Culinary India, a two-day workshop in Boulder

If you've been a reader for even a little while, you know how I feel about the Indian food served by Indian restaurants that dot the US restaurant scene. Both you and I know that the essence of Indian cooking has been lost in cream-laden curries that masquerade as Indian food. Say it with me: There is more to Indian cooking than chicken tikka masala, saag paneer and naan. There! I feel so much better already!

It has been, and continues to be, my passion to bring home-style Indian food to a wider audience, first by writing this blog, and subsequently, through a series of demos and workshops — the first of which is here: Culinary India.

Culinary India, hosted by Escoffier School of Culinary Arts Boulder, is a workshop steeped in the traditions of India, using as much local produce as possible. Joining me as instructors are three of the very best chefs, instructors and food enthusiasts I know:

Suvir Saran, who made waves with a grand exit last summer on Bravo TV's Top Chef Masters, needs no introduction! His cookbooks have brought Indian cooking within reach of anyone interested in the flavors of Indian cooking, without overwhelming the cook or the palate. His cooking embodies his lifelong passion for the traditional flavors of Indian cooking and that resonates very strongly with me. I am particularly in love with his lamb kababs and cardamom roasted cauliflower (recipe on Cooking Boulder). Suvir has written several cookbooks, the latest of which —Masala Farm — is about Suvir's life as an organic farmer, punctuated by recipes that are light on the fuss and big on the flavor, using Indian techniques and flavors that bring an exciting freshness to the table. Suvir travels extensively to teach audiences, ranging from home cooks and fellow chefs to physicians and nutritionists. Don't miss this opportunity to learn from a witty and accomplished chef!

Ammini Ramachandran is rather well-known on this blog and for good reason! She is the author of Grains, Greens and Grated Coconuts, that weaves history with the traditions and culture in which it is rooted. It is my favorite Indian vegetarian cookbook and it was among the four self-published cookbooks that ranked #76 in Saveur's Tenth Annual 100 List in 2008. It's very difficult for me to pick my favorite recipes from this cookbook as everything I have cooked has been exemplary, but I am partial to her okra kichadi and tomato chutney. A former financial analyst, Ammini is a prolific writer and her work has been published in The Flavors of Asia by the Culinary Institute of America, Flavor & Fortune, Storied Dishes and Cultural Encyclopedia of Vegetarianism. She is also a regular contributor to Zester Daily, an award-winning online publication produced by an international collection of experienced journalists, food writers and wine experts. Ammini teaches Indian cooking classes at Central Market Cooking Schools in Texas and the Institute of Culinary Education, New York. Don't miss this opportunity to learn from a food historian and meticulous cook!

Asha Gomez has taken the Atlanta food scene by storm, not once but twice. She was the mastermind behind Spice Route Supper Club, an underground supper club, where she explored the breadth of India’s culinary traditions by serving five-course meals with themes that focused on a region or an ingredient. After a successful year of home entertaining through her Supper Club, Asha opened her own Indian restaurant, Cardamom Hill in Atlanta. Don't miss this opportunity to learn from a supper club enthusiast who is now a respected chef in Atlanta!


This interactive cooking demonstration will explore and explain eight recipes each day using as much local produce as possible. Saturday’s workshop will be entirely dedicated to vegetarian recipes while Sunday's menu will include meat and seafood. There are limited seats so be sure to sign up as soon as possible so that you don't miss out on this unique experience!

Join us!
Saturday & Sunday, June 16th - 17th
Time: 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM on both days

Register for Culinary India

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In The Kitchen With Dawn

After two consecutive hot and dry months, we gladly take precipitation in any form. The clouds opened up yesterday to shower us with rain and by the time I arrived at my friend Dawn's house in Boulder, the tiny hail bouncing off my car quickly turned into a snow shower.

Snow in May, not unusual. And we like it!

There was no better day to fry some pakodas, soak them in steaming hot kadhi and warm our insides as we watched the snow come down steadily for a couple of hours. The snow did not stick — which is a good thing — as the parched ground, too, got its fix.

chopped ginger and serranos

My friend, Dawn, learned this kadhi from her husband, who in turn was trained by his mother. Her in-laws hail from a small village called Shergarh in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.

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My First Mile High Swap

The end of the first quarter of the year is always a busy time. It's also spring break. Unfortunately for me, spring break is slowly becoming synonymous with poor health. Last year, I was hit by shingles; this year, it was a tryst with the dreaded flu. It was, therefore, a good thing that our spring ski getaway was canceled, albeit for completely unrelated reasons. Not only was there mainly slush on the slopes due to unseasonably warm temperatures, but March also proved to be one of the driest months for the mountains, instead of the snowiest.

