Suvir Saran

I recently was served a Thali (platter with assorted dishes) at Dakshin where they had put on it a very nice Chicken Chettinad (From Chettinad in Southern India), Lucknowi Khatee Daal (Sour yellow lentils from Lucknow, city in the state of UP in North Eastern India), Bagharey Baingan (baby eggplant stuffed with spices and cooked in a yogurt based sauce from Hyderabad in Southern India), Khatte Chane (Sour dry chick peas, like those served by street side vendors in New Delhi), Methi Chaman (Fenugreek green puree served with paneer like it would be in Kashmir) and there was also one other dish I forget. While certainly no complete assortment of what needed to be seen to give even a fair introduction to the varied cuisine of India, it was a nice try. And it made me very happy. I too would like to know of places in the US where one can get a tasting menu like Vivin speaks of. And like him, I find the inclusion of Idli and Dosa in a menu not what makes for a well-rounded menu. Dakshin

The evening was a HUGE success and the music superb. It was magical.

Shukriya (Thanks!) Simon. Your spelling of Dhanyawad was I guess in Bengali and does seem right. I used the Urdu word Shukriya to say the same to you. Keep us posted on your dinner.

You can grate some carrots. Take a very tiny amount of canola oil. In that fry some mustard seeds; curry leaves and some urad and chana daals. Fry till the seeds splatter, then add the carrots to the pan and fry for at the most 5 minutes. Remove from flame. Bring to room temperature and then chill and serve. I have also often served tandoori meats with a fresh garden salad. What I do is to add some crushed black peppercorn, a tiny amount of red chili powder, some toasted cumin and maybe a very tiny pinch of garam masala into t he olive oil-vinegar mix. With the greens I toss some sliced and chilled red onions that had been soaked in ice water with lemon juice. Often I add raspberries to this salad. It goes great with tandoori foods. Especially grilled chicken kababs and also fresh seekh kababs. If you can find fresh fennel you can slice it thin and add into the melange of leaves. They work very well. A fresh Kachumbar always works very well. Onions, tomatoes, cilantro with some fresh hot peppers. I slice t he onions very thin, soak them in ice water with some lemon juice. When they are nice and crisp, I drain and add them to the tomatoes and toss with finely chopped cilantro. Cayenne is all I add with lemon or limejuice to these. Avocado salad is also a great addition to Tandoori meals. I cut the avocado into half. Seed it. I take a knife and draw squares into the avocado flesh going to the base of the cover. Then with a spoon I lift these pieces and place into a bowl. In the bowl I toss pre-prepared chunks of red onion, tomato chunks, capsicum chunks (bell peppers), cilantro leaves and lemon juice. A little toasted cumin powder, some green chili chutney and salt are great additions. It is like a Chunky Guacamole. You can fill this back into the half shells and serve chilled. I have often also served this somewhat differently by cutting the avocado into thick wedges and then topping the wedges with a Kachumbar salad. That works very well too. A thick very chunky raita with lots of dried crushed mint, some fresh cilantro and thick chunks of tomatoes and lots of sliced onions is great. Mint is the trick here. Do not beat the yogurt too much. You want a very thick coating of yogurt around the onions and tomatoes. I use very little yogurt. Just enough to cover the salad. Add salt and freshly ground black peppercorn, a pinch of toasted cumin and some cayenne. It is amazing if you have it nicely chilled. The mint balances perfectly with the acid of the tomato and the bite of the red-onions.

Wow! John, in that post you bring out the very fact that makes for the magic Indians love about their food. Most often we consider the deft handling of spices in their frying and cooking the key to good food.

Mango chutney seems to be the only one I would serve in a bowl with a meal. The other condiments are not what I serve in my home. But I for one, am not a fan of mango chutneys as we know them in the west. I like the more fiery and spicy one over the sweet one. I would serve a green chili chutney, coconut chutney, maybe roasted peanuts tossed with finely chopped red onions, cilantro and lemon juice and red chili powder. But we tend not to serve these by themselves. Maybe some people do. I guess the others from India on the board can share their experience. But it is fine for you to serve those things that work for you. As I am sure across India, people have their own very unique tastes as well.

I love Sassy lassi... Anil I am sorry for having been late with this news. Hope you and the rest can forgive me.

