Suvir Saran

I will try and make this as on-topic as I can. It is about hospital food. Food talk it is. The Executive Chef at this hospital where I am at came over to meet me just some minutes prior to me coming to the library to come online. He was amazingly pleasant and charming. I am meeting him and the weekend chef tomorrow morning. We are going to work with spices my father is familiar with and create a menu plan that the kitchen staff will then adhere to. Things could not be better. What stuff do you think would be good for me to share with the chefs tomorrow? Any recipes I should remember? Ideas of what might be great for someone that enjoys Indian food and is in hospital?

Babu's explanation of the name to me was that the basic curry sauce is made from lots of onions and for the Dopiaza onions were added again in thick slices just after the ghee melts. He's definately from the two-step camp then. A lot of chefs I know are from that camp. And many home chefs from the other.

I am sorry that she is no more. If your mom remembers her name, please do share... it would be great stuff for you and I to know... as Indian foodies, it would help us in our quest to understand it better. This lady certainly was ahead of her times.

A friend sent me the note below. I reminded me of Bhel Puri. Has anyone made it yet? My brother who LOVES food and is happy snacking in between meals (typically northern Indian for sure), makes me prepare Bhel Puri for him very often. He also loves my tamarind chutney and wants it as a condiment with all meals. Bhel is really addictive and soooo delicious. I always wonder what people go back thinking after eating is their first time. Most people I know become immediate fans. Is that also true for you? "Have been to Diwan several times in the last few weeks. My friends have totally fallen in love with Hemant's food. Am actually having about ten friends for dinner there this Friday. Folks have really liked your tomato chutney, but the bhel poori (is that the right spelling?) draws raves everytime. Amazing how many people think they don't like Indian food until they've tried something that is the opposite of the typical steam table fast food Indian takeaway. "

Archana, did you ever make the recipe Tony shared?

Is anyone non-Indian familiar with Cutlets or Tikiya? In India they are made with a potato base to which is added a mix of vegetables and spices and herbs. Today the chef made my dad cutlets. They were good. If he had made these before, he would have known how to handle the vegetables. He cut them into small squares whilst in India we grate them. So as to make a mush that is as smooth as can be. It also helps to bind the flavors and the spices. Has anyone seen any such thing made in the American Kitchens? What are they called?

Thanks for the link indiagirl. How nice to hear that you are doing this. Amazing! I shall do just what you suggest. In fact once I begin writing my piece, I shall ask if I can include what you do into it. It sound perfect. I intend to cook in the hospital kitchen with the chef, create some recipes that are at once healthy and tasty. Lets see what we come up with. If it is as exciting as I and the publisher think it could be, we will have a story to publish. And as far as my dad is concerned, I took him some Chaas (spicy buttermilk) today. It has made his day. It teased his palate into wanting to eat... I enjoyed seeing him smile as he took sips of this wonderful but so simple an item.

How wonderful! Thanks for that post Indiagirl. And I am a fellow brown, ethnic and immigrant. And like you, I have seen both faces of both these words. Or shall I say all faces, ugly and usual of both these words. Life is beautiful. Even when being ridiculed, I tend to hope the other is not simply being a bigot. I often believe they are naive and give myself some comfort and the other the benefit of doubt. Price point cannot define something as ethnic or immigrant. Those times have changed. Far too many people coming from India, China, Japan and other countries into the US come from families far more affluent than the average upper middle class in the US. How could the food and customs of these rich masses (immigrants) be considered ethnic if price alone could define them? So I agree with Indiagirl that it is far more complex. And it ought to be understood as that and not easy to be generalized.

They have been very accomodating indeed. And yes I shall be more aggressive in the next week. Thanks for your wishes.

Amazing Point!

Who do you think will give us that list?

Katie, Yes he is willing to eat puddings but complains they are too starchy. He is TOO much.. he understands it all.. sometimes I wonder if it is too bad that he is so together mentally. He is so used to my mother, panditji and I baking and preparing confections at home that store bought puddings are good for a first bite, and then he can tell that they are low-fat, corn starch laden or made with sugar substitutes. He is bad.. even as he is so sick, he keeps us on our toes... we cannot pull wool over his eyes. He finds the gelatin here not the same either... He finds the soups smelly for they have garlic powder in them. He has always enjoyed food. Never cooked but lived with chefs and a family that love food and indulge in it passionately. The chef prepared a tomato soup that was clear and light for him, but instead of salt the chef added Mrs. Dash seasoning. It made my father reject it just by smell. He loves eggs... loves bhujia (scrambled eggs) and omlettes, but again he loves them with flavor. For him fresh cilantro, some hint of cayenne and freshly ground black pepper are a minimun. In fact red onions, tomatoes, green chiles and other spices add to the enjoyment. How are we going to educate chefs in hospitals to do all this? Maybe I will make a small effort, and that can be the story I work on. Thanks for the hint about working in advance to understand if they have daily specials. Good Idea! I shall see what I can do. Thanks for your kind wishes. I am hoping life has some grand plan which has this period of trials for us as a family but much joy afterwards. The hope of knowing there is a better tomorrow is the only source of strength and courage we can have as we try and smile for him. He looks as bad as any living being can. I am amazed at this mans spirit to be so strong and determined about such trivia even as he is so weak. It is that spirit to only want the best that I hope can make him come through this battle victorious.

