Dill and other herbs

[gingerly]

dil se

[Vikram]

Dill is certainly not a widely used herb in India - as far as I know, its confined mostly to Gujaratis and, even more, Sindhis (Episure, come in here please). Its the main flavouring in suva-bhaji, which is best described as Sindhi mashed vegetables. Its a dish that looks like a mess, but has a strangely comforting gloopiness.

Edward, apologies, I meant to tell you I cooked this too and it came out very well - though I almost thought it didn't. Just after I finished cooking it I took a taste and I went no, the dill is too much and gives it a strange taste. Then I let it cool a little and tried it again, mixing it this time with rice - and this time it worked and worked very well. I ate it over the next couple of days with relish, but it was just me - I tried it on the bf and his sister who had come over for lunch and they, good Haryanvis, didn't like the taste.

Which confirms my feeling that dill is (a) a bit of an acquired taste and (b) one that fits in sort of borderline with Indian cooking. There's a grassy, herby quality which almost doesn't mesh - it works in this case, with suva bhaji, the suva panki that Swati makes and the potatoes sauteed with absolutely fresh picked suva my mother once made after coming back from a trip into interior Maharashtra where she went through some villages where it was grown.

But I'd be careful in using it and there are other, even more intensely flavoured herbs that I really wonder if they would work with Indian food. Rosemary, sage and tarragon, for example (though thyme would, since we're familiar with that flavour through ajwain). Anyone tried?

Vikram

[Episure]

Dill is certainly not a widely used herb in India - as far as I know, its confined mostly to Gujaratis and, even more, Sindhis (Episure, come in here please). Its the main flavouring in suva-bhaji, which is best described as Sindhi mashed vegetables. Its a dish that looks like a mess, but has a strangely comforting gloopiness.

Edward, apologies, I meant to tell you I cooked this too and it came out very well - though I almost thought it didn't. Just after I finished cooking it I took a taste and I went no, the dill is too much and gives it a strange taste. Then I let it cool a little and tried it again, mixing it this time with rice - and this time it worked and worked very well. I ate it over the next couple of days with relish, but it was just me - I tried it on the bf and his sister who had come over for lunch and they, good Haryanvis, didn't like the taste.

Which confirms my feeling that dill is (a) a bit of an acquired taste and (b) one that fits in sort of borderline with Indian cooking. There's a grassy, herby quality which almost doesn't mesh - it works in this case, with suva bhaji, the suva panki that Swati makes and the potatoes sauteed with absolutely fresh picked suva my mother once made after coming back from a trip into interior Maharashtra where she went through some villages where it was grown.

But I'd be careful in using it and there are other, even more intensely flavoured herbs that I really wonder if they would work with Indian food. Rosemary, sage and tarragon, for example (though thyme would, since we're familiar with that flavour through ajwain). Anyone tried?

Vikram

Sindhis do use it 'dil se' but a little 'gingerly' as it can be too overpowering.

It's a must in 'Sai Bhaji' which is a mish mash of finely chopped vegetables and Greens.

The other is a leftover dal tikki. Surplus dal( cooked ) is mixed with besan, dill, ginger, garlic and onions and deep fried into tikkis.

I also add a little dill to aloo methi, just a few strands will do.

[gingerly]

i've eaten dill in vadais as well as in a kind of mixed greens vegetable in the south but i can't say how far back its usage goes.the vadais are very good with dill in them.

Edward,could you please post your recipe for garam masala-i couldn't find one online-kept coming up with one that calls for '1/2 a cup of green peppercorns' as one of the ingredients..?

[Spiceroute]

My former roomate used to whip up a simple rice dish with dill ( from her grand mothers recipe) , and she is of kannada origin.

It had a tadka of urad dal , mustard , pinch of hing , added to which was freshly crushed black pepper and chopped dill and finally stir fried for a few minutes with cooked rice.

Edited August 5, 2004 by Spiceroute (log)

[rajsuman]

Rosemary, sage and tarragon, for example (though thyme would, since we're familiar with that flavour through ajwain). Anyone tried?

I keep bringing these herbs from the suprmarket in the hope I can put them to good use. I think the problem with herbs is, they are so strong in their flavour and aroma that it takes you longer to like an unfamililiar one than if it was say, an unfamiliar vegetable. Here's an account of my experience/experiments with herbs thus far:

Coriander: Never liked it as a child, but can't have enough of it now.

Methi: I've always loved it - as a child I could eat platefuls of aloo methi. The only time I went off it was the five years between my first pregnancy and second delivery. I just couldn't tolerate the smell in those years. I'm glad to say now I'm back tp loving it.

Mint: I've always loved it - my one bad experience with it was during my early days in Ireland when I made a mint chutney and it tasted like toothpaste. It was then that I realised that I'd picked up peppermint instead of the spearmint we use in Indian cooking.

