Indian Food

[Episure]

For our UK Viewers:

So you think you are the greatest cook? Your chance to appear on telly

A much-loved cooking competition is returning to TV screens in 2005. Filming begins soon.

This summer, the BBC is searching the nation for ambitious, talented and adventurous amateur cooks to take part in a highly charged cooking competition that could change your life...so if you think you could be the next Gordon Ramsay, Jamie Oliver or Nigella Lawson...then this national television event is for you!

Application forms are available online at www.greatestcook.co.uk

[Episure]

15th August is famous for this also

[gingerly]

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/789522.cms

Move on to the next stop. Kanpur not only has bizarrely-identifiable food joints, but also restaurateurs with quirky IDs. Mattha Pandey alias Ram Avatar of Kanpur not only gives a unique taste to his food but also calls them funny things. And if his Communist Poorie and Apradhi Aata caught the attention of food-lovers earlier, his current-day sell-out Thaggu Ke Ladoo at Bada Chauraha. Mattha Pandey recalls how when he landed in Kanpur in 1945-46 he heard a speech of Mahatma Gandhi's who termed sugar as white poison. "Since laddoo can't be made without sugar, I decided to be true to my customer and call them Thaggu Ke Ladoo," says Mattha Pandey.

[Episure]

He may have directed the Big B in a film, but adman turned Aks-man Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra has not given up on his other love: food

The cuisine is traditional Indian fare, featuring delicacies from Lucknow, Rampur and the North-West Frontier. The menu has been divided into two segments—lunch has a variety of combo meals, while dinner is pegged at Rs 199 for a choice of salad, five different kababs, three vegetarian and three non-vegetarian items, besides raita, biryani and assorted rotis. If you still want seconds, eat all you want without paying anything more!

[gingerly]

http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/7242_955776,00180007.htm

A restaurant named after Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav is turning out to be a huge hit in Lucknow.

Lalu Junction with an entire section on Lalu Prasad Yadav has been decorated to look like a typical railway junction. Complete with kiosks selling beetle leaves and cigarettes, the restaurant's waiters are dressed like cooliesGuests are served drinks in earthern cups and plastic plates. A live band performs popular Hindi film songs, which completes the look.

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anyone sleeping under your table is part of the decor..

[mongo_jones]

http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/7242_955776,00180007.htm

A restaurant named after Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav is turning out to be a huge hit in Lucknow.

Lalu Junction with an entire section on Lalu Prasad Yadav has been decorated to look like a typical railway junction. Complete with kiosks selling beetle leaves and cigarettes, the restaurant's waiters are dressed like cooliesGuests are served drinks in earthern cups and plastic plates. A live band performs popular Hindi film songs, which completes the look.

.

anyone sleeping under your table is part of the decor..

well, what do you expect? the man's campaign slogans include, "jab tak samose mein alu rahega, tab tak bihar mein laloo rahega"

[Episure]

After a cool $2.8 million, Maurya opened its doors two and a half years ago giving Vancouver its first high end Indian restaurant.MAURYA

[gingerly]

deadly secret weapon number one

British soldiers are demanding a new weapon on the battlefield - chicken curry, lamb curry and rice. The only other thing they want is boots that fit..

They are looking for food they would love to eat at home after five pints of beer.

[gingerly]

hungry kya?

The upcoming AICC session in the city offers plenty of food for thought

Here's what's coming up: A ton of marigolds and roses, a ton and a half of jalebis , a ton of moong ki dal ki halwa , 15,000 kulfis , a ton of cauliflowers, six tons of of paneer , 65 halwais from Chandni Chowk, a fleet of AC cars. All this and more is to be pressed into service for the All-India Congress Committee (AICC) session at the Talkatora stadium on August 21.

According to Mangat Ram Singhal, chairman of the food committee, "Keeping the prevailing drought and flood situation in the country in mind, Congress president Sonia Gandhi has directed that the session be a simple affair. While lunch and dinner will be prepared for 6,000 guests, breakfast is for 3,000 members. It will be an all-vegetarian affair

[Episure]

The coffee scene in India

Festival foods in Pune

D’Tandoor Restaurant KL Tower in Malaysia

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US MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan(Aug 20, 2004) -- On an average weekend, hundreds of people journey through the narrow back roads of 188th street, past the neon lights advertising bars and clubs, and into an Indian-style restaurant.

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Edited August 29, 2004 by Monica Bhide (log)

[gingerly]

more tales from laloo land

Lalu's kullhar breaks even

NEW DELHI: Railway Minister Lalu Prasad's decision to replace plastic cups with earthern ware is expected to generate business worth Rs 16 billion for potters during 2004-05 if properly implemented, a study has said.