I've been busy. That's always good, especially in these trying times.

Green beans koshimbir

The only recipe I have for you in this post is my Green Beans Koshimbir, written for my Cooking Boulder column. Take a look and let me know what you think, if you try it.

I do have more to food-related stuff to share though! I went to my first food swap yesterday. It was organized by the Mile High Swappers, a community that I have been following since it was launched a little less than a year ago. I tried to make it to a swap in Boulder in March but that was doomed from the start so I decided that the April swap would have to be it. I roped in my friends, Lisa and Zara. Zara convinced her sister, Tarahta, to join us. We gave her only about 15 minutes notice, as long as it took for us to drive to her house to pick her up on our way to the swap, hosted by Stonebridge Farm in Lyons.

The ubiquitous red barn, at Stonebridge Farm

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Celebrating Spring with Colors

If you've been reading my blog for a while then you probably know that Holi is not one of my favorite festivals. While I never cared much for celebrating with color and the liberal dousing with water as part of the Rangapanchami or Dhulivandan celebrations, I did enjoy the real Holi a great deal.

Apart from puran poli, masala milk or thandai is a milky treat that is always served on Holi.

I have never attempted making puran poli and when my friend from grad school asked me if I had a recipe for thandai, it occurred to me that I hadn't made that either. My excuse for not making puran poli is that it is daunting, especially the way my mother used to make it. Helping was always easier. As for thandai or masala milk? Well, we are all lactose intolerant. But that also meant that Medha has never had thandai and I felt the need to fix that.

Happy Holi!

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Sunday Snapshots: Cham Towers, Vietnam

I'm very sure that Bay, our driver and guide when we were in Vietnam last Thanksgiving, thought we were curious people. We were not interested in the regular tourist spots and I made him pull over at all kinds of nondescript locations. Like these neglected Cham Towers, for example, that suddenly showed up on the side of the highway when we were on our way to Nha Trang from Phan Rang. He couldn't understand why I wanted to stop here when we were headed to the better-known and better-maintained Po Nagar Towers in Nha Trang. Well, that's just it! I wanted to stop because it was deserted.

At least, I thought it was deserted until I saw a young man walking through the grounds, overgrown with weeds, hand-in-hand with a beautiful girl. I almost believed they were an apparition because, after all, these were ruins from the Cham Dynasty, a Hindu people that once ruled southern and central parts of Vietnam from the 7th century to early 1800s.

Cham Tower

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Mustard oil dilemmas

Soon after I posted my Bengali Dal on Cooking Boulder, I was quickly taken to task for posting a Bengali dish that was not made with mustard oil. My pleas of but that's how I make it and have been making it for what seems like forever did not impress until I remembered why I don't have mustard oil as an essential pantry item. The FDA disapproves. Bottles of mustard oil have warnings that range from "Not for human consumption" to "For external use only" to "For massage only."

In the past, I have tried using mustard-flavored oil, a blend of regular cooking oil and mustard oil. No wonder my mutschgand did not taste anything like hers. I think I poured most of that oil into my used oil container, and it was eventually recycled.

Pure mustard oil can be found on the shelves of Indian grocery stores, rubbing shoulders with peanut oil, coconut oil and cooking oil. But, according to the FDA, you are not supposed to cook with it. Bengalis, however, have been cooking with it for centuries and are still some of the nicest people I know. So it's not doing anything to their charming disposition, nor is it affecting their intelligence or creativity in any way.

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To Bay or Not to Bay

It's taken everything and more to get me to focus on this post. In my mind, it was due two weeks but fate decreed otherwise. I think we are all still in shock, reaching out to one another to seek solace and comfort, hugging our families as much as possible.

Charming Ellen of Helliemaes Salt Caramels put some spunk back in life by sending me a box of her new Chili Palmer Caramels. It served as more than a thoughtful pick-me-up as it ripped through my nasal and sinus congestion to remind me that I still had taste-buds. Whoa! These babies pack a punch! Of course, I promptly brewed a cup of tea to increase the burn.

Thank you, my lovely friend, these hit the spot!

The rest of this post is a PSA. Not a pet peeve, because then you would think of me as only being about pet peeves. I promise you, there is more to me than pet peeves!

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