Suvir Saran
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Posts posted by Suvir Saran
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On the other hand I HATE this hummus you find at some middle eastern restaurants where all you taste IS the Tahini. They are a disgrace to this wonderful dip.
FM
Very true. All in the balance. A little bit goes a long way. Too much and it seems all sesame-y and too fatty.
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Suvir? What looks possible for you?
I am sorry, I think I have to skip out of this one.
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I thank you and yes I will continue. Due to my mothers illness, I will be headed overseas for a few weeks, I promise to stay in touch when I get back. I hope to bring back better news about my mom and some fun eating adventures from overseas.
I am certainly joined by many in wishing your mother better health and speedy recovery from what ails her. Safe travels. to you
We look forward to your coming back with better news concerning her health and stuff for us to chew and discuss.
Thanks Monica for all your generous sharing of information, recipes and of your time.
The India board and eGullet, shall look forward to your continued participation.
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Having grown up in so many different continents, countries, cities, I guess I am anything but a traditionalist and the book reflects the same.
This was one of the most popular appetizers when I used to cater.. in college and here in DC when I did my masters.
thanks for trying out the recipe
I enjoyed it thoroughly and now I know why the Chaat Masala came into the recipe.
So did you study in Bangalore or Mangalore?
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Bangalore
Chaat Masala .... is my humble addition. That is what happens when a North Indian cooks a south Indian dish
That is what made me lose all interest in it as a Southern Indian recipe.
I tried that recipe. And it was served by me to friends from Kerala. They had no recollection of the dish from growing up.
The mother suggested that maybe it is a "Northern Indian Government Servants" version of South Indian food. It was so hilarious hearing them try and understand why a simple Kerala Chicken Curry had been changed like this... I was tickled...I should have recorded that nights meal.
I love Keralan food for its clean flavors and deep spicing. I was not sure if I should have added the chaat masala, but I did. Just to be true to your recipe. I will not cook it with chaat masala and curry leaves together.
But since my brother studied in Manipal, I understand how the Chaat Masala addition could take place. They would eat anything.. and the things served for them in their cafeterias could seem ghastly to most, but to these students from the North, they had some trace of familiarity. Maybe that is what the chaat masala provided. How the world changes.
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OMYGOD, it is the most delicious quintessence of lemon!
I'm now wondering why I ever thought if giving some away?
I have some technical questions; manufacturing notes to follow... (probably Saturday)
What did you give away? The meyer lemons or the marmalade?
Did you make the marmalade? How much?
Looking forward to your report.
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Did you study in Bangalore or Manipal?
Yes curry leaves and mustard are Southern Spices, but what about Chaat Masala?
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My personal favorite from the book is the following recipe. Originally a deep fried dish served in South India, I have modified it to be lower in fat. The taste is still wonderful and very flavorful
Chicken 65***
1 cup / 250 mL fat-free plain yogurt
1 cup / 250 mL water
1 pound / 500 g skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cubed
¼ teaspoon / 1 mL turmeric
2 drops red food coloring
2 tablespoons / 25 mL ginger garlic paste
1 teaspoon / 5 mL red chile powder
Salt to taste
2 tablespoons / 25 mL finely chopped fresh coriander
1 teaspoon / 5 mL chaat masala
1 teaspoon / 5 mL garam masala
½ teaspoon / 2 mL carom seeds (ajwain)
FOR THE TADKA:
1 tablespoon / 15 mL vegetable oil
1 tablespoon / 15 mL finely chopped fresh mint
¼ teaspoon / 1 mL mustard seeds
3 to 4 green chiles, slit lengthwise
Leaves from 2 sprigs curry
IN a large saucepan, whisk together the yogurt and water. Stir in the chicken. Bring to a
boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
Lower the heat. Stir in the turmeric, red food coloring, and ginger garlic paste; cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Stir in the chile powder and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid starts to dry out. Add the coriander, chaat masala, garam masala, and carom seeds; mix well. Sauté until the liquid completely dries out. Remove from the heat.
