BBhasin

Have used green raw papaya as a stuffing for pararathas. peel grate andSeason in the usual way. tastes in between a cauliflower and radish paratha. When I lived in Delhi we had some papaya trees?? in our backyard and sometimes the thanks to birds etc. the raw fruit would fall. we did not know know what to do with it until our maid made parathas for us. They were pretty good.

Indian restaurants usually roast their papad in the tandoor. A bit of the papad is moistened and this wet part of the papad is pressed against the lip of the tandoor so it hangs above the hot charcoals and gets done in 10 to 15 secs. The cook then pulls it out. For the next FEW secconds, while the papad is still hot it is quite pliable, can be shaped and will hold that shape when it cools and gets firm and brittle. The cook simply pats it flat on on any hard surface and stacks them. While still hot and pliable, you can fold a papad into half, roll it like a flutas or even press it between two bowls to shape it like a bowl for serving a small salad etc. I am sure you can do the same after microwaving or stove-top broiling. Just get to it before it cools!

I try not to say anything nergative about another operation but you are so right Al-Dente. I worked at Il Porto for a couple of years and always wondered what people were paying so much money for. My daughter who was five then would not eat their pasta with marinara or meat sauce. That said the place still did tremendous volume, if they did not do 500-600 dinners on a summer weekend night, they would be dissapointed. AND they DID have a pretty strong group of regulars! The kitchen was 100% Hispanic and it was owned by an Indian(ex chef) and an Afghan( ex Bartender), they bought it from Mr Ray who also operated the Fish Market etc. The place attracted a wide variety of employees in transit between jobs careers etc, I enjoyed working there and wish Il Porto well.

Charcoal is traditionally used as fuel in tandoors. Even though in modern times natural gas and electric tandoors are also available and most cities in the US are mandating only gas tandoors in restaurants ( steel and cement tandoors are also available). In the US I have found ' natural lump charcoal' to be the best. And just like a regular charcoal grill you need to burn off the ' raw' fumes before you start grilling or shall we say ' tandooring' ? Sorry for the muddled up post but you get the drift

Thank you Monica, our ambassador of Indian cuisine, for putting all this together and thank you Chef Sudhir for flawless execution. I had a wonderful evening down memory lanes of India's street food vendors. Please also convey my thanks to your staff who did a wonderful job. Looking forward to episode two, are you ready, monica?? Best Bhasin

Is that you + 2 or three in all? Its BBhasin plus two for a total of three. Looking forward to meeting everyone.

Monica, Can you please make it three. Thanks

Monica, I am am trying to wriggle out of a prior commitment as I would love to be there. Can you post the selections for the evening please. Scroll up on this page sorry, I must be loosing it. Forget the engagement, put me down one sure possible two Best

Monica, I am am trying to wriggle out of a prior commitment as I would love to be there. Can you post the selections for the evening please.

Exciting! I checked out the web site but couldn't find the "Guest List" form mentioned. Instead, could you keep us posted? Will do jenny.

You are smack in the middle of two Indian places I have an interest in Bombay Curry Company on Mount Vernon Avenue in Alexandria and Delhi Club opposite Clarandon Metro in Arlington ( slated to open 20th this month)

perhaps sacre_bleu was served some kind of a paneer tikka, maybe done on a tawa.

Bravo, IndiaChef, you describe it very well!

I was visiting friends in Haridwar a holy city in the North so pure that no meat is allowed in the city bounds. At dinner I quizzed my host about the fish on the table to which he replied that it was ' ganga fal' ( friut of the ganges. Also in delhi during the days when alcohol could not be served in restaurants, we would go to chinese restaurants and ask for 'cold tea'. They would pour beer into a teapot and we would sip it in those little cups for jasmine tea and the bill would have some very expensive cold tea on it.

I recall a mention on an earlier thread that the MTR brand mix had produced great results. I have been meaning to try it. Perhaps you can and let me also know how it turned out.

Jason, A one ounce tin of spanish saffron usually retails for 20 to 22 bucks at most Indian stores. We pay $ 17 to 18 an ounce wholesale at House of spices in the DC metro area ( they only sell wholesale to restaurants & retilers)

The young lady from Nepal who works for us tells me that there are diffrent kinds of momo sauce tomato based, with sesame seeds etc. etc. I will quizz her more and see what we can learn.

Yes, if you translate literally, "Kalo" = "black" and "Jeere"="cumin". But, strangely, Kalojeere is not black cumin, but is Kalonji aka Nigella Seeds (also called Onion Seeds). Use of black cumin is not prevalent in traditional Bengali cooking... http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showto...=0entry527832 thank you

Ifyou like Indian go to passage to India and ask for chef Sudhir to fix you something.

Bong, My bengali is extremely rusty but I would think 'Kaloo-Jeere' to be back cumin seeds.

Jeera Aloo ( probably the simplest recipe) Heat some oil in a Kadai ( heavy Wok) add a tablespoon of cumin seeds when they are a little brown and the cumin aroma comes through add diced potatoes. Potatoes( boiled through, yet firm, peeted and cubed 3/4 -1 inch. Mix . Reduce flame to med and let the potatoes brown a bit. Mix occassionally and gently. Agressiveness will mash the potato and you will lose some of the 'kadak' (crispness) when you feel you have obtained the degree of caramalization that YOU like, add salt and cayenne to your taste mix and cook another couple of minutes patience is the secret ingedient in this dish.

Not true, true and true. However, in almost all punjabi weddings I have attended there has been a wedding cake. We punjabi's tend to be showoffs and 'gotta have everything' for the wedding so the cake is almost always there. While there are numerous facets to a punjabi wedding they can be broken down ( perhaps not the best selection of words) into two major events. The actual wedding ceremony, which takes place at the bride's place, usually at night where the Barat ( groom's patry) is treated to a dinner ( wedding feast) after which close friends and family stay for the actual cermony which can last for a while into the wee hours. The other is the 'Reception' given by the groom's family at their place. This is usually an evening event like a ' high tea' where the the bride and groom ( now Mr & Mrs) are displayed / shown off /interduced to be congratulated or blessed. It ishere at the reception that the wedding cake has become an integral part. Things change with times and people go for what is currently hot and in vogue and their budget but the above is a general picture in relation to a wedding cake and a punjabi wedding.

i attended a south indian cooking class by julie sahni and she served her curries with an asian rice, prefering it over basmati as she felt it kind of sopped up the sauces better.

Speaking of Trader Joe's. They have a Masalla Simmer Sauce which is quite good. Their Vindaloo however is another story. Small dices of chicken with assorted vegetables in a most un-vindalloo like sauce over a bed of rice. Now this in my opinion confuses the consumer as he steps into my little place orders the vindaloo( just an example) and thinks that he did not get the right thing because he has already formed an opinion with the stuff from trader joe's. What do you think of this Prema and how do we counter it?

Boiled potatoes red chilli powder and salt is perhaps the most basic filling for a samosa. then come variations with peas,nuts, different spices, we do ours with mango powder, caramalized onions etc. what are the different fillings you are familiar with