National Integration...

[Vikram]

I recently went to a big function at the Oberoi in Bombay which had an interesting buffet dinner. The people organising the function had decreed the buffet was to be vegetarian only, and in a somewhat desperate attempt to add some interest here the Oberoi chefs had come up with the idea of having one dish from every state in India in the buffet.

I thought the idea was amusing, especially given how desperate they got when they came to those perenially overlooked Northeastern states (patriotically inclined desis can stop right now and do a test by seeing if they can name them all). Since these places aren't exactly noted for their vegetarian dishes the chefs ended up with some pretty weird variations on bamboo shoots - except for poor Tripura where they gave up completely and just put the boiled rice in its name.

I'm putting the menu below. Can anyone suggest what more appropriate dishes for each state might have been? (Like I don't agree with the Kerala dish. Curd-rice is something I associate more with Tamil Nadu, and I'd have chosen something like kalan or olan rather than this). Ot what a non-veg version of this buffet might have looked like? I'll post vague translations for the non-desis.

- Andhra Pradesh - Pappu Dasaki (Curried bottlegourd. This is one of those veggies I think just shouldn't exist)

- Arunachal Pradesh - Laija (leafy greens boiled. Tasted like spinach only)

- Assam - Potato Oambal (tasted like indifferently made alu posto)

- Bihar - Baingan ka Salan (aubergine curry)

- Delhi - Aloo Papdi chaat (spicy potato chaat)

- Goa - Bibinca (a dessert since everyone knows the only vegetable they eat in Goa is coconuts! These are incredibly rich and rather rubbery textured stacked coconut pancakes)

- Gujarat - Patra and Dhokla (Patra is spiced, fried and rolled colocassia leaves, dhoklas are steamed rice batter cakes)

- Haryana - Rajma Masala (spicy kidney beans)

- Himachal Pradesh - Longia Bhutta, Dhingri Subzi (curried, dryish corn and mushrooms)

- Jammu & Kashmir - Khatti Bindi (meaning sour okra, it was okra cooked in a yoghurt sauce)

- Jharkand - Dum Ki Arbi (someone in F&B was thinking tribals = tubers! What is arbi in English, BTW?)

- Karnataka - Bisibelebath (spicy rice, thank god for this dish which is what most people ended up eating)

- Kerala - Curd Rice (ridiculous, which self respecting Malayali has ever eaten this willingly?)

- Madhya Pradesh - Makai ka halwa (no, thank god that wasn't a sweetcorn pudding, but a corn curry)

- Maharashtra - Koshimbir (coriander leaves in chickpea flour, pretty good - or pretty hard to screw up)

- Manipur - UTI, black lentils (well, at least no bamboo shoots)

- Meghalaya - Wak Bizak (Bamboo shoots with chilli and ginger)

- Mizoram - Bai (boiled bamboo shoots and spinach, not exactly likely to increase gastronomic tourism to Mizoram)

- Nagaland - Vegetable Stew (bamboo shoots again, this time with tomatoes)

- Orissa - Chana Dhalna (never reached Orissa either)

- Tamil Nadu - Dhal Payasam (of all the things in Tamil cooking, they have to give us sweet lentils!)

- Tripura - Boiled rice (my heart bleeds for Tripura!)

- Uttaranchal - Dhal Wada (forgot what this was, don't think I made it to Uttaranchal!)

- Uttar Pradesh - Subz Dum Ki Biriani (meant to be from Lucknow I guess. I don't eat biriani, so can't comment)

- West Bengal - Rassagulla (a no brainer I guess, for the dessert)

Just realised that I've got nothing listed for Chhatisgarh or Punjab! Or the union territories. Must have missed out some, unless the bread rolls were meant to be from Pondicherry!

Vikram

[skchai]

No idea what to suggest, but I believe arbi in English is taro, cocoyam, colocasia, or dasheen, depending on which english-speaking country you are in!

[Suvir Saran]

Colocasia is how I refer to them in my classes and menus where I serve them.

Vikram, thanks for taking time to post this menu. As usual, you are very kind.

[Monica Bhide]

What an interesting menu -- I have to say not all the things sound appetizing -- Boiled rice??

[deliad]

Colocasia is how I refer to them in my classes and menus  where I serve them.

Vikram, thanks for taking time to post this menu.  As usual, you are very kind.

In the US grocery stores, I think it is called Yucca roots.

[Suvir Saran]

Yucca is very different from Arbi.. but at least it is available... enjoy it... whatever name someone gives it even if only in error.

Yucca is generally larger than colocasia (arbi).

[Suvir Saran]

Arbi is very easy to grow as well. You can grow it in large pots...and use the leaves as indoor plants...and the roots for food.. but you would need to have many a pot to cook a decent portion with. The leaves resemble the Elephant Ear plant and will get you loads of compliments from friends and family that visit you. Beautiful fleshy leaves of grand scale.

[Suvir Saran]

Below are some images of Arbi (colocasia) and Yucca (Zimicand).

Yucca Plant

Colocasia Plant

Yucca Root

\

Colocasia Root

Both the colocasia and the yucca roots are larger than what I would want to cook with. I use the most tender and small arbi I can find. Makes for much tastier sabzi.

The pictures are courtesy of google.com.

Edited October 23, 2003 by Suvir Saran (log)

[deliad]

Suvir,

Thanks for the pics. It appears that our grocery store (clerk) sells colocasia roots as yucca roots. I definitely know my arbi. It is true that it is larger than the one we were used to in India. But is'nt that true for almost everything else too..

