Suvir Saran

You will enjoy Dimple then. And if you have some more time .. and enjoy Middle Eastern foods; you may want to try Moustache at Bedford Street in West Village. A great place to enjoy a slow meal cooked with great love and served similarly. It gets very busy at night. The Mezze is excellent and the baby lamb ribs are some of the best in NYC. The Chicken Ouzi is also very good. If you like Pita bread... wait till you try freshly made Pita. Heaven on earth at every bite. They are made to order. Excellent. The baklava is very nice. Not too sweet. Made at the restaurant. The Basboussa (farina and honey cake) served with yogurt if you ask for, is excellent. Loomi ( a drink made from dry black limes) is a great refreshing drink. The freshly squeezed orange juice takes me back to Djama El Fna in Marrakesh. They have Ayran, a salty Lassi (yogurt based drink) that goes very well with this food.

I will have to try the recipe for the sorbet. It sounds very good.

Well if you are serious.. I am game. Have been known to cook in many homes. Some with almost no spices or ingredients. When you are ready.. let me know.. and we can plan.

I would be willing to... You know I charge for that. Fees and details are on my web site. Your people can call mine for arranging the nitty gritty.

Dimple over Artisinal? Wow!

When can I come taste some? Or can you Fed-EX some to me? You know it can be done. Sounds great Jason. Keep us posted on the next batch. And I will keep the rest posted after I taste this first one. PS: Did you see any green mangoes?

Dishes you would not find as easily across t he country and are good at Dimple: Pav Bhaji Kachauri Chaat Sev Puri Dahi Bataata Puri Ragda Pattis Khandvi Then there are those dishes they make well: Chana Bhaturas Onion Uthappam Try this as a dessert: Dimple Royal Falooda (It is like an ice-cream Sundae) PS: Expect very humble if not unkempt settings. This is not a place to go for style or chic... it is decent food, some dishes you would not find easily and a consistent place to get some good street food dishes.

Madras Woodlands... wow.. You are lucky. That is one of my favorite places. Our experience was not the best. The Coconut soup was somewhere between porridge without oats and a pudding with very little sugar. And a soup with no flavor. Yes it did have cardamom seeds floating around. I took 3 spoonfuls and could not get around to having more. They give a huge portion and so reasonable. The Bhel Puri was not authentic at all, but was tasty. In fact the best thing we ate last night. The Idlis were terrible at best. I myself cannot make good Idlis. Do not know why. When I make them, mine are like Gurus. Leathery and chewy instead of being spongy. The Medu Vadas were good. The Sambhaar had good flavor. Too watery though. Sambhaar is the lentil sauce that accompanies Dosas and Idlis and Vadas. It was nicely spiced. I was happy seeing mustard seeds floating in the sauce. A good sign that the chef has used spices other than in the Sambhaar Powder you buy at a store. I only wish they had not diluted the sauce so much. It would have had even more potential. The Masala Vadas (spicy vadas) were the thickest and least flavorful Masala Vadas I have had in a long time. One usually does not find them on menus easily. When I see them on a menu, I feel obliged to order them. I love them. Masala Vadas are bursting with flavor, heat, lentils, chilies, spices but these had nothing. Sad. I ate the Mysore Masala Dosa. It is like a regular dosa with a spice chutney rub on the inside of the crepe. The Dosa had been sitting in the kitchen as they made my friends. It came out lukewarm and soggy at places. The filling was nicer than I have eaten in many Indian restaurants. My friend ordered the Masala Dosa and his came out crisper and warmer. But again not hot. The coconut chutney was excellent. For a while we were the only table at the restaurant. And when it did get busy, we were one of 3 tables. But yet, the service was slow. There were plenty of servers or employees lingering around. But that seemed to not help. It took 20 minutes after ordering a Coke for it to come out. I had to ask three times before they actually brought it. The servers were all very polite. Very eager to help. But really very very slow. This place is exciting to have in the neighborhood. Gives 6th Street a vegetarian option, with Southern Indian food. I found out that there are two owners one from Southern India and the other from Bangladesh. There are two chefs as well. A Bangladeshi chef and a chef from Southern India. She was off last night so we had Dosas made by the Bengali chef.

