. Mamta is her name. And she is a gift I have around me in NYC. But Nitin, Mamta's husband played impromptu bar-tender. He is one of the best mixers in town. It was a shame that the guests did not ask for mixed drinks. He is a genius with blended drinks. Chuck did everything. Greeting, taking drink orders, cleaning as the party went on. Mamta helped him towards that goal. Sir Ian Holm also helped organize and put away the used dishes. Madhur said the nicest things one could hope for from one of such great knowledge of all things beautiful and edible. She is charming like few can be. Grace and dignity in every way possible. Daniel drove in from Philly to have dinner. He sat below the large duck painting he had painted and looked every bit a proud artist that he should be. Madhur was suggesting she visit his brownstone in Philly. So as to be able to see his paintings in the home where they came to fruition. Vincent- Daniel's partner of 18 odd years was unable to come. He had to teach early the next morning. Dinner guests were coming only at 9 PM and so it was understood that the party would last late. Daniel ate dessert and left having had some coffee. Mary Ann snuck in some stuffed grape leaves for Chuck. The ones filled with meat. She is of Lebanese decent and makes the best Grape leaves. After you have tasted them, you feel you are ready for the next journey. NO ONE ever has served us better stuffed grape leaves. I had enough zip-loc bags so as to send everyone home with food. People are charmed and spoiled they say by our sending them back with loads of food. Chuck and I see it as a way of sending a part of the party home with our friends. The food will bring back moments that were shared the night before and come back to haunt in new ways as you eat that which was served in another setting. It also ensures that we have room in the refrigerator for the next dinner we have to host. Gives me less to save and less to worry about. The evening was special. I went to bed at half past 4 AM. The dishes were clean and the kitchen looked pristine. I hate waking up to a dirty kitchen. The deck had enough gardenia blossoms that people could smell them into the living room and also all guests were sent home with one. The Jasmine bushes were bursting with blossoms. The marigolds were in bloom. The Meyer lemon, the tangerine and the sweet lime trees were full of blossoms and some fruit. The Pomegranate tree had a solitary fruit all dark red and ready to be ripe weighing heavily down one side. The raat kee raani (queen of the night) bush was all white with flowers and the smell of the flowers (from the jasmine family) was getting intense as the evening progressed. It was the perfect night for the flowers on the deck to be admired. By the end of the evening, everyone was enjoying the tropical jungle that the living room looked into. The chili pepper plants, the abundance of mint, the basil plants, the lemon verbena, the thyme topiaries, the ginger leaves, the colocasia plants, the tarragon plants and the curry leaf tree spoke of the culinary interests in the household. For a small little deck, Chuck and I have packed it with more plants and trees than one could have in a large garden. Our bedroom which is huge by NYC standards is reduced to nothing as all the tropical plants come indoors for the winter. Over a 100 pots demanding no heat, so our bedroom has open windows and cool breeze in the dead of winter. Makes for some getting used to but is every bit a joy in the summer. I went into the detail for you to realize that when one lives as one wants to and enjoys, entertaining becomes a way of being. We end up doing nothing special for the dinners. We are just who we are daily. The people and dates change, the apartment and its dwellers remain the same. The food changes and the serving dishes may change, but the love with which food comes out of the kitchen, the fun with which the platters and bowls are filled, the charm added by the flowers, herbs, plants and fish in the aquariums and mini-pond on the deck remain and only grow in beauty. It is thus not difficult to make evening in this home memorable. It is also a testament to NYC. In this small island, in a apartment building, we are able to create the ambience of a home. It is not India, not the farm in Missouri where Chuck grew up, but it is lost somewhere between India and Missouri in a place all its own. It is our home, the home that houses the tropical jungle that inspires me to enjoy NYC and encourages me to cook even as the non-A/C kitchen makes me sweat. I would trade nothing for my desire to cook for friends. It is the best way I know of using my time and energies. Feeding our friends and theirs. While dinners in our home are fabled by many to be decadent, Chuck and I view them as nothing too much. We make them remain just what we can handle having endlessly. Nothing too much so as to seem cumbersome. No one has ever complained that the food is too simple or cheap. People are happy canceling reservations at fine restaurants to get invited to dinner at home. I am told that no restaurant meal can ever provide the intricate and subliminal magic that people witness when eating at dinner parties in an atmosphere that is redolent of the character that made the Salons of centuries past all the rage. Maybe after all, people do want more than just expensive settings, foods and wines, people want conversations, ambience, personal connections and above all a calm environment where they can let their guard down and just be themselves and not have to perform in the eyes of the public. A home is a home is a home is a temple which is intimate and abundantly open to the magic that each moment can reach.

And could we get Mrs. B's recipe for the pudding Mr. B? It sounds lovely. And by the way Mr. B. Indians have adopted several puddings into their repertoire. This could well become one of those desserts.

