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Pilafs (Pulao) - These rice dishes are synonymous with Indian cooking. Do you have a favorite kind? How do you make yours? WHat do you look for in a pilaf?

Every time the rain hit the dry muddy expanse of our garden and aangan (tiled back yard), it would bring with it this sondhi khusboo ( a typical beautiful fragrance, there is no translation for sondhee other than maybe fine). The minute my family or friends smelled it, it would make us think of pakoras.. all different kinds.. and the next thing... Panditji, our chef would be making up one or two of the different versions. Cups of tea would be quickly seen in the hands of the elders and chilled milk for us kids. We loved Milk. In fact I will now be going and making some pakoras. Onions, spinach and potato. What are you all thinking? eating? or associate with rain? PS: Pakoras are fritters made with a light chickpea flour (besan) batter and spiked with Indian spices.

I had a friend come in from India yesterday. He wanted "ghar kaa khaana" (home food). I made some safed biryaani (biryaani made with chicken breasts and is all white), burrani (yogurt with sauteed eggplants), masoor kee daal (Indian brown lentils, similar but not same as the middle eastern brown or a darker version of the french green lentils) and some sauteed Srinagar Mushrooms. He found the Daal sensational. But that has been my experience with Indian guests. They come have my daals at home and seem to love them as a whole but the Masoor Daal is always a huge hit. Masoor Daal is not cooked in many Indian homes. It was once called Malikaaye Masoor (Empress of lentils). The Hindus considered the lentil a Moslem one. The Moslems that were converted from Hinduism did not know it to begin with so continued to eat the yellow lentils made more commonly. So this particular lentil (whole brown Masoor Daal) has been rather neglected. But in Kaayastha homes it is a favored lentel of choice. Since we were Moslem for all purposes but religious purposes our food is as Moslem as you can get. Masoor Daal is a wonderful dark lentil. Has the creaminess of a dark daal like the Maa Kee Daal (whole urad daal) but without the cream and butter. So it is very light in fat and yet does not compromise in flavor. Wondered if any one else knows it... and what is their feedback on it?

Do they do the same thing to food? Leaves and seeds that is? Are they from the same plant? Favorite ways of using them?

Green or white? Or do you use the large woody brown ones? Does it make a difference as to what you may use? How do you decide which one you use ina recipe?

Green or white? Or do you use the large woody brown ones? Does it make a difference as to what you may use? How do you decide which one you use in a recipe?

I made some Tahiree and some raita. A chicken biryaani as well. But that was it. Tahiree is a rice, potatoes and pea casserole if you will. The biryaani I made was a chicken kurma (creamy spiced chicken) layered with rice. The raita was a simple tomato, mustard seeds and curry leaf pachadi. After over eating in India and SIngapore my system needed some rest. This was hearty food without beeing too heavy. What did you make? Or what did you eat?

Are they really diffrent? What makes them so?

Hi Guys, As I live in London and being a person who eats out at Indian restaurants here all the time. What is your opinion of them? Good, bad or plain nasty? Generally speaking of course. Just interested.... Hasmi

Mushrooms are made quite a lot in northern India. They are avoided in vegetarian homes for people associate them with meat. Do not ask me why.. I have heard a hundred different answers. In fact in my own home, till I was 13, we never ate mushrooms. But then, my sister got a taste for them and I became lucky for that. We never stopped eating them after that and now have many recipes in our household using them. And these are age old recipes. In fact in Srinagar Club or what used to be called that they made the best Open Toast Mushroom Sandwiches. These were toasts topped with a spicy preparations of Karahi Mushrooms and it is heaven tasted at every crunchy bite. Our friend Bindiya whose family fled Srinagar would make these as evening snacks. It was nostalgia for her and a feast for the senses for me and our other friends. In my cook book I will have at least 2-3 recipes with mushrooms. In my kitchen at home, I make them in innumerable ways. All Indian and all recipes I learned at home from Panditji, a very conservative Indian chef. Mind you my father never eats mushrooms. He finds t hem meaty and enjoys looking at us eat them but cannot even fathom tasting one.

I love the mangoes in Kauii in June (only available there as far as I know). Have you been to Hawaii and had mangoes there? Hayden's seem to be my favorite.

I have come back after eating Alfonsos in Bombay.... Wow... they were perfect... and now I feel like I will be without mangoes for another year... till I am back in India. I never waste my time anymore looking for mangoes. Have tried many times. The mangoes are not even close to all those I grew up eating. What do I do... I have given up. Shall I be trying any? Where does one get them? How are they?

