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Hi, I am enthusiastic about naan which I know of 3 variations Butter, Garlic and Kashmiri naan and wonder anyone willing to share the recipes and the method of preparation? Thanks

Just wanted to let you all know about Angeethi it's across from Tortilla Factory and We went there today for lunch and they had shrimp, goat, chicken 4 ways, chaat bar (always) tons of free lassi and other drinks, rice pudding and gulab jamun desserts, rice 2 ways and 3 types of breads all for under $30. w/tip for 2! It was a fine way to break a diet IMHO! Happy holidays to y'all and you really need to get over here especially on a Saturday they have made-to-order omelets and other goodies too

After last year's successful Moroccan Feast, I'm setting out to create an Indian Feast for 8. I'd like to have appetizers, main dishes (a Thali, perhaps), desserts and... Any suggestions for menu or recipes would be greatly appreciated. I also need to find a source for serving dishes (trays with bowls...). Thanks. Stephen

I recently posted a musing about the lingering smell of Indian spices on the skin. I completely understand that fenugrek and cumin are a bit stinky when leached through the skin, of course, but the element that discomforts my nose the most I imagine to be turmeric. Yet I can find no reference anywhere to the power of turmeric to lend an unpleasant scent to sweat and skin. In fact, it is quite common (and a bit silly, perhaps) for South Indian women to topically apply turmeric to their faces on the notion that it is good for the complexion -- and it is, if your idea of beauty is looking like a jaundiced Martian. The point is: they don't seem to smell any worse than the rest of us. Perhaps it is the difference in eating the stuff and smearing it on. Or perhaps I'm smelling something different. Any ideas? What's that smell?

The Sumeet multi-grind seems to be unavailable, perhaps no longer made. What other options are people using to grind powders and pastes, and how well do they work? Options other than morter/pestle.

A friend's having an Indian-themed gathering this weekend and I've been asked to bring a side. My heart and stomach are set on aloo tak -- potatoes with a tamarind-yogurt sauce. They seem simple enough, , but I can't find a recipe. Anyone out there have one? Thanks.

Looking for somewhere new to try! We like Amber at Santana Row, and Gaylord's in Palo Alto pretty well. Have had good and bad experiences at Amber in Mountain View (last time was a disaster, with abysmally slow service, and when the food finally arrived it was not nearly good enough to justify the 1+ hour wait!) Is there anywhere you would recommend, in the South Bay area? (Anywhere South of Palo Alto, basically.) Looking for a place to have some really good, traditional Indian food, (and not strictly vegetarian)? I welcome and appreciate any suggestions! Christina

I had a really fantastic bartha last thursday at a local Indian joint and I'm eager to find a good recipe to work with at home. I don't have a grill/tandoor so I'm guessing that nothing will be spot on; the broiler will have to be good enough. -Sorry for the repeat; this seems like a better location for the question

I had a really fantastic bartha last thursday at a local Indian joint and I'm eager to find a good recipe to work with at home. I don't have a grill/tandoor so I'm guessing that nothing will be spot on; the broiler will have to be good enough.

Hello All, I have been thinking of preparing some meals from the fishes I used to eat as a kid in India. My family is from Bengal and I was raised on diet of Rui, Katla, Ilish, Magur etc. (I dont know their english names). So far I have always prepared them using the traditional Bengali recipes. But now I am inclined towards just grilling/roasting/steaming them with some spicy rubs. To that end I am interested in cutting the filets from these fishes. So far I have always got them cut into steaks (I think thats the word. I may be wrong though) and these fishes usually have lot of bones to deal with. I want to know if anybody has ever tried filets of the fishes I mention above and if anyone can tell me how they cut it. I was told that these fishes do not lend well to filets and just wanted to get other opinions on the matter. Thanks all. Abhi.

It's looking like I may have a week in Bangalore sometime in September! I'm very excited as I've never been to India. I'll have my days free and am wondering if anyone can recommend anyone to take some cooking classes from who speaks English? I have done alot of cooking and quite a bit of Indian food, but am sure it hasn't been authentic. Also, any other must go to places to visit - markets and such? Thanks....

