Pan

That's really interesting, PPPans. I called my mother to see if she shared my memory that the tamarind used in curries and so forth in Terengganu was always ripe. She does. And neither of us remember unripe tamarind being used there. On the other hand, the tamarind they were using was asam gelugor. This stub of a Malay-language Wikipedia article states that the scientific name for this tree is Garcinia Atroviridis, whereas asam jawa is Tamarindus Indica, the Indian tamarind and therefore the "real" tamarind. Makan time explains that asam gelugor is not actually tamarind, but is instead related to mangosteen. Yet everyone in Malaysia calls it "tamarind."

I just noticed that we don't have a "best tiramisu" thread yet in the New York forum. Perhaps we should start one. [Edit: Thread begun here.]

Could you translate it into English, or failing that, Malay?

I think that perhaps the best thing to do with cassava is to ferment it and make it into tapai, a traditional Malay sweet for Hari Raya (Eid).

I agree. How's the food? cru, have you actually tried their food?

Can you get yook hwe in Bergen County? Does the ordinance there apply to ground meat only?

Based on your description, mughlai paratha sounds great! I'll have to check on the location of Babu -- is that the restaurant near Houston St. that initially let patrons decide how much to pay for their meals?

John, enjoy your birthday dinner, and may you live to a healthy 120!

Perhaps Central Park ginkgos are the highest quality they can find? Shall we expect to see "Central Park ginkgo nuts" appearing in quotation marks on our menus from now on?

Cru, you don't believe in waiting a decent interval before trashing a restaurant in print? I don't mean you; I mean a newspaper critic (if he had in fact trashed the place, which I don't believe he did). But anyway, this is the Colors thread, not the Bruni thread. So for our benefit, please elaborate on what's wrong with the concept. Are you merely condemning the concept, or is it that the food is no good?

Yes, but also Israelis.

Daniel, what's the name of the place?

I really haven't tried enough places or tried them all recently enough to offer an opinion about which one is best, but I liked the very garlicky, light and airy felafel I had recently at Hoomoos Asli. Their shawarma was nothing to write home about, though. Hoomoos Asli is on the corner of Kenmare and Lafayette on the eastern periphery of SoHo. [Edit: I think the felafel was garlicky, but it occurs to me that I had it with very garlicky hummus, so it's hard for me to separate the tastes completely by memory. Anyway, the felafel had a lot of flavor.]

Murtabak have come up in several threads around the site, most recently this one, but until now, there had not been any thread dedicated solely to them. What is the history of murtabak? They are of Indian origin, I think? Which states of Malaysia are known to specialize in murtabak? Kelantan, Melaka if I remember correctly, and? Where are they most popular? Do you like murtabak? If so, what kind? I don't ever recall having had murtabak during my first visit to Malaysia, from 1975-77. I don't remember them ever being served in Kg. Merchang, Terengganu, and no-one told us to look out for them anywhere else we lived or travelled on that visit. In 2003, I had some in the Pasar Malam in Kota Bharu. I thought they were OK but found them overly oily, and they were tough on my stomach. Did I just go to the wrong place? Clearly, many people love murtabak, but the things that I really loved in the Pasar Malam were the Ayam Percik (a dish I had known and loved before) and some of the kueh. Can you convince me to give murtabak another chance someday?

Raquel, I think you should name the place, since you praise it so highly.

She died on Dec. 22, 2001. Here's the death notice in the New York Times.

No, San Francisco, Shanghai, Chicago if you hurry up, i'll meet you in shanghai later this year! if you were to open in shanghai, do you anticipate that you'll have to change your approach/technique/ingredients to tailor to the preferences of eastern palates? or, do you expect that your food, as it is now, is "international" enough to be a success abroad? on the flip side of that question, perhaps it could also be a question of whether you feel foreign palates are receptive to outside cuisines/approaches? u.e. ← Having never been to that part of the world I can’t really answer that question with confidence. But from what diners from Tokyo and Hong Kong have said, the cuisine of Alinea has several aesthetic and philosophical similarities of the food in these countries. Or at least similarities in social and gastronomic traditions. Certainly we embrace the sweet savory balance much like some the regions in China, and one can find several similarities to the experience that is offered in the Japanese Kaiseki meals.[...] ← So far, I've just been reading this thread with interest. I haven't been to Chicago since 1997 and have yet to try avant garde cuisine of the type you create (plus, I don't think I'd spend enough to try it). But I do have a suggestion in response to this: I think you have an assignment, should you choose to give it to yourself: To visit that part of the world and try some of the cuisine. Based on what I know about your cuisine from reading what you and others have to say and looking at photos, I feel very confident that you would be fascinated and inspired by aspects of East Asian cuisines. In particular, since you are planning to open a restaurant in Shanghai -- a very good move, as Shanghai is really the fastest-growing center of business and commerce in the world today -- you would undoubtedly benefit from seeking out Shanghainese cuisine, which is a great cuisine, indeed. Do you have to change your cuisine to appeal to the wealthy clientele of expats and some millionaire Chinese businessmen who are probably the likely audience for your restaurant (it seemed to me, from observing some comings and goings, that that was the clientele for Jean-George's restaurant in Shanghai)? I doubt it. I think that anything modern and cutting-edge has a very good chance of doing well in a city with a bizarre, futuristic skyline (which I like) that's being added to at an unbelievable pace. But will your cuisine change after you've tried Shanghainese food? Given how much you respond to the pleasurable elements you perceive in so much of the other food you've eaten, I believe so. And you'll have a wonderful time doing all that research!

