Bend it Like Beckham

[awbrig]

I loved this movie. What is the dish that the Mother wanted the girl to make? For those that have seen the movie can you provide a recipe or a link to the main dish that she was supposed to master before she got married. Sorry I dont recall the name but if you have seen the movie and are familiar w the dish could you post some info. Thanks.

[Shiewie]

I loved that movie too - laughed till my sides split! I think the dish that her mother wanted her to learn was Aloo Gobi - a dish of cauliflower with potatoes.

Here's a link to a Aloo Gobi recipe I found on the web. Tried searching on egullet to see whether was one here but couldn't find any.

[awbrig]

Aloo Gobi is it. Thank You!

[Priscilla]

Finally saw this movie -- really good.

Yes, aloo gobi. Also funny when her mother fretted about how she Jess couldn't even make a round chapati.

[Schielke]

Round chapati takes practice! Mine are oblong.

[Priscilla]

I know I know I know! Mine are like, oblique. I was chastened, just watching. Made me wanna get out there in the kitchen and work on 'em.

[Suvir Saran]

Round chapati takes practice!  Mine are oblong.

Ben,do you ever get to NYC? I would be happy to give you a lesson on how to make them perfectly round. Quite easy actually. In return, maybe you can film the process as a still documentation or even a video.. and maybe we can post that here.

Chapatis are really easy to make. Practice and some patience and some attention is all that is needed.

[Foam Pants]

I have never tried chapatis but my tortillas always turn out lopsided and too thick! From seeing my friend Shalini make chapatis, isn't it a similar process?

I have made Aloo Gobi. I liked it but my fellow diners did not. Mine was roasted in the oven and asked for a dash of mint extract. Mine came out way too minty but with a satisfying dry roasted texture. Next time it is fresh mint all the way.

Edited July 24, 2003 by Foam Pants (log)

[tighe]

I watched the DVD of Bend it... last night. There's a really entertaining special feature on the disc of the movie's director making aloo gobi with her mother and aunt looking on. As you might imagine, both have plenty of commentary on what the director should be doing differently. Whether or not the potatoes should be peeled was a particularly contentious issue. The aloo gobi itself looks really good and I think I'll take a crack at it sometime soon.

[Comfort Me]

I watched the DVD of Bend it... last night.  There's a really entertaining special feature on the disc of the movie's director making aloo gobi with her mother and aunt looking on.  As you might imagine, both have plenty of commentary on what the director should be doing differently.  Whether or not the potatoes should be peeled was a particularly contentious issue.  The aloo gobi itself looks really good and I think I'll take a crack at it sometime soon.

I've made the Director's Aloo Gobi. It is excellent. And, fearing the wrath of her mother and "Auntie-ji" I pealed both my potatoes AND my ginger. And laughed and laughed! The special feature was every bit as good as the film. We liked it so much we had to buy it.

One thing I have found myself wishing over and over again was how I wish it were easier to approach people about learning their culinary traditions. I saw a wonderful peice in the tribune recently about a Greek woman and the foods she prepared with her family. I really wanted to write her a letter and ask her to teach me to make them -- but my wife said I'd probably be reported to the police.

I can't just walk up to an Indian woman on the street in Chicago and say "Teach me to make chappati's and paneer, please."

But I'd very much like to!

[tryska]

i'm sure if you asked she'd be thrilled, comfort me.

[tighe]

I can't just walk up to an Indian woman on the street in Chicago and say "Teach me to make chappati's and paneer, please."

Perhaps not someone on the street, but if you could find a family-run Indian restaurant, I would bet they'd be willing to give you some informal lessons. The chef/owner at a Turkish place near me has offered, a number of times, to teach me how to make certain dishes I like.

[M65]

Comfort Me

I can't just walk up to an Indian woman on the street in Chicago and say "Teach me to make chappati's and paneer, please."

But I'd very much like to!

PM me in the 3rd week of Jan, I can arrange that. I shall be moving there soon.

Would be happy to arrange that for you.

[jschyun]

I can't imagine why you couldn't ask. There isn't a language barrier, and Indian people that I've met are so friendly and open. I bet I could get one of my favorite restaurants to teach me how to make aloo gobi or better, idlis. Needless to say, I love idlis. But also, I am a regular. It's all about having a relationship first, I think, no matter what the culture.

Edited January 6, 2004 by jschyun (log)

[Grub]

Sorry to bump such an old post -- but it's such a great topic.

I too, made the director's Aloo Gobi. There's a very good Indian restaurant nearby, and I'm not sure if I like theirs better or not, but my friends prefer the one I make, from this recipe over the restaurant's. That's high praise for this recipe, I think.

The DVD's special feature where the director cooks this, is great. I like the film a lot in its own right, but that segment where she cooks it up, with her mother and auntie nattering on in the background is a lot of fun, and also quite endearing.

I peel the potatoes and the ginger as well -- but hey, I also grate the tomatoes, no matter how much of a mess it makes. This is the closest I've gotten to having a couple of genuine, old-fashioned Indian women teach me how to cook the same stuff they've made for so many years for their own families, I feel I just HAVE to follow their instructions to the exact letter.

Gurinder Chadha should do an entire DVD with Indian cooking, in this format. Hey, she did say that part of the reason she did the Aloo Gobi special feature was because she always dreamt of doing a cooking show...

[Kerry Beal]

Ok, so after reading this thread I just ordered Bend it Like Beckham from Amazon.

The director has two other movies now as well. Bride and Predjudice and What's Cooking. Anyone seen these? Any thoughts?