In a small nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the mint, mustard seeds, green chiles, and curry leaves. As soon as the mustard seeds start to crackle, add to the chicken. Mix well.
Serve hot.
Monica,
What makes you think this dish is from South India?
What is the significance of the name, especially the 65?
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...............
Suvir, you're doing a fantastic job as Press Officer for Indian Cookery (Monica too!)
I agree 100 % - They have such dedication to what they do, it is commendable. Patience in explaining in simple terms, some quite intricate and complex preparations..... Good work both of you'll
Simon, Ajay, Oliva, Polly, Sandra, BettyK, CathyL (Queen of Chutney), and many others including you Anil, do a lot more than you each take or get credit for.
It would not be fun for Monica or I to simply be here sharing what we knew, if it was not for each of you.. and those even just lurking. You all make this as much fun as it is. Thanks for all your participation.
And Ani, it is always great to have you share from your many travels and memories. I am always eager to see what you have up your sleeve next.
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I can think of three main reasons...
First, I like diversity. I grew up eating Chinese,
Indian, Creole, French, Italian and Spanish. I just
cannot see myself eating one type of cuisine for
more that a week or two. Now that I'm married
I've added Greek, Thai and Mexican to my
repertoire.
Second, I find Indian cooking very time consuming.
Suvir, it took me over 2 hours to prepare your Tandoori
marinade tonight. Wow LOL. I don't mind once in a while
and I know it's going to be fantastic. Indian cooking is a bit of a
special treat in our home.
Third, is the availability of fresh herbs in my area. If a recipe asks
for fresh coriander or curry leaves and I don't
have any, I might as well not do it.
I am sorry the marinade took you so much time to prepare.
What made it so cumbersome?
I have easy and quick recipes.
In fact I did several for Food & Wine magazine that had to be cooked within 45minutes.
Let me know and I can send you those.
I have always enjoyed your posts. And I love your passion for Indian cooking. It comes out through your posts. Keep sharing more of your experiences.
And I shall keep you in mind when testing the next marinade. Again, sorry it took so long to make.
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I've never eaten in a posh Indian restaurant because I've never had a guide (person or book) to tell me how to do it properly. - "Should I put this on the naan and eat it that way, or would that just make everyone aware that I'm an ignorant tourist? Should I mix this and that other thing, or not?"
I enjoy the food, but haven't cooked it very much. Again, simple ignorance. However, a few weeks ago, I made a curry shrimp using a recipe in (don't laugh) Joy Of Cooking. It may not have been completely "authentic", but it was more than just "dump prepared curry powder on shrimp." It had fresh curry leaves, lots of fenugreek, and several other spices. It was very time-consuming to make though - over two hours for prep plus cooking. Deeply carmelizing lots of onions took quite a long time, as it was done per the instructions at somewhat low heat. The result was fantastic though, and I'd do it again. I think I'll have to - I now have a large bottle of fenugreek that I need to find more uses for.
Suvir, you're doing a fantastic job as Press Officer for Indian Cookery (Monica too!)
Would it be improper to ask where you live?
Maybe there are members or lurkers from you area that could help you organise an Indian tasting... or maybe I am not too far.. and I would volunteer organising a meal myself...
My co-writer (for my cookbook), Stephanie, did the Indian recipes for Joy Of Cooking. I can well imagine the recipes working very well. She is a stickler for detail. And loves Indian food. Also Stephanie is famous for her brilliance with seafood. You were lucky and smart in picking the curry shrimp recipe. I am glad to hear it worked well. What did you like about this curry? Did you use fenugreek seeds or powder or leaves? I am guessing seeds... But one never knows.
Human Bean, our jobs as press officers are made easy with the wonderful job each of you do by posting in this froum and around the site. It is encouraging and inspiring. Thanks for your own input. I look forward to reading more.
