Curry Condiments....

[Jaymes]

One of my favorite dinner party dishes is a wonderful, robust chicken curry.  

I like to display an array of condiments.  It's really fun and rather impressive to go along the line, picking a little of this and choosing a little of that.

What condiments do you usually offer?

[Sandra Levine]

Always my own tomato chutney (courtesy Madhur Jaffrey.)

Lime pickle.  Something with yogurt for the cooling effect.

A salsa-like fresh chutney made from mango or papaya, minced scallions and hot pepper.

[Suvir Saran]

Jaymes and Sandra,

Can you cook together and have us over?  SOunds like you would host a most spectacular party if you worked together.

Where do you get your lime pickle from Sandra?  Do you make it youself?

What kind of Chicken curry do you make Jaymes?

[Sandra Levine]

Thank you, Suvir.  I'm afraid I don't make my own lime pickle.  I just use Patak's from a jar, available in any Indian grocery and many supermarkets.

[Jaymes]

Jaymes and Sandra,

Can you cook together and have us over?  SOunds like you would host a most spectacular party if you worked together.

Where do you get your lime pickle from Sandra?  Do you make it youself?

What kind of Chicken curry do you make Jaymes?

Somehow I doubt my chicken curry would impress you, Suvir   but it dazzles my friends!

Years ago, I lived in Hong Kong.  My roommate was a Brit.  She, apparently, had been raised in a home with an Indian cook, I think partially in India and partially in London.  This was the cook's recipe.

But, again, Suvir, I don't think it would impress an expert such as yourself.  It's pretty typical.......  I just start off by stewing a nice big fat chicken, then debone, and add the usual stuff...  I guess the only things I add that I don't see in most written recipes I've found in cookbooks are carrots & coconut milk (I do see them both sometimes, but not often) and plum sauce, which I don't see often in other recipes.  I just use regular store-bought curry powder but do try to get it really fresh.  I also add 100% New Mexico red chile powder, which gives it a pretty good zip.

I think it's really good, and it always makes a big splash when I do it up right with all the condiments.  I am sure there are better, and more exotic, curry recipes, but I like this one really well, and am pretty happy with it.  It never fails me, fills my "curry" craving, and pleases my guests.  For condiments, I have apple salad with yogurt and mint, and all of the rest of the typical stuff, but am always looking for new ideas.

Thanks very much Sandra.  I really was not aware of lime pickles, but will not do curry again without them!

Suvir...what do you serve with your curries?

[Suvir Saran]

Very challenging thread in some ways.

There are as many condiments in Indian homes as there are cooks.

Lets see, last night, I had the very revered and wonderful Madhur Jaffrey and some friends for dinner. I wish share with you the menu. Maybe it will give you a sense of how I plan a meal. I hope it helps you.

Starters:

Grilled Mushrooms served with a tamarind date sauce

Spinach and potato cakes served with a mint and yogurt sauce

Main Course:

Sarson Kaa Saag ( Mustard Greens cooked with onions, ginger, garlic, garam masala and chilies)

Lage Lipte Aloo ( Potatoes with a very thick almost dry sauce of curry leaves, mustard seeds, tomato sauce and chilies)

Bagharey Baingan ( Stuffed baby eggplants cooked in a thick yogurt sauce)

Methi Murgh ( Chicken curry made with fenugreek leaves)

Balti Gosht ( Lamb curry )

Achaari Kabab ( Chicken breats grilled in pickling spices), served with a coriander chutney

Lamb Kababs ( Grilled lamb served with a quince chutney)

Daal Makhanee ( Creamy whole black lentils )

Matar Pilaf ( Basmati rice with peas )

Desserts :

Gulab Jamun ( Cheese and dough balls in a saffron flavored syrup )

Banan Pudding

Rice Pudding

Condiments:

Haree Mirch Ka Achaar ( Green chili pickle )

Bharwaan Laal Mirchi Ka Achaar ( Stuffed habanero pickle )

Tamatar aur Pyaaz Ka Raita ( Tomato-Onion Raita )

I usually also serve my famous Tomato Chutney and maybe others that I have.

Most meals have a mint chutney, a green mango and cilantro chutney when in season, a date or quince or fig chutney and several pickles. Mango pickle, eggplant pickle, lotus stem pickle, gongura pickle and others. Every now and then I also make a green chili chutney. It is fiery but delicious.

