Suvir Saran

rstarobi - if i'm not mistaken, i've used that brand before and it's been fine. don't let the sale thing put you off - i've bought the same brinad for the last three years - tilda (which also happens to be a type of basmati) - and it's been on sale the whole time!!! What do you think of Tilda? Is it any good?

The book is very true to form and style and that era. But our lives are very different and especially in the US or for that matter any part of the world outside of the US. In India itself, things are changing and those times are not always in synch with the pulse of the times. My dear friend and fellow food lover Maharani Shalini Devi (Sally by birth, a caucasian beauty from Dallas, TX, who married the Maharaja of Holkar) is a great cook and food writer, cook book author, magazine publisher, textile expert and political activist has done an amazing amount for Indian food. She started Indias first food magazine and also made food chic. Sally is American by birth and yet more Indian than most people I know. Her food, cookbook and her love of India and its food is beyond what any Indian I know can have. Her book written with Maharaja Richard Holkar brings to the reader the foods of these royals and their friends and relatives. But it also does a great job in making it accessible. It is an out of print book. Richard and Sally are separated. They have each done a lot for India. Richard is from a long lineage of powerful and prominent Indian royals. And it was interesting that for generations the maharanis have been caucasion women. Maybe it is these women, and their cultural ability to document stuff that made their cookbook so much better than most other Indian cookbooks. Not all is lost when being translated for simple home cooks. Some people care to give the reader what is poignant. And some do not care. I think for Sally and Richard the book was about sharing their great love for food and also the lore of their regions traditions. For some others, cookbooks are little if at all anything more than just an egotistical drive.

Food is a necessary and welcome distraction. It also gives me nutrition to fight these trying times. And brings me closer to this wonderful family of eGulleteers that is so very generous and kind. I love upma. Maybe you will start a thread on Upma. And share a recipe? That would be great. I also have made copious sums of Poha in these last couple of weeks. Everyone seems to be happy eating it in these times.

As per the Sarkars (Old Indian Publishing family from Calcutta) and the Tagore great grand nephew that lives in New York City, Piazi is the word used in their homes for onion pakoras and Bora is the word for vegetable pakoras. Piaz is the word for onion. Do Piaza is the word for the dish made with meat or fish using lots of onions. And again they are not sure if the word meant twice the amount of onions or onions in two steps.

Do you want to start a thread on where to eat in Little India? I am sure we have many members that will have a lot to share ....

Stella your post makes great sense. But I wish the so called "more authentic" restaurants that may be referred to were actually serving more authentic or home style food. Sadly, they serve food that has no roots most often in Indian cooking either of the home or restaurants. They are the creation of a savvy lot of business minded folk for the most part that have found a lucrative way of living. Some surely are more than that, but very few. I have not found too many in either borough of NY that are any that I shall go to for a good meal.

Yvonne, as usual you show great erudition. Restaurant food in India can be very expensive. And many an Indian restaurant is astonishingly far more sophisticated than its logical counterpart in the US. The same is true for restaurants in Singapore. It is as if these countries are making up for something they may not really have. Restaurants in New Delhi, Mumbai and Singapore are amazingly beautiful and stylish. Even those that would be zero or 1 Star types in the US. It was interesting that a friend who ate at 66 in NYC said to me that they were reminded of eating at a trendy chic restaurant in Singapore. IN terms of looks that is.

Dal Makhani is a dish made with black beans. They are made with lots of butter and in some places also some cream. Butter chicken is a dish made with great amounts of butter, tomatoes and again some cream. They are both delicious. And they are both from Northern India. The only sweetness either of these dishes should have should come from the dairy in them. No sugar should be added in the recipe. Like you, I love it. I am not sure I could have said much more myself. What are some of your other favorite dishes at Banjara?

