Suvir Saran

Are you saying you are flying me for sure? Yippie! Thanks for looking out for me. When are you booking the ticket for? Like Ballast... you say the date.. and I am game......

I dont know how to fly and am not properly licensed... I was not implying you charter a lear jet and be the pilot. I would be happy seeing you save money and fly my plain ole business class on United. Will save you muco money... and we can use that to go eat desserts after CT in several other restaurants... Let me know when you are sending the ticket.. and let Ballast know as well.. We will show up.. all ready to get converted... to the CT sect of religion.

Uh oh, except for one person. I heard through the grapevine that Charlie Trotter is personally searching for Mr Regime to settle things man to man. Could get ugly.... Alll kidding aside - I'll treat you to Trotters when you're in town next and we'll have our debate live during dinner, hows that? And will you fly me from NYC to be the impartial judge? How is that for being generous? I shall make sure I do not take any catering assignment that night.

You seem to be doing fine. Maybe your being treated differently is the very reason you are a whiff of fresh air.... It would be far less magical if you had the same experiences as everyone else... What would we do? Enjoy being treated as you are now.. for very soon.. you shall be treated differently.. and then, who knows.. you may miss this... and again, you may not.. But let that all be a surprise. But keep posting.. You wrote beautifully here... And I thank you for being generous with your sharing of your experiences. I am sure many others think the same.. and wish you well.

Are you using a recipe??? Pay attention to my questions young man. What does the recipe say? I used to form mounds using a pastry bag... But if you are freezing it... I am not sure how hard you have gotten the chocolate. It should be firm and yet pliable. Forim into mounds... let the mounds chill for 15 minutes and then use cocoa to form the mounds into balls and then chill for another 15..and then dust with cocoa. confectioners sugar, nut flour, curry powder or whatever else you so desire. Seal tightly and refrigerate till ready to serve. Bring out of refrigerator and keep at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving.

That sounds fine. Are you doing this using a recipe? You have to make sure the chocolate is still pliable enough to form into balls. It cannot be too hard.

What country is it popular in? Thanks for this great post Sandra. I was not sure if Danal was still open. I used to go there years ago. With a girlfriend that was introduced to me by my counsellor at School Of Visual Arts. He had dated her once, and upon realizing I was Indian, he played Yenta and introduced us in the hope that I would marry her. Very quickly, in fact that first time we met, I took her to my apartment, the closet was bared and we have remained close friends ever since. She lived near Danal.... It was a restaurant we treated as the neighborhood reliable. I am glad you enjoyed a nice meal there. Gives me a big smile.

How do you intend to mold it young man?

"he recipe calls for them to be chilled for 3 hours i want to make sure they are firm enough to scoop them into balls " I have never frozen the ganache for that long. Maybe a half hour.. To ensure that it is cold enough to handle. Did you freeze the ganache in the shape of piped mounds? If so, I would not freeze it that long... just enough to make the mounds firm enough to handle.

Refrigerate in an air tight container. Bring them to room temperature for 30 minutes before you are ready to serve. They should then be at a good temperature to be enjoyed for their greatness.

Nah.. you do not need any sugar in the cocoa. Certainly not after you say you have added lots of sugar already.

Steak. I send a nice Curry Steak your way Jin! No thanks, Suvir. However I would love to have your fried okra and many other dishes. But the infamous curry "steak" shall ne'er be on my plate. I respect you for your honesty.

You can rub your hands in cocoa as you roll into balls. Let the ball rest for 15 minutes in the refrigerator. You can then dust the balls into more cocoa, confectioners sugar, curry powder, chopped nuts or whatever else meets your fancy.

When did you turn 14? LIAR!

May I please have a hug? You are too cheap. And I am expensive.

Steak. I send a nice Curry Steak your way Jin!

Your posts are terrific. We do not discriminate on eGullet. We do not care what your age is... or where you live or with whom.. all we care is that you share your food related experiences with us and often... I hope you will not deprive us of your posts. Keep posting..... I have felt I was in Chicago dining at Trotters. Thanks!