[Toby]

Suvir, that sounded incredibly good. I was hooked right around the tamarind-date sauce and it just got better and better. What do you put in your chile chutney? What green chiles do you use?

[Suvir Saran]

Toby,

Thanks! I use whatevr chile peppers are available. If I can find the very tiny hot Thai peppers, I love to use them. They have a great aroma and nice heat. Otherwise I use whatever I find.

I add very little onion and some ginger and lemon juice and some sugar.

Blend into a fine paste and add salt and sometimes, to add even more heat, a little red chili powder.

Every so often, I also add some asafoetida to the blend. It gives a very deep and savory flavor to the chutney.

[Lord Michael Lewis]

Welcome back Suvir. Any chance of the recipe for your famous tomato chutney?

[Brad S]

Survir,

What a wonderful menu!!!

I have a question for you (or any others)

What type of beverages would you serve with a meal like you posted?

Is madhuparka something you would serve? Is it appropriate to serve wines with a meal like this (with there flavor profile taken into account of course)

Thank you for any insight

[Sandra Levine]

Or, if that is not possible, can you tell us how your tomato chutney differs from Madhur Jaffrey's, to which I am devoted. (There's a big jar of it in my refrigerator right now! It goes with many dishes --- even non-Indian.

(Your menu is mouth-watering.)

[Suvir Saran]

I have no clue how Madhur makes her tomato chutney.

Mine is just my rendering of an age-old southern Indian classic from Andhra Pradesh, a state in Southern India.

I take very ripe tomatoes and cut them into large chunks.

In canola oil, I add whole red chilies, fenugreek seeds, mustard seeds, curry leaves (lots of them), asafoetida, and some cumin seeds. I fry the seeds till they splatter and then add the tomatoes and cook over a low flame till the oil separates from the tomato bulk.

Chutneys like this take a lot of salt. Be mindful of that.

This chutney goes very well with any and all foods.

Madhur brought a Chablis t hat went very well the meal. She did not drink wine herself but it was enjoyed by others. Many enjoyed Scotch. Rum spiked fresh gingerale is excellent with Indian food. A cream and yogurt based Fruit Punch with some vodka has worked well at my parties. Champagne with Mango juice is a winner at most of these dinners.

Wines depending on how they are selected are a great pairing. I have had several foodies and wine lovers and they have enjoyed both these elements at the parties both individually and in their union over the dinner.

We should maybe begin a thread that is wine related. I am sure between Vivin, Steve Plotnicki, Cabrales, John, Simon, Anil and countless others, you would get great insight into Wines and their successful (or not) pairing with Indian food. I rely on my Wine-savvy friends for being my guides in that end.

[Jaymes]

Something with yogurt for the cooling effect.

I serve chopped cucumbers in yoghurt, and apple chunks tossed with lemon and mint.

And to drink, I have never found a wine that (to my taste) marries as well with fiery curries so well as cold beer. And plenty of it.

[Jaymes]

Suvir - Everytime I have had curry in a typical American home, the condiments include: shredded coconut, chopped peanuts, green peppers, onions or scallions, mango chutney, raisins, etc.

Are any of those condiments that traditional Indian cooks would offer? Do you? Do you find any of them appealing?

[Suvir Saran]

Mango chutney seems to be the only one I would serve in a bowl with a meal. The other condiments are not what I serve in my home. But I for one, am not a fan of mango chutneys as we know them in the west. I like the more fiery and spicy one over the sweet one.

I would serve a green chili chutney, coconut chutney, maybe roasted peanuts tossed with finely chopped red onions, cilantro and lemon juice and red chili powder. But we tend not to serve these by themselves.

Maybe some people do. I guess the others from India on the board can share their experience.

But it is fine for you to serve those things that work for you. As I am sure across India, people have their own very unique tastes as well.

[John Whiting]

I fry the seeds till they splatter ...

Pre-cooking of seeds and spices is an important but often neglected component of many cuisines. For instance Diana Kennedy maintains that it is a vital step in constructing a Mexican molé.

[Suvir Saran]

Wow! John, in that post you bring out the very fact that makes for the magic Indians love about their food. Most often we consider the deft handling of spices in their frying and cooking the key to good food.

[Jaymes]

Or, if that is not possible, can you tell us how your tomato chutney differs from Madhur Jaffrey's, to which I am devoted.  (There's a big jar of it in my refrigerator right now!  It goes with many dishes --- even non-Indian.

