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I'm in the process of creating my 2003 menu for my Indian Takeaway and need some new dishes. All the usual UK takeaway suspects are there, the Bhuna, Dopiaza, Madras, Patia, Karahi etc and a few I made up. One of them I called Lasan which I understand means garlic. Anyway, it turned out to be very popular and I'd like to extend the choices with slight variations on the dish. Aside from the ginger garlic paste and extra crushed garlic I use in Lasan, I have tried adding some garlic and black pepper butter just as the suace is finished to enrich the end result. It's worked rather well although the garlic flavour is pronounced to say the least. No matter, some customers like that so I'm fine with it. Would it be accurate to call the dish Dolasan? I'm under the impression that Dopiaza just means double onions so would pre-fixing Lasan with Do be accurate? One of my Indian friends suggested I simply call it Chicken Garlic but I'm not convinced it sounds as attractive as Chicken Dolasan.

Suvir: Whats your favorite preparations for pakora? what veggies and spice mixtures do you use? This is one of my favorite indian snacks, the indian answer to tempura.

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Following on Suvir's request to Eddie regarding an essential Chinese Pantry, can we begin to pull together the essential ingredients for an Indian Pantry? A few brand names would be helpful, too. Curry leaves and Chaat Masala are two things I can think of. Thanks.

I was making ghee and forgot all about it. My mother came out from their room smelling the lovely aroma of the browning solids... but it was too late. What can I do with the ghee I have now? It is amber colored.... does not taste bad... Ghee (clarified butter) is what the doctor has asked us to cook with. My dad is very happy.. the little he eats, we cook with ghee.

What role do they play in your Indian kitchen? Do you use it in other dishes you prepare? Maybe even outside of the Indian food realm. Do you find it easy to find Cilantro? What parts of cilantro do you use? How do you keep it fresh?

As the World Cup takes place in South Africa, do you think of certain foods you crave as you watch the matches? I know at Diwan in NYC, Hemant had organized a special buffet for $35.00 each. People began coming at 2:00 AM (yes late night, early morning), large screens had been placed in the room... and people were staying the night watching the game and eating stuff. What do you munch on/eat as you watch cricket? Or does food even matter when you are deeply involved in the game?

Poha can be bought in Indian stores as Thick or Thin Poha. It is flattened rice and is used in India for making Poha that many eat as a pilaf (a snack pilaf that is) or even into Chivras/Chevros (Indian version of trail mix). Do you use make Poha? What recipe do you use? What all do you add to the Poha? Have you used Poha to make anything other than the usual stuff one sees in Indian homes? For that matter, what is the usual for you?

I have just discovered parippu vadas. I think they are very nice but maybe seem a little dry. Are they conventionally served with some sauce, or raita, or chutney or other complement?

I have a huge, organic chicken in the freezer crying out to be cooked. I've always wanted to try making Murgh Massalam [sp?] but can't seem to find any decent recipes. Can any of you enlighten me, the simpler the better.

My favorite dish at the local Indian takeout place was Chicken Patia. It was quite sour, and the color was an extremely vibrant reddish-purple. At some point the ownership of the store changed, and although the menu remained the same, the Chicken Patia quickly became less distinct and less tasty. It was less sour and the interesting color was completely gone ... basically the dish had slid into a sort of generic, boring curry. I'd like to try and make the dish I ate before. I assume you use a good amount of vinegar. But where does the purple come from?

I find myself wondering what people think of the onion relish you often are served in many Indian restaurants in the US. Do people enjoy this relish? Where does it come from? What version of it does your local Indian restaurant serve? Have you ever asked for a recipe?

The recent discussion on paneer (Indian cheese) got me thinking about vinegar in Indian cooking. It was mentioned that rice vinegar is sometimes used in place of citrus acids, I had never really associated rice vinegar with India before. How popular is rice vinegar in India? Is it similar to the rice vinegar found in Japan and other Asian countries? What other types of vinegar are used through out India? Are they "traditional" in the sense that they were created in India by Indians without outside influences? Are there certain types of dishes where vinegar plays a heavy part? Oh dear, I am starting to sound more and more like Suvir with the multiple questions!

