Here's an interesting article on homemade naan -- 

http://jugalbandi.info/2007/03/naan-breaddeconstructed-and-devoured/

If you have an extra $5,400 sitting around (about 3,000 British pounds), here's a cooking/learning experience that sounds like fun:

http://thevikinglife.com/travel/india/india2007.html

Anthony Bourdain visited India on his TV show this week, and the Maharana of Udaipur cooked him a goat curry.  I use the word "cooked" advisedly, because standing in the background was the Maharana's chef who cut the meat, prepped the veggies, etc., so the Maharana could stir the food in the pan. 

But the Maharana did say that, "Burning is very much a part of the flavor."  I presume he heard that from his chef.  I know we've all wondered if the flames are necessary, since restaurant chefs seem to ignite every dish.  And BIR chefs have said we can't duplicate the food at home (maybe because we're afraid of 2-foot-high flames in our own kitchens?). Anyhow, I just wanted to toss this out for further discussion, unless you feel this has already been discussed enough.

-Mary

To those of you in the US (or who have satellite TV), the Travel Channel will show Anthony Bourdain in India tonight and next Monday at 10 pm EST.  Tonight Tony's going to Rajasthan and next week to Kolkata/Bombay.  If you've ever seen his show No Reservations, then I don't have to tell you how hilarious/fun/educational it is to watch a famous chef eat anything that's put in front of him.  If you've never seen it, you're in for a treat!

-Mary

Kind of interesting:

http://www.menumagazine.co.uk/book/restauranthistory.html

Hello, All.? I've been away from this forum for several months while my husband was on medication that kept him from eating spicy food.? Nothing life-threatening, thank goodness.? ?But Quality-of-Life threatening, definitely. ? ?I've just spent the last few days catching up on your recent curry chats, and it's as though I was never away.? There are still discussions on whether to re-use oil from curries.? There is still no consensus on what's the best base sauce.? There is still great optimism for every cookbook that promises true restaurant recipes.? There is still debate whether restaurant chefs are holding back, or even deliberately trying to mislead you.? Some things never change...

Which leads me to a story.? My son was eating in a London BIR and asked the waiter what region the food was from, since he liked it so much.? The waiter said it's from the south of India.? Son was surprised, since he usually doesn't like South Indian food.? What part of the south, he asked.? It's Punjabi, the waiter replied!!

-Mary? ?

Does anyone have a recipe for an aubergine curry of any kind?? Not mashed like Baingan Bharta, but bite-sized chunks of aubergine that have soaked up way too much oil, and are floating in a spicy sauce.? It isn't consistent from restaurant to restaurant, so it's hard to describe.? Like a fool I tried Corfu Andy's aubergine last night and it was horrid, just simply horrid!?

When a recipe is posted, it would be a big help to know, in general,?whether the spoon measurements were level, rounded, or heaping.? Also, how large a ladle was?used for the curry gravy.? That way we could reproduce the curries exactly as intended.? Or has this already been standardized and I missed it.? Thanks.?

-Mary??

This is kind of weird.? ?I was searching the web for base+onion+sauce+curry, and I came across this thread.? It seems to be a UK man who worked at an Indian restaurant in Greece!?
http://www.agni.gr/message_boards/display_topic_threads.asp?ForumID=7&TopicID=5760&ReturnPage=&PagePosition=1&ThreadPage=1

His base sauce is similar to Kris Dhillon?s, but has much more onion:
http://www.agni.gr/message_boards/display_topic_threads.asp?ForumID=7&TopicID=5914&ReturnPage=&PagePosition=1&ThreadPage=1

I haven?t had a chance to read through the whole thing, but thought some of you might be interested.? Also, the thread is current,? in case we want to ask him any questions.

-Mary?

I?ve seen Indian restaurants?advertising ?No MSG.?? Does that mean some DO use it?? Rajah ?All Purpose Seasoning? contains MSG. And my Indian grocer carries Ajinomoto, the Japanese brand of MSG, although I've yet to see a Japanese shopper there. MSG looks like salt, so it wouldn't look unusual in a restaurant kitchen.? Just wondering out loud...

-Mary?

In an effort to broaden our pool of informants, I posted a message on eGullet, a very large website devoted to food (cooking, eating, writing, reading).? Many of the participants are food writers and chefs from all over the world.? I asked for help in recreating "the taste."? So far the answers have included one person agreeing that UK curries have the taste, and one person recommending Pat Chapman's "The Modern Indian Restaurant."? Oh, well, it's only been one day.

