We do love Indian food. Actually made our own garam masala once.. or twice. The mixture of spices is so exotic to us that even after 45 years of eating it, it still surprises us.
I often make a garbanzo and basmati rice that is awesome. Fry in butter, onions and garlic. Add a touch of cumin and a bunch of turmeric..... cook to aromatic.... add a drained can of garbanzo and brown a little bit: add rice, coat it in the mixture; add some chicken broth... bring to a boil and cover. Let it sit for 25 minutes at a very low heat... almost simmering.
If you grill some chicken on the BBQ with it.... and a good cold beer... It's Nirvana.
Note: it's 3:40PM here.... hmm... I know what I'm making for dinner tonight! ;-)
Have you tried North African? Morocco, Algiers? Yum!
It's interesting... there is a "cuisine belt" that runs from Morocco to India... the spices sort of flow from East to West.
I will try your recipe, thanks. Do you add the marinade to the pressure cooker too?
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Hmm.... you live in a high rise? I thought your part of town was low rise... like two stories.
"Size" of city doesn't really matter. I live in a huge metropolitan area... but most of us live in suburbia. Heck, "suburbia" was invented here.. you know... get house, get car, drive on freeway to work, smoke cigarettes, drink martinis...
@tonyEE congratulations on discovering the spice routes, they've only been running some 4000 years 
they started somewhat further east than India though originally.
BTW if you have a smoke in one hand and a martini in the other how are you steering when on the freeway? I'm confused
they started somewhat further east than India though originally.
BTW if you have a smoke in one hand and a martini in the other how are you steering when on the freeway? I'm confused
Well, if you got a Tesla it drives itself on the freeway.. oh wait.... and you forgot the cigarette!
Spices.. yeah it took us a while, but you know, my ancestors were making wine while the druids in Wales... hmm.. why did those people drink?
In any event, I described a gastronomic analysis, not a trade.
Hah!
East of India? I don't know, I've had all kinds of food from further East and they all change dramatically. Heat goes up, vinegars are introduced, cilantro kicks in, fish sauces being important, lemons show up and the flavors become very subtle as you get to The Mikado. The mixtures you find in Indian food sort of have a climax in there ( it's after all called a subcontinent for a good reason.. big enough to be self contained ).
Oddly, the food in Singapore was rather bland... hmm... who "colonized" Singapore? Ha!
The Philippines don't count as the Spanish modified their cooking ( sort of like Spain meets South East China ).
Spices.. yeah it took us a while, but you know, my ancestors were making wine while the druids in Wales... hmm.. why did those people drink?
In any event, I described a gastronomic analysis, not a trade.
Hah!
East of India? I don't know, I've had all kinds of food from further East and they all change dramatically. Heat goes up, vinegars are introduced, cilantro kicks in, fish sauces being important, lemons show up and the flavors become very subtle as you get to The Mikado. The mixtures you find in Indian food sort of have a climax in there ( it's after all called a subcontinent for a good reason.. big enough to be self contained ).
Oddly, the food in Singapore was rather bland... hmm... who "colonized" Singapore? Ha!
The Philippines don't count as the Spanish modified their cooking ( sort of like Spain meets South East China ).
Progress report……I’ve been kindly worried about making wine in this climate, even though our house stays at a constant 76F and just under 50% humidity indoors this time of year thats still hot for this time of year in the mountains (highs in the 60’s to lows in the 50’s) but to tell the truth I think a higher temp thats stable seems to be better than a lower temp that fluctuates……the worry came from the fact that my yeast is optimal only up to 78F.
Anyhow, I say it might be better because the primary ferment went flawlessly, took a bit more sugar than usual (35lbs) but muscadine grapes tend to be low sugar high acid……and now the secondary ferment is bubbling along at 1 bubble per 45-50 seconds, alcohol content is 14% with a potential showing 17% (which is perfect as this yeast dies at 18%)
Anyhow, I say it might be better because the primary ferment went flawlessly, took a bit more sugar than usual (35lbs) but muscadine grapes tend to be low sugar high acid……and now the secondary ferment is bubbling along at 1 bubble per 45-50 seconds, alcohol content is 14% with a potential showing 17% (which is perfect as this yeast dies at 18%)
Tony, yes, you add the whole lot, chicken, marinade with a little water if it is too thick to the cooker.
