With its purple watertight jacket encasing a firm white interior, the humble eggplant really doesn’t look like much. And indeed, on its own, it is pretty plain. But give it a stage and a couple of flavours to work with, and you will be marvelled by the things it can do. In this series, we…
Category: Ingredient Survey
Eggs 201 (Part 2)
Boiled, Scrambled, and Omelette Last time, we started our exploration of breakfast egg dishes by discussing the poached and fried eggs, delving deep into the level of controversy created by something as simple and ubiquitous as a fried egg. This week, we will explore three more egg classics, starting with the humble boiled egg. Thankfully,…
Eggs 201 (Part 1)
Poached and Fried “How d’ya like your eggs in the morning…”, sang Dean Martin and Helen O’Connell in a rather corny duet back in the 50s. Indeed, there are a lot of ways you can cook eggs. We’ve had a two-parter on eggs two and a half years back, the Eggs 101 series, which was…
The Miracles of Milk
Milk. The fluid that nourishes all mammals through infancy, and defines our position in the animal kingdom. It is packed full of nutrients, and is an essential part of a healthy diet. The 90s have really driven home the nutritious benefit of the glass of milk, from the super-catchy Amul ad jingle to that unforgettable…
Onions, Browning, and the East
We’ve looked at the yin and yang of garlic, and explored the multiple applications of brown onions in the West. In this final instalment of our exploration of alliums, we will turn our attention to our homeland and explore the role of brown onions in Indian and especially Mughlai cuisine. Many Indian curries start with…
Onions, Browning, and the West
It is hard to think of a vegetable as ubiquitous as the onion. Starring in everything from Indian curries to Chinese stir-fries, European soups to American snacks, it is one of the most versatile ingredients in the kitchen. Being an allium, onions have a certain potency which, though a lot muted when compared to garlic,…
The Beta Garlic
It was around October last year, midway through my first year of residency. The senior on duty was running a little late and therefore brought breakfast along with her. When the patient rush died down a little, she opened up a piece of paratha and achaar wrapped hastily in aluminium foil, and politely offered me…
The Alpha Garlic
Few vegetable groups are as ubiquitous as the allium. This group includes onions, shallots, garlic, scallions and leek, and forms the basis for almost every world cuisine. Alliums are a powerhouse of flavour which when properly harnessed, can completely transform a dish. This month will be all about bite-sized articles focusing on the humble alliums….
Roe, Roe, Roe Your Boat
“Roe is the fully ripened internal egg masses in the ovaries, or the released external egg masses of fish and certain marine animals”. The Wikipedia definition of roe makes it seem more suited to a zoology textbook. But many cultures around the world consume some form of fish roe. It is weirdly, a universal culinary…
Going Bananas
After reading my article on Nose to Tail eating a couple of weeks back, one of my friends said “I wish you had written a little bit more about the veggies. Also, I can’t believe you missed the banana. There is no better example of nose to tail cooking in the vegetarian world than the…
The Gourmet Glutton 