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"paanch misheli" literally means mixture of five things. In this particular case, the five things are the five different vegetables. Or six, or four , it doesnt have to be exact Anyway, for this "torkari", we (ahem, actually, my wife is the one who cooks this) do: * Heat oil * Heat little bit of jeere (cumin seeds) * Add some chopped up tomatoes, continue stirring for a while. * Create a pocket of oil in the middle of the pan and add tiny bit of turmeric powder, cumin powder, coriander powder. Heat for a few more seconds * Add coarsely chopped up different vegetables (typically -- cabbage, carrot, potatoes, eggplant, pumpkin. You can substitute anything you want, but make sure you have something starchy/sticky in it, eg pumpkin. Without the starch-i-ness the final dish will not appear right.) * Add salt to taste * Add a tiny bit of sugar * Add water if needed. The final consistency of this dish should be on the dry side. * Add green chiles, as much as you like * Cook until everything is cooked, about 10-15 minutes. * Can be garnished with chopped up coriander aka cilantro leaves. Can be had with rice or roti.

We do a "zucchini-posto". Same recipe as "Aloo-posto" (Poatoes with poppy seeds), but replace the potatoes with the zucchini. The texture turns out similar to "jinghe-posto" (ridged gourd with poppy seeds). Also use zuchhini in the Bengali style "paanch-misheli torkari" (mixed vegetables).

Hey, I am no VIP, was just a regular diner. Didnt mention eGullet even ( I never do).But I agree with you that VIPs at a restaurant are likely to have a "different" (good, for the most part, I hope) experience than your average diner like me. I also agree with you that in general I find negative reviews very helpful -- I also think it takes more effort on someone's part to post a negative review than to post a positive one. However, honestly, skepticalgourmet's post raised a redflag with me pretty much for the same reasons mentioned by pim -- this was his/her very first post, was sketchy on details, using a loaded username. It would have raised a flag if it was a positive review as well.

Melkor, were you also served the Vixen at Manresa?

I was recently served a glass of the Fox Creek Vixen Sparkling Shiraz from Mclaren Vale, Australia as the wine paired with the dessert course in our most recent dinner at Manresa Restaurant, Los Gatos, California. Before this, I had never had any kind of sparkling Shiraz. It was, surprisingly, very good. Anybody knows where I can buy this wine here in Northern California?

Gautam, I tried the canned tal-sansh and had the same reaction as you did. The canned stuff is evil. God, I havent had fresh tal-sansh in many many years.Out here in California, we are lucky enough to get fresh lychees (called "lichoo" in Bengali) in our local Chinese grocery during the summer. And fresh jackfruit (both green and ripe) too! I dont like ripe jackfruit ("kanthaal") that much, though. Well, bel was never a fruit I really liked.... but we did use to have "pora beler shorbot" (juice made from a the roasted pulp of bel). BTW, this just struck me now that you meant what we used to call "kawth"-bel. Sorry, I was an idiot and somehow read it as "kaath-bel" (is there even such a thing?). Yes, yes I do remember this kvath bel- we used to have an "achaar" made out of it, just like you describe.Yum.

Percy, thanks for the recipe and welcome to this forum. Being a complete Parsi-cuisine newbie, my question is -- is this traditionally supposed to be using lamb (as in sheep) meat or goat-meat?

Never had kath bel then. Or maybe I had, but I have forgotten. You really should consider doing a Q&A...

Is this the same thing as Taler bora? If so, then yes. Also one of my favorite fruits was "Tal sansh" (literally, heart of palm) -- is this from the same palmyra plant or different? Well, bel was never a fruit I really liked.... but we did use to have "pora beler shorbot" (juice made from a the roasted pulp of bel).

We have a curry plant thriving in SF Bay Area weather. I am sure you will not have any problems growing it in Southern California. Ours was a gift from a friend -- I think she bought it mail order.

Gautam-babu, you should really consider doing an eGullet Q&A one of these days... Really.

Edward, a moving post, and I am amazed at your dedication. Good luck to you! I hope your upcoming Dhaka trip is still as planned...

I found a recipe of Banh Mi bread, of all places, on CNN.com ! http://www.cnn.com/2000/FOOD/news/04/28/co...iews/bread.html Looks like there is some rice flour involved, which will make it crispier.

Have you checked these recent threads? Menlo Park thread: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=45335 San Jose eats (covers Mountain View): http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=45237 San Jose Vietnamese: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=48739 I will add Zucca Ristorante on Castro street in Mountain View to my list of recommendations. Surprisingly good food for a neighborhood restaurant.

Can't comment on the hype about Frog Hollow peaches. I usually buy my peaches (and nectarines) from my local (Sunnyvale, CA) farmers market -- I keep sampling from all the vendors, and buy from the one whose product is the tastiest -- more often than not, that vendor turns out to be Hamlow Ranch (based in Denair in the CA Central Valley). But this year, the peaches haven't been that great. They have been good, but not great as they were last here. Anybody knows why? The nectarines, on the other hand, have been really very good.