We have 3-4 different appliances (?) used for this. Both the things described above fit in. Toby what you describe is what I have used in India. Indian stores also have a appliance that gets attached to a table or board and has rotating teeth that work very well.

And gjohnson, your raita is as good as what I remember eating on a daily basis. Simple and delicious. Exactly what we need 99 percent of the time. Thanks for sharing that perfect and classic recipe.

Adam I make my own or use the Stonybrook farm yogurt since it is easily and readily available everywhere. I do like using the yogurt you mention. But you will have to add milk or cream to make it to a consistency you like. I actually am not opposed to adding neither. For Raitas tend to get thinner as they sit. But I do know many people like thinner yogurt. What is your favorite kind of Raita Adam? What do you eat Raita with?

Jaymes.... you are better than the most of us. And good for you! Grandmas can teach us the best things in life. Their wisdom is unparalleled. You were lucky. I have worked alongside many chefs in NYC... and mind you, not just Indian chefs.. some fancy names in the business, cooking "fancy, expensive and greater meals".. those that have huge fans and following on this site... I have seen them and their chefs using fingers and spoons to directly go again and again into a pot. I have owned two restaurants. One French-Indian fusion and one 2 Star American Cuisine restaurant. It was somewhat startling for the chefs to see my look of horror when I caught them doing the above. They changed with time. And I hope they have kept that trait of being more careful. But I sincerely doubt it. I often wondered if the kitchen went back to tasting as they would before they had to deal with my look, every time I walked out of the kitchen. For I was not the chefs in these kitchens. Only a partner in the restaurant. Who knows what really happened behind my back. But yes my grandmas would always have us wash our hands before entering the kitchen. In fact I do the same even in my kitchen in NYC. When friends want to help and enter the kitchen, before they do anything, they have to wash their hands. Chuck included. I find that a necessity.

And recently a few weeks back I was invited to our friend Marinas home to learn from her and her chef of over 30 years on how to cook some Pakistani dishes. Marina and her husband live on the Upper East Side in NYC. They belonged once to the Pakistani Foreign Service but have been stationed in NYC for at least a couple of decades as her husband started working with the UN. Marinas home is like the Frankfurt Airport. Most any Pakistani or Indian who is traveling to the US must call upon them if they belong to a certain part of India or Pakistan's social scene. While many UN officials are able to take people out to dinner for work related parties, Marina the consummate host has taken it upon herself to use her home as that very special dining room. It is great to have a beautiful brown-stone to work with, but above all, it is her generosity of self and her desire to share all she has that makes their home a hub for any and all that have ever known them. Every night at their home is a banquet. At the very least a dozen or so people eat a meal. And she has hosted over 200 people. In fact her daughter got married from their home in the traditional Pakistani-Indian style. When I first met Marina, I was at the tandoor in a friends house. I was cooking for my friends 50th Birthday bash at her home. We had over 50 people attending. My mobile tandoor had been transported to her home. Marina wanted to find out who had made the lamb chops. And as she was walking towards me, I wondered who this brilliant person was. There was a radiance in her person that had me hooked at first sight. We soon became friends. But it took a long time for us to have a meal at her home. She was somewhat nervous about what to feed a vegetarian, and a chef at that. Now she knows better. Anything and everything she or Majeed (the chef) make is sublime. I am a fan and a devotee at their feet. So, for my cookbook, I asked Marina if I could come spend an afternoon in her kitchen. She planned the meal around what I wanted to learn and invited guests to join at 8:30. From 3 PM onwards we worked in the kitchen. A modest NYC kitchen, it was a gallant tribute to what human spirit can do when it wants to. From a relatively small and humble kitchen, in this household, they serve meals of great grandeur and consistently to at least dozens daily. One of the several refrigerators had over 50 pounds of Halal baby goat. Another had over 40 pounds of Halal Chicken. And then there were huge amounts of trotters, kidneys, brain and other parts. That evening she was going to teach me a basic Pakistani chicken curry and lamb biryaani. For me they were making Saag Aloo (potatoes with spinach) and Daal. I convinced her to not prepare any plain rice for me. I was hungry I said to her to taste her biryaani. That afternoon, I tasted and touched and tasted and touched the foods several times. And I realized how different and yet similar our foods were. The recipes were very similar, but what changed was how easily Marina and Majeed would take a spoon and taste the dishes. I also learned several tricks from Majeed and her. These shall be revealed in my cookbook. But what we spoke about as we cooked was how we cooked relatively similar recipes. And ended with similar results. But even as we did almost the same things, we did just one basic thing differently. One of us tasted the foods as they were cooked and the other did not. But still, we each treated spices and foods very similarly. Marina was not tasting for checking the food for spices and salt. That was pre-determined in her mind. She says she never has to measure spices or worry about salt. She tastes for she wants to enjoy the sauce in several stages of its preparation. She enjoys being part of the dish as it evolves from a "young nothing" into a "well groomed dish". Another friend from India, a Bora Moslem, cooks with passion unlike any I have seen in a very long time. In his early twenties, he lives for good food and cooks food every day. When he travels he enjoys discovering the foods of the world, but at home, he enjoys recreating dishes from his youth in India. When grandma would instruct and work with the chef in creating traditional Bora dishes in their homes. He always teases me about being the prissy chaste Hindu and how our friendship has "forced" me to eat with one that eats cows. Well, I would eat any and everything he cooks. For he cooks with such passion that I cannot imagine anything he prepares to be less than amazing. I have caught him dipping his finger into sauces, licking them to taste and then throwing the same finger back into the dish or even another to taste yet again. It does not bother me at all. In fact even today, after I have seen him do this A LOT, I still smile and am taken aback in a nice way. It is so different from what I do and yet just as magical. While he marvels at enjoying some of the best Indian meals at our home, he is always telling people how he eats Tomato Chutney like grandmas, the best Dam Aloos in the world, the best Sheer Khurma * at the end of Ramadan and then he goes on to tell them how this was prepared by someone who never tastes his food. And I tell all our friends how only at his home do I eat food where I have seen the chef stick their finger into the pot. * Sheer Khurma is a vermicelli pudding. It is the traditional dessert made for the first meal one has at the end of Ramadan. I make this for our Moslem friends and acquaintances. Made Indian style with great complexity and subtlety, it is the perfect thing to have at the end of that long period of fasting. I make large amounts that go to any and all Moslems I know in our neighborhood. Friends, shopkeepers, restaurant owners, check out clerks in grocery stores and news stand owners, all get a tiny package of this sweet from me that day. It is my way of taking these people back to their homes in our Sub-Continent, where grandma or mother would have made this famous sweet.

