Suvir Saran

Wow! You sound luck a lucky man. Grandma in Lebanon sending you goodies to the US. WOW! No such luck for me. I just enjoy what they have back home..and make my own here.. Every now and then my mom comes with pickles... And I am grateful. Your grandma sounds amazing. Thanks for sharing this with us. I am most fascinated by your grandma having used a washing machine to churn cream or butter. How brilliant!

It is curious that this thread started so long ago about foods of Bombay somehow got deeply involved in Indian Chinese. And the Indian-Chinese food thread we just had recently, has a lot of Bombay food information:shock:

How lucky you are. In all my life, I have never eaten Golas. My siblings would go against my parents advice and sneak away to enjoy them. I was always a good kid, and never ate any. I have seen Vimto like concentrate at the Gola vendor stands, but never knew they sold it as such. At Gymkhana Club, they would have bottled Vimto that members paying for usage of the Soda Fountain could avail of to take home. When we had parties at home, the only time we were allowed to drinks sodas, I would smile in a particular way that my mother knew she had to come back home with all my favorite sodas (Vimto, Gingerale, Ice Cream Soda, Lemon Cream, Cherry, Orange Cream and Limeade). For the others she would ask them to send crates of Club Cola (Gymkhana Clubs own version of Coke), Club Orange and Club Soda. Those were the days.... Sadly enough, several years ago, the Club decided to close the soda fountain and replaced it with a Club Store. The new generation of Club Kids (Kids of members and their kids) had not affinity to these old Sodas. They wanted Coke and Pepsi. I cried when I was taking a friend into the Club, and after reaching the spot, where I spent several long 2- minutes watching the bottles get washed, filled with concetrate, filled with Soda and get bottled, I saw a retail outlet. It was a tradition I remember so vividly. The chore of getting sodas from the Club for parties. All the fountain-wallas knew us kids. They knew from the number of empty crates we brought with us as to what the order would be. And some of the fountain wallas were the same ones who had gone through this same chore with my mother as a kid. And now, it is all Coke and Pepsi, and no such memories for those of my nephews generation.

How true. And of course if you are near Kailash Parbat, then you are in Colaba Causeway. Go North towards Regal Cinema and you can try and look for Bare Mia (it used to be a street stall and now it has gotten all fancy). Excellent kababs. Gokul is a bar where you can get some great pomfret fry and also excellent saag aloo. This is opposite Bare Mia in the lane parallel to the Colaba Causeway and also parallel to the lane behind the Taj. There used to be Frankie stall opposite the Regal Cinemas. If you like Frankies, you may want to stop by there. The best Bhel Puri is sold by the vendor that comes to "C" Road on Marine drive between the hours of 3 and 5 PM. He stands off Marine Drive and into "C" Road. Most amazing Bhel. He is in his 60s now. And is a favorite of all the kids that live in hostels in the hood. The best Sev Puri can be eaten at the stall of the vendor that stands on "B" Road at the same hours. He uses amazing garlic chutney for the sev puri. We would buy him out 20 minutes after finding him. I did not see him there this last trip, but one of the building security guards said he was still selling his Sev Puri.

Kala Khatta is available in packages that can be made into this drink. Used to be a favorite of mine as a child between the ages of 11-13. I loved that. When I had it recently, I found it terrible. Vimto was a leftover of the British Raj. It was mostly made in Soda Fountains in Clubs of the Sahibs. You can find concentrate but not easily. Mostly sold bottled as a soda. One can find it in Brooklyn in the Middle Eastern groceries near Sahadi on Atlantic Avenue. I always come back home with several 6-Packs.

Ajay you write so well. I have in my PM box only one mail saved. And it is what you had sent me many months back. About your youth and experiences. Parsee Samosas are different in that the pastry is made with eggs and fries into a greasier pastry. Also the filling has onions in it. Slight variation but makes a great difference. Mahesh Fish House was near Kala Ghoda.. I can walk there from Colaba where I lived... But seem to be blanking on the name of that area. It is famous... so when you are in Bombay, most anyone can take you there. Eating meats in India is just fine. IN fact I would be more worried about eating salads and greens that are not cooked. I only drink bottled water or sodas (without ice of course). And I love Limca and Vimto.

