Suvir Saran

Are there any special stores that I must visit before I leave Denver? Where are they? What flavors?

I have recorded that for the most part. Do you not do that?

Traditionally for garam masala both the pods and seeds are used.

The pods add great flavor to sauces. Savory sauces in particular. For desserts, you want the spice flavor but not all the heat. Hence the seeds are ground by themselves. In khara masala stir fries (whole garam masala) the pods are left in... and they add great flavor and heat as well.

Anna, you can make the chutney with whatever best tomatoes you can find and some canned ones. It is quite good still. If you have all that you need for it, do not worry.

I have not been on TV for cooking ever.

He is back home.. so he can eat home food. But how long for? WHo knows.. Now back to food... He ate very little of the dosa.. but it made him smile.

It is fine to use canned tomatoes in the summer as well. But why would you? If you cannot find any, sure thing, go ahead and use them. As for Hampton Chutneys tomatoc chutney, it is terrible. As much as I rave about their Dosas, their chutneys are an embarassment to the genre. At least from my humble perspective.

Is she not the model who was with Salman Rushdi ? Yes she is the model who was dating Salman Rushdie. Not any more I am told. I have seen her show once...

FoodMan, Your pictures had my mouth watering for the chutney. We had some with Dosas today for lunch. My father was excited about the prospect of having home made Dosas. My sister made the best I have eaten thus far. The Sambhaar (the lentil and vegetable stew) and the Coconut Chutney were superlative. The potato filling she made was nice... not traditional, but tasty and fun. She had added peanuts into her potato filling. I have seen that in the past, but not something I do to mine. The Dosas tasted great with the tomato chutney. Makes me want to come back to NYC.. so I can make some more....

Many thanks Wimpy! The recipe sounds great. I shall make it sometime soon.

If you email me a recipe with Poori in the Subject, I shall email you some recipes for pooris. I am glad the recipe worked ok for you... thanks for posting about your experience. I look forward to reading more from you in the forums.

Raji died a young and sudden death. But it is my understanding that it was not violent. It was shocking, sad and very disturbing. I had written a 8-10 page story in Food Arts Magazine about Tamarind and Raji, I never heard back from her after the story. I had found that very strange. I just thought she was busy... forgot all about it. A couple of months after I got a call from Raji. She was calling to speak with me and give me the news. She had 6 months to live. She wanted to thank me, share the news with me...she had cancer, was told she would live no more than this time frame. She wanted to make the most of it.. She was most sad that she would leave her loving husband Dr. Reiss behind. A man she had married not too long ago... But loved more than she had anyone.. It was a beautiful conversation we had... It was amazing in that it was inspirited with what can only be words of one that is intimately aware of their imminent mortality. She was different that day...... .and she was more erudite and articulate than ever before. She was also more interested in knowing about my take on Indian cooking.. and sharing memories of her past in India. She had hardly ever really cooked Indian food... but now, she wondered what she could do in 6 months.. I urged her to do all that she loved.. and not to worry about adding more to her list... That was the last I heard from her. I got 2 emails. Almost 6 months later (maybe 2-3 days less) I got a call from Michael Batterberry telling me Raji had passsed away. We both spoke at length. We each were shocked at the very precise timeline that she lived upto. But I am told, those 6 months were as Raji had planned and wanted. And I cannot imagine Raji doing anything sad or violent. So, I assume she had a great time.. even as she struggled with a disease like cancer. That was Raji.. always full of spunk and spirit. I hope she is well wherever she continues to dwell. And I find some solace in knowing she will inspire many to be bold and do what they love.

Maya is in the US and indulging in food... And the article linked above leaves all our querries answered. As for the bottled sauces, I guess it is a logical step. Most all food writers have done that... why should Maya not do what seems like a perfect next step. She is gracious, charming, clever and talented. I hope we will see more of her in the near future.

Again, who are these people?????? To me Madhur Jaffrey, Julie Sahnie etc are the people that come to mind... But I am sure you all will have many other names. Please share...

Anil, you are bad... Lets be serious...

Thanks BigDuck! How do you enjoy these very basic Indian dishes? What do you think of them? Do they work for you as well?

Scottish Chef, do you think you can post a menu of yours? That would give us a feeling for what you already do. It would give a point from where we can all begin.. Also, I am anxious to see what you offer... Thanks!

What a great post Indiagirl. You think like any foodie would want to... and I feel lucky to have read that post... Please ramble as you do.. you shall never seem out of place.

Where are they? What made them as we know them? What are their strengths in your view? What recipes or dishes of theirs are your favorites? Who are the top players in the Indian food scene in the US?

Thanks! Please thank your grandma in advance for her help with this.

Wimpy, in my cookbook I share the recipe for a tea like you mention. My mother begins her morning with a ginger tea. And she has it with honey and lemon. How is the Philipines version made? Would you mind sharing the recipe?

Thanks Prasad and Indiagirl! I made my own recipe.. and actually it was amazing. My recipe is similar to yours Indiagirl, it takes long time to roast, but well worth it... The ladoos were almost as good as those from Agra... but I guess the ladoos from Agra have a spiritual magic that no ladoo from anywhere else can match. I will share the recipe for mine. They are easy to prepare. I use Ladoo Besan (chickpea flour for ladoos) for my recipe. It gives the gritty texture that makes the ladoos sensational. The key is to brown the besan really nicely and till it really has no raw besan smell. I add saffron and almonds in my ladoos. I fry the almonds prior to adding the besan into the ghee. It makes them crunchy and great. The satsang went nicely.. thanks to each of you for helping me with recipes. My grandpa will be happy we kept on the tradition far away from our homes, and I am sure he thanks you all for helping in the experience

Mung dal is what my dad is having. Khicadi is the other thing he enjoys. How do you make yours?

Prasad, in India we use centigrade, and in the US we speak in Fahrenheit. Maybe that answers our concern... do you agree?