What did you think of the Vixen? This was the first time I ever had a "sparkling" Shiraz. Surprisingly, it was very good, and indeed went well with the desserts, especially with the Sorbets.

We managed to have dinner again at Manresa recently, and we had the Chef's tasting menu again. This time, my camera caught the same disease as Tana's, and all of the photos were out of focus, so no photos. But I did good with the wine names this time (thanks to the printed menu they gave us; the printed menu had mistakes, i.e. it did not match exactly the food served, but the wine names were all correct). Here are the dishes that were served: Amuses (Wine served was a Cava): #1: Some sort of croquettes made of sweet corn liquid center #2: Olive Madelines with Beet Gelee #3: Tomato Soup #4: The Egg #5: Citrus Salad with Jasmine Tea Gelee Courses (and the wine served with it) #1: Foie Gras and Cumin Caramel 2000 Chateau Grillon, Sauternes, Bordeaux, France #2 Dungeness Crab with Corn Puree and Tomato Gelee Corn and Tomato Salad 2001 Grand Perreau, Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon, Bordeaux, France #3 Chilled Crenshaw Melon Soup with Tofu: 2000 Navarro, Gewurtztraminer, Anderson Valley, Mendocino, California #4 Black Cod with Lobster Mushrooms and Green Onions 2000 Faiveley "Les Joncs", Montagny, Burgundy, France #5 Chicken Wing Confit (stuffed with Foie Gras) with Leek Soup 2000 Domaine Andre Vatan, Sancerre Rouge, Pinot Noir, Loire Valley, France #6 Roast Suckling Pig with Eggplant Puree and Boudin Noir 2000 Abadia Retuerta, "Rivola", Cabernet Sauvignon/Tempanillo, Sardon del Duero, Spain #7 Dry Aged Strip Loin with Spinach and sweet Garlic puree 2001 Benziger, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sonoma County, California Desserts: Wine served: NV Fox Creek, Vixen, Sparkling Shiraz, Mclaren Vale, Australia #1 Honey Twill Cones filled with Watermelon and Honey Dew Melon Sorbet #2 Forgot what it was #3 Plum Frappe with Yogurt #4 Chocolate Souffle with Almond Tofee and Butterscotch Ice Cream: #5 Petit fours -- chocolate and grape madelines My notes: * The sweet corn croquettes (Amuse #1) were outstanding. We (as instructed) popped them whole inside our mouths, and the soft center just melted in our mouths. * The Egg, as usual, was outstanding * The Foie Gras (Course #1) with cumin Caramel was outstanding. The wine pairing for this particular course was also superb. * So was the Black Cod (Course #4) . * All the other dishes very good. * The desserts were all very good, and the Chocolate souffle in particular was outstanding. The Plum frappe was refreshing as well, and it reminded me of a Lassi.

Yes, I (or rather, my wife) do the same thing. We buy these special-purpose spice mixes to be used with special purpose things as well, speciall when making "chaat"s.

I would have to disagree somewhat with Mongo. Most Indian recipes do not call for curry powder; instead they call for specific spices (e.g. "1 tsp of coriander powder", "1/2 tsp of turmeric powder" etc). If you want convenience, you are much better off buying preground individual spices from your local Indian grocery. These days, the quality of ground spices is pretty good; just make sure you buy in small quanties; Furthermore, the prices are also cheap. Even if you do want convenience, I can't imagine why someone would buy "curry powder". I have not seen any of my Indian friends that I know in the USA or in India buying curry powder. In the same vein, I do not see why someone would need a "home-grown" curry powder. Remember, "curry powder" is not a well defined thing -- different manufacturers put different things in their curry powders. As for myself, I buy pre-ground turmeric and red chilli powder; these spices are not that aromatic, and as such there really is no downside to buying these in powdered form. Cumin and coriander I buy in seed form, although you could buy them powdered and still not see any downside. However, the aromatic spices -- cinnamon, cardamon, cloves -- you would do yourself a favor by buying them whole and not in powdered form. In powdered form, they lose their potency real fast.

From San Francisco Chronicle Food Section, Aug 11: http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c...FDG20838DR1.DTL

I am California, where the weather is milder compared to may parts of USA, and our curry plant is growing like crazy. We dont really do anything to it, except for watering it every few days and it just keeps growing and growing! Now, if I could only say the same thing about my cilantro/coriander plant... I have gone through like five of them and they simply wont live for more than a month.

