Suvir Saran

Lucky you!

Steve, The skewers used in a tandoor are unique to it as they have a longer length.

SQC is not too long a walk from Lincoln Center and serves some great food. If you want to go there... Let me know.. I would be glad to help you in any way I can... maybe have the chef prepare a tasting menu for you.. something that is not too time consuming but also showcases some of Scott Campbells ample talents. His Hot Chocolate, Tarte Tatin and Potato Louis are winners and incomprable in the restaurant world.

The Tandoor I had on my deck till only a few weeks back was a restaurant model. Made in India, it was an Oil drum that had clay inside. It was easier to travel with. It was used for parties I catered where clients paid for me to tote my tandoor. Unfortunately it was left uncovered 2 winters ago and had snow settle on it. It finally caved in a few weeks back and many 100 kilos of clay had to be thrown from my deck. A new one is ordered through a friend that owns a restaurant. It is on its way from India... I hope I can get it very soon. When I was in Delhi, our family had a Chulha (small clay stove) and my aunt (dads sister) had a Tandoor. Her husband was the Director General of Border Security Force (Military wing of the Indian government that patrolled the border between India and Pakistan and India and Bangladesh. Since they entertained a lot and some very large banquets, they had a large tandoor in their garden and also had a Mini golf course in their home in New Delhi. But it all was lost when my Uncle retired. But well, they enjoyed it for as long as it lasted.. and so did I. That particular tandoor was designed for their garden and was most beautifully apointed. Tiles from Rajasthan lined the outside and the surrounding landing that was used when the tandoor was being used for cooking. It was an outdoor model and actually was kept covered and had the most beautiful mosaic lid. It was common in India of yesteryears to have tandoors in homes. The rich had their own tandoors and each neighborhood had a few mcommunal tandoors in public areas at which women would come to chat and cook breads and meats for the meal that night. Today, gas stoves and ovens have replaced tandoors and restaurants fill the void created by the loss of tandoors in homes. I was lucky to see the very end of the Tandoor era in my own family. My grandmother (maternal) had devised something that she used instead of a tandoor over the stove. I shall ask my mother sometime to explain in more detail what it was. My granda is too sick for me to pose those questions to, or else I would have answers already. I am not sure if tandoors have made it into non-Indian kitchens yet. I am sure there are a few.. .But not any that I can remember. I know Cornell University has a tandoor in their Culinary schools kitchen. That was a big first step in the acceptance of Indian cooking in mainstream America. I am sure it is a first step towards a trend that will continue to grow.

I think he found it by searching an Indian Tandoor vendor on the internet.... And yes it was an outdoor Tandoor.

These are through Indian restaurant supply dealers. Ask around from the chefs and owners of restaurants in DC area.. I am sure they can find you a local person.

A Tandoor like those available in the US for Indian restaurants cost anywhere between $1200 - $1800 You can also get them shipped from India. I know a student of mine did it at NYU and it cost him no more than $500.

I think there is a place doing mail order. Maybe even Williams Sonoma. You may also want to do a search for Tandoor in the Indian forum.. we may have covered it already. You can also find a link to the tandoor discussion through the topic posted in the begining of this Indian forum. I shall be back tonight to answer in more detail. Have fun in the meantime. Monica, would you have any insight into this???

Given the laws of probability, I guess that with 40+ people each eating several courses we were bound to find at least one cooking error. I'm so sorry it was in your basil chicken though! Mine was about the juiciest piece of chicken I've EVER eaten and certainly one of my favorite dishes from the evening. Did you happen to ask the others at your table if their chicken was also dry? Now why don't I think of those things myself ? I have now asked two of my dining companions, and half a dozen others who were there, and I seem to be the only one who had the problem At least now I know what I have to order when I go back there --- chicken !!!! As you said, producing that quality of food for a party of 40 was indeed a remarkable achievement, and to get one individual plate wrong was inevitable. And sad that you did not tell me.... I would have made sure y ou got a fresh plate.... But when in NYC next... do let me know.. and I will make sure you get Hemants chicken recipes... a sampling of his Tandoori fare.. and you shall be pleasantly surprised and will forget this one time error.... But again, I think thanks go to you for taking time out from your limited schedule and joining us.... It was nice having you amongst us Yankees. I am sure you have gone back with many stories to share.

Sounds yummmmm! Sandra would you care to share a recipe?

i for one look foward to returning and being teated like a Maharanee. And you certainly will be. You have that look.

Call the restaurant.. ask to speak with Hemant.. or go there.. ask for him.. and tell him you were there for the eGullet dinner..a nd tell him we are fellow eGulleteers... I am sure you indeed will be treated as a Maharaanee.

