Suvir Saran

Thanks for sharing that detail. I had never heard of Banglu.

Sad but true. Anil, you have a long life as we say in India. Just a few minutes before your post, I had wondered where you had been.

They have changed some stuff since then.. but I think you did get the best end of the meal...

Well-said Steven. We are all fundamentally same. And recipes are a great tool in describing the basic steps. And I am with you on that one. And have been from the start. What I have failed to share with you after much writing has been the essence of India. While the villager has little money and resources in India, their food is dependent on what is available locally and seasonally. Very little if any garnishes are used and even less fat. They have little options and big families to support. So, like any poor country, the countryside will not give you any sense of cuisine. In fact, it is not uncommon to find a villager in the north making a lunch out of a chapati ( a flat bread with no fuss ) and a freshly pulled onion, a green chili and lime if and when available. That can often be a meal. Would you like a recipe or a technique for that? No, I am safe to assume. In the south, the same poor farmers counterpart could be found eating rice with chutney made with green or red chilies and some ground Kari leaves and whatever is locally available. Again no frills and no complex cooking techniques. But, when you take the conversation about technique and comparing next door neighbors even in a small Indian city, and even a lower middle class family, you open yourself into a very distinct and stylized difference in cooking from door to door even in an apartment building. In my building in NYC, if I were to survey all the residents, we would find many things in common in our food preparation or even grocery lists and tastes. In the same set up in India, take for example my parents building in Mumbai, the neighbors come from as diverse places as Assam, Madras, Delhi, Bhubhaneshvar, Tonk and Jammu. So in one floor you have 6 families with very diverse cultural and linguistic differences. They each have the stamp of an Indian citizenship, but little more than that in common. Maybe I can assume that they are all Hindu. But the ones from Assam and Bhubaneshwar will eat fish; the ones from Madras could be vegetarian and not eat any meat or fish.. or could be otherwise and love meat and fish, the one from Tonk could be a Jain and be a strict vegetarian that does not even eat any root vegetables. The one from Delhi could have a very varied background, but it happens to be my family, so it is safe to assume they have a more northern flair to their diet and the one from Jammu has a cuisine that shares roots from the Punjabi and Kashmiri style of cooking. It is safe to assume that many dishes have common roots, but across those 6 different linguistic and social divide, there are so many variable nuances, that the minute differences that have been added over many centuries, the recipes that maybe generations ago may have been common and just mere variations are today distinct from one another. So, it is not correct to assume that a few variations being documented will give you any insight into Indian cooking is a genre. It is a vast cuisine. And unlike French cooking to which you compare it today, you will find even more differences in the largest Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and its cuisine than in all of France. That largest state of India has people from all the many religions. Speaking many different languages and representing all the many castes and sub-castes of each religion and from all parts of society. So, in that one state, you will see every variation possible to the cuisine of one state. And t o that you add the changes that are brought to dishes from religious tradition. While we can certainly document a recipe and use it only as a very basic list of ingredients, that can be possible. But to assume the documentation will show you something very true to what was a masterpiece centuries ago, I am afraid, you will have to show me by doing yourself or through someone you know. I have not known anyone that has been able to decipher those masterpieces that have been lost in our great oral tradition. Whose loss is not mourned but celebrated by the natives of India for the very reason that it created a change and a renewal. While I would not waste my time writing recipes and documenting a culinary tradition, I also do not claim to be working on creating a literary ultimate in the expose of all of Indian cooking. I can only decipher that which I grew up with and have worked with. I have spent more hours in my friends and classmates home kitchens than their own mothers. And yet, that time spent only gave me a glimpse in what happened in those kitchens in those days that I was observing the cooks. The food would change each time I ate a meal in those homes. While yes the recipe for a Masoor daal would change only slightly from day one to day 4 in that house, it was totally different from Masoor daal cooked by our chef. And even more different from how my maternal grandmother made it in San Francisco. So, again this brings to me share with you the belief in Indian cooking of letting go of ego and control and cooking in any moment. It is similar to what they preach in the many religions that thrive there. Letting go of the human need to dominate, control, stipulate and command life. We tend to try and be spectators watching our own lives parade in a path we control as little as we can. Like every other human life in this earth, we often do the same, want to find a semblance of control, and we like all lives, find defeat and victories as we move towards that goal. But Indians for the most part, have a very deep rooted sense of Karma and Dharma and Taqdeer and so in the end, even the moslem population of India can often fall into that thinking which leaves everything for the divine power to change and affect. This has made our food, out music and dance very free flowing. The one tradition of dance that is similar in some ways to ballet dancing in the west is called Nautanki. It is very precise, rigorous and structured. For any change in plan could risk the life of the dancer. Nautanki is not considered a high art form, for the main reason that it has little if any room for change. Though, this is not the best example to illustrate my point, it is but one of many one could find. Another is the reverence accorded to the poetry of Rabindra Nath Tagore. But the music he composed and set in stone has been not as greatly appreciated. It was music that the masters of Indian classical music feel has no soul. It is predictable. It fails in its limitations and its very finite rendering. Classical music thrives in opening the realm of improvement at every step. Thereby challenging the singer at every note they sing and catch with their voice. That to the Indian mind is the calling and life of a master. Not the singing and learning of Tagore Music. While his words inspired generations, his songs have fallen into mediocrity. I will certainly be facing great wrath from Simon for having used the word mediocre for the great Rabindra Nath Thakur, but I say it to illustrate this point. From the same part of India, another poet never became as famous as Tagore but his music is loved and enjoyed by all practitioners of Indian classical music that have been lucky to get exposed to this mans genius. His words were powerful and evocative of a very secular Bengali culture. His music is respected by people far removed from Bengali culture for being classical in its roots and what that brought to his music was a formal structure that set the rules and opened them to be altered, changed played and improvised with. That gives a man long dead, life with every rendering of his songs today. When masters of Indian singing perform his music, they do so with glee and with freedom to create, romance and free a spirit that was structured and meant to be indulged in. So, in Indian homes in cities, read only cities.. Small and big, one finds diversity and difference like you and I cannot imagine as we argue this here. We could not even get a good glimpse after a 6-month stay in India. In 3 years in Nagpur, I barely got a very basic understanding of Maharashtrian food and culture. While I came away with some knowledge of that food, today, I use that knowledge to make my own cuisine. That is not ever going to be authentic, but is a good use of my understanding of their way with foods. So, while you and I each respect what little and what big help a recipe can be, we cannot meet in our understanding of where to find them. While you are looking for master recipes with variations, I seem to consider each variation a master recipe that will be varied the very next day by the same chef. That is the reality of cooking in India outside of a restaurant. I know my mother and some aunts try to keep consistency going in their recipes, but then, there are always those elders that will come and make fun of a person stifling their creativity by being too consistent. So, what you want to see happen, is not considered very attractive to many Indians. And in fact, call me a cussed one.. I too, have become a freedom monger. In my classes I will share the basics that I know, and then I teach my students to do exactly what each family is doing differently from their neighbors, creating a new dish from the recipe they have on hand. A dish created by the person's mood for doing something new. It works wonders. I have had some students cook stuff t hat was terrible, but most come back on the 6th class with me and make a dish that is at once original but still authentic in its Indian roots. And these are mostly non-Indian students.