Mishti Doi (Sweetened Yogurt, Bengali Style) Serves 6 as Dessert. [ In Bengali, "Mishti" = "Sweet" and "Doi" = Yogurt ] This is a classic Bengali dessert, also known as "Lal Doi" (literraly, "red yogurt"). In Bengal, folks very rarely makes this at home, instead preferring to buy it from the neighborhood sweet shop, where it is served in these little containers made from unglazed clay. 1 qt Whole Milk 1/2 c Instant Non Fat Dry Milk Powder (NFDM), Optional 1 c Sugar 1 c Plain Yogurt (with "live" or "active" culture) 2 T Water 1 T Water, optionally to be added to caramel Place saucepan in medium low heat, mix milk and NFDM and bring the mixture to boil. (about 45 minutes). In the last 10 minutes, add half the sugar to the milk, and stir to mix. Reserve the other half of the sugar to make caramel. In the meanwhile, in another flat bottomed saucepan, mix the sugar with 2 tablespoon water and bring to boil. When boiling, stir the mixture slowly so the sugar dissolves into water. Continue on medium-high heat until the mixture turns light golden yellow in color. It has now started to form a caramel. Add in another 1 tablespoon of water, if needed, to thin the caramel a little bit. Make sure that the caramel does not turn dark in color. Stop cooking the caramel as soon as it has turned a light yellow color. Slowly stir in this caramel to the boiling milk mixture. Be careful, as the caramel is very hot. Continue boiling the milk for about 5 more minutes. Remove milk from heat, and cool to lukewarm (110 degree fahrenheit, 50 degree celcius). In a container, beat the yogurt and form into a paste. Add a bit of the warm milk to this, continue to beat it so the yogurt becomes like a thick liquid. Now pour this yogurt back into the warm milk and stir thoroughly to mix well. Place the milk in a warm place (Ideally, 120 degree fahrenheit or 55 degree celcius) for about 6-10 hours, until it has set. ( I turn my oven on at its warmest setting for 5 minutes, then turn it off. I then turn the pilot light on; I then place the milk inside this oven and leave it in there). Keywords: Dessert, Intermediate, Vegetarian, Indian, Snack ( RG1137 )

Mishti Doi (Sweetened Yogurt, Bengali Style) Serves 6 as Dessert. [ In Bengali, "Mishti" = "Sweet" and "Doi" = Yogurt ] This is a classic Bengali dessert, also known as "Lal Doi" (literraly, "red yogurt"). In Bengal, folks very rarely makes this at home, instead preferring to buy it from the neighborhood sweet shop, where it is served in these little containers made from unglazed clay. 1 qt Whole Milk 1/2 c Instant Non Fat Dry Milk Powder (NFDM), Optional 1 c Sugar 1 c Plain Yogurt (with "live" or "active" culture) 2 T Water 1 T Water, optionally to be added to caramel Place saucepan in medium low heat, mix milk and NFDM and bring the mixture to boil. (about 45 minutes). In the last 10 minutes, add half the sugar to the milk, and stir to mix. Reserve the other half of the sugar to make caramel. In the meanwhile, in another flat bottomed saucepan, mix the sugar with 2 tablespoon water and bring to boil. When boiling, stir the mixture slowly so the sugar dissolves into water. Continue on medium-high heat until the mixture turns light golden yellow in color. It has now started to form a caramel. Add in another 1 tablespoon of water, if needed, to thin the caramel a little bit. Make sure that the caramel does not turn dark in color. Stop cooking the caramel as soon as it has turned a light yellow color. Slowly stir in this caramel to the boiling milk mixture. Be careful, as the caramel is very hot. Continue boiling the milk for about 5 more minutes. Remove milk from heat, and cool to lukewarm (110 degree fahrenheit, 50 degree celcius). In a container, beat the yogurt and form into a paste. Add a bit of the warm milk to this, continue to beat it so the yogurt becomes like a thick liquid. Now pour this yogurt back into the warm milk and stir thoroughly to mix well. Place the milk in a warm place (Ideally, 120 degree fahrenheit or 55 degree celcius) for about 6-10 hours, until it has set. ( I turn my oven on at its warmest setting for 5 minutes, then turn it off. I then turn the pilot light on; I then place the milk inside this oven and leave it in there). Keywords: Dessert, Intermediate, Vegetarian, Indian, Snack ( RG1137 )

This sounds like a variation on the abominable use of 'East Indian' to decribe any kind of Indian food. I'm guessing that the thinking here is that the Indian food in this case is probably 'South Indian' because Pakistan is to the north of India, or something like that. Little shudders are going through my spine at seeing naan described as South Indian. Obviously, however many South Indian restaurants now exist in the US, there still aren't enough. To be fair, the San Francisco Chronicle article (that Gary linked to) is not about South Indian food -- its about north indian / Pakistani food -- and it's actually quite well written. (for those who are not familiar with the San Francisco area geography) In San Francisco itself, there is an area called the "tenderloin" -- that's an area which has seen a proliferation of these Indo-Pak restaurants -- most of them very cheap and pretty good. I guess Shalimar is the grand-daddy of them all, and it still serves a mean tandoori chicken. Here's the map (stolen from SF Chronicle): Whereas the "South Indian" invasion in this area has happened mostly in Silicon Valley, which is about 50 miles due south (about an 1-hour drive) of San Francisco.

We bengalis also eat the green stalks of Taro... its called "Kochu Shaak". Its one of my favorites. Its basically made by first boiling the stalks for a long time, then mashing it into a paste, fry it in oil with some chick peas. My wife is the one who makes it, I will try to coax the recipe from her. We also eat the taro root itself, but that part is not my favorite. And you can use taro leaves to wrap fish and cook the whole thing.