You should be able to find tamarind paste in most Indian stores, so if there's one accessible to you, go there. I prefer to use the paste that comes in a plastic jar, which does not include seeds, only the paste. A small jar will probably last you for some time, as the paste is very concentrated, such that a teaspoon will often be plenty for flavoring your dish. If you get the paste in that form, it's a cinch to use it: Just measure it out with a spoon and insert it according to the recipe (it's good to cook it some, so as to mix the tamarind paste into the rest of the flavors, but I could imagine just slathering a bit of paste on without further cooking, if that's the taste you want). Tamarind is a wonderful flavor, best in fresh form off the tree, but still good in paste form. Many people who've had super-sweetened tamarind chutney in Indian restaurants as a condiment for their papadams or pooris don't realize that tamarind is a tart, acid flavor somewhat analogous to lemon (though different). When it is used well, the diner should be able to perceive the sourness of the tamarind flavor as part of the taste of the finished dish.

Murtabak is not exactly a staple throughout Malaysia, I don't think, certainly not near the way roti canai is. Murtabak are more popular in certain parts of the country, like Kelantan, than other parts. I don't remember ever having been served murtabak in Terengganu when I was living there in the 70s. Yes, it is Muslim cuisine, yet another Malay food that has origins in lands further west. Murtabak can also be filled with bananas and, if I remember correctly, coconut, if you want sweet versions. I searched for further information about murtabak in the Elsewhere in Asia/Pacific forum, but didn't find much. Perhaps it's time to start a thread on them.

You could be right about the relative health risks.

In one sense, this is a proper topic for a Diner's Journal, because the opening of this restaurant is a real event. In another sense, it's just too early to expect them to have ironed out the kinds of kinks Bruni mentions. But as for me, I so want this restaurant to succeed. I'm really rooting for the worker-owners, and I'll stop by soon to have a look at the menu and the place.

Kheer also has rose water in it, which I love. I think I prefer firni, which I haven't seen on a menu for some time. The first time I had firni was in a long-defunct restaurant called the Karachi Rice Shop, which included an actual visible layer of rose water on the top of the bowl. Here's a recipe for firni, with rather less rose water than the version I had back when. (Caveat: For reference only, as I haven't tried out this recipe.)

There is a problem, though, with oysters and other bivalves: They eat by filtering large quantities of water. Whatever impurities there are in the water get multiplied by a large factor in oysters and the like, and when we eat them, we are eating those impurities because we are eating their filters. So there could be a reason for people to limit their intake of bivalves unless they're really sure the ones they're consuming come from areas with very low levels of heavy metals and so forth in the water. I happen to find raw oysters disgusting, but I'd never tell people not to eat them. Jack, meatloaf can be excellent. I'll bet you would make a delicious meatloaf if you put your mind to it.

There's a sizeable Key Food at 4th and A, which isn't that far from that huge building between Chrystie and Bowery on Houston; isn't that where the Whole Foods will be? I think Whole Foods, even in New York, has a niche market. I know people (well, at least one person) who live(s) nowhere near Columbus Circle, yet go(es) to the Whole Foods there to shop. Why? That I couldn't say, though in that one person's case, it has something to do with going to a gym near there, I guess. Still, that's not the only thing: She thinks the store is great.

I have hydrogenated fats more than I'd like to, and I do agree that they are bad. I'm sure I eat some nitrates, and I thought that the idea that they were dangerous carcinogens, though current in the 70s, was debunked a long time ago. I usually am a light drinker, but do drink alcohol and recently spent a good deal of time drinking in bars with visiting friends. As noted above, moderate consumption of alcohol (rather more than I usually partake in) can be salutary. I do eat saturated fats, in the form of animal meat and attached fat more than anything else (I eat sauces with butter in them but do not put butter on my bread). I do eat skin on poultry, and full-fat cheese, yogurt, and ice cream when I feel like doing so. I do like to get "lite" ice cream when it's available. I seldom drink soda. I sometimes drink carbonated water at my parents' and otherwise practically never have soda except when ordering Cel-Ray with a pastrami sandwich at Katz's. I'm sure the author of that article would hate the pastrami I order, and I don't care. I don't have it that often, anyway. I do eat high-fat snacks, such as Pepperidge Farm cookies, which are also where I get most of my hydrogenated fats. I do, however, prefer the kosher dairy pastries at Moishe's, my local kosher bakery, which presumably are made with butter and don't contain any artificial ingredients. Anything else you want to know?