jinmyo, would you want to publish that book you see in Steven and my thoughts? We are ready to get the advance. I am speaking for Steven without knowing how he feels.. but certainly, I am ready... show me the money.. Kididng.. Thanks for your encouraging words in this lengthy dialogue.

Simon... you have shown your majesty with words yet again. Very well said. I would never think that recipes are not relevant or necessary, I only point to a very strong need in understanding how limited they are when dealing with a vast knowledge that recipes or even an oral tradtion alone cannot teach or document. One needs to absorb, assimilate, stew with and live these recipes day in and day out. And after that, you still have only the very limited repertoire of a very small minuscule part of the Indian realm. One of our biggest victories and our losses is the very loose identity we Indians have about being Indian. We tend to love being Gujarati, Bengali, Panjabi, Maharashtrian, Goan, Tamil etc.. before being anything else. And then within those large groups we are still brahmans, baniyas, khatris etc.. and each of these changes our culture and lives dramatically. It is very foreign to other Asians and so easily beyond any comprehension to a western way of thinking. One is certainly not better than the other. It just is what it is.

We chose Nirvaana since it was the restaurant fabled to be the place where Ravi Shankar and George Harrison and the owner of t he restaurant Shamsher Wadud came up with the idea of the Bangladesh Concert in the early 70s. George Harrison had passed away a few weeks before our party and the plight of our moslem friends encouraged us to choose a setting that was all New York and yet very full of hope and a secular vision. Nirvaana has the most beautiful views of Central Park and of upper Manhattan. We requested my singing teacher to come sing a few songs. She sang some Indian Classical pieces and also a couple or actually three Bengali Songs that night as well. The servers at the restaurant and the management were in tears. Nostalgia and also a sense of feeling honored in a place they least expected. At one point as I was singing alongside my teacher, my eyes opened and I saw the entire staff of the restaurant standing in attention and with a big smile on their faces. It seemed like for that moment the restaurant belonged in the bar alone. I then realized we had been singing Aamar Shonar Bangla, the national anthem of Bangladesh and one of the many beautiful songs written and composed by Rabindra Nath Tagore. For all of this... people had the mango and champagne cocktail and certainly a few chose beers and wines. Come to think of it.. the mango juice was a good choice.. since the song, the national anthem of Bangladesh also makes a reference to the mango orchards that so intoxicate the senses of those living in that golden land, Bengal. It was only now, this moment that I made this connection.

I love champagne with mango juice... it is a great cocktail to have with Indian food. At our holiday party this last year, my parnter and I did it in a local restaurant to support the economy. A fist for us, since most of our 100 or so guests look forward to crowding our humble apartment like one would a train in India. The restaurant was one of the oldest Indian restaurants in the city, Nirvaana. Our cocktail of choice that evening was Champagne with a splash of mango juice. It was consumed like there was no tomorrow. Worked very well with all foods we served that night. Which was a lot of food. I also love lychee juice with vodka. Gin with giner infused lemonade.

As I said before.. it seems logical to me what Simon says.. and yes.. it is a fine drink. And Simon.. are you not following the other links here?

IT - India Tonic I may be totally wrong here, but after what Simon shared with us about Malaria. It could make sense. I hardly know enough about this to be making a statement with any feet, but the logic seems to be fathomable. Tonic even today is had by many for that same reason. Could it have been that they (the Brits) came up with this IT after having been in INdia? Anyone?

Am I missing something here ? I remember lazy afternoons in the summer.. as my elders golfed, and I had tried a few swings (is that what you call that action?), I would come to the dining room for cocktails and idle chatter with cousins and friends. Gin was one of many other drinks. IN fact, in those days Gin was mixed with Limca and some Lime Juice Cordial and lots of ice. I am not much of an alcohol imbuer, but that concoction still remains a winner in my book. I had never heard of IT and know very little about drinks anyways... sorry.