SANDRA -

I got the cookbook you recommended, Madhur Jaffrey's Invitation to Indian Cooking.

There are several tomato chutney recipes... One is Tomato Tamarind; another is Sweet Tomato Chutney.

Which is it that you are so fond of?

And thank you for taking the time to recommend it to me. I'm really looking forward to preparing things from it.

Also, several people on this thread spoke of Lime Pickles. I went to the store tonight to look for them and found Lime Relish. Is that the same thing?

[Sandra Levine]

I was talking about the sweet tomato chutney, which is really sweet and sour. I'm not familiar with lime relish. It may or may not be the same as lime pickle. What is the size of the pieces of lime? In the lime pickle I'm used to, the pieces are much larger than those in say, a hot dog relish.

[Jaymes]

I was talking about the seet tomato chutney, which is really sweet and sour.  I'm not familiar with lime relish.  It may or may not be the same as lime pickle.  What is the size of the pieces of lime?  In the lime pickle I'm used to, the pieces are much larger than those in say, a hot dog relish.

Yeah - this was not the same thing. This definitely looked like a relish. I'm gonna keep looking.

Thanks again, Girlfriend.

[Aurora]

Suvir - your menu sounds so delicious.

When you have the time, would you please post your recipes for Sarson Kaa Saag, Spinach and Potato Cakes, Matar Pilaf, and Tamatar aur Pyaaz Ka Raita?

Pre-cooking of seeds and spices is an important but often neglected component of many cuisines. For instance Diana Kennedy maintains that it is a vital step in constructing a Mexican molé.

In Mexican cooking, the preferred method is to toast using cast iron. I assume this holds true in Indian cooking? Is there another, more desirable method that yields more favorable results?

[Suvir Saran]

Aurora,

I will PM you the recipes. Maybe you can test them for my cookbook. I should not be posting all my recipes out here. That would make my editor very unhappy.

Sarson Kaa Saag is prepared similarly to any recipe you may have for Paalak Kaa Saag or simply Saag. Saag would generally mean green. But in the Indian restaurant world it is assumed to mean Spinach most often.

The spinach and potato cakes are the traditional Tikkis one can find with Street Side vendors in India. These are great as vegetable burgers. More flavor and also very moist and yet cripsy on the crust. A great dinner dish and also a snack when made small.

For the Pyaaz aur Tamatar Kaa Raita (Tomato and Onion Raita), I usually chop one red onion (finely diced), 2-3 medium vine ripened tomatoes (diced finely), one jalapeno (seeded and diced finely), 1 tablespoon or more to taste dried mint leaves, 1/1 teaspoon toasted cumin seed powder, pinch of freshly ground black peppercorn, 2 tablespoons freshly chopped cilantro leaves, pinch of red chili powder and pinch of garam masala. I mix these and then add enough whipped yogurt to make a Raita of the consistency I like. Sometime I like a very thick Raita and at other times I like it more saucy. Depends on your menu and how you want to use it. Add salt just before serving. Chill after mixing the yogurt.

Toasting whole spices in cast-iron pans is best I think. I have had good success even roasting them on cookie sheets in the oven. The pans are better as you can enure even browning and be very careful to not over brown any one side. Once you have browned the seeds to that perfect color, you must quickly put them into a cold bowl or plate to cool. And grind them into a powder only after they are back at room temperature.

[polly]

I am so jelous that you got to have Madhur Jaffrey over to dinner. I would love to meet her one day. Just from reading her books, i like her.

Your dinner sounds very delicious. Did you prepare it all by youself or did you have some extra hands?

[Suvir Saran]

All was prepared by my hands. A friend came a half hour early and made the raita. She is a sweetie, always ends up helping me. Mamta is her name. And she is a gift I have around me in NYC.

But Nitin, Mamta's husband played impromptu bar-tender. He is one of the best mixers in town. It was a shame that the guests did not ask for mixed drinks. He is a genius with blended drinks.

Chuck did everything. Greeting, taking drink orders, cleaning as the party went on. Mamta helped him towards that goal.

Sir Ian Holm also helped organize and put away the used dishes. Madhur said the nicest things one could hope for from one of such great knowledge of all things beautiful and edible. She is charming like few can be. Grace and dignity in every way possible.

