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Over the weekend, I picked up a bag of idli rava (rice semolina). I had no specific plans for it, but I do love my starch, and wheat and potatoes are problems for me, so I enthusiastically seize any fresh iteration of rice. Even if I have no idea of what to do with it. I doubt I'll be making idli, since I haven't seen anything that looks like it will work as an idli pan, let alone the real thing (the wells in an æbleskiver pan seem too small and deep), but I'd love to find other things to do with this stuff. I could experiment, but I'm using someone else's kitchen, which restricts my more flamboyant efforts just a bit. I took a peek online, and there seem to be a quite a few of confident-sounding recipes, but honestly, I'd much rather hear about what you've tried, and how it worked out.

Hi, I'm not sure if this is the right place to ask, but since it revolves around the bacteria used to make idli I thought I'd ask: Are there any breads which use the bacteria that rise idli? Are there varieties of idli which use flours or other grains instead of rice? Thanks,

Hi, Mustard greens have come into season and I've washed 6 giant bunches of mustard greens. After tearing off the soft outer leaf I'm always left with the harder stalk. I was wondering if there was anything I could do with it, any other application or recipe some could suggest. Cheers,

I have been successfully making idli for a few years but have had problems lately that I don't fully understand. My recipe uses 64g of urad gota (decorticated whole black matpe beans), 192g of parboiled rice, 1-1/4t salt, and 1/4t guar gum (as a tasteless, colorless substitute for the methi seeds which according to a researcher at University of Mumbai act only as a thixotropic agent). The beans and rice are soaked separately for 6 hrs (the rice is washed the urad not) in RO filtered water (no chlorine, mineral content< 10ppm). The soaked beans are then ground (with water to make a total dry beans + water weight of 256g) plus salt and guar gum for 5 min in a stone grinder, producing a very smooth paste. The soaked rice (dry rice plus water to make 550 gm) is added and ground for 11 min until the particle size is like coarse sand or idli rava. The batter is then covered with plastic and fermented at 30°C (86°F) until it at least doubles in volume. When it works, it works fine, taking about 13 to 15 hrs to double. The batter is then steamed in greased idli pans for 13-15 min, cooled slightly and served or cooled fully and frozen. The problem I have been seeing is that the batter does not ferment (after 48 hrs it just picks up a pink bacterial growth on the top surface that stinks but does not get foamy or rise). I have an active hypothesis that the beans I have bought were treated with heat or radiation to kill insects before they were imported and that the process also killed off the leuconostoc mesenteroides bacteria that is the active agent for the fermentation. Does anybody have any insights that support or refute the hypotheses? Or is there something I don't yet fully grasp that is essential to the making of these wonderful fluffy little steamed dumplings?

I've eaten enough bhel puri to feed a village, but I haven't prepared it in something like seven years and even then I did so under close supervision. Now I find myself needing to make it for a party. Can we get a bhel puri crash course here?

My 10 year log enjoyed wonderful Indian food on a visit to Chicago & now insists we must find something good here in Settle. I warned him this might not be possible since I've never heard of good Indian food here. Let me know if you've found anything you like here other than Poppy which we know & love. It's a bit pricey for an entire family.

Hi all, been away for a while, but the pressures of Christmas have brought me back. I'm married to an Indian and as the family chef, have been tasked with cooking for all the in-laws yet again! Thing is, they always claim that they want a 'traditional' English Xmas dinner - which I do believe they love. However, last year, I made an Indian alternative chicken dish - pieces marinated in garlic and ginger and roasted with spices - and it suddenly became the winner. So, I think I'll go full-blown Indian this year, except with the constituent ingredients of the traditional feast. Something along the lines of: Starter: spicy prawn cocktail starter Main meal: Whole Tandoori roast Cockeral (what I need is to get that red-roasted effect with the tinge of marinade going well into the breast meat) Sage and onion stuffing South Indian stuffing (curry leaves, split urad daal, chillies, mustard seed etc - a crunchy stuffing) Spicy roasted potatoes (Jeera etc) Minted peas Carrots with jeera/thania (coriander) Brussel sprouts with caremalised onions, chillies and ginger A gravy made in the traditional way, but with some curry leaves, imli (tamarind) and chillie (I may also use a little pre-prepared Gitt's sambhal powder) Dessert: Flambeed Christmas Pudding (already spicy enough!) with brandy butter Any ideas? Advice? Cries of "Don't do it!"? Suggestions? Come on e Gullet - don't let me down!