But at the core of this debate, lies the fact that we are dealing with a culture that is not interested in pontificating and preaching that which is in human control. Rather, this is a culture that thrives in the logic that what we have today can be gone tomorrow. Enjoy today for tomorrow is not ours for certain. Make the most of this moment. And in this lies the freedom with which one can express oneself, create, change and alter, as one feels free. While the illiterate many of India can be very logical and resilient, the rich can be the same and also totally in control of their finances and businesses while being also controlled by the myriad unknown factors that affect many of their decisions. Steven, all of this is very easy to correct on paper and yet not as easy to work with in reality. I like you, would love to see it all on paper, perfect, coded and shared for posterity as gospel truth on Indian cooking. But the Indian in me, cannot even think of doing that as a blanket effort in regards to Indian cooking. While I am doing that with my own limited cooking repertoire, I cannot fathom beginning that with Indian cooking in general. I seem to know my culture, my own people and what makes them tick. It would be a shame to make stagnant a culture where one can thrive in a moment being lost in history. A culture where even today, you can enjoy every luxury afforded us by industrialization and yet be walking on a soil as old as time. The romance of India, if there can be any left after seeing the teeming millions that live below the poverty line, is the romance of being in a place and time where nothing else can dominate. What encompasses you completely and totally is that moment, the surroundings and the many layers with which the people, the culture, the climate and the food affects you. Even as you see the teeming millions starve even as your own western currencies can buy you luxuries these people will never know, you see in their eyes joy and happiness and hope we can never have. In their misery they find some semblance of happiness. They find some little nothing to cherish. They find in poor limited means a way to celebrate life and food. You love them for being such great humans. For it is easy to be angry and hateful when desperate and destitute, but for the most part, these are people that are far from angry and hateful. But also, in that beauty of being comfortable, one wonders, that perhaps it would be better for their own good, if they revolted and were up in arms protesting their sad lot in life as compared to their own fellow citizens of India and of the world. A train journey through India, taken while traveling in the second class unreserved car could give you a glimpse into the India you so want to see coded for clarity, but can never fit into a mold. Scores of people fill a car where 6 people should have been sitting. People with little if any money; share with one another food that has been packed by loved ones. Simple home made flat breads and most often dry potato dishes ( Indian home fries ) are the most common fare. And as people take out these humble eats, one sees how each persons dish is similar in form, but distinctly different in taste. Everyone shares with the other. And for the sole purpose of discovering how each persons family cooks the same classic differently. No one tries to condemn one recipe over the other. Or feel any one recipe has more closeness to the master recipe in comparison to another. People simply live that hour of feeding their appetite and breaking bread together for what it was meant to be. A social setting that can break the ice between strangers and endear those that could easily have been stereotypical adversaries. It is a profound journey for the many reasons that come up when you are there. One sees in a confined setting, every possible nuance of life and history and culture that one could want to see. And one sees the very best and the very lowest that life can show one. Poverty and richness living side by side. The ancient and the very modern thriving in the same little car. And Steven.. I only share a very biased and humble opinion of Indian food and culture. Every Indian will have their own take on this and most any other topic. So, you will have to find the answer for yourself as you travel there and spend time living in that land of many contradictions. A social and food historian of sorts in the US said of India and his first trip to India, as having changed him for life. Just as he had been warned. I talk of what Michael Batterberry, the founding editor of Food Arts Magazine said to me. Many others have said that same thing to me. Again and again.