The chicken is chopped and washed before marinading, and the marinade should cover the chicken, I usually stir it with the chicken in a bowl, honey consistency is my target.
The fat in the yogurt is usually enough for cooking.
Tomatoes, and other ingredients are variants, to be added as per choice to the cooker when cooking.
We soak garbonzo beans in the morning to cook at night, they are sold dry per kilo at grocery stores.
My sister is vegeterian, she went to Bangkok and Malaysia, said the places 'stink' of fish, as fish paste and oyster sauce are commonly used in vegetables as well.
Her description, we are used to a different set of spices and ingredients.
Spice routes are a historical read, not very relevant today, as migration has caused diverse food items to become common where large expatriate communities have settled.
They exist as a reminder that fod was quite local in those days.
There was a post here about a member in Sweden enjoying Australian wine and pasture grazed Uruguay beef for Christmas...that is diverse, and I think excess use of fuel, but that is my opinion.
Look up South Indian and Assam recipes for chicken, different spices compared to what is served in California at Indian restaurants...those are mostly North Indian recipes.
Also look at Chicken 65, where lots of ginger is used, along with curry leaf.
May be a bit spicy for those not used to South Indian style spice levels...
Mix roast cumin powder, yellow pepper powder, a small quantity of rock salt (basic chaat masala), or buy ready chaat masala at an Indian store.
Add red chilli powder, use it to coat paneer or chicken before barbeque. A little different from the alternate spice mixes sold for that purpose.
You can vary the levels of the individual spices as per your preference.
One thing not mentioned in most recipes is that poultry is used mostly without the skin here, the fat layer and skin are discarded or rarely fried separately and added as a garnish.
The fat layer adds its own taste to the dish, and the skin can be dirty, or pest ridden, that is the reason for not using it.
The chicken is chopped and washed before marinading, and the marinade should cover the chicken, I usually stir it with the chicken in a bowl, honey consistency is my target.
The fat in the yogurt is usually enough for cooking.
Tomatoes, and other ingredients are variants, to be added as per choice to the cooker when cooking.
We soak garbonzo beans in the morning to cook at night, they are sold dry per kilo at grocery stores.
My sister is vegeterian, she went to Bangkok and Malaysia, said the places 'stink' of fish, as fish paste and oyster sauce are commonly used in vegetables as well.
Her description, we are used to a different set of spices and ingredients.
Spice routes are a historical read, not very relevant today, as migration has caused diverse food items to become common where large expatriate communities have settled.
They exist as a reminder that fod was quite local in those days.
There was a post here about a member in Sweden enjoying Australian wine and pasture grazed Uruguay beef for Christmas...that is diverse, and I think excess use of fuel, but that is my opinion.
Look up South Indian and Assam recipes for chicken, different spices compared to what is served in California at Indian restaurants...those are mostly North Indian recipes.
Also look at Chicken 65, where lots of ginger is used, along with curry leaf.
May be a bit spicy for those not used to South Indian style spice levels...
Mix roast cumin powder, yellow pepper powder, a small quantity of rock salt (basic chaat masala), or buy ready chaat masala at an Indian store.
Add red chilli powder, use it to coat paneer or chicken before barbeque. A little different from the alternate spice mixes sold for that purpose.
You can vary the levels of the individual spices as per your preference.
One thing not mentioned in most recipes is that poultry is used mostly without the skin here, the fat layer and skin are discarded or rarely fried separately and added as a garnish.
The fat layer adds its own taste to the dish, and the skin can be dirty, or pest ridden, that is the reason for not using it.
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Naresh- Thanks for the hints and recipes.
We got 8 Indian supermarkets within 10 miles of my house here in SoCal. Plus a huge one just three miles from me that is best described as Indo-Persian with a whole bunch of European stuff ( Eastern Euro, Mediterranean ) that you won't find in most places. Best place to buy paneer ( several brands too.. ).
Mostly it's the reason why we're not ready to leave our part of the World. This is heaven for a foodie with a big gas rangetop and a pressure cooker.. none of them newfangled electric affairs....
Tomorrow I'm going shopping. Thanks.
By "roast cumin powder"... you mean the cumin powder that we get in a jar, right?
BTW, when I cook, I like to fire up the SissySIT and run some music through it. The music comes from the living room into the kitchen and it makes it so fun.