To taste or not? I tend not to taste. I have no fundamental reasoning for why I do not taste. I owe it to my heritage for the most part. In our home in Delhi, Panditji (chef of over 60 years in our home, also a Brahman by birth), followed the Hindu practice of Naivaidyam. This is the practice whereby Hindus prepare all foods as an offering to Gods and only after serving it first to the Gods is the food then given to members of the family. Because food was being cooked as an offering to the Gods, it was imperative that it not be defiled in any way. Tasting was considered to be an act whereby the offerings for the Gods would be defiled. So, Panditji like many cooks before him, and others like him even today, has learned to cook by smell, sight, feel and experience. I have personally learned how to season without taste quite expertly, even if I must say so myself, but the tasting for salt took a while to get used to. Also it is very hard to ensure salting on a consistent basis if you use different salts. One has to understand the effect of each salt on any dish. And remember the salt experience from any one type. So, I have to be very careful to remember accurately every time I cook with a particular salt how it changed a particular dish. In my kitchen and even at NYU where I teach classes, I have come close to mastering even the Salt addition. But I see myself nervous when cooking in foreign kitchens for the first time with salts I have not worked with. But it has not been as much of a challenge lately. When I first started cooking 10 years ago in the US, I was not very good at it. And I ended up tasting before serving. Now, many years later, I have a very good sense about it. Also the same happened to me with meats. Having been raised vegetarian and for the most part practicing ovo-lacto vegetarianism, I was nervous when I first started cooking with meats. Chuck was my taster in the beginning, but now, I cook with careless abandon and serve both Indian and Non-Indian guests meat dishes that have never been tasted. The results seem delicious to my guests and they cannot believe they are eating meat cooked by a vegetarian that does not even taste it as it cooks. It took me 2 years I think to get to the comfort zone. Before that, Chuck would have to always be there. I cook a lot of middle-eastern foods, pastas, Moroccan dishes and even your basic French dishes. I never end up tasting any of them. For me by now, seasoning has become a part of what I begin the dish with. As I buy produce in the farmers market, my mind is already measuring and planning the spice blends and proportions for those items I buy. In fact it is a relationship I have between produce, spices, water, salt, fat and my own hands and utensils. We seem to indulge in one another. I know certain people would call me crazy to continue a tradition that seems antiquated, but I do it not out of any pressure but for it resonates with some part of me. And while perhaps a large group of Indians may not practice this anymore, there are still several homes where people like Panditji are still preserving that tradition. In fact curiously enough, a friend of the family that is a well respected doctor here in the States, was so fascinated by this aspect of Indian cooking, that he attributed certain medical genius to it. He wondered if for that reason alone, some of the tropical diseases that would be lingering in the air and in the germs in each of the people living in India seem to not have caused as much havoc as they could have. When I thought of that, I realized how Panditji or my mother never got sick and the germs around the house never got transported as easily. Food was treated with such respect and care that every effort was made to not add any foreign germs into it. Maybe that care was what made my immune system very weak. On the flip side, when I first came to the US, I kept having gastro-intestinal trouble. Any foods I ate outside, water that I would drink from the tap in NYC would get me sick. The doctors at first found success in having me eat at home and drink only bottled water. Today, I have increased my immunity by very slowly adding tap water to my diet. It was difficult at first but has helped me gain certain resistance. I also never ate from another's plate. I never shared foods with family or friends. We were served small portions at home. Encouraged to take second and third or more servings. But it was not considered appropriate to leave food. And if there was a time when there were left overs, they were fed to the birds. My mother never ate our left overs. In fact, she reminded my sister not to eat her sons left overs. She feels it is one way of getting germs but even a bigger way of getting extra calories that we do