Bend it Like Beckham

[Episure]

Wow, that's another way.

Me, I use a rolling pin to create maps of various countries and continents that would make Nat Geo proud. Then I use a lid/cover to cut a perfect round.

[Bull Terrier]

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.

←

I tried cooking this yesterday evening and I must say that it came out really excellent.

The only thing which I would ask is if it would be better to first half-cook the potatoes before adding the cauliflower? I think that the cooking time for potatoes is longer. Of course this depends to some part on the variety of potatoes which one uses but usually it is the case I think.

[Milagai]

Just to make sure: the point of making aloo gobhi (yes, that extra 'h' in the

spelling is needed) is that it's one of the most basic recipes,

and if you know how to make this you won't starve.

It's like requiring an Anglo-background American teen to know

how to make a grilled cheese sandwich or some such thing,

or an extremely basic pasta + sauce.

So Jess' mom was not asking her to perform any extraordinary

culinary feat, just a basic but iconic dish, to ward off future

comments (what do you mean she can't even make aloo gobhi,

what kind of upbringing did her mom give her, was she

raised by wolves, etc.)

Milagai

[Grub]

... it would be better to first half-cook the potatoes before adding the cauliflower? I think that the cooking time for potatoes is longer. Of course this depends to some part on the variety of potatoes which one uses but usually it is the case I think...

←

That's really cool you cooked it. And yeah, that does make sense, to cook the potatoes more. I think I'll make a note of that on my own recipe.

Just to make sure:  the point of making aloo gobhi (yes, that extra 'h' in the

spelling is needed) is that it's one of the most basic recipes,

and if you know how to make this you won't starve.

It's like requiring an Anglo-background American teen to know

how to make a grilled cheese sandwich or some such thing,

or an extremely basic pasta + sauce. 

So Jess' mom was not asking her to perform any extraordinary

culinary feat, just a basic but iconic dish, to ward off future

comments (what do you mean she can't even make aloo gobhi,

what kind of upbringing did her mom give her, was she

raised by wolves, etc.)

Milagai

←

Oooh, that never occurred to me -- even if it seems completely obvious now that you point it out.

However, why is that 'H' required in gobhi? Is it a regional thing? I mean, the movie spells it gobi, right?

[Milagai]

However, why is that 'H' required in gobhi? Is it a regional thing? I mean, the movie spells it gobi, right?

No: it's not a regional thing.

The Hindi language has 54 letters in the alphabet

and though they may sound indistinguishable

to other ears, you can't randomly substitute one for another.

The alphabet distinguishes between aspirated and

unaspirated versions of consonants e.g.:

k and kh,

g and gh (the latter used in "ghee")

and so on and so forth.

so there's a difference between "b" and "bh".

All Sanskrit / Hindi derived languages have this

alphabet system (but different scripts).

The vegetable is phool (not pool) gobhi = cauliflower

and patta gobhi = cabbage.

Generically called "gobhi"

Gobi (without the h) is the Asian desert in China / Mongolia.

Thus the Indian-Chinese dish Gobi or Gobhi Manchurian

is actually an arcane translingual pun......

Of course, rendering the Indian language sounds into

English is a wild free for all and people do whatever they want.

I don't know how the movie spelled it.

If not sufficiently confusing I can stir the pot further....

but NEVER NEVER NEVER write Ghandi (urk my flesh

crawled as I typed that) for Gandhi and if you know anyone

who perpetrates this atrocity, please yank their chain from me.

Milagai

[SDSeth]

To confuse the hindi to english issue further cut and paste the link below

http://www.omniglot.com/writing/hindi.htm

[SDSeth]

To confuse the hindi to english issue further cut and paste the link below

http://www.omniglot.com/writing/hindi.htm

The language has evolved over the centuries and becom richer for it. The easy and good thing about it is the true phonetic nature of it, just like Milagai has written

[Grub]

Ah, okay I think I get it. It's like the Japanese movie/flower/word Tampopo being spelled "tanpopo" in Hiragana but expected to be pronounced "tampopo," simply because an "n" that preceeds "p" or "b" has -- as you say -- a sort of aspirated quality to it, so it is always pronounced "m." And while it properly should be spelled Tanpopo in Roman letters, it is spelled Tampopo, simply because unlike Japanese, Roman script has an "m," and those who speak languages that use Roman script cannot be expected to be familiar with such details of Japanese scripts and pronounciations.

I've also seen some menus describe Vindaloo as Bindaloo, which is understandable considering V and B are so similar when pronounced, but probably not good for business in a British establishment.

...The vegetable is phool (not pool) gobhi = cauliflower

and patta gobhi = cabbage.

Generically called "gobhi...

Now, this bit I don't understand -- if Phool Gobhi is Cauliflower and Patta Gobhi is Cabbage, why would Gobhi be used to generically describe both? They're quite different vegetables.

[Milagai]

Now, this bit I don't understand -- if Phool Gobhi is Cauliflower and Patta Gobhi is Cabbage, why would Gobhi be used to generically describe both? They're quite different vegetables.

Maybe because desis think like whoever (Mark Twain?)

said : "a cauliflower is a cabbage with a college education".

i.e. I don't know, and different cultures classify

foods differently from each other.....?

And anyway are not cabbage, cauliflower etc.

closely related vegs (all Brassica...., along with

some others?)

and ps: to the other Hindi-ers ; yes, I do know

but forgot to write: Bandh Gobhi is probably the

more common name for Patta Gobhi.

Milagai.

Edited July 10, 2006 by Milagai (log)

[Milagai]

Ah, okay I think I get it. It's like the Japanese movie/flower/word Tampopo being spelled "tanpopo" in Hiragana but expected to be pronounced "tampopo," simply because an "n" that preceeds "p" or "b" has -- as you say -- a sort of aspirated quality to it, so it is always pronounced "m." And while it properly should be spelled Tanpopo in Roman letters, it is spelled Tampopo, simply because unlike Japanese, Roman script has an "m," and those who speak languages that use Roman script cannot be expected to be familiar with such details of Japanese scripts and pronounciations.

I've also seen some menus describe Vindaloo as Bindaloo, which is understandable considering V and B are so similar when pronounced, but probably not good for business in a British establishment.

This happens all the time from one language to another.

Westerners prefer to write dofu for tofu because that's what

their ears hear (there is no unaspirated "t" sound in English).

(same as Beijing vs Peking, etc.)

But to Hindi ears that "t" (without the puff of air) is clearly

heard because we have "t" and "T" (I don't know how to write

it in English so I'm making that up).

Every Hindi consonant can be said to have 4 forms:

aspirated and unaspirated

soft and hard:

t = no Eng equiv (ends up sounding similar to d to non-Hindi ears).

T = regular Eng t

th = soft like the Eng "they"

thh = (no Eng equiv)

these are recognised as 4 different sounds, not 4 versions

of the same sound.... and don't occur next to each other

in the alphabetical listing (which is classified by tongue

position - so t, T, d, D and N would go together).

(Note: I've used a different transliteration from that

given in SDSeth's web link)

and one is confined to the English t letter when moving

from one sound to another, so people keep experimenting

with diacritical marks.

Sorry, wandering too far from food. Except to say

that the tt in Patta (Gobhi) is pronounced soft, not hard like in

pitter patter....

Milagai

Edited July 10, 2006 by Milagai (log)

[Grub]

Maybe because desis think like whoever (Mark Twain?)

said : "a cauliflower is a cabbage with a college education".

←

Heheh excellent use of a quote, that. Proves a point, too. Good one. And yeah, that was Twain.