Need to cross post that in white culture thread methinks…
That doesn’t even make sense, as he later writes:
“Food was beautifully prepared yet still swimming with the herbs & spices I most despise, “
Note the plurals there.
Idiot.
I got this cookbook in college when I was living on less than $6,000 per year:
20 years later, it’s falling apart, but I still have it. It made eating on a tiny budget completely delicious (I stuck mainly to the vegetarian recipes). Definitely more than one spice in there!
I mean if he said too many spices, too rich and confusing for his simple little bland baby palate, he’d still be an arse but at least he’d make some kind of sense.
ETA
Just had an Indian meal. Know what I’m going to chat to the chef about next time I’m getting a take out.
well, if it’s not chips and eggs wi’ a Watney’s, well it’s just to spicy, innit?
or Wonder Bread with Miracle Whip and a glass of milk (closer to home)
I saw an interview once with a Brazilian musician who had just been in Ireland and was saying, look I know it’s a cliché but in the hotel they served me a meal with three kinds of potatoes on the plate!
Poor bastard had been given a carvery lunch. I sympathise.
Seu Jorge from memory but it was a long time ago.
I mean, if he wrote that I’d think he was pretty hilarious! 
Since we’re on the topic, does anyone have any favorite Indian recipes they’d share? One of my all time faves is the recipe for Saag Paneer from the book I posted above. I can’t find the recipe online, but I’ll post if I find.
Oh yes. Yes indeed. And I will try to do the suggestion justice that I can’t on a phone. And I will be delighted to hear everyone’s suggestions.
Despite cooking Indian (generic term for lots of different foods) for a long time, particularly as I like to eat vegan quite a bit, I have no great expertise and my family tell me that the food we get from our preferred restaurant is much, much better.
They do not ever say this about European food. I don’t have the real basic principles I think and I’d like to get that.
ETA
I’d love the saag paneer recipe btw. I always make paneer in the summer as someone is bound to leave milk out.
The best thing I learned from that book was the principle of heating/roasting some of the dried spices for certain recipes.
Mr.Linkey got this book a few years ago:
and the author describes how each spice has up to three flavor profiles, depending on how you treat it (toasting, frying in hot oil, adding w/o treatment).
That’s a good book, too, but we need to cut the salt WAY down for everything. Not for dietary restrictions, just because it’s waaay too much, and this is coming from a very salt-a-liscious pair.
toasting and grinding seeds like cardamom, cumin, coriander and black mustard makes a very aromatic and superior base for your garam masala. where you go with that is up to you. I find cooking in the different styles of the subcontinent to be infinitely exciting to explore.
even keeping small amounts of more obscure spices, like asafoetida (you’d know it if you smelled it) and makrut leaves, make my haphazard improvisation taste almost authentic.
relative to this thread and your fish thread, this is a favorite dish in our home:
eta: take the time to grind the coconut, tamarind and chiles, the flavors are too good to skip the workout
Tempering spices is so important. And allowing time too. Ignore timings on TV/internet stuff. It’s to fit preconceived slots, not reflect how the flavours actually develop.
Oh, I know it! I ran out last year and haven’t yet replaced, this is a good reminder.
Gah! I started drooling, clicked, then hit the paywall!
I have nyt news and games subscriptions, gotta draw the line somewhere. I sorta hate that they split everything out that way, but I guess it makes sense for people who only want one area of content.
Hard to get here. Mostly it’s available as heeng which is huge in Jain and other sects who avoid garlic etc. as inflammatory and that has gluten in it so not for our house.
I miss it as it’s essential for tarka daal. Well important anyway. I have a cheat recipe which I like that I hacked together.
This is a fav, from a book I’ve had for ages. I tend to use thighs instead of breast and reduce the peppers to whatever heat my mom can tolerate.
CHICKEN PISTACHIO KORMA
50 Great Curries of India
by Camellia Panjabi
Pista Chicken (Delhi)
I first ate this dish long ago in a small roadside restaurant in a by-lane in the heart of Mumbai’s bazaar areas. Years later I met the cook, who conies from a family of professional wedding caterers near the Jama Masjid mosque area of Old Delhi.
It is very delicate in taste, and attractive to look at with its creamy light green color. The taste depends on the quality of pistachios used—the brighter green, the better. This dish deserves all-white meat, so breast of chicken is best. One can of course make it with a whole chicken as well.
Serves 4
Ingredients
• 2¼ lb chicken
• 4 oz shelled pistachio nuts, unsalted
• 8 green chiles
• 5 tablespoons light cream
• 3 tablespoons plain yogurt
• 2 onions, chopped
• oil
• 1 x 1/2 in piece of fresh ginger, chopped
• 6 plump cloves garlic
• 3/4 teaspoon garam masala powder
• 1/8 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 2 cinnamon leaves or bay leaves
• 3/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 1¼ teaspoons fennel seeds
• 1 tomato, chopped
• salt
• 1 teaspoon green cardamom powder
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves
Directions
1. Cut the chicken into pieces as desired. Use the bones and trimmings to make 3 cups of stock.
2. Boil the pistachios for 10 minutes in 1 cup of water. Remove from the heat, drain, and leave to cool. Rub the nuts with your fingers to remove the skin. Grind the pistachios with 4 of the green chiles and cream and reduce to a paste in a blender.
3. Whisk the yogurt well with a fork.
4. Fry the onions in the oil in a large pot until lightly colored. Add the ginger, garlic, garam masala and turmeric powders, cinnamon or bay leaves, white pepper, and fennel seeds and fry for 2 minutes. Add the pistachio mixture and fry for 2 minutes.
5. Add the chicken and saute for 5 minutes. Then add the tomato, yogurt, remaining chiles, and salt to taste. Add the chicken stock (or water) and cook until done, about 15-20 minutes depending on the size of the chicken pieces. Sprinkle with cardamom powder and cilantro leaves just before serving.
In India, gourmets use Peshwari pistachios for their taste and bright green color.
A very, very good practice. Breast seizes up, thigh mellows out. It’s the ideal cut for curry imho.
It’s a pain to deal with before to be fair but you get to make stock at least with the remains. Cheaper too.
Please offer veg/vegan substitutions. I do use Quorn, mushrooms, cauliflower for certain recipes etc.
It’s not Indian, but Thai, but I also use thighs for green curry. It’s very Instant Pot compatible!
Venture chicken and Busha Brownes Jerked.
strong textCooks Venture - Pasture Raised Chicken and Meat Delivery
