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eG Foodblog: Monica Bhide - Thoughts without a thinker


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BTW - how do you top your scrambled eggs?

Lately - Huy Fong brand (the people that make Srirachia) Chili Garlic Sauce (like Srirachia but much better, more garlic, no sugar, more burn) and that coriander chutney stuff, sometimes sour cream too.

He don't mix meat and dairy,

He don't eat humble pie,

So sing a miserere

And hang the bastard high!

- Richard Wilbur and John LaTouche from Candide

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BTW - how do you top your scrambled eggs?

Depends on my mood. Some days I want things plain and simple, just salt and pepper. Other days I add in lightly fried onion, then top with sliced chili, cilantro, and roasted ground cumin. I have them that way for dinner occasionally as well. Great comfort food. :biggrin:

Edited by tejon (log)

Kathy

Cooking is like love. It should be entered into with abandon or not at all. - Harriet Van Horne

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Kara (alacarte):

Curry leaves have a wonderful fragrance that's pretty indescribable because I can't compare the taste to anything else I can think of. But think fragrant rather than peppery.

I've had curry leaves fresh, frozen, and dried. I share others' opinions that dried are way inferior to fresh, but they're also way inferior to frozen. In my experience, pace Monica's love of fresh leaves, curry leaves do freeze pretty well, and if you don't use them up fast enough, that's your only recourse unless you grow your own curry leaves.

Monica:

Do they make things like curry goat and curry-puff-like patties in St. John's? It's really fascinating to me how influences from various European countries, West Africa, India, the Native Americans, China, etc. have mixed together in the Caribbean. I was going to mention the influence of Indian food in the Caribbean as part of the Indian diaspora, but that would ignore the fact that Trinidadians of African (or mainly African) descent make good potato and chicken curries and also just how big an influence Indian food has had on places like Jamaica where people of Indian descent are much less of a presence.

One of my best friends (and a dear former girlfriend) is an Indo-Guyanese, and her relatives make really good Mulligatawny Soup (which they pronounce "Mooltani"), curries, sweets, and so forth. There was an article in the New York Times some months ago that compared and contrasted the Indian and Indo-Guyanese immigrant communities in Queens, New York, talking about the degree to which they do and don't interact and see themselves as part of the same community or even from the same heritage. The two communities tend to live in different parts of Queens, go to different temples, and have pretty different customs in several ways. Do you have Indo-Caribbean friends? If so, when you compare notes with them, do you find yourself mostly finding the differences interesting or nodding your head at commonalities?

Michael aka "Pan"

 

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Great blog Monica...very interesting...It is already 3 days old and you only announced it today in the Indian forum@#$%^

Not be left behind i am making chicken pulao today using the Shan rogan josh mix.. I'll blog about it to my wife and myself later in the day..

Cheers!!

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Monica you make cooking look sooo easy, the shrimp looks fantastic. 

I was inspired to pick some curry leaves off our plant and cook (the plant is growing like gangbusters). 

Are the use of curry leaves regional in India?

Yes - southern and coastal I believe. My mom rarely uses it (to make her kadhi- a yogurt based curry) and wonders why and how I do. I love the flavor -- it is an addiction of sorts.

Monica Bhide

A Life of Spice

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Do you have Indo-Caribbean friends? If so, when you compare notes with them, do you find yourself mostly finding the differences interesting or nodding your head at commonalities?

I dont actually... but would love to hear from others. We stayed at the Westin and there were a few caribbean dishes on the menu --- a lamb curry that was very tender but the "curry" part was very mild and different from Indian curry. They did do a dynamite mango chutney

Monica Bhide

A Life of Spice

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Great blog Monica...very interesting...It is already 3 days old and you only announced it today in the Indian forum@#$%^

Not be left behind i am making chicken pulao today using the Shan rogan josh mix.. I'll blog about it to my wife and myself later in the day..

Cheers!!

It isnt. we started yesterday -- see how much I can talk :laugh:

Monica Bhide

A Life of Spice

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I had a very dissappointing lunch at a relatively new Indian place in this area. I am sorry but its not worth posting about. SO I will go and make rice pudding to make up for not posting lunch pictures. Bad food, really bad.

Its ironic - the week I blog, I find a bad place.

Monica Bhide

A Life of Spice

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Please vote -- For tomorrow's dinner -- Malaysian Chicken Curry with shallots, star anise and coconut milk or a Chicken Tikka Makhni (butter chicken) with dried fenugreek and fresh tomatoes.

I will try to post pictures and as much details as I can on preparation.

Monica Bhide

A Life of Spice

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Please vote -- For tomorrow's dinner -- Malaysian Chicken Curry with shallots, star anise and coconut milk or a Chicken Tikka Makhni (butter chicken) with dried fenugreek and fresh tomatoes.

I will try to post pictures and as much details as I can on preparation.

Both.. :biggrin:

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thinking way way way ahead here.....

when your son grows up and gets married,

it's going to be REALLY hard for any dil to compete

with your cooking! 

She will love me -- my son loves to fold laundry, clear the dish washer, lay the table and say nice things about my hair :raz::laugh::laugh::laugh:

Monica Bhide

A Life of Spice

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I had a very dissappointing lunch at a relatively new Indian place in this area. I am sorry but its not worth posting about. SO I will go and make rice pudding to make up for not posting lunch pictures. Bad food, really bad.

Its ironic - the week I blog, I find a bad place.

:sad:

If you could PM me the name, that would be great so that I know to avoid it.

edit to add -- I vote for the Malaysian chicken.

Edited by JPW (log)

If someone writes a book about restaurants and nobody reads it, will it produce a 10 page thread?

Joe W

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I'm stumbling in late with my admiration. This blog following last week's article? Things are rolling your way.

I love the cool, colorful poppers, must find some.

I've read that vodka gol gappas (what does gappa mean? gossip?) are riding a trend in Delhi. Looking forward to your rendition.

Yay Monica!

:biggrin:

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I'm really enjoying this blog, thanks so much. I know zilch about Indian cooking, so this is a great learning experience.

I'd like to place my vote for the Malaysian chicken curry please. :smile: (And a picture of the monkey.)

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I'm stumbling in late with my admiration.  This blog following last week's article?  Things are rolling your way.

I love the cool, colorful poppers, must find some.

I've read that vodka gol gappas (what does gappa mean?  gossip?) are riding a trend in Delhi.  Looking forward to your rendition.

Yay Monica!

:biggrin:

They are a trend. You are correct and I love it. Will be posting dinner pics later tonite

Monica Bhide

A Life of Spice

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Monica, I am really enjoying your blog. Who knew about curry leaves? :biggrin:

I also loved "Mistress of Spices" by Chitra Banarjee Divakrun. I was led to the book after reading her short-story "Mrs. Dutta Writes a Letter". I have never read a short-story where the character was so alive. Food is an element in that story too.

If you can't act fit to eat like folks, you can just set here and eat in the kitchen - Calpurnia

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I'll vote for Chicken Tikka Makhani as well, but only because I just got a bunch of fenugreek leaves for another recipe and I'll probably dry the rest.

Self centered motivations aside, I'll look forward to either one though.

aka Michael

Chi mangia bene, vive bene!

"...And bring us the finest food you've got, stuffed with the second finest."

"Excellent, sir. Lobster stuffed with tacos."

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I have a bunch of dried Fenugreek as well - trying to run through it while it's still properly aromatic. But nevermind me :wink:

Kathy

Cooking is like love. It should be entered into with abandon or not at all. - Harriet Van Horne

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