not count for. My mother had friends that ate the left overs of each of the kids and then ate their own food. The end result were people that were overweight and did not realize for years that this left over food had calories as well. Panditji of-course does not worry about calories, he only worries about germs being shared un-necessarily. In closing, in some Hindu homes like mine, the morning begins with the lady of the house (my paternal grand-mother in my parents home) worshipping at the shrine in the kitchen. My grandmother would wake up at 4:30 AM. After she had bathed and performed her ritual ablutions, she would go to the garden with her Phool Kee Tokri (flower basket) and collect jasmines, plumerias, roses, marigolds and gardenias. She would then enter barefoot into the kitchen ( barefoot so that no germs from outside are carried into the kitchen), sit over a small rug before the shelving that housed the temple. She would then grind a sandalwood paste. Use that paste and milk and some of the flowers she had picked to wash and scrub the deities. They were first undressed, then bathed and then dressed again. The incense would then get lit, she would chant and meditate in silence and by that time, Panditji would have prepared the breakfast for the family. This would be lying on her side. With ladles and spoons, she would take small portions on a plate of every dish prepared. Offer these with a song and a chant to the Gods and then finish the prayer with the Aarti ( a chant that one ends with) that was performed with a lit ghee lamp. All of us would have to hold our two hands together and try and get some of the holy smoke from the ghee lamp and then rub that over our heads. This was emblematic of us taking the energy she had created with the ritual and spread it around our own aura. And then we were all served some Prashaad (usually sweet stuff) and the platter with the food was served to the birds after a few teaspoons of each dish had been put back into the pans it was cooked in. This act ensured the blessings of the Gods to the entire dish and thereby carry blessings to all that partake in its eating. The tasting rule went so far as to not allowing us kids and our numerous friends that joined on our tables each day, from serving ourselves. My mother had no issue with any of this, but my grandma would not have eaten if ever hand had touched the serving spoons. My mother would serve everyone. This was another step to insure the sanctity of the food. Indians worry a lot about germs. While the word Namaste ( a greeting that loosely means I bow to thy soul) is spoken when people meet or part, one also holds ones hands together in the Hindu gesture of greeting or parting. The reason some believe one held ones own hands was to ensure that people did not exchange germs with one another. In some ways, it makes sense as in old days, and especially in times of large epidemics, this made great sense and must have saved many lives that could also have been lost to the tragedies that affected that land. Toby, like you I hardly ever eat food cooked by me. Even though I never taste, the act of cooking itself sates my hunger. I enjoy the meal I cook if at all, only the day after. When I host dinners, which is quiet often, I mostly end up eating desserts. But I could assign that to my sweet tooth that never has enough. And for baking, again I never taste, but I do follow every step judiciously. I am very precise with baking, but with no other cooking.

Mixed Raita A delicious yogurt sauce that can accompany most all Indian meals. It works well for the novice when first indulging spicy Indian curries. 2-1/2 cups Yogurt 1 tsp black peppercorns 1 tsp red pepper powder 1 tsp coriander seeds 1 tsp cumin seeds 2 fresh hot green chilies, finely minced 1 tsp mint, chopped 1 small cucumber, finely chopped 1 small red onion, finely chopped 1 small tomato, chopped salt (to taste) Dry roast cumin, coriander seeds and pepper till dark and aromatic. Pound and keep aside. Whisk yogurt with salt and add all the chopped items. Now add all the masalas and stir well. Garnish with cilantro leaves. Chill before serving.

Pineapple Raita Do not add the Pineapple too soon, this makes the yogurt get bitter. Wait till just before serving to add it to the raita. 1 cup finely chopped Pineapple 3 cups yogurt 2 tbsps Sugar 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black peppercorn 1/2 teaspoon red chili powder 1/4 teaspoon toasted cumin seed powder Salt to taste Hang the yogurt in several layers of cheese cloth or a layer of muslin for around 1/2 hour till the water drains off. Beat the hung yogurt in a bowl and set aside. Add sugar, and all other spices and mix well. Add the pineapple in the yogurt just before serving.