PCircles

I gotta say I am a late converter to Costco, but now I love it. I go to one in Northern Virginia. THe checkout people are really helpful - they even bag your stuff for you. And they are always in a good mood. Reasons I love it: 1. Great salmon 2. Great asparagus 3. Fabulous strawberries, grapes and cherries 4. I love their seafood road show events 5. The prices are 33% less than Sutton Place for exactly the same stuff (I sometimes call SP from Costco to compare prices) FYI - I read a study a few years ago that said the average person eats the equivalent of one meal just by accepting the free samples in one trip to Costco. So, I never taste test anything.

When I go to India I have a very bad time of it because of hygiene problems. Anyway, all that has stopped since HaldiRam opened up their chat stores. Now, I eat amazing chat without being on bed rest for the next 2 days! So, HaldiRam has my vote for sensitive tummies and adveturous palates!

We are going to check out Cantina Marina this Friday. Has anyone been there, yet? Recommendations on what we should try/avoid?

Do you know of a dish called aloo dum? Not sure if this is the real name - my mom used to make it for parties when I was a kid. Well, along with the aloo, you can add bard-boiled eggs. The spices soak into the eggs and make them just fabulous!

I often make saag paneer (I call it palak paneer) for Holi and Diwali parties. Since I cook for about 35-40 people all by myslef, I have come up with a recipe that is very low-maintanence and is simply divine. Well, it gets polished off everytime! Ingredients: 4 or 5 lbs of fresh well-washed spinach 1 packet paneer from the local Indian store 1 tsp jeera (cumin seeds) 2 or 3 tsps Red chilli powder 3 or 4 tsps Garam Masala 1 big Onion (I am punjabi, so I can never have too much onion!) 1 or 2 cups (depending on your taste) of crushed tomato 2 tbsps ghee 1 handful of any daal - I normally use washed masur daal (this is totally optional) Procedure 1. Put the ghee in a large pan 2. When the ghee is hot, add the jeera 3. Once the jeera is splutter fried, add the onions and cook for about 5 minutes, until they are translucent. 4. Add the spcies and make sure they look cooked (they get darker) 5. Add crushed tomato and cook until the tomato has heated. 6. Start putting the fresh spinach in until it has wilted. Cook it until it has just wilted and then take it off the gas. 7. Once it has cooled a little, puree it in the blender - make sure it is a consistent paste. Yyou should not see any of the individual ingredients in it at all. 8. After blending, return to the gas and simmer for as long as you can. I simmer from anywhere between 30 minutes (great) to almost 1.5 hours (fabulous!). Better yet, make it one or two days before your party and let it sit in the fridge after you have finished cooking it. Once it sits for a few hours even, the spices and flavors blend to creat an unbelievebly complex yet light flavor! For the paneer, just cut up the package paneer in nice chunks and drop it in the hot saag. The paneer wil cook a little, but will become very soft as the saag heats it. Easy, right?

I recently learned how to make sambar and south India aloo from my mother in-law (who is Punjabi, but makes amazing dosas!). Anyway, it is hard to get curry patta in Northern Virignia. So, my mother-in-law told me that when I do find some, I should wash, dry and freeze it immediately. So, now I have curry patta whenever I need it. Thought I would share this great hint!

When I was a teen, we went back to India. When we got colds or fevers, etc. my Nani would make us tea with tulsi leaves in it. Herself, she always grabbed a couple of leaves of the tree before her morning walk and ate them as she walked. Tulsi is a sacred Indian plant for a reason. It has amazing medicinal qualities.

That's for that review. I will take a group there this Friday. Will give a detailed report when we get back :)

Spicy cashews from an Indian store - the cashews are sweet and the spices are tangy - sour, spicy and hot. You can make these so easilly at home. 1. Get a great big jar of cashews from Costco. 2. At home, heat a karhai (Indian version fo the wok). 3. Put a couple of sppons of ghee (clarified butter) in the karhai. 4. When the ghee is a little hot, but not smoking, throw in some garam masala, black pepper and red cilli powder. 5. When the spices have just cooked (they kinda rise to the surface of the ghee and almost foam), put the cahshews in and start mixing them in the masala. 6. Sprinkle salt on top, lower the heat to medium and stir the cashews until they are nicely coated and are hot to touch. 7. Some of cashews will get a bit charred in the process, but that just makes them oh-so-much-better. 8. When they are nicely done, take them out and put them in one layer on a cookies sheet. 9. Cool them thoroughly before you put them back in the jar. Quite frankly, if they are not crunchy and tastey enough for you, just throw them back in the wok and fix them. This is super easy and such a crowd pleaser - they are so good with sweetish drinks like cosmos :)

I loved your article! My culinary pals don't believe me when I tell them there is no such thing as curry powder. They always tell me that McCormisks makes curry powder, so it has to be an Indian spice :( One thing I find very easy to do in my condo is grow fresh coriander. You can get the plants at most any nursery and it grows fast and well in a container. Whenever I am ready to put a dish ont he table, I go to the balcony, snip some coriander, tear it up roughly and sprinkle it on top as a garnish. The fresh coriander is always a great contrast to the spicy dish!

Thanks for all the suggestions. Al, I look forward to seeing you in the Perfect Circles :)

We are going to MatchBox on the 19th - all these reviews make me wish we were going sooner!

Does anyone know how to find out about restaurant openings? I look at Digital City, but I was wondering if there is another way of finding out? Thanks!