Suvir Saran

I should have steered you to my site for the Loquat recipe. Sorry, in my travels frame of mind I did not even think of it. When I did a google check under loquat chutney, the recipe from me was the 3rd find. Loquat Salsa Also just in case you cannot find it here is the recipe: Loquat Salsa * 1 cup loquats, peeled, seeded and finely chopped * 1 cup green papaya, peeled and shredded * 1 teaspoon lemon juice * pinch or two of cayenne pepper * 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, minced very fine * 1 jalapeno pepper, stemmed and seeded * 1 teaspoon toasted cumin powder * 1 teaspoon sugar In a medium bowl, mix together the loquats, green papaya, lemon juice, cayenne, cilantro leaves and jalapeno. Season with toasted cumin powder and sugar. Serve as a dip, as a condiment to go with foie gras, or on a sandwich with cheese. The watermelon curry is not my favorite dish in the world, but it certainly is a means of cooking with fruits. And watermelons are in abundance in Rajasthan and being a dessert state, they are clever in using whatever they have. There are many types of chutneys made with fruits. In fact in Indian cooking, a clever chef will use seasonal fruits to make all kinds of preserves. That shows their creativity. Murrabas, chutneys, achaars are all prepared with whatever fruit is in abundance and available at any given time. Murrabas are like jams but with spices. Achaar is the Hindi word for pickles and chutneys are Indian salsa like condiments. Green Mango and mint chutney is easy to make. Make your usual recipe for mint or cilantro chutney and add the flesh of one green mango. Add some sugar if the chutney prepared is too sour for you. And last night we ate a lovely Pommelo Salad at one of the most revered Thai restaurants in Singapore. Thanying at the Amara Hotel. The pomello salad was lovely. I could feast with that alone most daily. But Green Papaya and Green Mango salads that I have eaten at Thanying are also great. Will write more after I return to NYC. Now I am ready to be back home... Missing my kitchen and the kitties. PS: Have eaten Durian fruit now. And have seen many dishes made with it. In fact at McDonalds in Singapore they are selling Durian Ice-cream.

The chilies used in India are much hotter t han the jalapenos we see most often used in the US. Actually we often use what some call Thai hot peppers. They are very small and have great heat. But we use many different varities of chilies. Some have more heat than others. SOme are used for flavor more than heat and others for color. As for the recipe being Bland... I do not know what to say. But many of the nut based sauces can often be more subtle than what most people associate with Indian cooking. IN fact, many Indian restaurants incorrectly have made these very subtle and almost bland sauces fiery for lack of knowing better. Madhur has lived overseas for most of her life, I am sure her recipes will work much better in the American kitchen. I will let her know. She is a passionate and wonderful cook.

Unripened and half ripened mangoes are used across most of north, central, western and southern India. I have not gone to Calcutta so have no clue how they use fruit there. When I was young and lived in Nagpur, green mangoes were used by my mother in many northern dishes and by the locals to make all kinds of dishes. Chutneys, drinks, vegetables and in curries. This recent trip to India Panditji made each day the traditional mint and green mango chuteny. We drank Panna and had chaats with green mango sliced in it. Of course achaars. And in our home they make fresh achaar weekly that lasts only a few days. And then there is the Launji t hat is like a sweet and sour chutney that I love. I could have that every day. In Kashmir and Himaachal the locals use fruits in many ways. Chutneys, curries and also paired with meats. See Julie Sahnis Classic Indian Cooking and you will find a recipe for Apricot Chicken. Fruits are used in many and amazing ways in Indian cooking. There are many recipes that have never been written in books and cooked at restaurant and other professional kitchens. I have an aunt that has a manuscript she has prepared but not shared ever, that is full of recipes from regions of India that use fruit. The onus is on me to come to India and work with her for a few months to get those formed into a book. I will do that in the next few years, I hope. Anil, keep sharing with us ways in which you have seen fruits used. I look forward to finding out what you have tasted. YOu always have great stuff to share. I had a great Baklava in Sinagpore last night that had a filling of dried figs and dates in addition to pistachios. They were the best beggars purses I have ever had. And also tasted a great Lavender Parfait. I was in heaven.