Steven, Indian classical music and Indian cooking can be codified for sure. And you will have success with it as well. Will you be coding a master recipe that is a master recipe to all people in India? Nope.. You cannot even begin to make that happen. Differences between India and Italy are many.. And similarly between India and many other countries and cultures. Did you know that India a predominantly Hindu country also houses the world's second largest population of Moslems? Did you know India also has the world's largest chunk of a very small living population of Parsees? India also houses Jains, Sikhs, Buddhists ( some pure vegetarian and others eating some meats ) and many other religions. Christianity came with the British and the other colonists from the west, and has also taken a very Indian form. Then, like in the west, each of these religions has many of its own denominations and in a language where unlike in Italy, you also are talking of at least 16 very different languages; each of these religions and culture has been further changed by the very basic differences that occur from area to area. Just this afternoon, my Bangladeshi bad driver had tears in his eyes, after I sang Aamar Shonaar Bangla whilst sitting at the back. It is the national anthem of Bangladesh. Written by Nobel Laureate Rabindra Nath Tagore who is celebrated both in India and Bangladesh. And respect dearly and fanatically by both his Hindu and Moslem fans. While Tagore was Hindu, his poetry did not have borders. It affected all that read it. So, this taxi driver today, could not believe looking at my features that I was Bengali for one, and then, he could tell by my unease in communicating in Bangla that I did not speak the language. When asked why he cried, he said he was shocked that I sang without an accent and sang it like Rabi Daada ( an honorific for the grand old poet ) would have envisioned the song to be sung. He said he cried for he knew wherever Rabi Daada was, he too was crying in happiness for his poetry was alive in the US with my rendering of this classic. So, I was deeply moved. He seemed very quiet. I asked why. And he looked back and said something to the extent of that; the British have raped us. They have created a deep wound in a part of t he world, where there was so much difference already, that this religious divide they created, has confused people just so much more that now, they are losing it completely. When I egged him on for more, he came out with the logic that within India are cultures that are as diverse as the US is in comparison to China. And yet, he said, we lived closely and peacefully till the British hacked into our spine and carved us as ruthlessly as they carved on those spiced legs of lamb that they fell in love with in India. He said our languages divide us; our food is foreign as we move from one part to the other, our features change and our religions change. What kept us together was a common sense of hope and love for that which was different and new, but now, politicians from within and outside are using our differences to divide us and use that division for their advantage. That said, you would perhaps understand where Italy and India couldn't be compared. And yet, many of the things you say make sense. Italy cannot boast 16 languages, hundreds of dialects and millions of people practicing unique and different religions. What these diverse facts of life have left India with is the bare mix of things very different and unique t hat have been forced to come under a union where pluralism in very important and yet, since any union comes with at least some cross pollination, we see some places where things have been married. While it could be easy to go back to the 10th century and hope to recover the master recipe that was used by the then relatively pure Hindus in their cooking, but where does one even begin to find a trace? While one can read some history books and see from a British perspective for the most part, a very narrow and biased view of the Indian culture, one has not much more to fall back upon. 10 centuries of fusion cannot be traced back in time accurately and without our own biases corrupting any realm of accuracy. All we can do with our scientific tools is to make a very humble and very primary scratch on that thick surface that is impenetrable for the most part. And has been thickening with every generation of people that have lived in India since the 10th century. Yes Tandoori foods are common to the north, but even in that limited repertoire, we now have in India many variations and each being very grounded in its history. And for centuries so as to not make it fit for dismissal as being a master recipe. And so, for a plain Chicken Tandoori, you will find recipes that are slightly different, to very different and some radically different from one another. People are allowed to add, subtract and alter a recipe of a classic to leave their own very unique signature. And no one will complain. The recipe will simply be called a Chicken Tikka cooked by Steven and how wonderful it was. And so on and so forth. People will love the change... miss how their grandma did it, love what you did with it.. And feel no need to belittle your efforts and will accept them as your own way of making something they find familiar. Sometimes just in name. Take Kadhi ( made in northern India with yogurt and chickpea flour ) it changes from home to home in northern India. It is sweet and very different in form in Gujarat. In the south Mor Koirambha