I end up doing what you do Simon. But I know for a fact many Indians use shortening with a great sense of pride and respect. IN fact some claim and believe it makes certain dishes taste better.

Actually my father had given the nutritionist a lesson on how to prepare Aloo and Palak Kee Tikkis (spinach and potato cakes). Just an hour ago, the kitchen sent a late meal of just that. They were good. He was full from what he ate and hated. My mom and I ended up eating some of it. We called to thank the chef, Mark for his gallant and generous efforts. My father also volunteered my mom and I as teaching chefs for the kitchen staff to use to understand spices and herbs. The nutritionist has said she will speak tomorrow with the executive chef and see if she can organize that. It is that part which I have been given the green signal to make notes on and work on for a story that will be published after this ordeal. Bribery was not needed.... he is a charming man.. the entire nursing staff visits him and comes to him to hear jokes. He is their charmer... and he is inspiring in his wit and brilliance even as he battles life and death.

Very interesting point. Not sure it can be very true, but interesting it is. Will get back to it when I have the statistics from the last census in the US. I remember Indians being just about 1 percent of the US population. And yet they accounted for over 20 percent of the countries doctors. 30 percent of NASA's scientists and some very high percentage of the financial analysts in Wall Street. Makes me wonder how poor this group is and how that poverty affected the food they crave in this country. I shall find the press release that I was sent by Columbia Universities Journalism School upon my return to NYC. It would give me more accurate and complete statistics. It would change the meaning of ethnic in regards to "Indian Cuisine". And absolutely if we treat Indian Cuisine as the foods of only the one country called India. If poverty is of concern for the word ethnic being appropriate, I guess in the US, Indian food could not be called ethnic. Sorry, I am in Denver and far from the press release. I shall get back to it soon enough after my return.

The last few days in the hospital have been sad for the family. It is always difficult to have one you love in a hospital. What makes this worse for us is that my father (who eats a few tablespoons of whatever he craves) is eating almost nothing. He has lost his appetite. He finds the food they send him terrible at best. Remember he is ovo-lacto-vegetarian. In India this is a very vast world of options... in the US, it means vast limitations. What can one do? I have been so moved by it that I have called a publisher back in NYC and secured authorization to do a story about this. Now I worry about what my family and I could do to ensure my father gets nutrition even though he finds the food served not to his taste. Any ideas? Suggestions? Tips?

What is that awful brand of Vegetable Ghee that you were mentioning? Please share the name... so we are all warned. What is the difference if any between vegetable ghee and margarine or shortening? Do you use vegetable ghee only for Indian cooking or for other cuisines as well? How did you find it in the first place?

What is curry? What do you smell in curry? What is this "curry" that you say is added to everything? Indian food is prepared with a variety of herbs, spices, seeds, stalks, grains and legumes. Flours are also used as well as dairy, fish, meat, poultry and vegetables. So what is this "curry" that you do not like??

I have it in NYC... I shall get you the name once I am back. What a lucky person you are have an Uncle that can find you such books...

Indiagirl, your memories are just like mine. In fact Indians for the most part are still thinking the same way. Produce, spices, herbs, seeds, stalks, legumes and other ingredients are only used by chefs once they have understood how they will impact the mind, body and soul. I guess the very young may not be thinking that way, but I was suitably impressed recently when a very young friend of mine got married and came from India, she was telling me what she was cooking and she actually was thinking like you and I. I shall come back tonight and add more to the thread. I am hoping everyone can share their own tales about these seasonal stories from grandma.

I use it very sparingly! You wouldn't want to add copious amounts of anything known as Dyvels drekk to anything you were about to eat, would you? (that is its Norwegian name). I usually let it dissolve in the oil or ghee as it cooks. I think it adds a very earthy flavor to a dish. A pinch or two of asafetida can go a LONG way. Like you, I add it too ghee or canola to add that very earthy aroma to my favorite dishes..

What does hing (asafetida) in the spring do for you? How do you use it in food? What do you think it adds to a dish?

Indian music unlike most any other art form, is brilliantly gifted and evolved to deal with every subtle nuance that is external but can make great difference in the rendering, understanding and enjoyment of it. Do you think Indian food is similar? How deeply evolved is Indian cooking in regards to a seasonal approach?

Very interesting.... amazing post... it brings me back to what my friend Mary Ann Joulwan, of Lebanese descent has to always say. She keeps reminding people that tabouli is about the parsley and the mint, tomatoes, olive oil and lemon juice and not just the bulgar.

Interesting points raised by all. Upscale or quick and cheap, if Indian food is ethnic, that should not depend on what price point the food is being served at. Or should it? Diwan is serving Indian food (and to many it is Ethnic food) and food that is based on restaurant, home and ancient and contemporary Indian cuisine. One has many smaller more humble restaurants, but their food and look do not make them more authentic and ethnic just because they look a certain way. In fact it is a shame to me that some of the most Indian seeming restaurant are hardly doing anything to share in the amazing wealth of Indian variety when it comes to food. Price point alone cannot be used as a means to judge something as being ethnic or not. Hence, I respect your opinion. And hope we can have more getting us people together that what separates us.