Awbrig, That was very special. I would be remiss in not acknowledging your very gracious post. Shows you are a fine person. Maybe we can all learn to be so generous, even if only a little late. I have enjoyed Ballast's posts. And am glad you can give him credit where it is due. In fact I wish after your post above, he will find it in him to feel encouraged to post more often. Also, you are not alone Awbrig in being blind to what can be failures in those we hold at such high esteem. Most of us cannot see flaws in those we respect that greatly. But you have not only seen your fault, but you have accepted it so beautifully in words. Many thanks! I am so happy we have eGullet. We know how to argue.. and we know how to be honest and kind. What more could one ask for.

Thank you, that's it. Delicious, and yes, so simple. You are most welcome. If you want a recipe here it is: Bhel Puri Recipe

Suvir, I did a quick search on the back threads for Jhal Muri, but all I saw was that it's a Bangladeshi street food that sounds vaguely similar to Bhel Puri. Are there any recipes for it around? How does it differ from Bhel Puri? Would I be able to get it at Dimple? No you cannot get it at Dimple or any restaurant that I know of. Do you work in NYC? If you would like to come with me for a Jhal Muri tasting and lesson it its making.. maybe tomorrow, you can meet me at Diwan.. The staff will be eating their last Iftar (meal of Ramadan) and I will ask them today to make some extra... or at least give you a lesson and small taste. Let me know via PM..and I can arrange that.

And how did the truffles come out?

Chefette had made caramel popcorn as part of the Cornucopia she did a demo on at the Javits Center. Her caramel popcorn was also not gooey or sticky.. but was certainly delciously crunchy and caramely. Maybe you can ask her for a recipe.. and being a trained chef, she can give you ideas about how to make it gooey and sticky. Also Cheffette's popcorn was golden in color. A beautiful color. Everything about the Cornucopia was great. And actually if memory serves me well, you may have been helping her at the demo.

Seems like what you ate was Bhel Puri. Or maybe even Jhal Muri. But the odds of getting a Jhal Muri are very slight. In fact almost impossible. Bhel Puri is Bombay street food. It is made with rice crispies, yellow colored chickpea flour noodles called Sev. Tomatoes or potatoes, onions and cilantro and green chilies and also tamarind chutney and mint chutney are mixed into the rice crispies. It is a favorite of mine. And becomes a favorite of many that I introduce this dish to. My friend Ed Schoenfelds son Eric has once buzzed me and come over for eating some Bhel. It is easy to make a perfect thing to toss up when you have unexpected visitors. You can buy Bhel Mix at most all Indian grocery stores. Also you can buy bottled chutneys. Remember to buy some Thin Sev (chickpea flour noodles) and garnish the bowl of Bhel with it. They give a nice delicate crunch to this great dish. We have several threads on the India board dealing with street food (chaat). I am sure you will find much relevant information in those.

Ed, I was waiting to buy your book. And did not think I would see a recipe in a Q&A. Thanks for being so generous. I will now be spoiled thanks to you and Rachel. In fact I shall cook the recipe. I am inspired. As a friend I am partial to you... but believe me, I am impressed beyond words by your generous sharing of information. Thanks! Your food is special for the same reason. Your generosity is what humbles even the most arrogant of people you bring to your home. I have seen some of our friends who could not be charmed by millions of dollars become innocent babies seated in your kitchen. I cannot wait to lay my hands on your book. And I hope you will share even after this Q&A on eGullet. What a treat that will be for our community. Now that you have teased us, I hope you will linger and post long after this Q&A.

I have baked it in a stainless frying pan. And actually it came out just fine. In fact recently I have had to make it several times minus a skilled but in a cake tin... The results have been perfect. I think the main thing about skillet cornbread is having the greased skillet hot in the oven. When you pour in the batter, the crust sets quickly and gets nice and crunchy. Exactly what the Grandmas have told me. And I use the same technique for the frying pan and the cake tin. Easy thing to follow and achieve similar results.