Ten Boy Curry

[BBhasin]

Working in a restaurant has its advantages. You learn so much from your patrons!

One of my senior guests quizzed me if we had a ' ten boy' curry.

I told him no,I did not even know what it was, he then went on to explain that he had had it at Veeraswamy's in London, years and years ago. 'Boy' was sometimes a term used in British India to describe your waiter. And at Veeraswamy's those days when you ordered the Ten Boy curry, what you got was a ten course feast, each course served to you by a different Boy (server).

What a fantastic gimmick, though I do not know if I could handle ten courses!

I would be intested learn if anyone else has also heard of this or can add to it

thanks all

[anil]

Sounds like the description of Rijstaffel - Duch being served dishes in Dutch Java & Sumatra,each dish by a different server/cook.

Check the discussion on it in the European section of few months back.

[BBhasin]

thanks anil

[mongo_jones]

bhasin, don't know if you ever introduced this in your restaurant--if you did/do hopefully you won't retain the "boy" part--the etymology makes me a little uneasy.

[BBhasin]

Mongo( if I may call you that),

Finding people to work for you these days, specially in Indian restaurants, is a nightmare. Immagine trying to look for ten. But I love the concept and if I had a high price upscale concept I would definetly try it.

bhasin

[M65]

I worked at Veeraswamy's in early ninetys never heard of such a thing, Balraj, do you know of a year that this guest might have had this feast

[BBhasin]

I worked at Veeraswamy's in early ninetys never heard of such a thing, Balraj, do you know of a year that this guest might have had this feast

Mel,

I was told this story maybe 15 years ago by this elderly couple so I presume they were talking way way back. Do you remember there being a big burly tall Sardar doorman greeting all guests. BTW I was scanning through this Veeraswamy cookbook ( it was real old) and the reciepes seemed kind of strange. I was searching for a mullgtwany soup reciepe but this guy had so many versions and would not mention the name of the dal he wanted me to use, just saying lentils, left me totally confused.

Bhasin

[Monica Bhide]

I have the Verraswamy book -- it is very interesting.. Makes for good reading -- I am sure his food was excellent -- but the book does not make it sound appetizing!

[M65]

Balraj,

Ture Mulluguthani to me is always Toor Dal, Mullugu means fire and Thani means water so all the name means is fire water. to the best of my knowledge it is always toor dal.

Edited October 20, 2003 by M65 (log)

[BBhasin]

Balraj,

Ture Mulluguthani to me is always Toor Dal, Mullugu means fire and Thani means water so all the name means is fire water. to the best of my knowledge it is always toor dal.

I thought it was pepper water.

[skchai]

I was just looking through the preface of the Veeraswamy book and it seems that he was faced with the same problem that many contemporary authors might face - conforming recipes with the experience of likely readers and the availability of ingredients.

As he writes:

. . . I have selected only those dishes with which the average Westerner who has lived in India or travelled there, is more or less familiar.

He adds:

Practically every recipe in this book is one that can be used in any country and by the ordinary housewife. . . Nearly all the ingredients named in these recipes are to be had at the leading Stores.

Given that this book was originally published in London in 1936, these conditions must have limited his recipes quite a bit! Hence some of the strangeness and seeming lack of sophistication probably arose from his need to balance taste with the demands of his audience of returned-memsahibs!

Edited October 22, 2003 by skchai (log)

[Suvir Saran]

5{ct 20 2003, 02:30 PM] Balraj,

Ture Mulluguthani to me is always Toor Dal, Mullugu means fire and Thani means water so all the name means is fire water. to the best of my knowledge it is always toor dal.

I thought it was pepper water.