Smita Nordwall

Had an interesting dinner at Taiko Sushi tonight. I was by myself and opted for the omakase at the sushi counter. I think perhaps the sushi chefs (is that the right term,?) tonight were new? When the waitress told them of my order it began a rather lengthy discussion of what that entailed. I was eventually presented a lovely platter that included the night's specials toro and uni.

The fish was outstanding. Very, very fresh but the presentation was lacking. I would have preferred that all my nigri wasn't doused in ponzu. And in hindsight, I don't think I got enough sushi to add up to the $35 price. But.... the dinner was plenty filling and the service charming. I think they are perhaps more used to diners who are in to the specialty rolls and varied sauces rather than the straight up sushi/sashimi experience.

All in all, I will probably return just for the quality of the ingredients. And perhaps next tine order a la carte instead of omakase.

Hadn't been to Bombay Club in several years. So looked forward to a brunch this morning. Shouldn't have bothered.

Starting with the chaat table:  The Aloo chaat had great flavors but the potatoes (the aloo) were undercooked to the point of being crunchy.

The aloo tikkis were almost burned in the fryer and oil sodden from being left in too long.

I don't remember the names of all the main dishes but both meat curries had over cooked meats, the goat as well as the chicken. Both curries were also almost watery.

The vegetable dishes were passable but not what I would expect from Bombay Club.

The biggest disappointment: the egg bhurji. It was neither a bhurji nor was it well cooked. It was actually Aakuri. It was under salted, overcooked to the point where the egg proteins had coagulated and become tough. We mentioned this to the manager and were told she would see what she could do about it. Soon enough a fresh batch was made and a dish or it presented to our table. Same problem.

The other puzzling menu item was the vegetable pulao. Perfectly fine on its own but why serve a spiced, vegetable laden rice dish with dishes that beg for plain rice?

The desserts were just as bad. The carrots in the gajjar halwa was not cooked enough. The Gulab Jamun was sickeningly sweet.

I am sorry I am not more detailed in my review. But this was a table of five Indians, including my mother -- 'nuf said.

Last night was pork chops from my Christmas pig (my Aunt gets my brother and I an animal every year and stores the cuts in her chest freezer so we can take them as needed home with us), green beans and limas with shallot, butter and garlic and Carolina gold rice.  Homemade chocolate chip cookies for dessert. I've been so busy at home we have been eating out a good bit.  

What a totally cool Aunt. Everyone should have one, especially me.

Don, you seem to have influence with restaurant owners... can you PLEASE impress upon them to have their menus and websites copy edited before publication? I think a certain former vice president wrote this menu. 

Does anyone have experience with Ikea kitchens? I just saw their new line. Love the look and the widgets are enticing.... I would not be installing them myself. 

You are correct, Paella is a result of Asian (and middle eastern) influence on European cooking, not the other way around. The biggest influence the Portuguese had on South Asian cuisine is introducing chilli peppers.

And potatoes, Eric. Don't forget potatoes. Where would Indian street food be without potatoes?

How do you reconcile the first two sentences in the Wikipedia entry for Mughlai Cuisine? Everything you say seems to make sense; I'm just having trouble wrapping my head around it all.

So even though Mughlai cuisine is prominent in Hyderabad, it came over and down from the northeast?

Perhaps this bit of history about the Nizam's family will make sense: The Asaf Jah dynasty was of Parso-tajik origin from the region around Samarkand in modern-day Uzbekistan, The dynasty was founded by Mir Qamar-ud-Din Siddiqi, a viceroy of the Deccan under the Mughal Empire from 1713 to 1721. He intermittently ruled after Aurangzeb's death in 1707. In 1724, Mughal control lapsed, and Asaf Jah declared himself independent in Hyderabad.

A thought just popped into my head: Is there any historical relationship at all between biryani and paella? Southern Indian cuisine was heavily influenced by the Portuguese, and vice-versa, so it seems plausible. I still remember the best paella I've ever eaten: a home-cooked version helmed by Janet Cam and about five of her friends - they were cooking for almost two days, and produced the largest circular tray of food I've ever seen in my life. It was just about perfect, and was one of the greatest things I've ever eaten.