What do you cook in the realm of Indian cooking during the summer? What are those dishes? What makes them suited for this season?

On Friday night my friend and I tried to duplicate the Indian meal we'd learned to prepare in our Indian Cooking class. I won't bore you with too many details but want to share one revelation and make one plea for help. 1] we tried making pakoras from thinly sliced vegs [potatoes, eggplant, squash]. i thought the pakora batter looked wrong but wasn't sure why or how, being a total novice to Indian cooking. we coated the slices and dropped them in the heated oil [@ 4 inches] and all the batter came off. so then jennifer got the idea to make fritters--she added about a cupful or chickpea flour to the batter, we diced the vegs and mied them together in the batter, then i dropped them by the tablespoonful into the oil, reduced to about an inch in the bottom of a wok--they cooked nicely, crispy, just a little greasy but otherwise flavorful. i asked jennifer if this was another traditional way of making pakoras and she said she'd never heard of them done this way, and that maybe she had made it up. did she? does anyone know? this method works splendidly, in any case. 2] i think but dare not voice my suspicion to my friend, who seems commited to her belief that Nirav gram flour is the correct flour, that we used the wrong flour. help me, someone. the recipe, and our teacher, told us to use "besan [Nirav brand,chickpea flour, gram flour]"--the instructions ahveme confused. okay, so at the indian grocery we get a bad marked Nirav besan gram flour. it looks courser and darker than the chickpea flour she added later to the batter--and no where on the bag does it say chickpea flour, just gram flour. what IS besan? is there more than one type? do pakoras require a blend of gram and chickpea or are these the same thing? i have no idea and would appreciate any advice. [the rest of the meal, stuffed parathas, kadhi, kichadi, green chutney--all good tho salty [we followed the recipes to a T, something I normally don't do]. the besan burphi turned out the best, tho it was a little stiff]

I had a conversation with someone last night about the use of fruit in Indian food and it was very difficult to come up with more than a few dishes. In Latin food, the use of hot chilli is balanced with the use of fruit in salsas etc but this is not the case in my knowledge of Indian dishes. Where fruit is used it almost fuels the fire not calms it ( chutneys, pickles etc ) Desserts too seem almost entirley milk and sugar based. I have scoured the net looking for recipes but can't seem to find anything. Am I really missing a trick? S

I have been invited to the wedding of a good gujurati friend and he has asked that all guests bring a dish of food or a dessert. All must be Indian. They can come from any region and all must be unusual, in his words "rarely found outside the region" can anyone help with some suggestions? S

Are there any desserts that go well with Indian food that are better than others? Anything non Indian maybe? What are the favorites here? Or are Kulfis, Kheer, Gulab Jamuns etc.. the only answer?

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.

If you are not living in India and are having a dinner for friends... what are the first steps in getting organized? 1) Is there a best way to get prepared? 2) How many dishes would one make? 3) How does one choose what to make? 4) How do you serve the dishes? 5) Is seated a good option, plated by course or do you end up serving a buffet and letting people self serve and come to the table?

How so? Simon you must know this first hand... Calcutta has the largest community of Anglo-Indians... and how beautiful they are as a people.. and I am told some of their foods are just as good. Would you mind shedding some light on this matter?

Does anyone know them? They are made in Indian homes. These are black chickpeas, it is from this pea that Besan (chickpea flour) is made. Or so I am told. I made some over the weekend, and I realized how much I love them. I love the meaty texture of these and the recipes I have to make them, are so tasty, I can never have enough of them with rice. Does anyone else care for them? I know Nirvana in NYC serves a appetiser portion of Black Chickpeas. Quite nice actually.

I miss Ras Malai, and have not found even one restauran in NYC that serves a half way decent one.. Does anyone know of a secret place where they find good ras malais. Or even a recipe for a good one?

I'm planning a trip to London soon and I’m interested in an upscale (nouvelle-style, perhaps) Indian restaurant. I was thinking Bombay Brasserie but I now have people in the know recommending places like Zaika, Quilon, The Cinnamon Club, Chutney Mary and The Parsee. I can probably only make it to one or two places. I'm not a big stickler for authenticity; what I'm after is something different and very good. Any suggestions?

Where does one go to eat a good Indian meal at lunch time. What does one order? How does it affect the workday? Any different from the many other options one has?

The thread on Monsoon Wedding, and that film's neglect of all things culinary, leads me to ask: What have been the best cinematic depictions of Indian food and food rituals?