Thanks Mao.

Michael, I am just back from Guru. Maybe I should sleep over the experience and write tomorrow. Maybe that would be more fair to the restaurant.

I ate Mirchi Kaa Saalan (chilies in a curry sauce) today. Do you know it? Make it? Is it made at a restaurant near you?

I love Springbank. Where did you find them? When I owned my restaurant I found it easy to get it. Our local store here does not carry it. They have ordered it for me in the past. I have very little left in my 21 year old. How is Vivin.. where is he? Have not seen him post lately. And I agree about diluting the fine stuff. But a very small ice cube.. to chill it.. makes it easier for me... But I know plenty that call it the worst thing to do.

Start the thread.... tell us about them... please Jinmyo.

Balance is very important. And Jinmyo, you are right about carbohydrates and sleep. In India we leave rice and starch rich meals for weekend afternoons for that very reason. We have had a thread in the India board about weekend foods. You will see there that rice is a very key ingredient there. For this very reason. Since it is possible to then get a mid day siesta. Not all carbohydrates give me a headache. Rice and flour based dishes certainly do that to me. And I see most Indians react the same way to them. But we seem to have developed a way of digesting our veggies and protein rich diet quiet easily. And then the spices in each dish are often balanced in a manner that some give flavor while others are added to help the body better digest the food one eats. A billion people seem to be using that system and not too poorly. They must be doing something not too badly. For even in poor sanitation, impoverished environs, they seem to be far less lethargic and tired than most here. They have very long days, the rich and poor. It shocks me every time I travel to India and other Asian countries about how little people sleep in general. People eat very late.. Stay up long after to chit chat and digest. And the next morning they are up with the sun and out and about soon after. But in the end, balance is very important. And each of us has a very unique way of dealing with food.

Jinmyo, I do not thing the dish gives much of protein at all. But that does not worry an Indian diner. We tend not to fuss too much over the construction of a meal. Our meals at home and outside often have more protein than starch. We eat a lot of lentil and beans and with rice and whole wheat breads. But I see a very different approach to diet than seen in the west. While India has its fair share of tropical diseases, it is a known fact that in a country of a teeming billion and growing populace, cancer and several other diseases that have become a stronghold here have largely been avoided there. And the statistics that are compared between the west and India are at the level of the middle and upper middle class. So as to ensure that the two populations being compared have medical care. By no way am I saying India does not have medical problems. In fact India has to begin dealing with a rampant and very serious HIV/AIDS epidemic. It is avoiding addressing it in a correct manner and that is a huge problem waiting to mushroom into something even more serious. And there are other issues that also seem to be way out of the norm... But we have largely been spared the onslaught of cancer in ways we have seen here. And as I speak with friends that are doctors and or cancer specialists, they often tell me about the Indian diet really making a great difference. The amount of vegetable in it, the protein from beans and lentils and the forced exercise for many through sheer economic poverty and hence walking much more than people here has given them a diet and exercise regiment that is much more healthy in its whole. My partner after coming back from this last trip to India, Singapore and Indonesia commented on how overweight and unhealthy Americans looked compared with the masses in the other countries we had been in. I asked what he meant, he said the average American (not the gym obsessed Chelsea boys or several other New Yorkers) is really out of shape and overeats. And he said it showed in their bodies. He then added that poor sense of dress only made it worse. He compared how even the poorest of poor wearing humble clothing in India and Singapore had very clean, crisp and neatly put together attire. Over here we seem to not care. My point is that while we obsess about how complete each of our meals is in all food groups, we overeat many times over and have forgotten that a balanced diet can be achieved in several ways. You can balance it around a day.. at every meal or in other ways. The important thing is to eat the right amount for your system and in good intervals of time and follow that with some exercise. Pav Bhaji is a most favorite street food from India. Anil gives it a perfect introduction. And those that eat lots of it look just fine and have just as healthy a disposition as any other anywhere else. Pay Bhaji can be deeply addictive and with good reason. The flavors are deep and mellowed with long cooking. The sweet butter that is used in the cooking tempers the spices just perfectly. The fresh lime juice tossed onions give a nice zing and of you want heat the green chilies are a nice bite. The cilantro greens give a fresh crunch to the meal. The pav just enough bread so as to make it both a carrier for the bhaji instead of a spoon and also that companion that makes the bhaji seem less spicy. And when Dimple makes a good Pav Bhaji it is excellent. I have had an issue there with consistency. I simply let Masooma, the captain of the women team behind the counter that I want the Pav Bhaji done like she would like it. Perfectly cooked.