Indian Ocean one of a handful of rock groups from India is playing at Nirvana tonight. They are playing to raise funds and awareness for the gross tragedy in Gujarat. Sir Ian Holm (Bilbo Baggins-Lord of The Ring and Napolean-Emperors New Clothes) as well as others will be present in support of the cause and to enjoy the restaurant fare. The group will perform from 5:30 PM until 7:30 PM. The restaurant does I believe takes reservations. If you are interested in hearing some Indian inspired music and also support in bringing relief to the families of victims and those displaced in that communal tragedy, please feel free to come. I am sorry to post this so late. If anyone wants to enjoy good views and music and some Bengali fare please feel free to visit Nirvana. If you want to help with the relief efforts, you can ask me privately and I can send you details about where to go offering funds or other help. For an article related to the tragedy, you can click below. Gujarat - Arundhati Roy The Nirvana Cocktail is a lovely Mango-Champagne cocktail that is perfect in the summer. The parathas stuffed with spinach and cheese are my favorite this time of the year with some Raita. They stuff them nicely at Nirvana. A thick layer of stuffing unlike at many Indian restaurants. The Beef kababs and tikka are nice and moist while being subtly flavored.

I have no clue how Madhur makes her tomato chutney. Mine is just my rendering of an age-old southern Indian classic from Andhra Pradesh, a state in Southern India. I take very ripe tomatoes and cut them into large chunks. In canola oil, I add whole red chilies, fenugreek seeds, mustard seeds, curry leaves (lots of them), asafoetida, and some cumin seeds. I fry the seeds till they splatter and then add the tomatoes and cook over a low flame till the oil separates from the tomato bulk. Chutneys like this take a lot of salt. Be mindful of that. This chutney goes very well with any and all foods. Madhur brought a Chablis t hat went very well the meal. She did not drink wine herself but it was enjoyed by others. Many enjoyed Scotch. Rum spiked fresh gingerale is excellent with Indian food. A cream and yogurt based Fruit Punch with some vodka has worked well at my parties. Champagne with Mango juice is a winner at most of these dinners. Wines depending on how they are selected are a great pairing. I have had several foodies and wine lovers and they have enjoyed both these elements at the parties both individually and in their union over the dinner. We should maybe begin a thread that is wine related. I am sure between Vivin, Steve Plotnicki, Cabrales, John, Simon, Anil and countless others, you would get great insight into Wines and their successful (or not) pairing with Indian food. I rely on my Wine-savvy friends for being my guides in that end.

Toby, Thanks! I use whatevr chile peppers are available. If I can find the very tiny hot Thai peppers, I love to use them. They have a great aroma and nice heat. Otherwise I use whatever I find. I add very little onion and some ginger and lemon juice and some sugar. Blend into a fine paste and add salt and sometimes, to add even more heat, a little red chili powder. Every so often, I also add some asafoetida to the blend. It gives a very deep and savory flavor to the chutney.

Very challenging thread in some ways. There are as many condiments in Indian homes as there are cooks. Lets see, last night, I had the very revered and wonderful Madhur Jaffrey and some friends for dinner. I wish share with you the menu. Maybe it will give you a sense of how I plan a meal. I hope it helps you. Starters: Grilled Mushrooms served with a tamarind date sauce Spinach and potato cakes served with a mint and yogurt sauce Main Course: Sarson Kaa Saag ( Mustard Greens cooked with onions, ginger, garlic, garam masala and chilies) Lage Lipte Aloo ( Potatoes with a very thick almost dry sauce of curry leaves, mustard seeds, tomato sauce and chilies) Bagharey Baingan ( Stuffed baby eggplants cooked in a thick yogurt sauce) Methi Murgh ( Chicken curry made with fenugreek leaves) Balti Gosht ( Lamb curry ) Achaari Kabab ( Chicken breats grilled in pickling spices), served with a coriander chutney Lamb Kababs ( Grilled lamb served with a quince chutney) Daal Makhanee ( Creamy whole black lentils ) Matar Pilaf ( Basmati rice with peas ) Desserts : Gulab Jamun ( Cheese and dough balls in a saffron flavored syrup ) Banan Pudding Rice Pudding Condiments: Haree Mirch Ka Achaar ( Green chili pickle ) Bharwaan Laal Mirchi Ka Achaar ( Stuffed habanero pickle ) Tamatar aur Pyaaz Ka Raita ( Tomato-Onion Raita ) I usually also serve my famous Tomato Chutney and maybe others that I have. Most meals have a mint chutney, a green mango and cilantro chutney when in season, a date or quince or fig chutney and several pickles. Mango pickle, eggplant pickle, lotus stem pickle, gongura pickle and others. Every now and then I also make a green chili chutney. It is fiery but delicious.