Wow! Thanks Foodman. Where does grandma live? You know, I think the samen I have tasted in Morocco, and also in NYC, has perhaps been rancid because it turned so. And the chefs sharing it with me did not want to admit so. No wonder I thought it smelled like rancid butter or ghee. Do you get some of your grandmas home made samen? What dishes do you use it in?

Biryaani with tomatoes is the more common recipe. In fact most common is just a braised chicken layered with rice. I shall write more once I read the recipe.

Foodman, CathyL made the chutney using whatever was available locally. And she has made her best batch yet. Just get the best tomatoes you can find. Organic is great. Puree them and follow the recipe. It is a fool proof recipe. And will give you and yours great joy. And post on t his thread any question you might have. We now have many Tomato Chutney experts (Queen of Tomato Chutney is CathyL), who would be willing to answer your questions. It is really easy and very tasty.

In Indian cooking we often use the word hot for stuff that will produce heat within the body. Certain ingredients have the capability of heating the body after they have been eaten. They do not have to have heat (as that we are used to getting from chiles) we ascribe to spices.

We were at dinner at Ed Schoenfelds last night. And we had pictures of Opera on the computer, the review on Metromix that will be in the paper Friday, and Jerry Kleiner the owner/designer and spirit and also Ed (consultant) all with us. Opera looks sensational. You must visit the private rooms. And report on what you think they could be used for. They are quite in demand I am told. And people are in love with Opera. I have yet to see a restaurant in NYC that has such amazing design elements. Jerry is a genius when it comes to creating stuff, too bad he is not doing any project in NYC... He always wants to... maybe soon he will. If you all can think of a date.. and if it works with my schedule, I would love to fly in. Flights are inexpensive.. and Chicago is one of my favorite cities.

Kailash Parbat! Spent so many nights eating there as a student... who ate out each night... It was cheap and good. Their Falooda is very good. Samosas and Cholas, eat in Delhi. Bombay sucks for good execution of either. Parsee Samosas are great in Bombay. I know when I studied at JJ School of Art, the cafeteria in the Fine Arts School had great Parsee Samosas. Worth the trip. Also the cafeteria made great Ussal Pav and Ragda.

Mahesh is good. Then there is also Trishna and Sheetal for sea food. Try each. And keep notes for us and post upon your return. For Parsee food try CCI Club and also Ratan Tata Institute. If you have friends and family that have Parsee friends, try and get yourself invited for a meal. A wonderful experience. A Sunday meal can be most amazing. Go to Khyber if only to see it. Go to the Thai restaurant at the President Hotel in Cuffe Parade. It used to be amazing. I am sure it still is at least to experience some amazing stuff in its setting and also to watch the carving of vegetables and fruit. Go to Bachelors Ice Cream stand on Marine Drive just after the Maidan. Great Idlis with chutney and some amazing fresh fruit ice creams. Haji Ali Juice wala for strawberry and cream and freshly squeezed juice. Sardars in Tardeo for Pav Bhaji. The best you will get in Bombay. Best Bus Station (the big Depot) in Colaba Causeway, late at night or rather early hours of the morning... (between 4-6 AM), you can see a Vada Pav vendor that sells the best Vada Pav in all of Bombay. He serves the drivers as they come for their early morning shift. You can request extra chutney if you like spicy. And I shall add more as I remember them... Too many fun experiences in Bombay.. I love that city.

And I promise to be waiting anxiously. And if possible, take pictures.. and please post them. This is fascinating.... Thanks for sharing the population statistics. I knew there were a lot of people from the Sub Continent, and your statistics has made it crystal clear.