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Alan and I had recently a balti dish at a restaurant named Gandhi on 30th Avenue in Astoria. It was chunks of lamb cooked in a intense, thick, dark brown sauce, served in a kadhai(called a wok on the menu.) The dish came with naan and a mildly sweet raita. We also had a freshly made okra dish, and tandoori shrimp that had been butterflied and skillfully cooked so that they remained moist. We both had copious serivings of kheer for dessert. All the dishes were carefully prepared and served and although the decor is modest, there seems to be real pride in the kitchen. We are looking forward to going back.
Thanks Sandra for sharing the details of your meal. Sounds like you really had a great meal. The dishes seem to have been cooked well and certainly with your endorsement, with at least some finesse. You seem to know a lot about Indian cooking. Encouraging words for one like me.
The name of the restaurant is a tragedy. Very poor choice of name. And it makes me wonder if the restaurant is Indian at all. But most Indian restaurants are really not Indian operated.
Gandhi was vegetarian and had quite a well documented regiment with food and traditions. Lamb and chicken would not have made it to a meal endorsed by him. And certainly not shrimp either... But some restaurant owners just do not care for such trivial facts.
I find that name quite offensive. We used to have a restaurant on the Upper West Side in the 80s if I remember correctly, called Mahatma Gandhi. I was always sad reading just the name. I could never bring myself to even step into that restaurant.... But maybe I am poor for thinking like that. I must try and make it to Gandhi in Astoria, only if to do some homework, and to enjoy the great food Alan and you have experienced.
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My son, who is three now, loves butter chicken.
I love butter chicken, too, and it didn't occur to me until you mentioned it that if not too spicy hot, this would be a warm and soothing dish for a kid.
Now I want to make some and invite some kids over.
If made traditionally, this is not a very spicy dish.
And that is the very reason it is agreeable to most people.
Have you tried the recipe in our chicken thread? You can find the link in the Indian cooking for dummies thread pinned above. Try it, you may be surprised as to how easy it really is to prepare. And how flavorful it is without being HOT.
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I'm the only individual in this 100 person office who wants to seek out Indian food. It's a cuisine that others in this office don't readily embrace. Part of the problem is that most of the Indian food in this town is of the steam table variety. Yuck. Mrs. Varmint doesn't want to spend a night on the town (when we're paying a babysitter) learning to explore a cuisine relatively unknown to her, particularly when we know that the "best" restaurant in town is very mediocre, if that.
Because of this unfamiliarity with the cuisine, making it is even more difficult. I don't know what constitutes good vs. bad Indian food. Next time I visit the "big city" (whichever "big city" that might be), I'll need one of you to be my Indian food guide.
Of course, if I can negotiate a deal to get Suvir to come to North Carolina for a weekend, I could learn a heck of a lot!!!
Suvir????
I am willing and able to negotiate.
Seriously, I am. Lets do it. I would be more than happy to make a weekend out of it. Teach a class or two.. and share with you whatever I know.
If you are game... Count me in.
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What are some of the reasons why you may never eat or cook Indian food?
What have you done about this fear/phobia/notion?
How did you get to this point?
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Foodman, it is curious that you and I both use the same Le Creuset color for making chutney. Yours seems to be an oval one while mine is round. Interesting!
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The chutney was done this afternoon. Sorry about the delay in postong but we had a christma s party to go to and my wife was pushing me out the door as soon as I finished canning. The chutney is indeed amazing!! It has a very complex and firey taste. The recipe yeilded 12 half pint jars plus some leftovers. Since we had to go I did not get a chance to taste except a couple of spoonfulls of this delicious sauce. The tomatoes were not as flavorful as I had hoped for so I followed The "chutney Queen's" suggestion and used a full 12oz can of tomato paste instead of six.
Here are the pictures,
The starting line-up
The tomato puree
Frying the spices
The tomatoes are in
The fully cooked chutney
Pantry treasures
Thanks for a fantastic new recipe Suvir, I will be doing this often.