is a version similar to it and certainly one could assume as having similar roots centuries ago, but little common flavor profile today. So, while each Punjabi family may think they have the perfect recipe for a Kadhi, the Gujeratis think theirs is better and the South Indians in love with their own. And yet, they each love tasting the others and learn to make it from the other. But not to change it, call it a master recipe or a recipe that is different. Indian classical music like Indian cooking begins with the structure of set notes allowed in any given raga. And once the notes are understood, the singer or instrumentalist have the freedom to create that which gives them peace, provokes their soul and fulfills their need to be one with their art. But at no time are they supposed to duplicate that which they have done before. Follow the lead of a master or feel stifled by the limit set by the notes stipulated in the Raga. Many singers, after years of having shown their brilliance in music, that are then honored as grand master, have been allowed to borrow notes from another raga, alter a note just so slightly and also meld a tune in ways that would seem incorrect to those that study a raga purely as a science but seem diamonds being encrusted in a piece of jewelry to fill those places where luster was necessary. In that change in the very structure of the original raga, the grand master has shown how little changes that come from his or her rendering of a raga; they leave an indelible mark on it for posterity. Their proven brilliance in performing that raga in its chaste form over several years gives them the ultimate freedom to even change that which most others cannot every think of doing. This translates into food. While we may think Saag Paneer (spinach with Indian cheese) as we eat in Indian restaurants may be of a standard that is close to what the master recipe could be. We are wrong in assuming so. The recipe would change from home to home. Restaurant to restaurant. Chef to chef. Only thing common will be the use of spinach and Indian cheese. Each home I went to as a child had its own version of this classic dish. And each version had its own very unique attributes. It was not alone in the spices used but also in how the cheese and spinach were handles. Some pureed the spinach, some chopped it finely some coarsely and some left the spinach leaves whole. Others kept the cheese plain; some flavored the cheese with herbs and spices. Some added fenugreek greens to the spinach. And those that used fenugreek chose at the mood of t he moment to use it fresh or dried. So, the idea of finding a master recipe is a great one.. But Steven, it is not something most people in India that I have met with in the food industry or even at homes care to do. It does not come for fear of technology, since India provides just the US with a rather HUGE percentage of technology people. Larger than our minds can imagine. For an ethnic group that forms one of the smallest chunks of the US population, the engineers, the doctors, the computer scientists and venture capitalists that have Indian ethnicity is frightening. When one looks that these percentages for each of these professions, once realized how such a small group of people have such a high presence in these industries. So, by no means is it daunting to an Indian to be scientific about all of this. It would be easy. I know my own brother did that with food. Even as a young boy, he wanted to stipulate what everything was and what it did. And this young boy that then studied electronic and electrical engineering came home after school as someone far in awe of the magic that can happen in kitchens where we do not just want order.. But from chaos, chefs create exciting new renderings of classics every time they cook. Sambhaar that most wonderful southern Indian daals has as many variations as there are southern households and southern Indian restaurants. In Bombay it is made sweet and to my taste very poorly, but is loved by those that have grown up in that region. In New Delhi it is cooked to the exacting standards set by the owners that live in the north but are pious southerners. In the neighboring states of Delhi where Sambhaar is made by locals who ate it in Delhi and fell in love with it, it has become a totally different animal. There are many similarities. But a pronounced difference in taste. But to tell any of these people that their recipe is wrong opens up the whole issue of whose is the correct one? Since even within southern India there are so many variations of this one classic. It can be cooked with some sugar in some homes even in the south. Some would make the sambhaar powder fresh every time and also do a tarka with it at the end of the dish as done to most Daal recipes in the north. Some add garlic to the recipe. Some would find that offensive. Some add coconut to the recipe, other south Indians would be aghast that the thought of that. SO there is another example of where and how can one find that master recipe. I can only give master recipes from my kitchen. And they can be called Suvir Saran's Indian Home Cooking. It will be Indian in that I have made it. With my understanding of what Indian food is and can be. And will showcase my biases from my own upbringing and my travels and my forays into the culinary world. Not many in India speak all of its languages. And certainly not today. So, even translating that work becomes very difficult. In translation much is lost. But a good translator can make up