Ed and I have eaten some Indian Chinese in NYC. It just happens to be that one of my friends who works in an Indian restaurant in NYC, also happens to be one of the best chefs making Indian Chinese in NYC. SO when we have parties within the Indian restaurant world community, he is called upon to make these dishes... Ed and I recently were at a tasting done for us, at a restaurant. The chef had prepared the Vegetable Manchurian that your family enjoyed and I could see Ed very happy as he ate it. It also happens to be a favorite of my families. Same for the Manchurian cauliflower. As for China Garden, it is one of my favorite restaurants in India. It is still very good. I have enjoyed some amazing meals at Lings Pavillion in Colaba, behind the Taj. I am proud of our friends that own Khyber. It is amazing to see how even after a bad fire... they lost no hope and only made themsevles better. It is one of the prettiest restaurants in the world. I like their food, but it is their service, interiors and MOST AMAZING art collection that impress me and humble me. Anil, I too am waiting to hear more from you. I have only lived in Bombay for 3 years. And the last time I lived there was 10 years ago. I do visit Bombay and spend several days there when I am in India. I would have it no other way.

Jaymes I am with you in the small deck part. And still, like you, we manage to get a lot out of it... and pretty much all you say... In fact we do guerilla gardening in our buildings rooftop, and in the peak of the summer, take the Tomato planters to the rooftop, where they bask all day in sun.. and give us great tomatoes. Same thing with strawberries, in fact we have some in the bedroom now (plants make up 3/4 of the bedroom in the winter. Close to a 100 potted plants have to come in. They cannot stay out in the winter). The mint comes out each year.. on its own. Most of the herbs survive. We plant basil seeds before the winter has ended and let them mature enough for getting ready for plantation over the refrigerator. We do the same with most other seeds. We sow them while it is still cold outside, but getting ready for Spring. This gives us a jump start and also ensures we have the pleasure one gets from planting from seeds. Several of the chile plants winter inside and go out in Spring. These give us a few chiles through the winter and again start bursting with chiles once outside. The passion flower plants winter in.. and each year bear fruit during the summer... We also grow several tropical fruits and some warmer weather fruit trees that need to come in, but stay out all summer. We only add vegetables (raw only), egg shells, coffee and tea into the compost. It is a wooden container that has some dirt, but mostly compost. We water it whenever we water outside, every day in the peak of the summer.. every other day rest of the time. And yes we turn it over several times a month. And have been known to add a little dirt every now and then. No citrus waste goes into the compost. I have never added meats or cooked foods into the compost. We live in a city that is famous for rodent problems, and we would hate to inflict ourselves with that. We have a brick wall facing our deck that protects us from getting much sun, we have used that as a way to grow vines. We have morning glories, moon flowers, scarlet runner beans, sweet peas, climbing hydrangea, salvias, coleus's, spring flowering bulbs, akebia, clematis and of course Ivy that has been covering the wall for decades. But this last year we had a volunteer squash vine that came up... through a seed in the compost. It found its way into the ivy and had lots of squash. We have planted a grape vine this year.. It seems to have done well through the summer and fall, lets see how it fares in the spring. It is our hope that we can stuff our own grape leaves instead of having to buy them brined or bottled. The grape vine is in the same container as our Forsythia bush. And yes the birds seem to enjoy it more than us and the neighbors. It is a HUGE chore to keep them away from eating away the buds all winter long. What survives gives us great color as Spring shows its way into our city life. Different salad greens are planted as base covering for many of the larger potted plants. They are quick and easy to grow and take care of. Basil and Mint serve the same purpose. Many a summer day and night, when alone at home, we will eat fresh mozzarella with basil and tomatoes... and we are in heaven. Kale and Swiss Chard are planted for the color they add to the deck towards the latter part of summer and early fall. We used to grow nasturtiums and pansies, but had to plant them in the one window that had a lot of sun, but now we have made that our window for a very small herb garden (if you can imagine a garden in a window sill ). It is a garden in that it has most any herb one can think of. We have had potatoes and carrots come out on their own... and it is fun to see them come out as volunteers... It adds to the fun of having even the smallest of gardens while living in a city. I envy all those that have real gardens and lots of sun. How wonderful a treat it is. Also, I used to garden a lot in India. In fact after food and singing, it was my favorite other past time. But now, I tend to take the backseat as Chuck does active gardening. But it is enjoyment for all of us (friends and family and also neighbors). PS: Our curry plant enjoyed this last summer. IN fact this year for the first time it had fruit. Purple berries like I was used to seeing on it in India. They were very pretty.... .ANd now we are drying the seeds for planting in spring.