201 you make a most pertinent point. In fact the Basil chicken is sensational at Diwan. And it is thus no surprise that Eric Asimove highlighted it as such in his review. We were celebrating a friends birthday at Diwan today and had several courses like the other night. Since we were only 7 people (mostly all super taster and avid foodies), the chef was able to control our meal quite closely. The meal was ethereal as noted by a couple... and sublime by others. The chicken dishes were considered by all to be the best restaurant chicken they have eaten.. and two of those present tonight are people that get paid to write and taste food. But cooking for 40 people is no easy task. In fact the quality we got was sensational for such a large number. I wanted the menu to be much simpler and smaller and less diverse, but the chef would have it no other way. He was confident and I felt he did deliver better than most could in his place. But mistakes are bound to happen. I feel badly that poor Macrosan (our guest from overseas) got the dry chicken or perhaps cold plate. Sorry! I asked everyone about their meal, people have written here and PM'd me.. .and the Basil chicken in fact was very well received and mostly for it being so very moist and tender. I wish I had known.. I would have made sure you got a fresh plate. In the menu as I had designed it, the venison was to come first... But the chef felt he would follow common protocol of ending with heavier cuts of meat. Is that not true? But I agree with so much food... It would have been better... But I wish you all had listened to my pleas at each individual table reminding you that this was a very lavish and generous tasting menu. It was designed to make you see the plates of food as every diner would be served. Sorry I dissapointed you in that sense. Will plan better next time. My sincere apologies. I am glad that you enjoyed the meal for its entirety Macrosan. I will let the chef know your comments. I am sure he will be honored with the very kind words you have shared here. Certainly they will not be taken lightly. Thanks for posting again. It is so nice reading from someone from the UK about an Indian restaurant in NYC... I was so happy that you took out time to join us. That was very kind of you.

Thanks for the recipe. You are far more generous than I.

The Paneer was made with regular milk. Whatever a restaurant would buy in bulk. Sorry to dissapoint anyone. And yes it is made as I describe on the website or the Paneer thread in the Indian forum. IN fact home made paneer is even better. SInce you can control the quality far more easily.

The recipes for the food are available through a meal at Diwan. Hemant Mathurs food needs no recipe. His foods one basic ingredient is his love and passion of food and his genius as a chef. If you really want to partake in his food, you owe it to yourself to try it at his restaurant.... That is the only recipe I could share for good Indian food. Truly, Hemant Mathur is a chef unlike any from India. His is a passion for food and perfection that is rarely if ever found in chefs. He cooks without an ego and without need for affirmation. He cooks as he would for himself and those he loves. Food is important to him and food becomes important through his hands and expertise. I will borrow the following quote from Eric Asimov's review in NY Times: "His sense of spicing is acute, a reminder that few cuisines can compete with Indian when it comes to creating complex waves of flavor out of ginger and garlic, cilantro and chilies, fresh curry leaves and black mustard seeds, cardamom and fenugreek. " What more could one say about a chef? Nada! Eric Asimov goes on to describe the brilliance Hemant Mathur brings to the diner by saying, "Mr. Mathur saves most of his fireworks for his tandoori dishes. Having had my share of dry, flavorless or plain old tandoori seafood dishes, I'm suspicious of the genre. But Diwan's tandoori halibut was a revelation of how a simple marinade of yogurt, ginger and spices, and careful cooking in the tandoor can make this bland fish lively and exciting." Dstone, if you ever find yourself in NYC, make a trip to Diwan and search for Hemant Mathur. Having eaten his food, you will not need recipes, you will only want a seat at a table at his restaurant for the best Tandoori foods of a lifetime. There are only a couple of other such talented Tandoori chefs. And Hemant is one of that very short list.

i'm not buying suvir's book because his recipe for curry steak has no, um, steak. And what might it suggest about my Indian food?

...and Suvir's help is far beyond what mere mortals might offer. An apple/cranberry chutney adventure is definitely in my future. Thanks, Suvir. Do you use cranberries with the quince version? Yes I sure use the cranberries with the Quinces. I have also used sour cherries and had great results as well. Depends on my mood really. And I am simply mortal. Nothing more or less. It is asking for failure to assume or infer I am anything but... You are too kind to all of us Cathy... I am always amazed at how encouraging you are. Thanks!

I know I know. Tarte Tatin for Suvir is one of the five things that are on my "I owe" list. It is number 3. Can I help you expedie Nos. 1 & 2?

I bake with this butter. Superb! Jaybee you still have to treat me with your Tarte Tatin... I am craving them....

Are you using old seeds? If you pound whole coriander seeds, there is a great citrus flavor... and when you have toasted them.. it is a little less pronounced. What recipes do you use them in?

All ingredients are easily available as Nina has mentioned. All the best with the recipe.... Call me .. you have the number or post here.. and I shall help you as much as I can.

Rachel very good questions. The chutney should be cooked till the apples are almost ready to get mushy... It is the point where the sugar is getting to become caramel like.... I wish I had this recipe written, so I could give you precise answers. The canning will not make the apples change their consistency. It is very slightly cooked by the process. Never an issue to worry about in my book.

Thanks!

I want to learn as well.