We got 8 Indian supermarkets within 10 miles of my house here in SoCal. Plus a huge one just three miles from me that is best described as Indo-Persian with a whole bunch of European stuff ( Eastern Euro, Mediterranean ) that you won't find in most places. Best place to buy paneer ( several brands too.. ).
Mostly it's the reason why we're not ready to leave our part of the World. This is heaven for a foodie with a big gas rangetop and a pressure cooker.. none of them newfangled electric affairs....
Tomorrow I'm going shopping. Thanks.
By "roast cumin powder"... you mean the cumin powder that we get in a jar, right?
BTW, when I cook, I like to fire up the SissySIT and run some music through it. The music comes from the living room into the kitchen and it makes it so fun.
Cumin powder is simply powdered raw grains, roasted powder is also sold.
Whole cumin is dry roasted on a thick griddle / pan / wok, at low heat, till it smells a bit of its oils.
Then take off heat, let it cool down, and coarse grind to retain the flavor.
50 grams lasts me nearly a month.
Too much heat can cause burning, how much you roast it is your choice, like coffee.
The store bought roasted cumin powder is never to my taste, and if you calculate it, the surface area increases greatly as you grind finer. So it oxidizes faster as well.
The stuff has been ground, then shipped, so it is already old by the time you buy it...we stick to a roughly 15 days' worth...easy, after making Roti (chapati), I turn off the heat, and sprinkle the seeds on the 'tawa', a slightly concave skillet or griddle, and turn the seeds after a minute or so.
Smoke means too hot.
Then grind, a short burst in the grinding jar of the blender.
If you do buy chaat masala, some are called 'chunky chaat masala', or otherwise described as coarse ground, those taste better and last longer than fine powder.
Get some mango powder as well, nice taste of mildly sour and tangy.
Tamarind and date paste should be available, and I prefer fresh lemons than bottled ones for garnish.
Also ask for red / green chilli and garlic paste, that is hot by our standards, use sparingly.
If the store people are knowledgeable, take their advice...
Rarely old songs on the FM while cooking, I have neighbors, have to keep windows closed or low volume, cannot hear clearly in kitchen.
Whole cumin is dry roasted on a thick griddle / pan / wok, at low heat, till it smells a bit of its oils.
Then take off heat, let it cool down, and coarse grind to retain the flavor.
50 grams lasts me nearly a month.
Too much heat can cause burning, how much you roast it is your choice, like coffee.
The store bought roasted cumin powder is never to my taste, and if you calculate it, the surface area increases greatly as you grind finer. So it oxidizes faster as well.
The stuff has been ground, then shipped, so it is already old by the time you buy it...we stick to a roughly 15 days' worth...easy, after making Roti (chapati), I turn off the heat, and sprinkle the seeds on the 'tawa', a slightly concave skillet or griddle, and turn the seeds after a minute or so.
Smoke means too hot.
Then grind, a short burst in the grinding jar of the blender.
If you do buy chaat masala, some are called 'chunky chaat masala', or otherwise described as coarse ground, those taste better and last longer than fine powder.
Get some mango powder as well, nice taste of mildly sour and tangy.
Tamarind and date paste should be available, and I prefer fresh lemons than bottled ones for garnish.
Also ask for red / green chilli and garlic paste, that is hot by our standards, use sparingly.
If the store people are knowledgeable, take their advice...
Rarely old songs on the FM while cooking, I have neighbors, have to keep windows closed or low volume, cannot hear clearly in kitchen.
Tony:
I think you can use a pizza stone for roasting after you are done making pizza, just wipe it clean, and spread a few tablespoons or so of cumin on it, let it roast gently, off the heat, from the residual energy in it.
You can also keep the roasted cumin in a spare pepper mill, and use as needed, a tablespoon is enough for a family meal. After it has cooled to room temperature, of course.
I think you can use a pizza stone for roasting after you are done making pizza, just wipe it clean, and spread a few tablespoons or so of cumin on it, let it roast gently, off the heat, from the residual energy in it.
You can also keep the roasted cumin in a spare pepper mill, and use as needed, a tablespoon is enough for a family meal. After it has cooled to room temperature, of course.
No, I live in a two storey townhouse. There is a lot of that here too. I just happen to live in one of the hubs that contains a lot of residential towers, commercial towers shopping malls and transit trains. I can walk to virtually all I need.
There's a lot of farmland here in Surrey too. 1/3 of the city area is actually farms. Yes, we are that big.