Wingding, No apologies needed. You did not offend me. I realize I had not made myself clear. I have worked for a pittance at an 18 hour a day job. But it was out of my own choice. I was overworked, underpaid and abused to the hilt, but I was not scared of it for I wanted it and I was not harassed or blackmailed. Was I teased, ragged, tested? Yes. I realized that we were talking of very different situations. And thus was not offended... I wanted to simply know if you think such blackmailing, threatening and harassment is endemic all across the restaurant world. In my own restaurants we always had interns... working for free from schools and colleges... and they were overworked and the chef and his team took great pleasure in giving them more and more work. While the paid staff got at least some breaks... these young trainees were challenged to the very last second of their loooong shift. But they did not have to worry about someone threatening to expose them to the INS for they knew their paperwork was false, or to stop paying for their INS processing for work permit etc... Or to hold their payment unless they worked double shifts each day. Those are practices that I do not find ethical. Have a nice day at your job.

I am told among thieves there is great honor. Well when will restaurateurs learn to have some honor?

Exactly, it is unacceptable and inappropriate. In any country or profession.

Bux, I think I am not clear here. If an employee has been hired after a salary etc has been negotiated, is it correct for the employer to withhold payment??? I certainly understand working for free. I have done it and understand what it gives. And I feel it is better education than what one could find in a school in many cases. I am clearly talking of the abuse that takes place after a package is offered and then the deal is reneged upon. I am not talking about those cases where people are dying to work for free as they want to learn and work with a famous chef or in a kitchen of repute. That is a common practice. I am sorry if I did not make myself clear. Now what do you have to say? Do you still think it is appropriate for a restaurant to hire chefs after working out a payment and remuneration package and then withhold payment as planned at their own calling?? Is that not abuse? Is that not going against their mutual prior understanding? And after doing so, that same employer blackmails the employee by saying they would ruin their name if the employee were to make a big deal about this. End result, the employee works a month and a half without pay and then the employer convinces them to renegotiate the package. The employer in this case has the power to do so as the employee had left another job for this one. Cannot afford to not be sponsored by a job to live in the US and so feels they have no option than to endure this breach in trust. Do you think it was something ordinary and common that would happen in most kitchens?

The Bhaji is a mixed vegetable mush.. Literally like mashed potatoes with onions, tomatoes, green peas and whatever other vegetables one can find and mash. I wish I could tell you what the Pav Bhaji Masala has. I will check the package and see if they list the spices. I have had some home made Pav Bhaji which never comes close to the version prepared with a store bought spice mix. The Pav (bread) is simple hot dog bun type bread. The mash is served with bread and onions tossed with lime and freshly chopped cilantro leaves. Green chilies are optional. I can eat a lot of t his dish. And those that really love it authentic also add a lot, and I really mean a lot of butter to the dish. The more butter added to the dish while preparing it and as a garnish in the end, the better the dish tastes.