Don, it's an interesting thought but biryani is actually a northern Indian dish. Most likely brought over from Persia by the Mughals.  It has some very strong footing in Iranian rice dishes. Granted, some of the best biryani in India comes from Hydrabad, a city some what to the south. But when Hydrabad was a princely state, it was ruled by a Muslim, the Nizzam of Hydrabad -- hence the heavily Mughal influence.

I love Dame Diana, but she can be an insufferable curmudgeon. Don't feel bad about making mole from scratch. 

Thank you.

My Thanksgiving dinner last year featured turkey in mole Poblano. Painstakingly finding all the right ingredients and following a recipe closely.  Several people with ties to Mexico said it was as good as they have had ((albeit they are friends)). I was so proud. Until. I read this quote from an interview Diana Kennedy gave Food52.com

What are the pantry ingredients that you use the most when you're in Mexico?
These are the items currently in my pantry in Mexico: 5 types of pumpkin seeds, dried fava beans, dried shrimps of all sizes (head intact and unshelled), 13 types of dried chiles, several types of dried corn, powdered lime, tequesquite (a natural salt), 8 types of dried regional Mexico oreganos, almonds, pecans, cashew nuts, candied citron and biznaga (barrel cactus), white, black, and muscat raisins, currants, and three types of Mexican sea salt. Plus, of course, every spice you can name. I use them all from time to time.

Savoy cabbage sauteed in butter with linguine and scallions.

Was initially planning on making braised tofu knots, but after I put the flavorings in the electric skillet with the tofu knots, I saw that both the hoisin and the chile paste expired in 2012. I'm ok with opened containers that live in the fridge for about a year past the date, but decided that two years was over the line, especially since I don't remember how long ago I opened that hoisin and it is almost 2015. I think I will have to go through everything in the cabinets and fridge and then go on a spree at the asian mart...

Tofu knots???

Transitioned from chapatis to rice. Same moong dal, carrots (from the garden) with fenugreek (methi) greens, raita with cherry tomatoes and radish, hari chutney, pickles and a Gujarati potato dish Batata Nu Shaak, simple but a long list of ingredients (coconut oil, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, dried chillies, bay leaves, asafoetida, curry leaves, salt, hot chilli powder, turmeric, ginger, fresh green chillies, potatoes, tomatoes, coriander greens, ground coriander seeds, jaggery, and tamarind). Haven't made this in awhile. It was really good. Phone photo:

Eric, the potato dish is actually Tameta Batata nu Shaak. You guessed it, tameta for the tomatoes. It is one of my favorite childhood veg dishes.  In my home, we eat it with khichadi for a simple supper. In fact, that's on the menu for dinner tomorrow night here. Cheers.

It's not just you.

Grover (or equivalent), I'm pretty sure Bon Chon is two different words, but the restaurant seems to use it as one on their website. In fact, I've noticed this a lot with area Korean restaurants - they have multiple words in their name, but string them together as one (e.g., Gooldaegee as opposed to Gool Dae Gee - although calling it "Honey Pig" (which Gool Dae Gee may, or may not, translate to) was as brilliant of a marketing stroke as I've ever seen in the Korean restaurant industry - this is *exactly* why they're so popular (think about it: there are plenty of Korean BBQ restaurants - why did this place hit paydirt?)). When a Korean restaurant pastes these words together in its name, it becomes more difficult, not less, for me to remember - does anyone else have any thoughts about this regional crisis?

It's not marketing, it's economics. You have to pay for the space. 

Any on NoVA?

Had some people over for dinner. Made some green curry with beef and eggplant à¹à¸à¸‡à¹€à¸‚ียวหวาน, Thai fried chicken ไà¸à¹ˆà¸—อด, green papaya salad ส้มตำ, northern Thai pork and tomato chilli dip with raw vegetables น้ำพริà¸à¸­à¹ˆà¸­à¸‡, sticky rice ข้าวเหนียว and jasmine rice ข้าวหอมมะลิ. Lagunitas Little Sumpin' Extra. Snapped a quick photo with my phone:

Eric, good to have you back. I had missed your posts.

Rocks, gajar halwa is one of the simplest dishes ever.  Grate carrots, add milk (of whatever value you like), use some evaporated milk if you like that taste, sweetened condensed milk if you're in a hurry, a touch of salt, and more sugar (of whatever type) than you think you'll need, and cook until the milk is reduced the way you like it.  If ever there was an easy dish to make...