Vij's sounds wonderful. Not all dishes seem very classic but still deeply grounded with their Indian link to spices. Steven, Ginger-Lemonade is a top seller in parties I cater in NYC. People find it addictive. It is a common drink had in Indian homes in at least the northern part. And in the evenings one often spikes it with gin or even rum. People love it with or without alcohol. And free knick knacks to savor as you wait at the bar.. great thing to do. I have always felt it was the best thing to do. No restaurant owner I share it with believes me. They find it hurtful to their food cost.. I think otherwise. I will have to make my Haj to Vij's soon. Maybe Steven, you can get me a connection that can save me an hour wait.. I have never done that yet. But will do if absolutely necessary.

Nice Ajay.. I wish I could have spent some time in your household.. soouns like fun.

And does Black Label even fit in anywhere? Like the Chinese, I am told Indians consume what they think, is a lot of Black Label Scotch... many drink spurious bottles feeling theya re getting the real thing. And what is Banglu?

Anyone?

Steven... what makes Vij's the best Indian restaurant in North America? How do you judge it as being that? It sounds like a great accomplishment for Vij's that you feel like that. Would love to know what your experience was when you ate there. And how it was so different from the other restaurants in North Ameirca.

Raajmaah Chaawal ( Kidney beans and rice ) Karhi Chaawal ( Sour chickpea-yogurt sauce with fritters ) And of course parathas are a given as you say for lunch in the daytime winter sun... I remember that picture vividly.