FM
Just doing this to share the great pics Foodman took with whoever joins the thread at this later date.
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And what made me most thrilled was to see that Boaziko was able to make it in Tel Aviv and that Foodman was kind enough to take pictures for us to make it even more real for those that have not tried yet. They have both added so much to this Chutney experience. I thank each of them for their participation.
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Suvir will, I think, recognize this as a tribute: Part of the thrill of making this chutney is that the results are as delicious as his.
I so much enjoy the whole process, and then there's the pleasure of giving a jar to someone. Invariably, I get a call or e-mail asking for the recipe...or another jar. (When Nina tasted some, she said, "Okay, I get it."
)Thanks, Suvir.
Coming from Her Majesty The Queen of Chutney (Empress of other things), I take it as nothing but the highest compliment.
And I thank you for making this thread take quite a unique life. I do find it one of the more special ways in which eGullet is helping so many of us.
Thanks all, in your continued participation in this thread and around eGullet.
I find myself thinking even in my sleep about how much I learn each day (and night and early morning) on eGullet.
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I can make it, but the question is can I make it like Suvir.. ! I would love to taste your chutney. My grandmother says, each hand has its own magic.. and yours is different from mine.. so come one be generous.. one little jar!
You said you make it.. And now you are saying you Can make it.... You are such a tease.
Send me a jar of yours.. and I shall send you a jar of mine.
We will do a taste test of that grandmas hand myth. There is actually a lot of truth to that old saying.
And I want to eat YOUR chutney. Why would I want you to make it like mine... It is special as yours .... and that is what will be enjoyed by me and others.... We would all get bored rather quickly if all we wanted were clones of one another.. and the same things...
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I can make it, but the question is can I make it like Suvir.. ! I would love to taste your chutney. My grandmother says, each hand has its own magic.. and yours is different from mine.. so come one be generous.. one little jar!
I was thrilled to see Simon's post. I have a lot of respect for him and his words mean a great deal to me. Thank you as well for your kind words and encouragement
I think Simon is just as smart as he is generous. So his words actually would gain even more weight.
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Never heard of it.. but I guess it makes sense. One could use a ring to cut it as well. Smart thinking.
But really, the key in rolling good chapatis is not really a perfect round as much as a perfect rolling of the dough. If there are wrinkles in the roll, even those that could have been pressed flat, they will keep the chapati from fluffing up.
So a good rolling would mean smooth and continuous rolling and in one motion.. so as to make sure there are no kinks. It is when you keep paying more attention to the shape instead of the fluidity of your action, that you set yourself up for failure.
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I enjoy your chutney a great deal, perhaps someday I will get lucky and get some of those jars that you are so generous with Suvir.
You make it yourself you said.
Being lazy I see...These jars are for the uninitiated. To share with them the simplicity of a chutney.
One like you, author of a great Indian cookbook, praised by our very own eGullet Indian food authority Simon Majumdar, hardly needs initiation.
I was thrilled to see Simons words on your book. How true and how timey for him to have made his post.
I hope others can get your book, cook a few recipes, and chat actively with you whilst you are on this forum as a guest.
And lucky are the three that shall win your book. They are in for a treat.
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I do the same. One way I reheat chappatis (once cooked) is to wrap them in a paper napkin, spirnkle some water on them and then heat in the microwave. They stay pretty soft. It is hard to keep them fresh for a long time though. I am so impressed that your chappatis worked out, my husbad swears that I stillcannot roll a round chappati.. they look like maps of the world!!
10 minutes of patience and practice. Maybe 20 at the most. But so many people, give up after the first 3 that do not come out round.
It is actually very easy to roll them out perfectly each time.
Maybe someday, when Steve Klc does his pastry video, I will do a video on chapati making. I was 6 when I made my first round chapati.
Hummus: Additives, Techniques, Recipes
in Middle East & Africa: Cooking & Baking
Posted
Thanks for the recipe.
So do you add this to the chickpeas and then blend in a blender to make Hummus?