We got a flyer for Tiffin, the new Indian take out at 710 W. Girard. (I lived in England for 10 years, and had some great Indian food. I also cook Indian food. Our office is near Karma on Chestnut St and Cafe Spice on 2nd. We love good Indian food.) Tiffin's menu is limited, but has options for vegetarians as well as omnivores. For our first foray we tried the Vegetable Samosa, and the Onion Bhaji. Main courses Saag Paneer and Chicken Vindaloo. The vegetarian Saag came with dal, Basmati rice, raita, and pickles. The chicken Vindaloo included rice, cabbage subzi, raita and mango chutney. We didn't order nan, because we some Trader Joe's in the freezer (TJ's nan's are very good and only take 3 minutes at 450F). Everything was excellent. We lover the main courses. The chicken vindaloo was very flavorful and spicy without being too hot. The saag paneer had a great taste of spinach and the paneer was not soggy. The only disappointment was the onion bhaji, which was a bit undercooked.Everything was super. This was our first experience ordering from this place and we were very pleased. The meal came to $20 plus tip including delivery.

Hi there - this is something that is ubiquitous on Indian menus here in Atlanta, but i'm not entirely sure what it's suppsoed to be. in some places it appears to be tired bits of tandoori chicken in a red sauce, other places it's a divinely buttery chicken curry with a tomato base, and a recipe i ran across yields a golden yellow chicken curry. any ideas?

In a review of Empire (found here: clickety), cabrales was served seven-spiced salmon wrapped in betel leaves. I asked if the betel, although cooked, stained the mouth to which she replied it had not and asked about betel. I said: "But I think there are two kinds of betel plants, very similiar. One is chewed as a stimulant, often with the nut. The other is used to wrap spiced ground meats. I remember it also as staining but I could be wrong." As part of a further exchange I said: "Betel leaves are common in Southeast Asian cuisines, including Vietnamese. I don't think they are used as much in Indian cooking, though chewing betel is." But I don't really know. Any information would be of interest.

Okay, My wife/kids and I lived in Bangalore for 2.5 years, and one of the dishes we fell in love with that I've yet to be able to reproduce was called chicken sholay kebab. I've googled like crazy and can't find anything like what we had. I know each region/restaurant puts their own spin on things, so we were (obviously) in Bangalore, the restaurant was a small chain called Nandhini's, which purported to be an Andhra-style house. The kebabs were red in color, seemed to me they were fried. The red was a ground paste of spices that was fried onto the chicken. They were plated with a handful of fresh curry leaves. The flavor was a mild spiciness, with all the richness of mixed spices, and a bit of a garlicky hit. Has anyone seen a dish like this - have any ideas on how to start? Thanks in advance!

There seem to be as many recipes for Masala chai as there are families in India. How do you make your masala chai? Please share the recipe in as much detail as you can. Would be great to see how the different members prepare this dish that is quite popular at least in the US these days. What are the most essential ingredients in your mind for Masala Chai? What are ingredients you would not mind skipping? Why so? When do you add milk? How much milk do you add? Do you add sugar and when?

I'm a huge fan of Panjabi style karahi dishes I've had at various Pakistani restaurants run by Lahoris in the US and Dubai. I've had reasonable luck replicating the chicken dishes, in which ginger, garlic and green chile are fried, followed by chicken, followed by crushed tomatoes and the masala. Apart from the taste, I like it because it cooks so quickly, not containing any onions. A few questions - is this a specialty of Lahore only, hence why I see it only at Pakistani restaurants, but rarely see it at Indian ones? Is my method for making the chicken more or less correct? I've seen extremely variable recipes online. Also, how is lamb/goat karahi done? I don't see any way to cook the lamb thoroughly enough in the 15-20 minutes it takes to cook the dish. Is the meat boiled first?

Hello. I'm very new to Indian cooking and I'm trying to wrap my head around all these different "masalas" that I see in different recipes. I'm aware that a masala is going to differ from household to household, but surely there are some general rules that apply? Garam Masala Sambar Masala Chole masala Chat Masala Chana Masala ... The list goes on... Are there any guidelines to what typically goes in these? Or when to use which mix? Are "curry powder" and "garam masala" generally used interchangeably? I'm very enthusiastic about making my own masalas but I'm a bit overwhelmed and don't know where to begin. Thank you.

