Suvir Saran

Thanks for sharing this article Vikram. Great read. I have never been able to go past a few pages of the SF based writer you speak of. I always felt I was not adventurous and open enough.... Glad to see I am not alone in not getting the hype that follows that writers work.

Monica, that sounds wonderful. I would not worry about the hard factor of what you want to teach. Teach us.. .and with BBhasin and you together, I am sure we will get all the technical details and all the technique factors well explained and that is what makes bread making become an easy task. It would be wonderful if you could share with us here breads such as the ones Vikram suggests. How wonderful to have EGCI be one of the first places on the internet exploring these breads. As you head back to the drawing board, do consider revising the plan some.... what is detailed in technique, is not always hard. I am sure you can demystify whatever makes these breads hard. Give us and those breads a chance. Please. Appams are the easier one.... and many can make them without having to take a class.. lets learn about the flaky Kerala parottas, the ultra-delicate pathiris, the starfish shaped ney-patal, the steamed neer dosas, the thick and hearty adais, Konkani vades, or healthy mung-dal pancakes (pudla), and the hard crisp thalipith. This would be most amazing and will give EGCI a great edge over any other such teaching program. To my knowledge, there have not been many courses offered on these breads. Thanks for making the effort to share the technique behind these breads. I thank you in anticipation of learning from the two of you everything there is to know about making these home style breads at home and without much drama. I have emailed some students of mine to come become members and join in this class. The prospect of having you all teach us about these lesser known breads, will only make those already familiar with so many of the more commonly known breads find eGullet even more of a wonderful discovery. The two part series is a perfect way of handling this. You could even do one on the familiar easier breads. And the other could be on the lesser know breads.

I thought it was pepper water.

Good call. The breads Vikram suggests, can be made at home. And without much need for specialized equipment. Parathas, chapatis, rotis, pooris, bhaturas, cheelas, dosas, uthappams, adai etc can all be made at home and with great ease. In fact, it would do some restaurant chefs well to get trained in preparing home style breads, and especially the unknown Southern Indian ones. They are really wonderful breads that are yet largely unknown outside of Southern India... or Southern Indian homes around India. If each chef in a restaurant can master one such bread each year, they would hardly need to worry about fusing any foreign elements into their repertoire. These breads alone could open up their culinary horizons onto something wonderfully different without great ceremony or fuss. I am looking forward to learning in this class. I am delighted that Vikram thought of these breads. We can all now learn about them in greater detail through EGCI.

Great suggestions Vikram. I guess it would be a great way for eGullet to show it really can make a difference in the world of cooking classes. Whilst these breads are not difficult to prepare, they do take practice and I can well imagine the teaming of Monica and Bhasin, with the trained eye of a photographer to find it easy in sharing the process of exploring these lesser known breads easily and successfully.

That is wonderful news Monica! Thanks for sharing.

Kim, I am sorry I never thanked you earlier for your kind words. I was searching for Bhel to send the link to a friend, and saw your post. Hope you and yours are enjoying the cooler climate. Happy cooking to you.

Monica, this is so funny, almost a year later, we are enjoying your recipe for green beans again. When is the next book due?

What is everyone planning for Diwali? What is unique in your mind about Diwali? How did your family celebrate it differently? What foods do you all prepare during the time leading to Diwali? Who makes these foods? WHat items are made at home? What are bought from halwais? Please share.... I shall only do puja, since I lost both my grandmas this year..... but would be delighted to enjoy Diwali through all your experiences.

old thread on Hing. And salt, certainly is one of the most important ingredients in any good food. And when you add spices and herbs to the equation, it becomes even more so.

Old thread on fusion and contemporary Indian food

I have always remembered what Gael Greene (Insatiable food critic, NY Magazine) said when asked about fusion cuisine: "Fusion confusion". She used just two words and said everything one ought to know when dealing with such debates. Vikram, our own resident wordsmith, has said a great deal in his post on this thread. Thanks again Vikram. I revisited this thread to see if anyone had offended anyone else, and found nothing as such, but a visit once again with your words that left me thinking. And thanking you and your experiences for a very rich landscape of thinking.