Shall I be shedding tears of happiness? Thanks all! I will now begin sharing what I know about the many threads here. I am sorry for my absence. Please be patient as I catch up.

Orik.. I have never had them with the spices you mention. Where do you find these? Do you make them? I bought a grape vine Saturday, so I can at least have fresh leaves to make grape leaves. I spent the night chatting with an Arab friend about his stuffed grape leaves experiences around the Middle East; he says they are mostly the same. The Syrian recipe is used mostly all over the Arab world and then there is the Turkish recipe. They are both very similar. He said only the Greek make them too greasy and different. The other states make them very similar, with mild regional differences. Some line the pan with just grape leaves at the bottom; some put a flattened piece of shoulder meat from lamb to act as lining between the stuffed leaves and the container. Others will use sliced potatoes to give that layer of protection. The Lebanese may or may not add raisins and pine nuts. The Syrians and Turks are known to add chickpeas when making vegetarian. Some use pomegranate syrup or tamarind to add the sourness instead of lemon juice. Syria is I am told the place where most of the Middle Eastern chefs come from, or find places to go train at.

Jaymes and Sandra, Can you cook together and have us over? SOunds like you would host a most spectacular party if you worked together. Where do you get your lime pickle from Sandra? Do you make it youself? What kind of Chicken curry do you make Jaymes?

To me it sounds authentic.... and as I said before.. I am happy adding nothing to it.. just nuts. There is a certain magic to good rabri. And yes buffalo milk has much more fat.

Does anyone else like Jhal Muri? The street food dish from Bengal?

And what is that dish Melancholic Thistle?

Wingding, what book is that recipe in? It sounds wonderful.

Anil, What was the point of point 1) above? I seem to not understand.. Sorry! Would you explain please?

Tell us more Anil... you have much to share.... please.

Would you mind elaborating on the custards you make in the cooking forum? Please.... They sound awfully wonderful even in the very little you share here. I love custards.

Adam.. When do we get invited to try some of these foods? I love the smell of terracotta. Most often you can smell it more when you are cooking. And later, as you eat, the smell is not as strong. But certainly it is laced in the flavors one savors in the dishes cooked in these vessels.

Adam, I feel food cooked in terracotta does change the flavor if the food is not overly spiced. But what kind of terracotta pots? Most and I say that after having been at Chelsea Market yesterday, and seeing the tagines they were selling, are all glazed to make them easier to transport, such glazed ones, do not impart any flavor at least to my taste buds. There are some tagines where the conical inside of the top part remains unglazed. If that is the case, you may end up with at least some aroma from the terracotta. In the old days, the terracotta was not glazed and they made more pots as the old ones broke. Adam, I have never used a flame diffuser, but that could be a good thing for the longer life of your tagine. In Morocco they sit their tagines on direct flame. And I have had mine now for over 2 years. Better being safe than sorry.

I am sure like with all Indian cooking; there were once dishes one uses for making different things. While some villagers are still using the appropriate dishes, most urban folks cook with what we are all familiar with in terms of pots and pans. There is certainly some flavor and largely aesthetic beauty that has been compromised. But it would be sad if we lost the very art of cooking for we did not have space or sources to find the ancient and appropriate cooking accoutrements. Certainly one can debate and I would be on the side saying that original pots and pans do make a difference, but I fear it is a very slight one. If you are getting a tagine, please get the one Anil sent you the link of. They are the original and classic. I have worked with the Le Creuset one. It does not impart the terracotta sensibility to the dish and does not look as exotic either. If you are worried about the space, open the link I gave above with the tagine recipe, you can see the tagine in proportion to my own simple kitchen stove. The magazine had sent the photographer to my home. It will give you an idea of what the scale is of the tagine. I bought a largish one for if I were going to make a tagine, I would rather serve 6-8 people or even 10.

Anil, that makes you a perfect person for us to learn from. You are God as was suggested in another thread. And the Hindu in me, can see the God in you easily...