I can relate easily to your feeling. I feel the same way about Indian food. When will I have a restaurant that can provide me with consitently decent Indian food? But things seem to be changing... and hopefully soon we will have a great Indian and Malaysian restaurant in NYC. So each of us can be sated about those childhood hankerings and also about each of these other cuisines.

Wingding, Did you work somewhere in NYC where you were promised a salary and then did not get paid for a month and a half? I have worked at restaurants where people work for free. But that has been the understanding. It was not set out to be a paid salaried job that turned out the other way. That is abuse. The other is choice and certainly helps many begin in a field that would otherwise be new or difficult to break into. I have offered my services for free in a few jobs. But it was by my choice alone. And I took all abuse that came with being an underdog, but I was never threatened to be outed to the INS for I did not have papers, or told I was inferior since I did not know English. Joking around is one thing, peer pressure another, but abuse, black mail and threats that are almost forced on one are another story altogether. Or did you go through all of this Wingding? I am hardly of the opinion that Indian restaurants are alone in doing all of this. I am simply saying that if they want to be more professional, they ought to come to the 21st century in all aspects of this business. Would you not agree? Or do you think it is fine to have an environment where abuse is endemic for it comes with the trade?

I think the date should be a consensus. What do you all say?

Do you all know Chikki (nut brittle)? In northern India it is mostly made with peanuts. In western India it is made with mixed nuts, with peanuts alone, just almonds, or just cashews, or even all these nuts and some times sesame seeds are added. What is your favorite brittle? How is different from others? WHere do you find them?

Bux you are right. In fact in at least one of my posts above I do mention how such was the case for most all businesses as they evolved. But Bux, would many French or American restaurants in the city get by without paying an employee for a month and a half? Not many American citizens would stand for that. Or do you think they would? I remember when I worked at the Metropolitan Museum, one holiday season the paychecks for my employees were late in coming for some unforeseen reason. The Met was not going bankrupt or anything like that. It was simply an issue with their posting. The checks would usually come on Wednesday; payday was Friday if my memory serves me well. And for those employees that did not work Friday through Monday the checks were given Thursday. That week the checks came let Friday. At least one employee threatened a lawsuit against the Met if they were not given the checks before Saturday. Look how restless a citizen can be. The employee of an Indian restaurant that I talk about, the one who did not get paid for over a month and a half, did not consider that wrong till they spoke with another person like me who knew better. They thought it was fine for an owner to not give new employees money for that long a period. They thought it was time in which the owner was going through the formalities of processing their paper work. Come on.. I know better. I have owned/managed a restaurant. It never takes that long to process paperwork. When I owned/managed an American concept in which all staff were predominantly citizens and at least the management and ownership was mostly born and raised here, I noticed in the same restaurant space as before when it was Indian, what a change in style. The accountant, the managers, the chefs and the captains all had very different attitudes. While certainly the bad mouthing, the teasing and bullying happened in great amounts, there were no instances of using someone's immigration status, or unease in English etc to the management and owners advantage. The management/ownership knew better, the employees knew better and the employees that did not know better were trained daily by the others about what to expect in the minimum. I keep telling Indian restaurant owners to create a better mix of employees. Find servers, runners and bussers that have worked in restaurants other than Indian. I see them listen to me intently and then they never act on it. I sense there is a great comfort in knowing that they have people from one ethnic make up, all understanding some unspoken and unwritten order of a system that has abuse endemic to it. Tamarind has many employees that are non-Indian but I am not sure how much respect they get either. In fact at Tamarind I found the Indian employees to have been much more at ease than the few non-Indian employees. At Tamarind in their desire to mix the make up of t he staff, they brought in many untrained students or first time workers. And in some ways that is a great thing for a management in that they can get away with a lot in saying that this is how the business works. Take it or leave it. Veteran serving staff would not stand for much pressure. They know they are in great demand. They can go from one restaurant to another so easily, that a good restaurant does all it can to keep its winning staff members. Not so in Indian restaurants. They have not understood that very fact.