Ask Gael (New York Magazine) Whose Indian food really stands out? Let Jaipur-born chef Hemant Mathur deliver Diwan’s amazing new $50 tasting menu for a nirvana that would be tough to orchestrate on your own........ Click here to read further.

Can someone please answer a question? I'm just going to copy my question from the Half and Half thread from Pastry and Baking. There's a discussion going on about how to make your own half and half regarding fat content, if half and half's not available where you are. Suvir's lovely kulfi recipe started it all. Thanks a mil.

Has there ever been a discussion of Indian juice bars on the board? I have a question relating to so-called 'special juices' which are sometimes on offer in such places. In Indian-run juice bars in the Emirates these often have great names, but there is often no clue as to what kind of fruit cocktail they consist of, and I am curious as to whether there exists a set of names that Indians across the world would recognise. I know that a 'Lexus' consists of mango and avocado juice with ice cream, but what about a 'Disco', a 'Titanic', a 'www', a 'Valentine Day' or a 'Computer'? I would guess that mixes such as 'Mumtaz' and 'Wastha' are specific to this part of the world, but perhaps I am wrong? I have a lot of affection for such juice bars as I think they provide drinks which are both tasty and nutritious.

The other day I decided to buy some atta flour (Indian Wheat Flour) for chapatis. I had never made them before, but they sounded fun. I used the recipe on the side of the bag since I was too eager to go look up Suvir's recipe in the Archive. The recipe called for 1/3 C of water to every 1 C of flour. I went with 2C of flour and 2/3 C of water. The dough turned out pretty good and was easy to work with. In order to get a ~5 inch chapati, I had to take dough balls a little smaller than Golf balls and roll them out. When you make chapatis, do you roll and cook them one or two at a time or do you roll all of them out and then cook them? To cook them I got my large nonstick skillet out and put it on high heat. I tossed a chapati in there and waited. Slowly it turned slightly opaque and then little bubbles started to fill with air. I turned it over when there were golden brown spots on the one side. I let the other side cook as the chapati filled with hot air. I took it out of the pan with tongs and then put it to an open burner. Poof! It filled up with air and was nearly as thick as it was wide. Success! I kept the finished chapatis warm on a plate covered with a towel. The result was very nice and fun to eat with the Turkey Masala I made. Next time I think I will salt the dough for some more flavor. I was thinking that even a bit of ground Garam Masala in the dough might work out too. Any other chapati tips or tricks out there? Ben

Author Private Message [ Delete PM ] hollywood Group: Member Posts: 2557 Joined: 13-June 02 QUOTE A Tandoor is a clay pot oven with a bed of charcoal burning at the bottom,it has a large mouth with a lid at the top and a smaller appurture at the bottom.the temperature is regulated by opening or closing the the top and bottom openings allowing for passage of a stream of air making the charcoal at the bottom burn intensely or slowly. meats and sometimes vegetables are skewered on long steel rods called seekhs (plural) and charcoal broiled in this oven. The flat breads like naan ( from the persian word noon meaning bread) roti and paratha etc are smacked onto the interior hot clay wall, where they stick and get cooked. when done these are pried off with utensils made especially for the purpose. Foods prepared this way generally get termed ' Tandoori' like tandoori chicken or tandoori roti. Even though Indian restaurants would have you believe that tandoors are very Indian they have existed for years in persia, the middle east, afganistan, pakistan etc. Tandoors embeded in the ground have been found in central Asia and were used by the mongols, who were nomadic warriors, they conqured northern India and brought these over.Theories abound. If you can get your hands on TANDOOR the Great Indian Barbeque By Ranjit Rai its a whole big book devoted to the tandoor and various reciepes. A tandoori chicken is a whole or halved chicken, incisions are given so the marinade can work better. In a basic restaurant style reciepe A marinade is prepared with yogurt, salt, garam masalla, cayenne powder, lemon juice, fresh ground ginger and garlic pastes. The chicken is allowed to marinate at least a few hours and then skered and charcoal broiled in a moderately hot tandoor basting occasionally with oil or ghee, until it is done. Some chefs prefer to rub the chicken with the dry spices and ginger garlic pastes and let it sit a while before adding the yugurt and the rest of the stuff. Some will cook the chicken half, hang it for a while and let the heat cook it through, then finish it off. There is no wrong way, whaever works for you. Prior to farm raised birds a tenderiser like raw papaya paste would be used to soften up the free range chickens which were tough. Patting the bird dry prior to marination will ensure the marinade sticks well and hanging the yourt in a muslin cloth will produce a thicker tastier marinade. In a restaurant 3 to 3 1/2 lb chickens ( split into two) are used and an order takes about 18 -20 minutes to execute. On a grill use the indirect method and a few hickory chips will add more flavour. Why is the tandoori chicken so red??? Contrary to what some people have been led to believe it is simply Food Color! Use of red food dyes was banned in the New delhi Hotel where I worked because it was a petrochemical derivative and considered a carcenogen and there were severe penalties if the health deptt. caught you. We started without any food color but our customers did not accept a timid tandoori chicken things settled down , though, once we reached for that bottle of food color. Lets do the tikka masalla another time!! BBhasin This is good stuff. You should put it on a general post, but I appreciate the PM. thanks.