Daniel drove in from Philly to have dinner. He sat below the large duck painting he had painted and looked every bit a proud artist that he should be. Madhur was suggesting she visit his brownstone in Philly. So as to be able to see his paintings in the home where they came to fruition. Vincent- Daniel's partner of 18 odd years was unable to come. He had to teach early the next morning. Dinner guests were coming only at 9 PM and so it was understood that the party would last late. Daniel ate dessert and left having had some coffee.

Mary Ann snuck in some stuffed grape leaves for Chuck. The ones filled with meat. She is of Lebanese decent and makes the best Grape leaves. After you have tasted them, you feel you are ready for the next journey. NO ONE ever has served us better stuffed grape leaves.

I had enough zip-loc bags so as to send everyone home with food. People are charmed and spoiled they say by our sending them back with loads of food. Chuck and I see it as a way of sending a part of the party home with our friends. The food will bring back moments that were shared the night before and come back to haunt in new ways as you eat that which was served in another setting. It also ensures that we have room in the refrigerator for the next dinner we have to host. Gives me less to save and less to worry about.

The evening was special. I went to bed at half past 4 AM. The dishes were clean and the kitchen looked pristine. I hate waking up to a dirty kitchen.

The deck had enough gardenia blossoms that people could smell them into the living room and also all guests were sent home with one. The Jasmine bushes were bursting with blossoms. The marigolds were in bloom. The Meyer lemon, the tangerine and the sweet lime trees were full of blossoms and some fruit. The Pomegranate tree had a solitary fruit all dark red and ready to be ripe weighing heavily down one side. The raat kee raani (queen of the night) bush was all white with flowers and the smell of the flowers (from the jasmine family) was getting intense as the evening progressed.

It was the perfect night for the flowers on the deck to be admired. By the end of the evening, everyone was enjoying the tropical jungle that the living room looked into. The chili pepper plants, the abundance of mint, the basil plants, the lemon verbena, the thyme topiaries, the ginger leaves, the colocasia plants, the tarragon plants and the curry leaf tree spoke of the culinary interests in the household. For a small little deck, Chuck and I have packed it with more plants and trees than one could have in a large garden. Our bedroom which is huge by NYC standards is reduced to nothing as all the tropical plants come indoors for the winter. Over a 100 pots demanding no heat, so our bedroom has open windows and cool breeze in the dead of winter. Makes for some getting used to but is every bit a joy in the summer.

I went into the detail for you to realize that when one lives as one wants to and enjoys, entertaining becomes a way of being. We end up doing nothing special for the dinners. We are just who we are daily. The people and dates change, the apartment and its dwellers remain the same. The food changes and the serving dishes may change, but the love with which food comes out of the kitchen, the fun with which the platters and bowls are filled, the charm added by the flowers, herbs, plants and fish in the aquariums and mini-pond on the deck remain and only grow in beauty. It is thus not difficult to make evening in this home memorable.

It is also a testament to NYC. In this small island, in a apartment building, we are able to create the ambience of a home. It is not India, not the farm in Missouri where Chuck grew up, but it is lost somewhere between India and Missouri in a place all its own. It is our home, the home that houses the tropical jungle that inspires me to enjoy NYC and encourages me to cook even as the non-A/C kitchen makes me sweat. I would trade nothing for my desire to cook for friends. It is the best way I know of using my time and energies. Feeding our friends and theirs.

While dinners in our home are fabled by many to be decadent, Chuck and I view them as nothing too much. We make them remain just what we can handle having endlessly. Nothing too much so as to seem cumbersome.

No one has ever complained that the food is too simple or cheap. People are happy canceling reservations at fine restaurants to get invited to dinner at home. I am told that no restaurant meal can ever provide the intricate and subliminal magic that people witness when eating at dinner parties in an atmosphere that is redolent of the character that made the Salons of centuries past all the rage. Maybe after all, people do want more than just expensive settings, foods and wines, people want conversations, ambience, personal connections and above all a calm environment where they can let their guard down and just be themselves and not have to perform in the eyes of the public. A home is a home is a home is a temple which is intimate and abundantly open to the magic that each moment can reach.

[polly]

Wow. That was beautiful.

And I agree strongly with your ideas of home and cooking for friends and the love that can be expressed by creating such a beautiful environment.

One of the things I remember most fondly from my youth is the fact that we had dinners for friends all the time. Sometimes they were simple, sometimes quite grand, but they were always open to all. Often a dinner for 10 would end up being 30 after everyone had brought their friends. Children, teenagers and adults all together. Lots of conversation, music and happiness.

It's how I want to live all the time.