Hi... Was checking threads to see if there are new Indian ideas in the Edison/Oak Tree Road area - or are Moghul and Ming still 'the thing'...? Thank you in advance for ideas.

What's the best non-buffet Indian restaurant in Iselin? We're staying for two days and a EG search came up with the repeated recommendation that pretty much all the Indian places were worthwhile. Oak Tree Rd, was mentioned as a mecca but I'd like specific places. thanks

Dear All Diwali is just couple of months away. I need suggestions about menu for Diwali party. I would be expecting around 60-70 guests and its not a formal dinner. It is more like open house where people can come in the evening at their convenient time. I need to serve plenty of snacks like items which are tradional as well as can kind of substitute for dinner. Would greatly appreciate suggestions.....

Julie Sahni has a recipe for "Lentils with Garlic Butter" that appears all over the 'net (sometimes credited to other authors). It calls for 1.5 cups of pink or yellow lentils simmered in 5 cups of water -- with added turmeric -- until tender, and then pureed in the pot. The recipe continues from there. I just finished doing this, and I'm greatly confused. I ended up with nearly 6 cups -- almost all water, of course. The lentils are certainly cooked through, but rather than a lentil dish, this is like an extremely thin soup. Is this the way the dish is supposed to be? It seems unservable, but it's such a simple recipe and I can't imagine where I might've gone wrong.

http://i.imgur.com/lyitw.jpg ^^^That is the newspaper announcement the gentleman provided for me so I can tell you all about this place. Its called Super Bazaar, its on Main Street Its right up the road in Jeffersonville from the Golf club and the 7-11 Its huge, clean, and the rice and ice cream selection is humungous! Literally 30 different Indian flavors of ice cream! They have everything.

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.

Hi There are a couple of products I need to purchase including a kaldie, pressure cooker, idli pot. These items are not available where I am, so I'd like to import them. When I do a search I'm swamped with hits. I'm hoping someone can tell me a company they've used, a popular company, or one they know to have a good reputation. Thank you much, Steven

Hi everyone, My friend came back from Singapore with a wonderful present -- an idle pan. I'd love to make idli often but don't want to go through the process of grinding and fermenting daily. I was wondering if I could save some of the fermented batter in the fridge and feed it like a culture. My idea is to have the unfermented batter in a separate container so that each evening I could pour off what I need, add some culture and let it rest on the kitchen countertop (where it's warm) until morning. Is that doable? Is it done?

For the holiday, I took my camera for an evening stroll across Shinjuku and back, to my favourite Indian restaurant. Some sights along the way, from Shinjuku 1-chome and across Kabukicho: The head chef and branch manager - all the staff are Nepali: Being a bit of a girly, I ordered the lady's set. First plate: This guy was working the tandoor station: For my free choice of 2 curries, I chose my eternal favourite, dal mutton masala, which arrived with a nicely steaming plate of rice: My second choice was anda panir dopiaza, or Egg, cheese and onion curry, and the naan came along with it: This is the soirt of casual, relaxed place that you can bring your pack of tabs and a book along to, and turn up in your house clothes: Finally, this rather handsome mango lassi was included in the set, which was enough to feed two normal appetites, and came in at the astounding price of 1,580yen, or just under 13 dollars US, if my mental arithmetic isn't too far gone. I'm happy to introduce you to this place - feel free to send me a PM if you are interested.. The road home:

I am doing an eGullet food blog over here and would love some input on using mustard seeds with cauliflower. I want to keep things simple and was thinking of tossing the sliced cauliflower with olive oil, salt, and mustard seeds (black, white?)- would they need to be toasted first? I plan on a hot 425F oven. I know this is not a standard Indian prep but I thought cooks familiar with Indian preps would be the most knowledgeable about mustard.

With a great deal of trouble, I managed to grow a curry tree from seed here in southern California. I had to prune it lately as it had become quite leggy. As a result, I have a bag full of fresh curry leaves in the refrigerator. Without noticing, I dropped some of the pruned curry leaves on the floor when I bagged them. I picked them up in a few days and the leaves had dried. They were quite aromatic and redolent of curry, although quite dry. So my question is, should I dry the rest of the curry leaves for later use? I will be a month or two until my tree produces fresh leaves again. I read in some previous threads that "dried curry leaves are good for nothing." Is that really true?