I desparately need help on an Andhra recipe.. if you think you can help PM me and I will explain all! Thanks

The Mobius Strip threads on eGullet - which discuss heirarchies of cuisines and are found in the General Food Section under various guises such as How to Approach an Unfamiliar Cuisine, the Measure of All Things - have led me to seek official documented histories of Indian Cuisine. There seem to be thousands of such books about European cuisine which traces the origins of it, the entry of various influences, ingredients and techniques, the priorities, the passions, the prejudices ...... What I know about Indian cuisine and it's development is from growing up there and a little from translated bits of the Vedas. Does anyone know of a book about the history and development of Indian cuisine?

Sorry for my current absence from the Indian forum, but I'm finalising menu's and getting readied for our summer season. I really miss the time I had here so recently. I'm having a night off tonight though! A going away party for one of my Chef friends who's moving to open up a restaurent in Spain. Some guys have all the luck Slainte!

The use of rice noodles in Kerala cooking is common in breakfast and lunch dishes. However, we don't see many interpretation on Indian menus here in the US. How are rice noodles prepared? What are some good traditional rice noodle dishes? I think the use of rice noodles would be a creative and interesting addition to an Indian menu.

Certainly my love of Italian food is well known. I also am passionate about the cuisines of France and Spain. It was easy for me to reach out and discover these cuisines because my European heritage and my business led me in that direction. Also as wine was not only my vocation but my avocation I was led towards the cuisines of wine producing nations. Because food has become a passion in my life this has of course extended my interest to other cuisines. India strikes me as one of the most fascinating of all. However I have never had the pleasure to visit India and taste the real thing so all of my reference points are from Indian restaurants in the United States. While I have thoroughly enjoyed many of these restaurants I always have a vague sense of insecurity about what I am eating. Italians hate to eat in Italian restaurants in the United States because they find the food a disappointing shadow of real Italian cooking. I would imagine the same situation exists for Indian restaurants. Where is a good starting off point to experience the cuisine of India if you have not traveled there? What are the 'tourist' dishes to avoid and what are standards that you must try? I assume Indian cuisine is just as regionally diverse as Italy - are there representations of this regional diversity here? Where does a rookie start?

A story about the Empress of India restaurant in the Lakes Region of England seems to be making the rounds in various newspapers. A prominent businessman, Moshinali Darugar, was told that he could not get a seat because the restaurant was full. However, when the white manager of his hotel called, he was able to get table right away. Here is the justification put forth by the assistant manager: What are your feelings about this? Can any of you who are restauranters empathize with the pressures that led to this decision (even if you do not condone the decision itself)? Are there really such major and systematic differences in the types of Indian food that Asians and Westerners like?

In an indian cooking class I attended today we used a spice called kasuri methi in a cheese curry dish. I thought I was quite familiar with Indian spices but had never heard of this before. It was a very green color and in powder form. It was added to the curry at the very end of cooking with the garam masala. What is it and what other types of dishes is it used in. I also had my first experience with black cardamom, wonderful, wonderful stuff!