[Grub]

Very cool; I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

The director has made quite a few other movies. You can view a list and description of them on her page on IMDB.com here. Her future/Pre Production projects are also listed there, and includes some pretty amazing things, like a remake of I Dream of Jeannie, and a film version of Dallas that claims to be in negotiations with John Travolta and Jennifer Lopez -- very cool that she's having such success and able to rub elbows with the big stars. Of course, these things change a lot -- the Jeannie thing seems to be on hold for now.

The only other of her flicks I've seen is Baji on the Beach. It is also a female orientated comedy but it didn't seem as light-hearted as Bend it, at least to me. Your milage may vary.

[tryska]

They're all good, for their Genre - Bride and Prejudice can be quite camp in places, as they tease the Bollywood genre, and What's Cooking is a good L.A. Multicultural movie. Think Crash, but not anywhere near as angry and depressing.

Edited June 2, 2006 by tryska (log)

[Grub]

Ah yeah, genre-wise, Baji on the Beach is really a stereotypical chick-flick -- it's drama/comedy, but the focus is basically on relationships. But while nearly all the major characters in Bend it it like Beckham are female, and there is romance, conflicts and relationships, these elements (just like Aloo Gobi) are no more than a backdrop to the main story, which is one of inspiration. It's the story of someone who follows their dream, against the wishes of their family. Sort of Rocket Boys (the true story of a 1950s West Virginia coal miner's son who wants to be a rocket scientist -- based on Homer Hickam's autobiography October Sky, starring Jake Gyllenhall.) Oh dear, I do carry on... Actually, what I wanted to say was this:

Kerry, if you (well, or if anyone else) intend to cook Aloo Gobi from the DVD's recipe, beware that the recipe that is included in the DVD's Special Feature section is not entirely accurate -- it doesn't accurately reflect exactly the way Gurinder made it in the cooking special feature segment... So I ended up watching the cooking segment over and over again, and wrote down my own recipe. I'm not guaranteeing that this is a perfect interpretation of it, but I think it might be helpful, if you print this out and annotate it while you watch the cooking segment -- it is certainly more accurate than the recipe provided on the DVD.

(By the way, when I list ingredients in parenthesis, it means I will place them in the same bowl after prepping them, and thus that they will both be added into the cooking process at the same time).

INGREDIENTS

1 large onion, chopped

1 large cauliflower, cut into small pieces

3 large potatoes, chopped into same size pieces

1 bunch cilantro, separated into stalks and leaves, roughly chopped

1 tin whole, peeled, grated tomatoes.

4 chilis, chopped

1 inch fresh ginger, peeled, grated

4 cloves chopped garlic

1 tbsp cumin seeds

2 tsp turmeric

2 tsp salt

2 tsp Garam Masala

PREP

1. Chop (3 potatoes, 1 cauliflower).

2. Chop (cilantro stalks, 2 tsp salt, 2 tsp turmeric), (cilantro leaves).

3. Grate, chop (tomatoes, 4 chilies).

4. Chop (1" Ginger, garlic).

5. (2 tsp Garam Masala).

6. (2 tbsp cumin seeds).

7. Chop (1 onion).

COOK

1. Cook cumin seeds for a few seconds – careful not to burn.

2. Add onion, cook till translucent.

3. Add cilantro stalks, turmeric, salt.

4. Add chilies, tomatoes.

5. Add ginger, garlic.

6. Add potatoes, cauliflower (optional 1 tbsp water), cook for 20-30 minutes.

7. Add Garam Masala.

8. Let the dish rest for as long as possible, before serving.

9. Sprinkle with cilantro, serve.

[scott123]

I was disappointed with Bride & Prejudice. I am such a fan of Gurinder, Jane Austen and Bollywood that I did have astronomical expectations, though.

FWIW, Of the movies mentioned here, What's Cooking? has the most food in it. I found the multicultural approaches to roast turkey especially endearing.

I like the film a lot in its own right, but that segment where she cooks it up, with her mother and auntie nattering on in the background is a lot of fun, and also quite endearing.

←

I fell in love with her on the spot. If only she weren't married

Although not as endearing and quite auntie-less, Robert Rodriguez does something similar in the DVD extras of "Once Upon a Time in Mexico" where he makes cochinita pibil. If you haven't seen it, it's worth a look.

Edited June 6, 2006 by scott123 (log)

[Kerry Beal]

My copies of Bend it Like Beckham and Bride and Predjudice arrived from Amazon today.

I think I may have seen part of Bend before now that I have seen the cover, but I can't recall seeing any cooking, so I'll be watching it with great interest.

[Grub]

...

I think I may have seen part of Bend before now that I have seen the cover, but I can't recall seeing any cooking, so I'll be watching it with great interest.

←

The cooking scenes are minimal -- it occurs after a dramatic confrontation where the mother chastices her daughter and demands that she has to learn how to cook proper meals, "both meat and vegetarian!" This is where the line comes in, "But mom! Anyone can cook Aloo Gobi -- who can bend a ball like Beckham?" It has a funny part where the main character starts doing soccer stunts with a head of cabbage. You certainly cannot learn how to cook anything from that bit -- the aloo gobi cooking is in the Special Features section of the DVD, of course.

[prasantrin]

Round chapati takes practice!  Mine are oblong.

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I make almost perfectly round chappati. But then, I sort of cheat...

[Episure]

Round chapati takes practice!  Mine are oblong.

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I make almost perfectly round chappati. But then, I sort of cheat...

←

I know what you mean, I do the same.

[prasantrin]

I know what you mean, I do the same.

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You use a tortilla press, too? (just to make the round shape, then I use my rolling pin)