Farewell to Raji Jallepalli-Reiss

[Suvir Saran]

NY Times, Obituary for Raji Jallepalli-Reiss

[Fat Guy]

What a tragic loss, at too young an age. And to learn about such a fascinating person from an obituary is always a little sad.

The subject of French/Indian fusion is fascinating. One thing I've noticed is that it's done very differently in France and in the United States. I can't say how it's done in India. But what I've noticed in France is that the fusion tends to come mainly in the form of adding curry-type spices to dishes that would otherwise be considered just French. Whereas, here in the United States (primarily New York) it seems a bit more of an actual incorporation of the two cuisines.

[Suvir Saran]

And what might curry-type spices be?

Well, you are right, fusion in the US has been very different from fusion cuisine globally.  I am not sure yet as to which I would chase after to feed my hunger.

Fusion in Indian cuisine happened many times over.  In the 10th century a cuisine that had been vegetarian for the most part and very Ayurvedic was given a infusion of meats by the new rulers.  Such fusion kept taking place until the freedom of India in 1947.  A long sustained marriage of differing food sensibilities has left India with a cuisine that is as varied as its secular culture, its languages, its people and its gods and goddesses.  Food changes as much as the landscape and the culture of this sub-continent.  

I was testing a recipe for my cook book the other day and my co-writer saw me adding Ketchup into a curry.  She was at a loss for words.  This was nothing I invented, but a leftover from the India of fusion cooking of centuries before.  

Indian scrambled eggs are delicious and addictive.  They are telling of the victory of fusion cooking.  They are not very different from what we eat here.  They have cayeene, onions, cilantro and some toasted cumin added if the cook feels the need to add another layer of complexity.  But the addition of onions and cilantro and  the heat of the cayenne, add a very savory layer of flavoring to a dish that has that very sensuous and easy texture  that most any palate can savor when wanting a break from fussy foods.

[Suvir Saran]

And going back to Raji, her loss is sad.  Tragic and certainly will leave a great mark in the world of Indian cooking and also French cooking.  She was one of the more powerful women chefs in the US.  She shattered many myths and generalisations that people would have assumed from her being Indian.

She loved wine and cigars more than any other chef I have known.  She loved food in all its many forms.  While most people would romance the fact that they learned to cook and eat first at home from their parents, Raji made no bones about having discovered this passion of hers through travel and her desire to experiment.

Maybe it was this unending desire to play with that which intrigued her, that made it possible for her to close her Indian restaurant and start a fusion restaurant way before fusion became trendy.

She died young, but she lived a very full life.  She cooked with the best in the business, she dined with the best and she died in the comfortable company of those she dearly loved.

[Fat Guy]

And what might curry-type spices be?

:WOW:

I guess I just mean those tins labeled "curry powder" that seem to be the token Indian/East-Asian ingredient at a lot of French restaurants. Mostly, in those products, I taste cumin.

[Suvir Saran]

very good nose you have Steven... I agree... it is the cumin flavor that remains.. the other spices for some reason die quickly.