The Loquat Chutney recipe was featured in LA Times. Check their web site.

Ajay, You are such a smooth talker. The recipes are in my head and in my cook books to come. My students learn them in my classes and most cannot be found in restaurants at least in NYC. I actually had one of the above mentioned dishes in Delhi just 10 days ago. I am being secretive since I have worked hard to collect these recipes and would hate to see them written before my cook book comes out. Maybe I can do a dinner in NYC and have you come taste some of them. India is very diverse. This last trip to India that ended just a few days ago, showed me how little I know of India. There is never enough discovered in that land. It is a land of many secrets and hidden tales. I will speak about some of them when I am back. And keep up with your own postings. This site does very well with people like you and the rest that post here. We are lucky to have you all. And especially the India board. Thanks for your flattery. Now I am headed to a tasting at one of Singapores special restaurants.

1) Jardaaloo murgh - Apricot chicken 2) Aloo bukhaare kaa ghost - lamb in plum sauce 3) Panna - mango sweet, sour and spicy drink 4) Lucknowi Khatee Daal - Sour lentils from Lucknow - with whole lemons 5) Tarbooz kee Sabzi - Watermelon Curry 6) Kele ke Parsinde - Green Banana Curry 7) Mango Chutney of course 8) Sweet and Sour very mild Loquat Chutney 9) Aam kee Launji - Sweet and Sour Green Mango Condiment I am in Singapore now. Will write in more detail later.. these come to my mind very quickly. There are many recipes found at least in Northern Indian hilly areas in which fruits are used. Hope the above list will be of some help to you.

I just got back to Mumbai from Goa... you can cook a great vegetable vindaloo a vegetarian version of the classic pork one. Or even a vegetable curry like the Goan prawn curry. Saraswat Brahmans in Goa eat fish and meat. Or you can cook dam aloos from Kashmir, or methi chaman ( fenugreek greens with Paneer) or even a vegetable kurma or simply a paneer kurma. I will not have access to the computer again for some time. Hope you are able to come up with a great dish or two. Have fun at the wedding. Keep well. I shall be back in NYC after the 19th of this month. Will be more active on the site thereafter.

Anil... come on.. try... try giving us a translation.. or were you saying something naughty?

I think Pecan Pies work very well.. the gooeyness of a good one, the nuts and the molasses in some versions of the pie from the mid-west lend themselves very well with Indian foods. I second that. And of course, sorbets are great. Almost astringent if made with the right fruits. What else??

Care to share with us what Mishti Doi and Rabri are? And what Paan is? So we all know what they are.. and also what makes them good in your book. Hope you are well in UK.. and having a good Friday.

You sure do not like sweet I see.. another bite of paratha or naan... not for me Jinmyo.. but to each their own... I do love sweets.. and live for them... if all things considered.. I had to choose one food group.. I would choose desserts.

Believe me.. I am very sad.. I was a champion of Tamarind... today was sad... I will now have to go back.. just to see how it fares this next time. And the sad part is... they know me.. and respect me.. .or so I think... how could such poor food have been sent to my tabel then? Has to be really something very sad. Maybe the management and staff are still in mourning over the unfortunate loss of Rajis life. I can understand that.

A friend and I ate lunch at Tamarind today. It is the Indian restaurant that had made quite a flutter when it opened last fall. In the last couple of months, they have lost their great Tandoori master chef, Hemant Mathur to California. Raji the consulting chef-genius passed away (unfortunate and sad loss) and their young and talented pastry chef Surbhi Sahni quit. I went to Tamarind reluctantly, but once I got close to the entrance, I was smitten by the same charm that struck me on my first time there. Unfortunately, the service, cleanliness and food were far from half way decent. Also, we were the third table to be seated at lunch. Though the restaurant certainly filled up by the time we left, I realized, that Tamarind was not the same as I had remembered. And it should be given its name. We were sitting atop crumbs that seemed to have collected under the table over a few days. It was a horrible thing to know. But the large collection of crumbs made it impossible for my eyes to ignore them. The food came slowly, cold and poor in taste. The service though eager to help, was far from intuitive. I was embarrassed that at one time, I had considered calling Tamarind like many others, one of the best restaurants in NYC. It certainly could not have been like the one today... Any one had other reactions... Maybe I should be going back for a dinner... perhaps it is still great. But when I went for lunch in the past, it too was great.