Toby, you have already named some of the more famous and popular dishes. Thank you.

Toby, Thanks for alerting me to your comment on Copeland Marks. I realize you had written that he PREFERS the more straightforward recipes. It makes it easier for me... for I always thought Copeland Marks would have done his homework. So, in either case, the post above can remain, for I share the experiences I have had with Chinese in India. And these people do not seem to worry about Copeland Marks or my preference. They are enjoying what has been created by their ancestors after moving to India. They only improvise each day what was shared by their elders. And that could be true for people from most any ethnic group. If Madhur and I were just merely writing about Indian food from 3000 years ago, we would have nothing to write by now. But we each bring our unique take on that cuisine and also share our familial and cultural uniqueness in that context. Indian-Chinese is very different from Chinese cooking. It is also very different from Indian cooking. But it is wonderful and perhaps older than many countries cuisines and certainly rich in history and a sense of belonging and purpose. You have to meet these people, understand their lives, their heritage and why they choose to live in India, and then, it all falls into place.

Nothing is improper if done in a circumspect manner. You should do what would make you more comfortable and better company to have at a dining table. In India, we would tie up the whole spices into a muslin bag and then fry them in the oil. Of course you then fry them a little longer. At the end of the cooking time, and before serving, you discard the bag. I always tell our friends to remove as they eat. It is difficult for a novice diner, but after a meal or two, even the novice can chat, eat and joke at the same time. It becomes second nature. Like typing, a trained eye would not have to look at the hands... The fork will pick the whole spices for you.. and you can discard them to the side of the plate without even having to look for them. Was there anything different or new in your experience with this Korma? Have you had Kormas before? Did you make the Biryani as well?

Bravo!! (I must thank 201 for the above image. It would be bad etiquette to not do so.)

Suvir - you eat the comb. Crunch, crunch. Even in the USA they must sell jars of honey with a piece of comb inside? More tradionally, after extracting the honey you could render down the wax of the comb and use it to make more bases for bees to biuld their conb upon or make it into caddles and such. That is what I have done... eat it crunch, crunch. Wondered if there was more ceremony to the enjoyment of comb. Yes, we do find jars of honey with the comb in. Thanks for all your Honey information. Enlightening for me.

Thanks for the link Rachel. Could be perfect timing. Malawry is looking for something a little sticky. Jaymes was saying the ball shaped stuff could be sticky. I saw the photograph to the above link... and definitely was ball shaped. But it had rice in it too. But Malawry, it is worth your time to check it out. Who knows.. could be what you are looking for...

When are we doing this? And are we still doing Heritage of India??

Thanks for sharing that. Very touching.

I would want to go with you to Udipi. I am always happier eating Dosa and Southern Indian snacks when I eat Indian food outside. Saves me the hassle of making them at home. And I find them if done right, better prepared than Northern Indian food when it is prepared with care. Northern Indian food can be very complex (actually Southern Indian food is not any less complext, it helps that chefs preparing it are usually from the South, and have a very minimal understanding of their cuisine, even if they have never cooked before) and is not always prepared by those that grew up eating it. And thanks for being so very kind about opening your home to me. I wish Steve (and Chefette) would make the same offer. I would be happiest in their home.. for I could wake up at night and raid the refrigerator and pantry and nibble on sweet treats. But they are smart.. and know about me through my reputation.. Thus, he has abstained from showing any such kindness. This sounds like a fun plan... I would love to come to DC and go to dinner.. taste several desserts.. and maybe have a Udipi brunch and then come back home to NYC.