Indian Food-"Raw"

[rks]

I was reading a review of Charlie Trotters book Raw and thought it would be interesting to hear ideas on how you would make a "raw" Indian dish. Charlie Trotter defines raw as "using the best possible ingredients at the height of their seasons, and not adulterating their flavors." All the dishes are prepared with basic techniques--juicing, dehydrating, and slicing preserving all the nutritional value avoiding the enzyme-rupturing process that intense heat induces.

what would be best ingredients?

would you incorporate lots of spices to make a "raw" dish Indian?

what would be the quintessential ingredient to a "raw" Indian dish?

[Suvir Saran]

Art Smith, private chef to Oprah Winfrey was dining at Amma recently and said some of the chaat dishes he ate reminded him of what he ate at the raw restaurant on the West Coast. He did say the spices and the citrus juices saved the dishes in this case...

Raw is very easy to do with Indian food... Chaats, like fruit chaat eaten in India most daily in many a Northern Indian home, are quintessential in doing exactly what you attribue to Charlie Trotter. Guava, mango (green and ripe), papaya, oranges, pineapple, loquat, grapefruit, sweet limes, meyer lemons, pomellos, pomegranate, apples, pears, plums, strawberries, apricots, scallions, red onions, radishes, beets, carrots, sweet peppers, cucumbers, kakri, water melon, other melons, cabbage, cauliflower, mint, cilantro, parsnips, turnips, are only some of the many fruits and vegetables you would find raw and spiced and savored with delight in the Indian kitchen. Then you have the legumes that are sprouted and enjoyed raw in salads. The list would be unending and my body tired... but you get the idea...

What do you enjoy raw from the Indian kitchen? Where do you get it rks?

[Episure]

I make all my Poriyals al dente so I think they qualify as Raw.

And they don't have to be confined to traditional vegetables, I have used Broccolli, Snowpeas, Asparagus, Purple cabbage, Zucchini.........

Just lightly steam the vegetables and toss them in a little Ghee with scraped coconut and asafoetida. This is what would be termed as a warm salad.

TFTP: Never trust anyone who doesnt use a traditional scraper

[rks]

I've always enjoyed eating some of the more exotic fruits at my grandmother's house in Amritsar--pomegranates, my favorite hands down. She's always creative in making fruit chaats--bananas, oranges, apples, guava,and pomegranates. I think that's what turned me on to raw food in Indian cuisine. It was usually a mix of my favorite fruits and just a little of her own blend of "kaala mirch', black salt.

I bring a large tin of the black salt upon every visit. I use it on everything. Very similar to chaat masala but a little more peppery.

[BBhasin]

I've always enjoyed eating some of the more exotic fruits at my grandmother's house in Amritsar--pomegranates, my favorite hands down. She's always creative in making fruit chaats--bananas, oranges, apples, guava,and pomegranates. I think that's what turned me on to raw food in Indian cuisine. It was usually a mix of my favorite fruits and just a little of her own blend of "kaala mirch', black salt.

I bring a large tin of the black salt  upon every visit. I use it on everything. Very similar to chaat masala but a little more peppery.

Rks,

next time you do your fruit chat

add

black salt, ground black pepper AND ground roasted ( almost blackened) cumin seeds.

and then

sqeeze a wee bit of lemon juice.

mix it all and enjoy.

[tryska]

raitas qualify don't they?

[Monica Bhide]

Art Smith, private chef to Oprah Winfrey was dining at Amma recently

Very nice Suvir.. congratulations. Amma is certainly getting its fair share of big names dining at it. Much success to you. Cheers!

Edited November 7, 2003 by Monica Bhide (log)

[Suvir Saran]

Art Smith, private chef to Oprah Winfrey was dining at Amma recently

Very nice Suvir.. congratulations. Amma is certainly getting its fair share of big names dining at it. Much success to you. Cheers!

Since the big names at eGullet are hiding from Amma, it has been easy to give seats to the other big names around the country.

Thanks Monica! We have been a little too lucky. For a small restaurant, we have been given way too much attention.