It means that we have a good supply of local foods and because of our climate, a diverse selection. We also have livestock. Both of these help to control a good chunk of our food prices.
By size, I was referring to population but let's do a comparison anyway.
You live in a place that covers 170 sq kms and has a population of 300,000.
I live in a place that covers 317 sq kms and has a population of 600,000.
It's been a while since you were here and things change. This little snip from WiKi will help:
In recent years, a rapidly expanding urban core in Downtown Surrey, located in Whalley has transformed the area into the secondary downtown core in Metro Vancouver.
So much more is in the works, that you will not recognize it in 10 years. I think there are another 20 towers expected.
Back to our regularly scheduled program.
Sorry for the interuption.
Attachments
Our place was built in 1986 and there was no gas installed so it's either electricity or the fondue stoves unfortunately.
If you buy the Jeera, it can then be dry fried and ground. The whole seed maintains itself so much better. For the same reason you would buy whole bean coffee or peppercorns.
Yes, I agree totally. I have the iPad on bluetooth and a mini sound bar so I can locate it anywhere. Super handy when I sleep outside.
I should have read all the posts before replying. Cuts down on the duplication.
Obviously he knows his stuff.
Yah, Lalvin EC 1118…….it‘s never let me down.
Agree with roasting the cumin seeds, it adds depth and smooths out the bitterness, I like mine just starting to smoke…..probably burnt according to naresh!
Yeah, that's what I thought.
My city has grown tremendously. It's a "planned community" and in the last 10 years they torn down lots of orange groves East of the 5 and built tons and tons of homes in what used to be the "foothills". Sort of sad, but they are way out East from us and so what those people do out in their Far East Suburbia don't bother us. Also, population density... well it's hard to say my town is 300K, as it is fully integrated with The OC. It's next to impossible to detect city limits as you drive from city to city. Pretty much, though, when you get a standard 5500 sq foot city lot, with condos/townhouses in about half the size of that, and it's all family units ( about 2.50 per household )... your population density is gonna be the same.
My main concern with building such high rise residential outside of downtown Vancouver would be the traffic. In SoCal the freeways are everywhere.. and all those new homes on the foothills are very well served by boulevards and freeways. So getting in and out is easy. Indeed, in my city, they make a big deal of breaking up the place into "villages" interconnected by wide boulevards with very few traffic lights, so it is easy to travel across the city on "surface streets" and the cross-town-traffic is kept out of the intra village traffic.
As I recall, driving into Vancouver's Granville Island -coming up from the US- you were thrown into what we'd call "surface streets" with lots of lights and people making left turns... hance blocking half the street. High rises in downtown and the West End are sort of self contained, so you can walk around but if you're out to Surrey, then you're a long ways and there is no freeway that connects it. And it ain't getting better as the metropolis is sure growing like nuts.
IMHO, Vancouver is growing very fast and the Gov is not spending the money on freeways, which would be hard as the area from downtown to Burnaby is pretty much built up so you're run into the issue that our 105 freeway ran into.... locals just didn't care for the Eminent Domain to kick them out of their homes.
Now back to food: IMHO, so long as you have a little yard where you can run your BBQ and smoke a cigar without bugging the neighbors, all is well.
Time to do some Indian food shopping today. Thanks @NareshBrd
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When I bought my current house, I rather thoroughly insulated it. Result is under $100 per month utility bills including heating and air conditioning. The main furnace is also the water heater and runs on natural gas. To do this as efficiently as possible exhaust is ported to the outside through a plastic pipe. Yes the unit recovers even the exhaust heat by routing the flame downward and the exhaust comes out the bottom. This does require a fan and extra safety controls. It also require a fresh air input to prevent wasting heat on the air used for combustion. The fresh air comes in from another plastic pipe that has an outside screen so only air comes in!
If I continued to cook with a gas stove, there could be another air inlet, but controlling the exhaust would be a bit more difficult. There is of course an electric fan exhaust hood, but it is not intended to control the combustion exhaust. It would have the most trouble with the oven section. So I now use induction "burners." Surprisingly easy to adapt to using. My old stove was a "Chambers." For those who don't know this legacy brand, they often show up on cooking shows. The model I had included not only three burners and an oven, but also a lever opened grill that also could be used as a fry-top and a soup well that is where most would put a fourth burner. https://www.ebay.com/b/Chambers-Gas-Stove/163017/bn_7023230977
As I know Cal likes kitchen gadgets, one of my favorites and almost the most used is the food slicer! Pretty much almost a commercial unit. Comes apart quite nicely for cleaning and even incudes a built in sharpening stone.