Sounds about right. Toss in a little ground cardamon and top it with some toasted slivered almonds. Serve warm and be ready to be transported back into your mother's warm embrace.

[i have a good feeling about Uprising Muffin Company and am initializing coverage in Italic in the Dining Guide.]

Really?

I like the idea of the banh mi bar.  Only some of it will be sandwiches (i.e., there's the bowl option), and there's no reason you can't have sandwiches for dinner anyway   .

For dessert, I'd go with something creamy--maybe a vanilla pudding or rice pudding (though that might not work for diabetics) with some fruit.  Or you could do yogurt and berries.  Could you do a soup as an appetizer/first course?  It doesn't have to be pho or pho-like, but that would certainly fit.  A cold avocado soup would be excellent if you want to go that direction.  I have a reliable recipe for that if you want it.

Or what about something like these crab filled mini wonton cups for an app?

I guess if you've got family there, you're familiar with the shopping options and availability.  Last time I was there, I found shopping options fairly limited, at least for what I was searching for.

Thanks all. I will stick with the idea.

Pat, I would love the recipe for avocado soup. Also, thanks for the heads up about slim shopping options. I don't have family there. We are just going to descend upon Taos and stay in 3 rented houses. We have does this to several other unsuspecting communities... the best reaction to seeing a bunch of  Indians and a few white folk came from the folks in Snowshoe, WVA. Especially, when we started an impromptu cricket match in a vacant lot next to a gas station.

I will be sure to let you know how it goes over. Until then, any other ideas are still welcome.

OK, DR friends need some serious help here. I am attending a family reunion in Taos in a month. I will have to cook dinner for about 35 people (adventurous eaters, some vegetarians, some diabetic, no little kids) one night. These dinners get quite competitive with each cook trying to out do the last. Menu plans so far include grilled platters; biryanis; a home style Indian feast; and tagines.

I had planned to do a sort of a bahn mi bar -- bolillos standing in for baguettes and fillings that include lemongrass tofu; eggplant meatballs; caramelized pork and some sort of chicken. I figured the diabetics and carb-haters can always make a "bowl" out of the offerings. Plus a couple of salads, including the amazing Crunchy Ginger Salad from Naomi Daguid's Burma.

Problem: I am wondering if the bahn mi bar will be too reminiscent of lunch... sandwiches, after all.

Any thoughts? Also, I am stumped for ideas for aps and dessert. Please help me save my culinary honor.

I haven't tried it yet, but I can probably assume the Middle Easter Fare is top notch... since it is right next to a mosque. 

It is a by-product of making cultured butter. First, it means making yogurt, but with heavy cream--creme fraiche. (Heat cream to 90 degrees F. and mix in 3-4 Tbsps of yogurt. Let sit at warm room temp. for 24-48 hours.) Then, whip the thickened, soured cream in a mixer with a whisk attachment until it turns to butter, and drain out the buttermilk.

Wow. Thank you. I make yogurt all the time but with regular milk, not cream. Will have to try that.

yeast-risen blueberry buttermilk pancakes (made with homemade cultured buttermilk)

benton's bacon

Vermont maple syrup

oj

Peet's cappuccini

Zora, I am intrigued by the homemade cultured buttermilk. Would you please share the technique?

Managed to re-stock the larder with coriander and white poppy seed and fresh curry leaves and basmati rice, but ended up riffing on the recipes, so a not-quite-traditional Indian meal:

paneer in sambal masala and coconut (the recipe was for ivy gourd, I think, but I made paneer with a mix of cow and goat milk; I've never seen a recipe for paneer that uses goat milk, but it sure tastes good)

broccolini with cumin, ginger, sambal masala, coconut (the recipe was for broccoli, which isn't traditional to begin with, but I had broccolini on hand; decided to add more cumin and ginger than called for along with a handful of tiny hot chillies, just to change the flavor profile a little from the paneer dish)

steamed basmati rice

Feeling comfortable enough with Indian techniques and ingredients that I can improvise and end up with something that doesn't taste like generic "curry".

Did you make the sambal masala? What's in it?

squid curry

Duangrat's Grocery 5888 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, Virginia 22041. Also the grocery in Eden Center has them. Bangkok 54 Grocery on Columbia Pike is still closed from the fire, but should re-open sometime in April. They will have them as well.

Thanks for giving me a reason to visit Eden Center.