Last night I went to a cooking class by the chef of Palace of Asia, a fancy IR in New Jersey.? It has a good reputation, but I've never eaten there.? Unfortunately the class was at a grocery store, so I couldn?t snoop around the restaurant kitchen.

The chef made 4 items:

Tandoori Chicken - Chef showed us how to make the marinade, but then cooked marinated chicken that had been brought from the restaurant.? Since there was no tandoor in the grocery, he baked the chicken at 350 degrees F. and it came out pale and pretty much tasteless.? I asked if perhaps they should use 350 degrees Celsius rather than Fahrenheit, but another student said, ?No, that would be about a million degrees Fahrenheit!??

Paratha - 1 cup melted butter to 4 cups flour, plus water, salt, baking powder.? More butter (lots) drizzled on both sides as they cooked.? I?m scheduling my angioplasty next week!

Vegetable Pulav - the usual Basmati, spices, veg, nothing to write home about.

Chicken Tikka Masala -? This was pretty good, but it?s not something I have much experience eating.? The recipe may sound exact, but the chef often just poured in what he wanted.

At one point he reached back to the counter and grabbed a small container of sauce and poured it in.? It was an ingredient that wasn?t listed on the recipe.? Aha!? I asked him what it was, and he said it was just the same ingredients that were already in the frying pan (onion, ginger, garlic) that he had cooked earlier and pureed.? I could see from the color and texure that it was Curry Sauce Base.? After class I cornered him and asked again what was in it.? Again he said onions, ginger, garlic.? Any green pepper?? He said no.? Any carrot?? He said no.? Do you use it in other curries.? He said yes.? When he started talking to someone else, I grabbed a spoon and had a taste of what was left in the container.? Yes, definitely Curry Sauce Base, similiar to Dhillon?s, but with more chilli and without that long-cooked flavor.? Also, there was no oil floating on top! ? No surprise that it didn?t have ?the taste.?? The final CTM didn?t have ?the taste,? either.? Nevertheless, I?m giving the recipe in case there?s?a clue that can?help someone else.

Chicken Tikka Masala - Palace of India

1 lb. chicken breast

1 Tbl. vegetable oil (more)
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 tsp. minced ginger
1/2 tsp. minced garlic

1/4 tsp. ground cumin (more)
1/4 tsp. ground coriander (more)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. red chilli powder
1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 cup onion cubes, about 3/4?
1/2 cup green pepper cubes, about 3/4?
(About 1/2 cup Curry Base Sauce)

2 Tbl. tomato puree
1 cup heavy cream
Tomato wedges
Chopped fresh coriander
Few drops red food color, if desired

Marinate chicken in tandoori marinade for a minimum of 3 hours.? Roast until almost done.

Heat oil in pan.? Add chopped onion and saute until golden brown.? Add ginger and garlic and saute until brown.? (He said this is the most important part!)? Add spices, then cubed onion & green pepper, and Curry Base Sauce.? Cook about 5 minutes, but do not overcook vegetables.? Add tomato puree and heavy cream and chicken (& red color, if using), and cook until sauce becomes thick.? Stir in tomato wedges and garnish with chopped coriander.

Just wondering what the rest of you serve.? I normally have plain basmati rice, cucumber raita, and LOTS?of Indian pickle.? Our favorite is hot peeled-mango pickle, but can't always find that, so then we'll get mixed pickle (both Pachranga Foods).? I used to make chapatis (pain in the neck!), but now I'm experimenting with naan.? Hot lime pickle is another favorite (local brand), and a sweet-and-hot tomato chutney (homemade), but, for the most part, we don't like sweet chutneys with curry.? Does anyone else have a favorite pickle, chutney, whatever?? Or should I say "favourite"?

-Mary

Amaze and surprise your friends!? This site contains a list of ingredients and their corresponding Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Kannadu names:

http://www.informationcorner.com/recipeglossary.asp?

To those of you who have watched takeaway chefs make base sauce:
Did they use fresh oil or oil leftover from the deep-fat fryer?? I know chefs can be frugal, and it would save money to use oil that would otherwise be tossed out.? Meanwhile, it?could give the curries added layers of flavor (onion bhaji?).?

How much difference is there among the various base sauces in terms of taste?? Does it make a lot of difference to use Kris Dhillon's sauce for Pat Chapman's Bombay Aloo?? Isn't it the final spicing that makes the real flavor?? When you find a base sauce you like, do you then use it for all recipes that call for a base sauce, no matter where they came from?? Right now I have packets of Dhillon's sauce in my freezer, along with Pete's base sauce and his vindaloo sauce,?and it's dangerous to open the door!?

I love curry and have high hopes for this site.