The gadget I find the most valued is my so labelled "Meat Chopper" (these days called a "Meat Grinder") from my grandmother. Chopped chicken liver spread just isn't the same from a food processor.
https://www.lemproducts.com/product/hand-grinder-clamp/butcher-meat-grinders
If I continued to cook with a gas stove, there could be another air inlet, but controlling the exhaust would be a bit more difficult. There is of course an electric fan exhaust hood, but it is not intended to control the combustion exhaust. It would have the most trouble with the oven section. So I now use induction "burners." Surprisingly easy to adapt to using. My old stove was a "Chambers." For those who don't know this legacy brand, they often show up on cooking shows. The model I had included not only three burners and an oven, but also a lever opened grill that also could be used as a fry-top and a soup well that is where most would put a fourth burner. https://www.ebay.com/b/Chambers-Gas-Stove/163017/bn_7023230977
As I know Cal likes kitchen gadgets, one of my favorites and almost the most used is the food slicer! Pretty much almost a commercial unit. Comes apart quite nicely for cleaning and even incudes a built in sharpening stone.
The gadget I find the most valued is my so labelled "Meat Chopper" (these days called a "Meat Grinder") from my grandmother. Chopped chicken liver spread just isn't the same from a food processor.
https://www.lemproducts.com/product/hand-grinder-clamp/butcher-meat-grinders
Some South Indian recipes call for roasting coriander seeds, then adding to spice pastes based on coriander leaves, mint and coconut, among others.
They tend to fry whole red chilies, and add to top of gravy as a decoration,...we use chili powder.
There are plenty of videos on line, I would watch both an Indian chef doing it in India, with the real ingredients, and another one by a person in the West, where they may have to make do with substitute ingredients.
For the same or similar dish of course.
Please be aware that some dishes are seasonal, the same vegetables are not available all year, so a dish with the same name may have different ingredients.
Bob: Like I said, it is your choice how you roast the seeds.
As long as they are not burnt...the taste becomes more intense as you go near the limits, similar to light and dark roasted coffee.
I use a hot griddle, it is slow eough for me to react, too hot can be hard to control, the smell can be persistent, it is your choice really.
Some cooks prefer to use freshly made spice pastes, the taste is much improved compared to the same dish using powdered spices.
Again, the decision is based on availabilty and time.
They tend to fry whole red chilies, and add to top of gravy as a decoration,...we use chili powder.
There are plenty of videos on line, I would watch both an Indian chef doing it in India, with the real ingredients, and another one by a person in the West, where they may have to make do with substitute ingredients.
For the same or similar dish of course.
Please be aware that some dishes are seasonal, the same vegetables are not available all year, so a dish with the same name may have different ingredients.
Bob: Like I said, it is your choice how you roast the seeds.
As long as they are not burnt...the taste becomes more intense as you go near the limits, similar to light and dark roasted coffee.
I use a hot griddle, it is slow eough for me to react, too hot can be hard to control, the smell can be persistent, it is your choice really.
Some cooks prefer to use freshly made spice pastes, the taste is much improved compared to the same dish using powdered spices.
Again, the decision is based on availabilty and time.
Once you enter Vancouver from the USA, that particular highway becomes city streets, it's true. That's not uncommon.
You haven't been here for a while have you? The freeway (Trans Canada Highway) that connects Vancouver to North Surrey was built in 1964. It's so old that the main bridge across the river was replaced in 2012. At the time, the new Port Mann Bridge was the widest long span bridge in the world. It might still be so if some other country hadn't built two bridges side by side and called it one.
The highway that connects Vancouver to South Surrey is the same one you took crossing the border. Hwy 99.
The Gov't has spent billions upon billions improving the transportation infrastructure here with a heavy focus on freeways and trains. Your info is more than a little out of date.
Apologies to those wishing to read about food.
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Masalas really do require the fresh touch. If there is leftover then it's fine to use it again but starting anew really is the way to go.
I use the term masala even when making other kinds than traditional Indian pastes. We have so much Indian culture here that it's easy to adapt to and adopt what others know better.