Browsing: Foodisphere

India runs on spice! A billion plus people can’t be wrong – they swear by the tangy, sour-sweet spicy street foods of India. Indeed, there is something homey and comforting about street foods, almost like the hug of a mother. Not surprisingly many of these street treats go back to ancient times and have been a part of Indian tradition and memory.

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Chaat is that delicious dish that nobody can turn down – it’s guaranteed to bring back childhood, friendship and family memories and helps make new relationships as you stand on city streets, and all for some spare change. chaat is the synonym for a buddy’s hug – always gets you beaming.

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Have you eaten Pressure Cooker Pulao, Champaran meat or Gurda Kapoora – goat kidney and testicles – lately? Though these are authentic Indian dishes, chances are you haven’t tasted them in America. Now you will get to try them at Chef-partner Chintan Pandya and restaurateur  new eatery ‘Dhamaka’, which has just opened in New York

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Did you ever hear of the arrival of the turkey on to the Thanksgiving table being heralded as the arrival of the ‘dulhan’ or Indian bride? For Sunita Advaney’s family fixing the 30 lb bird was like preparing for an elaborate Indian wedding. Trust desis to bring their own take on this American holiday, imprinting it with their own special flavor!

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The Obamas have it. So do the Pope and the Dalai Lama. And Queen Elizabeth too. As does Amitabh Bachchan and Shahrukh Khan. But unless you’re world-famous or have loads of moolah you probably won’t get your hands on ‘Utsav’ – Vikas Khanna’s book of festivals. That’s because he’s made only 12 customized editions and over 12 years has presented it to some of the world’s movers and shakers.

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When immigrants came to America, they bought their home cures and folk remedies along, a legacy of mothers and grandmothers. It is surprising how many families still turn to ginger as the first remedy for coughs and colds, and even motion sickness. Ginger has certainly been around for centuries and everyone from the ancient Greeks to Confucius to the Emperor Akbar is supposed to have been a fan, not to mention the sage Vatsyayana – author of India’s famed sex manual, Kama Sutra, who recommended ginger as an aphrodisiac for lovers.

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If there’s only one thing you do today to make yourself happy, watch this excellent video! For all those who love the street foods of India this is the ultimate experience, traveling state by state and eating the delicious eats right on the road. The tears sting your eyes, your nose runs, your tongue burns – and you’re in foodie heaven!
It is amazing how everything is available in the open – be it spicy chat papri, ragra patice, alu tikki, chole bature or seekh kebab. You’ll see foods you’ve never eaten!

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In ‘Ajanta – Regional Feasts of India’ cookbook author and restaurateur Lachu Moorjani explores the diverse foods of India, with regional feasts from different states. Here he shares some recipes from different regions of India. Come hungry!

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When Indian-American men cook, it’s considered cool and they are anointed chefs and stars and given all the respect. But when women cook, they are the housewives, the home-cooks and kitchen-bound who are doing what they’ve done for millennia. But now change is happening and some Indian-American women are taking the rolling pin and the tawa, and turning them into money-making startups!

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Warning: Do NOT Separate an Indian from his Onions! It’s the one ingredient that no self-respecting desi cook would want to be without; whether you are whipping up a Mughal feast or a poor man’s meal – onions are absolutely necessary. In fact, a shortage of onions can cause a near revolution in India!

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We all know about the birth of a restaurant – but what happens when a restaurant closes and reopens after several years – is that a rebirth?
Back in 2015 when restaurateur and chef  Anita Trehan announced she was opening the  Chaiwali in Harlem there was a lot of buzz about it. The name  wasn’t the ‘chaiwala’ but ‘chaiwali’, a rare phenomenon in those days and to have a woman chef or chaiwali move into Harlem and seek her fortune that was even more exciting!

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