Interesting. Well, my co-worker is from Delhi, and to my knowledge, is an Indian citizen. He is not only a co-worker but also a student at Polytechnic. Maybe he is attributing the sweetness to Gujarat without even considering what dishes they serve. That could make sense. Gujarati food is VERY different from the food served at Banjara.

Only in India! Do you think one could get away with this in many places??? What kind of rassam was it?

Dakshin by Chandra Padmanabhan ( do I remember the name correctly?) is a great Southern Indian cookbook. And pretty photographs as well. I have two copies at home. In fact I offered to give Vivin one of mine.. but he had found it on the internet. What are your favorite recipes from it? I have never cooked from it... read through it and enjoyed the very diverse recipes.

I have the book. Do you like it? I am not crazy about it.

The open sides of each side against one another. Not of different cucumbers.

Nope you just trim the edges before peeling the cucumber. You then rub the fleshy sides against one another... it makes the cucumber froth. That froth is supposed to be the bitter flavor of cucumber. But it hardly makes any difference in the US.

That is so Tuhin.... he is very charming and accomodating. What was the chicken makhani like? What is it about makhani that you like so much Pan? Butter Chicken is one of the most favorite dishes for most Indians. You have great taste.

The Dum Pukht dishes that Yvonne mentions are from UP (Uttar Pradesh) a state in Northern India. And no the bread covering these dishes should not be sweet at all.

Yes some parts of Gujarat (Ahmedabad for the most part) are famous for sweeter savory foods. But sorry, the menu at Banjara is not Gujarati. Maybe a dish or two could be... but it is as far from Gujarati cuisine as any food can be. Your co-worker ought to share with you what particular dishes they have eaten at Banjara that are Gujarati. It would be great media opportunity for that restaurant. We have a few Gujarati restaurants. And certainly Banjara has not placed itself as that. Maybe they ought to, if they want to be taken seriously. Is this friend an NRI (non resident Indian)? Or an Indian born in India who immigrated here? That could make a difference in their palate. Sugar in raita is a common thing to do in most of India. More common in Western India and Southern India.

Newtown Pippins and Braeburns are sour, crisp and hard. My favorites. David Karp a friend based in LA, has me addicted to them. And the best thing about the Newtown Pippins is that they are from Queens. From our own city. I make apple halwa from the newtown pippins. They are amazing apples.

I am hungry.... I want some Bhujiya (scrambled eggs now...).

Thai peppers, red onions, cilantro and some toasted cumin is great for me. In fact my father made me make some the other day. He ate only a tablespoon of it... but what was very happy eating that amount. Said it made him get an appetite. When I was a young boy in India and I made ande kee bhujiya/khagnee (scrambled eggs), I would add a little milk. But cilantro and green chiles and cayenne make me most happy.

I agree with you Indiagirl. I get bored of the basic raita very easily... especially when I have had it almost every day. That is when I need the pachadis you so generously share about. And once I have had pachadi and some other variations, I crave that basic recipe that Simon mentions. Both are needed and necessary in my life. And yes, like you, I often will rub the ends till that goo you mention comes out. A trick I learned in India. I do not think it is necessary in the US. The cucumbers have little flavor to begin with. And are not as bitter. But I often do it just for some shock value. Indiagirl, that was a lovely analogy you used about the pasta sauce.

Thanks for the tip! Do you make raita? Do you seed the cucumbers?

You can Certainly play. And you might be the winner as far as my father is concerned. Rassam is the one thing he craves. And it the only thing he will eat/drink in any decent quantity. And yes rassam is just as you describe. What recipe do you use? Care to share? And the rassam I make for my father does not have any tamarind in it.

Are there are recipes you use when cooking meals for those that are healing, ailing or sick? Why do you choose these recipes? Where are they from? Any grandmas tales about food and nutrition in these times.

Rosie Saferstein? What kind of limes was the marmalade made with? I make a lot of marmalade each year. And have only ever made sweet lime marmalade. Do people make marmalade out of the green limes? I have never tried it. I am sure it is good.