Hello All, I have been thinking of preparing some meals from the fishes I used to eat as a kid in India. My family is from Bengal and I was raised on diet of Rui, Katla, Ilish, Magur etc. (I dont know their english names). So far I have always prepared them using the trditional bengali recipes. But now I am inclined towards just grilling/roasting/steaming them with some spicy rubs. To that end I am interested in cutting the filets from these fishes. So far I have always got them cut into steaks (I think thats the word. I may be wrong though) and these fishes usually have lot of bones to deal with. I want to know if anybody has ever tried filets of the fishes I mention above and if anyone can tell me how they cut it. I was told that these fishes do not lend well to filets and just wanted to get other opinions on the matter. Thanks all. Abhi.

I am researching for an article on the role of chilies in Goan Food and need easy traditional home recipes for dishes like curries, xiacutis and vindaloo. Can anyone help? Also any tips and advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. ps. I will give full credit for any recipes used.

Hi everyone, I'm fairly new to eGullet and actually have not spent any time on the India board at all, so this is like barging into a party where you don't know any of the other guests, and I apologize if this has all been discussed a million times before, but I'm so excited that I have to tell someone: I used lump asafoetida for the first time last night and I CANNOT believe the difference! Lump asafoetida must be to powdered asafoetida as parmigiano reggiano is to Kraft parmesan cheese in the green can. There is a wonderful herbal, almost citrus note to it, and that weird asafoetida funk is almost nonexistent. Also, maybe I was just starving anyway, but the odor seems to have a stimulating effect on the appetite. Even my husband, who normally just benignly tolerates my use of powdered asafoetida, was amazed at the pleasant citrusy smell. I feel sorry for myself having used the powdered stuff all these years and I'm never going back! However: What a PITA. I wasn't sure how to proceed, so I just whacked the resin lump with the back of a ladle until some cracked off, then I ground it up in a suribachi. Is there a better way? Diane

I have a new Cuisinart electric pressure cooker that I'm playing with. I've been trying to make a dal. What should the proper texture of a dal be? Should the lentils still have their shape and some bite? Should they look more like a really thick puree or mashed and soupy with a layer of liquid? Here's what I've tried. Using red lentils and following a recipe: 1 cup of lentils 4 cups of water -Bring to high pressure, cook for one minute and then let pressure release naturally. These came out totally mashed, no original shape left or bite and about an inch of liquid on top. Then I played with the porportions and made it again with: 1 cup red lentils 2 1/2 cups of water -Bring to high pressure, cook for 1 minute and let pressure release naturally. Now I had a really thick puree with no extra liquid but again totally mashed. Both tasted delicious but....what texture am I aiming for and how do I get there with this pressure cooker? Can anyone adivse?

So I just acquired Lord Krishna's Cuisine and, while it's pretty neat and has an amazing collection of sweets, it also doesn't use onions and garlic. Instead it tends to use asafoetida, which makes me feel pretty sick when I smell it, so I want to rehabilitate those recipes, and re-substitute onion and garlic for it. Anyone have any ideas about that?

Damn, I got the title reversed. It's actually Grains, Greens and Grated Coconut. (Sorry, Ammini!) Nonetheless, this is a undoubtedly one of the most delightful cookbooks in the Bond Girl Kitchen library. Written beautifully by our own Peppertrail. Apparently the New York Times think so too. Read it here. Congrats! Ammini!

We have one veggie in our family and I want to try putting together some Indian meals for 4-5 people. While it is easy to find numerous recipes what I have difficulty is how to put them together into a balanced meal. Looking at recipes and cookbooks tend to be confusing as the dishes tend to stand in splendid isolation. Any particular regions that would be a good idea to look at to start building some experience? Preferences would be for no seafood, not a heavy coconut bias, definitely bread with the possibility of adding meat sometimes, strength can be mild through to hottish. Some tips and some groups of dishes and accompaniments that could be put together to form a meal would be helpful. I can do an occasional trip to an Indian grocery, but we do not have any local Indian grocery shops.