[Episure]

Vir Sanghvi looks at Gujaratis and their food in a different light

The point about the Indian lack of gastronomic adventure is not that we are so rooted in our own cuisine but that we want the same familiar rubbish that we get at our restaurants. Why is it that every Indian restaurant at every hotel – and probably every coffee shop these days – has to include some variation of butter chicken or navratan korma on its menu? Why is it that when Indians decide that they will be adventurous on holiday, they go to a Chinese restaurant and order the gobi Manchurian and prawns in garlic sauce that they could easily get at their neighbourhood chop suey place?

[mike k]

From Friday's NRA SmartBrief:

Hooters to open in India

Hooters girls are being exported to India, as Hooters inks a deal to open between five and 10 Indian franchise locations. This is the company's first foray in to the South Asian market, but it has several international locations, including restaurants in Singapore and Taiwan. MSNBC

"The outfits don’t change. We make some allowances for local menu," said Mike McNeil, vice president of marketing for Hooters of America . "We might have the steak sandwich, but you might also be able to get fish and rice or curried chicken or something like that."

The steak sandwich might not fly. Hindu diets specifically prohibit beef. McDonald's India, for example, offers a Chicken Maharaja Mac as well as the vegetarian McAloo Tikki Burger.

[gingerly]

http://autofeed.msn.co.in/pandorav3/output...b8b97cbe9a.aspx

India launched its latest assault on the lucrative taste buds of Britain this week when a Bangalore distillery unveiled its own brand of single malt in Scotland

,

It will be distributed in Britain by Glasgow-based Premier Scotch Whisky, which is owned by Alastair Sinclair.

Sinclair first came across Amrut in the mid-1980s when he was working as a consultant to the spirits industry. Since then, he said, Amrut had invested a lot of money in the distillery, which had resulted in "a very fine malt whisky indeed".

[tanabutler]

Thread to Metropolitan Home magazine with Suvir Saran: big congratulations again for this beautiful piece, with so many recipes.

[Edward]

FYI-

The latest issue of Gourmet magazine is about films and food. It features an article about Bombay-nothing new to any of us, but was still kind of cool. It also features a recipe and photo of puris from their "way we were" page-Madhur 1974 article.

Even better than this though. The new Savuer has a beautiful article about Lucknow and its Nawabi cuisine.

[Episure]

I guess there are more vegetarian savvy people here than on any other Forum. So, why dont you all show off your skills.

Is $7,000 Hiding in Your Kitchen?

Recipe Contest Challenges Cooks to Get Creative With Canned Mixed Vegetables

Is your favorite canned mixed vegetable recipe profitable? If it's quick and easy, original, and uses seven ingredients or less it could be worth $7,000.

That's the payoff the leading producer of canned mixed vegetables is offering to busier-than-ever cooks with this fall's Veg-All Makin' It Easy Recipe Contest.

With a 78-year history of making home cooking more convenient, Veg-All's latest recipe contest challenges cooks to develop homestyle creations that make it easy to bring nutrition-packed vegetables back into today's hectic lifestyles. Entries are being accepted from September 1 to November 30, 2004.

"A lot of people think they don't have time to prepare nutritious meals," says Tom Erman, vice president of marketing for the Allen Canning Company, "but with no washing, slicing, or dicing required, time-savers like canned mixed vegetables make home cooking possible on any schedule. We're challenging cooks to take the convenience of Veg-All, add six more ingredients, and make creative, quick, and easy new recipes."

Those who take the challenge seriously will find that mom was right: It does pay to eat your vegetables. With a grand prize of $7,000 and seven $1,000 first prizes, nutrition is not the only reward in a can of mixed vegetables!

How to Enter

To enter the Veg-All Makin' It Easy Recipe Contest, entrants should:

-- Develop and submit an original recipe using Veg-All 15 ounce Original

Mixed Vegetables.

-- Submit entry on a 3"x5" recipe card and include: Recipe name; complete

listing of recipe ingredients with U.S. measurements (must be 7

ingredients or less to qualify); step-by-step instructions for

preparation, mixing, cooking/baking, prep/cook time and temperature

requirements; number of servings yielded; serving suggestions; and any

other pertinent information.

-- Submit the following on a separate 3"x5" card: Entrant's full name,

home address, telephone number, and e-mail address (if available).

-- Limit of two entries per household. Only one entry per envelope.

-- Include one UPC from a 15 ounce Veg-All Original Mixed Vegetables

label.

-- All entries should be typed, or hand printed in ink. Entries must be

received no later than November 30, 2004, and mailed to:

Veg-All Makin' It Easy Recipe Contest

P.O. Box 109

Anaheim, CA 92815-0109

Judging Criteria

Recipe entries will be judged by an independent judging organization and an experienced home economist based on the following criteria:

-- Taste - 50%

-- Originality - 25%

-- Appearance - 25%

Prizes

One grand prize of $7,000 cash and seven first prizes of $1,000 cash will be awarded, for a total of $14,000 in cash prizes.