Mongo, thanks to you for having encouraged Mel and Monica to post more frequently. I did not read your comments as despise. But I guess I am far to forgiving even with those that hit me on the face. Thanks Mel for continuing to post on the Indian forum, as your fellow eGullet member, it gives me great joy to have one as talented as you in our midst. Never take discussions personally. eGullet is at its best when we share, debate and evoke without personal hurt if things are said that are against our grain. For the most part, they are not about any one person, but they are a dialog on the net, that unlike social gatherings in homes or restaurants.... has no way of being explained or the advantage of unspoken (without words, written or spoken) communication. We have emoticons.. but they hardly do what body language does. I could have been very angry at Mongo in the Bhel thread... and I saw many come to defend me... and yet, I still have not found any need for that... Mongo started a great discussion about street food.. and used Bhel at Amma as an example and starting point. Mel, do share some recipes with us. Please. I am sure us members of eGullet would be delighted. And the officials of this site would have much to be happy about too. Content is what this is about. Not any personal dialogue really. But that develops as and when you find yourself deeply addicted to this site. Monica, thanks for sharing this recipe. I have it to read in your book. It is identical to what I have in my own book... I do not eat beans myself, but most people enjoy this recipe thoroughly. Where did you first eat this? Any memories associated with it? Please share. I had first eaten it at the house of my father's boss. They were from Karnataka and made tons of these stir fries and each were simple and pretty. And tasty too.

Mongo, I have a very simple recipe I would be willing to share. My cookbook has a few bean recipes, and this is one of them. I have posted so many recipes over the last year or so, that my editor may be very cross if I post more from this first book. email me at chef@suvir.com, and I shall be delighted to send you the recipe. Like the Kaddu recipe, this is very simple and basic. You could add to it as you please and make it become a recipe uniquely yours.

Anil, the first thing that came to my mind was Chocolate Burfi.

Certainly Monica must have some suggestions. I do remember she is the proud parent of a young boy. I have been wondering myself what I ought to do this Diwali. It has to be a very low key one for our family. We lost both my grandmas this year. So really Pooja is the only thing we may end up doing. Monica, what does your son enjoy about Diwali? I am glad to see you are posting over the weekend...and frequently in the Indian forum. Enrich us please, with some of your sons Diwali impressions.. please. I love samosas..and most kids I have made them for enjoy them. Burfee ... hmm...what one were you thinking suman? Monica, does your son enjoy any in particular? Suman, I wish you much luck with the Diwali party. There is a recipe I have for a cardamom and pistachio cake that was shared on eGullet. If you would like, I can give you that.. whilst it is not really traditional, many an Indian that has tried that cake, has found it very Indian. Go figure. Email me at chef@suvir.com and I shall be happy to send it for you... I also know we have a thread here on eGullet from which I got the recipe. I can try posting a link to it as well. Besan Burfi (not Ladoo) is something I remember loving as a kid. I loved the more fudgy kind. Maybe that could be something you can make.

Thanks Vikram for another wonderfully erudite and articulate post.

Have enjoyed my new interaction with scanpan. Their non-stick works great. Their stainless pieces are as good as the other stainless out there, and so beautiful and with amazing handles. I also gave Ed Schoenfeld some pieces, he seems to be enjoying them thoroughly as well. I have to spend more time with the scanpan titanium pieces... We are using them at Amma...and they are working very well. They can take higher temperatures in the oven, and that really makes a big difference. Glad to know their customer service is for real. They are not cheap... but it has been a worthwile decision to try them.

mango powder like other khatais (souring agents) cuts the "lace" (stickyness) of okra. And yes Indian cooks always say one should handle Okra as little as possible and use souring agents to reduce that sticky nature. Works very well indeed.

You are being modest or fishing for compliments. Thanks for the recipe Monica. I shall try and cook it sometime this month.

Sounds great. I think the key to good food is subtlety. And wine friendly sounds like a winning concept. Congratulations!

M65, certainly your "handsome pic" as Monica puts it, would be great here, but I would really love to see your menu from the Indian restaurant. I have called a friend of mine from NYC...that had worked for an Indian chef that made French food in your area... and I am wondering if this friend had actually worked or applied for a job at your restaurant. Hmm.... I have not heard back from my friend who is now traveling. What a small world it is if that were to be true. If you find time, please post the menu from your Indian restaurant. It would be of great interest to me for sure. Maybe the others would enjoy it as well.

I think they call it Eurasian.

Mongo, I did call the restaurant last evening. Spoke with someone called Byron. He said he worked on wines for the restaurant. A very helpful person, he also read out dishes from the menu. He delicately reminded me that the menu is not what we see online. That is an older one. When asked what kind of food the restaurant served, following are his exact words: " Eurasian Fusion. Hard to define. Sort of a cross between French, Thai, Chinese, Vietnamese and Indian cuisines. With greater influence of French, Thai and Chinese." Some of the dishes I remember him telling me about: Seared Shrimp (he said the shrimp where closer to lobster in taste and texture) Served with cauliflower and cardamom cream He mentioned some kind of a duck breast Seared Vietnamese Tuna And some other dishes. The chef is from India. His name is Mel. It seemed like Byron had great respect for the chef and was proud of working for this restaurant.

Monica, on popular demand, do you think you can post the recipe? Please.