Peter is this the cook book in paperback? Size of a novel and with deep red as one of the two colors on the cover page? I seem to have given out my copy.. or else I woud have described it accurately. If it is the paperback, I have never used her recipes, but certainly have scanned through them. An interesting and very well rounded assortment. If you can understand how to find recipes and use them, you will find her book a delight.

Peter, What can I say... My mother took classes from Mrs. Balbir Singh. And actually, most women from her time who grew up in a certain section of Delhi society were lucky enough to have done the same. Mrs. Balbir Singh has infulenced my own life. My mother has her diaries from the cooking classes still that she refers to for occasional reference. I have a cookbook of hers as well. I find it tedious to understand even though this is what I do for a vocation. For some reason, her brilliant work in the kitchen never made it to well written text. I have not seen her books in Book Shops in NYC. So, maybe there is a book that is easier to grasp. If you are able to cook from her recipes. Please rest assured that you are getting a good variety of Indian cooking and also some dishes t hat were left over from the Raj. You are indeed lucky that your houseguest introduced y ou to Mrs. Balbir Singh. She is a legend.

Or limited to certain areas? I keep hearing from taxi drivers I meet from the Indian subcontinent how Indian food is much better in Canada in comparison to the US. Any thoughts anyone?

Steve what do you think of that wine paried with gianduja and milk chocolate? Would love to hear your thoughts. What are your favorites in Montreal for a dessert lover like myself? Lesley, who are the great pastry chefs in Montreal? Where are they cooking? I live for desserts, and would love to know who is creating a sweet sensation in Montreal. Since it is one of my favorite cities.

Roger, What cook book did you buy? And congratulations on cooking that meal your boyfriend and you both loved. When I first read saffron on this thread, I had wondered.. saffron is certainly not cheap. But you can use very little, keep the rest saved in your refrigerator. And contrary to most other peoples thoughts, a little saffron, very gently toasted over a low flame for a brief minute and then ground, can be a great garnish. And just a strand or two. Lentils, beans and vegetables are certainly inexpensive and an easy way to eat healthy and yet save money. Lentils and rice or Beans and Rice with a vegetable would give you protein and starch and fiber and save money. You can search the web for some Indian recipes. Temper the heat in them to your taste. And as you get used to Indian cooking, if you are not familiar already, you can have a companion that is inexpensive yet very full of taste when thinking of budget food with a zing. Washing dishes as you cook is a great thing to do. Makes clean up easier afterwards and will make cooking less of a cumbersome chore. Cooking at home and meals eaten at home can be very fulfilling and rewarding and wonderful. And certainly you can monitor the cost efficiently.

Andy, All I can tell you is that it would have been easier to cook whilst tasting as I went along. But I grew up in a culture where tasting food is not always considered Kosher. This was a part of being Hindu. It took time for me to get the freedom and confidence with which I cook vegetarian cooking to find its way into my cooking of meats. I needed friends to taste my food, taste it for many subtle nuances, more than just salt, but today, I feel confident spicing and adding salt without feeling the need to have a taster. My eyes, my smell, my touch and my sense of training my senses for each of these properties has been honed in with many years of trying and failing and finally succeeding. There are friends of mine, gourmets, that call me the only vegetarian whose non-vegetarian food they will eat and crave for. So, there must be something just as ok about cooking without tasting as there is about tasting as one cooks. These are people that I respect for their taste and are visible in the food community as well for being well respected taste makers. Not that it should matter. Since even non food business folk should be able to enjoy good food as well. And Andy, I am not alone in cooking without tasting. Most Indian chefs do not cook as they go along cooking. It is considered in poor form. And then there are many that do. Like all things in life, there are contradictions that do exist. Now about recipes, Andy, I do agree with Steve to some extent, but I read recipes and cook books to understand about that food and culture. While I may never cook with recipes, I do as you write, find a begining, and from thereon, I create what I seem to get inspired into doing. So, there is a certain relevance to recipes and yet a need to make clear that by no means can a recipe alone give one an experience of a food style. You articulate very well what recipes can do in your words.