[mongo_jones]

ah, now if it had been non-veg the north-eastern states would shine. i had a friend from nagaland in boarding school who used to bring back tons of this ground meat (venison i think) laced with powdered chilli and spices. it looked and tasted like gunpowder. ah, how we ate it by the handful and how we paid for it soon after!

also, i've had some brilliant assamese food involving fish and yes, bamboo shoots. one of the advantages of being from a military background is that you not only get to live all over india and taste lots of different indian cuisines but you also have easy access to home-cooking of a lot of states when you're nowhere near them.

this menu sounds ghastly. it sounds like whoever came up with it exhausted their imagination with the concept and didn't have anything left over when it came to actual dish selection. by the way vikram, you're missing rajasthan as well.

[deliad]

ah, now if it had been non-veg the north-eastern states would shine. i had a friend from nagaland in boarding school who used to bring back tons of this ground meat (venison i think) laced with powdered chilli and spices. it looked and tasted like gunpowder. ah, how we ate it by the handful and how we paid for it soon after!

also, i've had some brilliant assamese food involving fish and yes, bamboo shoots. one of the advantages of being from a military background is that you not only get to live all over india and taste lots of different indian cuisines but you also have easy access to home-cooking of a lot of states when you're nowhere near them.

this menu sounds ghastly. it sounds like whoever came up with it exhausted their imagination with the concept and didn't have anything left over when it came to actual dish selection. by the way vikram, you're missing rajasthan as well.

Is'nt that hot and spicy item from North East called Momos. I think I have had it at one of the food stalls in Dilli Haat long time back. It was probably Nagaland or Mizoram food stall.

[Monica Bhide]

I really like them -- I have had them with paneer, minced shrimp and even with crab meat

[mongo_jones]

no, no, if the momos you're talking about is the same thing that monica is talking about that's a nepalese/tibetan incarnation of what in the u.s are known as potstickers. what i am describing is literally a powdered meat and spice thing. i have no idea how it is eaten in nagaland: my friend used to bring it back in large tins and we would just scoop it out with our hands and eat it neat (and then rush for water or the toilet).

[Monica Bhide]

Is'nt that hot and spicy item from North East called Momos. I think I have had it at one of the food stalls in Dilli Haat long time back. It was probably Nagaland or Mizoram food stall.

They were from the Meghalaya food stall.. and still going strong as per my Dad

Edited October 23, 2003 by Monica Bhide (log)

[mongo_jones]

repeat: the naga dried meat thing i described is not a momo.

here's a link to a site that has some information on food of the north-eastern states. vikram, you'll like the title: http://www.indiaprofile.com/cuisine/northe...ast-cuisine.htm

[mongo_jones]

actually, the larger site is also interesting: http://www.indiaprofile.com/cuisine/index.html

[Episure]

Mongo_jones

I know what you are referring to, I've had a similar wet version in my Naga friend's house. It's meat stewed with chillies, wild basil and galangal ginger. The same is dried for long term use, much like shredded jerky or pemmican. And those Naga chillies are weapons of mass destruction. Ssshh!

My Naga friend- Robert, has promised to take me on a trip into the interiors and this is an opportunity I will not pass up because only he can safely escort me there. His stories about the till recent head hunting customs of the local tribes are awesome. This is the wild east!

I brought back all those ingredients and a 1" Raja chilli is sufficient to kick ass into a dal meant for 8 people.

Edited October 24, 2003 by Episure (log)

[Rushina]

Gujarat - OOndhiyu - This is a speciatlity of Surat that is famous. It is made from mostly root vegetable and flavoured with Green Garlic. Can find out more and get a recipe if anyone is interested.

Uttaranchal - The Dal pakodas, wellthis one they got right. If I am not mistaken these would have been Urad dal pakoras, flavoured with ginger, garlic and chillies. sprinkled with sesame and Jeera and fried in Mustard oil, also the authentic shap would have been round with a hole in the middle. I can never forget them since thethey were the first thing i experianced with pahari food. My first morning in my new home after I woke up, I had my first experiance of the smell of Mustard oil. It is extremely pungent to someone who has never smelt it befor.

Any way The Pahari people of Uttaranchal love their Urad Dal and their cuisine uses it to such an extent that it has achieved a stage of recognition so to speak with the Pahari people. As a result these pakoras are made on any celebratory or special occassion and first put befor god before the rest of the family devours them. They go really well with hing pickle. A Green mango pickle flavoured with hing and chilli simple but mouth watering. I must mention here that these are the conclusions I have come to after a little resaerch and theorising.

Rushina

[deliad]

Gujarat - OOndhiyu - This is a speciatlity of Surat that is famous. It is made from mostly root vegetable and flavoured with Green Garlic. Can find out more and get a recipe if anyone is interested.

Uttaranchal - The Dal pakodas, wellthis one they got right. If I am not mistaken these would have been Urad dal pakoras, flavoured with ginger, garlic and chillies. sprinkled with sesame and Jeera and fried in Mustard oil, also the authentic shap would have been round with a hole in the middle. I can never forget them since thethey were the first thing i experianced with pahari food. My first morning in my new home after I woke up, I had my first experiance of the smell of Mustard oil. It is extremely pungent to someone who has never smelt it befor.

Any way The Pahari people of Uttaranchal love their Urad Dal and their cuisine uses it to such an extent that it has achieved a stage of recognition so to speak with the Pahari people. As a result these pakoras are made on any celebratory or special occassion and first put befor god before the rest of the family devours them. They go really well with hing pickle. A Green mango pickle flavoured with hing and chilli simple but mouth watering. I must mention here that these are the conclusions I have come to after a little resaerch and theorising.

Rushina

Yummm, those dal pakoras...Even though originally from UP mountains, these dal pakoras are still easily available in New Delhi, mostly from roadside stalls. Usually they serve them with Mooli lachcha (White Radish juliens) and Imli chatni (tamarind sauce)

Used to be my backup in my school days if I did not like the vegetable of that day.

[e101g]

There is nothing more Tamil than Idli and Sambhar..