Hello, Gulleteers. I've been away for awhile. I'm doing some off topic research regarding gums and varnishes, and realized the Indian grocery was good source (and cheap) for this stuff. So far I've been able to ID the following stuff I purchased last night in Vallejo, CA. katri gund/katira goond = Cochlospermum religiosum or Astracantha heratensis or Astragalus hertensis guggal/guggol = Commiphora mukul (a type of myrrh) lobah dhoop = Styrax benzoin or a related Styrax, perhaps bezoinoides But I'm stumped by chaar gund/char goond I haven't yet run solubility checks (water vs. turps vs. alcohol). My thoughts are it could be a form of gum arabic (if so, it will dissolve in water) or mastic (but I doubt it; it's too red) I also purchased something marked "Edible Gum" in English, which looks very much like gum arabic. Any horticulturist foodies out there who can help? Noel in Napa lapageria@aol.com

Hi, I am allergic to Fenugreek/Methi (or highly sensitive to it) its also why Im allergic to fake maple syrup flavoring. But I LOVE Indian Food and wanna cook it. What can I substitute that will give me the general flavor of Fenugreek? I was thinking a mix of ground Fennel and Caraway... What say you?

Hello, I am looking for a handi also call degchi or panai. It is a cooking pot with a neck. Does anyone in the DC area know of a store that seels Indian cooking pots? Or if not that, a web site? Thanks to all.

I recently went to Chowpatty in Iselin, NJ. The menu has a whole section of "Gujarati Vegetable," with no descriptions. Actually nothing on the menu has descriptions. I am wondering what the most common Gujarati dishes are so that I know what to order next time. I did some internet searches and am not able to translate any of the dishes, maybe it is how they spell them. Vegetables (Gujarati): Undhiya Tuvar Ringan Ringan Bataka Tindora Bataka Bhinda Auro Kaju Karela Parvar Na Raviya Kankola

Some of you may know that I work as a cook on a cruise ship. It's been an interesting job, made more so recently when I was transferred a month ago to the Special Orders crew and told that I would be making meals for our guests with special dietary requests. My biggest challenge came this week when we had a group of 30 passengers who were all Jain. My word, what a difficult challenge this was for me!! The dietary restrictions alone made getting any sort of flavor into their meals quite diffcult--strict vegetarian, no onions, no garlic, no ginger, no potatoes--nothing that grows beneath the ground. Add to that, that I'm not all that familiar with the food of the Subcontinent, and one has a ready recipe for disaster. Then I remembered eGullet!! And what a resource your little corner of the Internet has turned out to be. I bought a couple of cookbooks (Lord Krishna's Cuisine; The Dance of Spices) but mostly I just opened this page and worked my way through posts in this sub-forum with a notebook handy and every day have been able to put together a multi-course meal complete with raitas and pickles. My crowning achievment came yesterday when two tables sent back for second helpings of my pumpkin "Rogan Josh"-style main course. Waitstaff have been asked what part of India I am from ("The part that's in Minnesota," quipped one waitress.)--who would have thought?!? I couldn't have done it without you good people. Thank you very much.

I've been reading about the "king of mangoes" various places and am really curious to know what they're like. (Apparently the Alphonsos are way better than the Tommy Atkins/Haden varieties we're used to eating in the U.S.) Does anyone know where I can get my hands on some? I was thinking the Indian market at 42nd and Walnut would be worth a shot (though doubtful). Percy got them online at approx. $10/mango, which is a bit pricey for just satisfying my curiosity... anyways, suggestions appreciated!

Howdy! Thought this summer I might try to cook along to a video or two. I prefer videos that talk more about technique and less about the recipe. Cause I've got recipes, zillions of them. Like, close-ups of perfectly browned spices and ghee and onions. Any leads?