Are there any desserts that go well with Indian food that are better than others? Anything non Indian maybe? What are the favorites here? Or are Kulfis, Kheer, Gulab Jamuns etc.. the only answer?

Yes Nirvana on Central Park South

Yes... but even homes in UP.. where I am from serve these.. the Punjabis and Sindhis make them in a thick sauce... the Jammu families make them ina very runny sauce... similar but distinct from our UP runny sauce preparation of Kaale Chane. Nirvana in NYC serves them. And it is one of the better things on that menu.

Is that something we shoudl congratulate about? Or do you want us to nag you to cook more at home, Anil? But yes, I love the chatpata stuff at Dimples. And that is all. And as you mentioned, the Bhaturas are good. Chanas are good at times.. bad at others... Mooli Paratha.. ... nice.. have to try that next time.

Anil, I think it makes sense to believe that there could be a greater density of Anglo INdians left over from the Raj time in Calcutta as the tea gardens around there in the neighboring states were not affected much by the transition. And actually, many of the managers and owners had homes in Calcutta.. I will not debate the distribution of Anglo Indian across India. My own maternal grandmother has French blood. And she was from what is now Pakistan.

Anil, I remembered reading M J Akbars biography on Nehru. In that he had mentioned it. And I have a friend in NYC, she is anglo Indian. She claims the same to be true.

Jinmyo, Do you cook other Indian or Indian inspired dishes? What are they?

Yes in India often tamarind is used over yogurt for souring. Especially to those living in a budget. Dairy is expensive. And those that deal in it, are more apt at selling it than even using it for their onw pleasure. I remember most of my own cousins would be surprised at the copious sums of tomatoes used in our kitchen all year long. Tomatoes are very expensive in India. My grandma never saved money when it came to food. It was holy and nothing was done to make it be anything else.

Jinmyo your version sounds very nice.... where did you learn this version? Have you lived in India at all?

Buffet at Dimple... now, now... I will be quiet. I do go to Dimple.. Not as often as I would like to.. but every now and then, when friends and I are craving spicy street food, I will opt to not cook at home and instead treat everyone to Dimples version of chaats ( various street foods ). I end up treating, as I feel guilty that I did not prepare the dishes at home. As most friends expect from me and really crave for. But at Dimples, I am able to enjoy without feeling too tired to eat. Their street food dishes are better than other things they offer. But Indian street food needs a daring soul. Not all dishes are hot, but you have to be able to enjoy many layers of flavor and texture. Now as I write this, I am salivating for it.. Literally.. And I shall go make some Bhel Puri. Next time you are at Dimple.. go try some of their Street foods... and ask for Masoooma. Tell her that crazy Indian man for whom she makes the special green chili pickle says hello. Masooma is one of the three Indian women making these dishes behind the counter. She is the oldest in that group.. and enjoys feeding me as much as I enjoy being fed by a loving person. She makes a quick pickle with hot chilies they do not use for all guests. She picks some of these and then sends them into the kitchen to be stir fried. And I eat them as a side with the many dishes we eat.. We order more than we should ever eat.. Eat it all and come home stuffed, rolling and complaining.

We get around I see... weekends with aristocrats... Charmed life. I love Khicharee and it is made quite often in my kitchen.. and in our home, we eat it with great reverence for the restorative property, and many an Indian friend of mine rave about the Khicharee I make.. I make it with spices and vegetables and little ghee. For some reason, Mulligatawny and I do not get along. But then again, I have not tasted Sweetings version. I am ready for it. Tell us more about Anglo Indian food.

and where are those reservations made? What do you eat in those places?