Veg-All, a mix of seven delicious vegetables in a light onion broth (carrots, potatoes, celery, sweet peas, green beans, corn, and lima beans), is the leading brand of canned mixed vegetables in the United States. The brand is packaged and distributed by Allen Canning of Siloam Springs, Ark., and was first introduced in 1926. For more information log on to http://www.veg-all.com/ .

Web site: http://www.veg-all.com/

[Episure]

Bhasin's Delhi Club.

Lunchtime finds a much-abbreviated menu of salads, sandwiches using naan as bookends to fillings, and a curry of the day. Hope to find either saag gosht (tender lamb buried in gingery spinach) or pista korma (chicken draped in a creamy beige blanket of ground pistachios, fennel and cardamom). Both entrees are offered at night, and both are likely to leave you swabbing their bowls for the last drop of sauce with the excellent breads here, the best of which are lightly stuffed with cottage cheese or fresh mint. Another winning main dish: tender lamb chops in a brick-red sauce that's at once fruity, tart and fiery. The perfect antidote to the flames is Indian ice cream -- dense, chewy, rich with the flavor of nuts and cardamom and absolutely irresistible after the first bite.

[gingerly]

coals to newcastle?looks like it!

A coalition of 93 UK-based Indian food manufacturers are planning to sell India samosas made in the UK. Not just samosas, chicken tikka masala, naan, kebabs, or any item that is par for the course at any eatery in India.

Edited September 11, 2004 by gingerly (log)

[Monica Bhide]

"No kitchens are no entry for outsiders " -- here is the link to an interesting piece in the Hindustan Times --

http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/7242_1002988,00180007.htm

[foodietraveler]

We recieve copy of magazine in mail Friday. Reading magazine i found Indian Home Cooking and Suvir Saran again. I miss cover mention of article.

Very nice photographs and recipes. Well written article, so Indian. Makes me homesick.

More recipes for me to try and now I have to go buy Monica Bhide in Bon Apetit magazine.

[Episure]

Monica congratulations!

Monica Bhide's book - The Spice is Right is featured in the latest issue of India's favourite women's magazine FEMINA.

An absolute down- to- earth Indian cookbook for the hard- pressed- for- time, health conscious cook. The highlight of the book is that it's organised into menus. So, let's say you pick a topic- 'Seafood Special" or 'An Intimate Dinner For Two'(and there are many such brilliant options), you wouldnt have to ponder on drawing up the menu! It's all right there - a spread for a complete meal. Read, cook and set the table!

And wait... another good part - each menu concludes with a section on what to do with the leftovers. The idea stems from the author's dislike for wasting food. So, if you're bound to love this idea, if you hate wasting, too!

Buy Monica's book through this egullet amazon link The spice is right

[foodietraveler]

I finally open the newspaper to read story on Kishore Kumar and as flipping the page, I find big article on Suvir Saran. Photo from book of squash recipe, photo of Suvir and photo of book image. Big story and very nice about his chef at home.

Cooking for Panditji - Aseem Chabra

"One of New York's hottest chefs thrives on inspiration that goes way back to his childhood. Aseem Chabra gets a taste of what makes Suvir Saran sizzle."

No online version or else I give link here.

You can subscribe to India Abroad by going to www.indiaabroad.com

Monica Bhide and Suvir Saran make us proud. They are all over.

[gingerly]

next-chutney marie?

The enthusiasm for Indian food is touching such heights that even the French food snobs can no longer resist its lure. The age-old Indian chutney, which is believed to have found its way to France through Britain, is being hailed as a symbol of modern cuisine by the French. Chutney and pickles are hitting supermarket shelves in a big way. .

India is a lot nearer that you think," said Le Monde. "It is just on the other side of the Channel. It is in England that all the Indian foods exported to France are made." Parisian gastronomes say the chutney is an evidence that British taste may not be as bad as they thought

According to the L'Express, three years ago it could only be found in a handful of specialist stores. French people had heard of it only through pupils who returned from language courses in Britain with tales of how they were forced to eat cheese with a spicy condiment

.

[Episure]

the southern coastal region called Chettinad flaunts another cuisine that thumbs its nose at Tamil vegetarianism.

Of more interest are the chicken choices that show a Chinese influence, perhaps partly a result of the Chettiar diaspora. One such is chicken 65 ($7.95), a heap of crispy fried drumsticks that benefit from a gingery marinade. Multiple stories circulate as to the origin: (1) It was invented at a café on Highway 65, (2) There are 65 grams of chile for every kilogram of chicken, and most unbelievably, (3) It was invented in 1965 at the behest of a British traveler. Indo-Chinese dishes can often be identified by their non-Indian names: ginger chicken, chili chicken, etc.

Groan, yet another version of Chicken 65!