Basil: It took me a few attempts before I learned to love it. Now I look for excuses to cook with it. Haven't made anything Indian with it, though.

Tarragon: I combined it with spinach to make a saag the other day and if it wasn't for the fact that I'd added too much tarragon, it would've tasted pretty good. Adding a whole bunch was a big mistake - the tarragon was overpowering.

Fennel: Tastes pretty good in Indian curries.

Thyme: I'm not a big fan of ajwain, so thyme doesn't hold any attraction for me.

Rosemary: I got it the other day, love it, but don't know how to put it to use in the Indian context. Ideas appreciated.

Curley parsley: yuck! (with apologies to all its fan out there).

Flat parsley, sage: Haven't tried it yet.

Suman

Edited August 7, 2004 by rajsuman (log)

[Peppertrail]

I keep bringing these herbs from the suprmarket in the hope I can put them to good use. I think the problem with herbs is, they are so strong in their flavour and aroma that it takes you longer to like an unfamililiar one than if it was say, an unfamiliar vegetable. Here's an account of my experience/experiments with herbs thus far:

Rosemary: I got it the other day, love it, but don't know how to put it to use in the Indian context. Ideas appreciated.

Curley parsley: yuck! (with apologies to all its fan out there).

Flat parsley, sage: Haven't tried it yet.

Suman 

Suman:

I like a hint of fresh rosemary in parathas. Fresh sage leves fried in ghee with potato.

Ammini

[Bond Girl]

Rosemary, sage and tarragon, for example (though thyme would, since we're familiar with that flavour through ajwain). Anyone tried?

I keep bringing these herbs from the suprmarket in the hope I can put them to good use. I think the problem with herbs is, they are so strong in their flavour and aroma that it takes you longer to like an unfamililiar one than if it was say, an unfamiliar vegetable. Here's an account of my experience/experiments with herbs thus far:

Coriander: Never liked it as a child, but can't have enough of it now.

Methi: I've always loved it - as a child I could eat platefuls of aloo methi. The only time I went off it was the five years between my first pregnancy and second delivery. I just couldn't tolerate the smell in those years. I'm glad to say now I'm back tp loving it.

Mint: I've always loved it - my one bad experience with it was during my early days in Ireland when I made a mint chutney and it tasted like toothpaste. It was then that I realised that I'd picked up peppermint instead of the spearmint we use in Indian cooking.

Basil: It took me a few attempts before I learned to love it. Now I look for excuses to cook with it. Haven't made anything Indian with it, though.

Tarragon: I combined it with spinach to make a saag the other day and if it wasn't for the fact that I'd added too much tarragon, it would've tasted pretty good. Adding a whole bunch was a big mistake - the tarragon was overpowering.

Fennel: Tastes pretty good in Indian curries.

Thyme: I'm not a big fan of ajwain, so thyme doesn't hold any attraction for me.

Rosemary: I got it the other day, love it, but don't know how to put it to use in the Indian context. Ideas appreciated.

Curley parsley: yuck! (with apologies to all its fan out there).

Flat parsley, sage: Haven't tried it yet.

Suman

At Tabla, they make an excellent rosemary naan, with ghee. Not sure about sage, but it works with anything grilled very well, so you might want to try it in your tandoori. As for Tarragon, it has a sweet licorice taste so, you can use it as a mild substitute for fennel or, use it in connection with fennel seeds with a layered flavor. That's just my point of view from years of growing this stuff on my window sill.

[gingerly]

basil is one that fits in very nicely in some indian tomato based recipes.also good in aloo tikkis.deep fried sage is quite lovely with potato as Ammini mentioned.i could see it working with paneer and onions.hmm kitchen experiments time again!both flat leaf and curly parsley work very nicely in persian style rice.

[rajsuman]

Thanks for the ideas! Can't wait to try them. I do remember eating an anda-bhurji with basil at my cousin's place now. It was pretty good and I thought I should make it at home, but it totally slipped my mind. time to buy some herbs!

Suman

[Geetha]

This is a result of my six months of experimentation a humble one though

here goes..

I 've tried it with good results when I used just two leaves of rosemary and and two of basil minsed well and sauted with onions with black pepper for an omelete or bhujia

other one is to mix up dried oregano with thyme and any other dried spices like red chilli for a batter for making fritters, batter main ingredients was corn mesa (mexican starter for tortillas), maida or atta either works fine. Also add onions raw, green chilli paste, coriander leaves, and garlic paste (optional if you're garlic lover)..

Idea is to use nuances of each of these herbs always more quantity turned out overpower and loss of appeal.. unlike many herbs in classical indian cooking, small qty's are better here

True so much to taste but with a group like this may be we will make it in time to taste all and not miss out much

Love

Geetha

Edited August 24, 2004 by Geetha (log)