Comments on: Cooling Dishes for Hot August Nights http://www.tigersandstrawberries.com/2005/08/16/cooling-dishes-for-hot-august-nights/ Wed, 08 Sep 2010 23:39:22 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=1.5.2 Comment on Cooling Dishes for Hot August Nights by: Barbara Fisher http://www.tigersandstrawberries.com/2005/08/16/cooling-dishes-for-hot-august-nights/#comment-609 Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.tigersandstrawberries.com/2005/08/16/cooling-dishes-for-hot-august-nights/#comment-609 Mmmm. Green curry. Maybe I should be making some of that soon. <BR/><BR/>Although, this weekend, I believe I will be making nam sod--it is a minced salad that I think is traditionally made with pork, but which they made at Siam Square in Providence, RI with chicken. I fell in love with the dish and learned to replicate it, and then, changed it up a bit and made it my own version. It is one of my favorite dishes and I have been craving it something awful. Mmmm. Green curry. Maybe I should be making some of that soon.

Although, this weekend, I believe I will be making nam sod–it is a minced salad that I think is traditionally made with pork, but which they made at Siam Square in Providence, RI with chicken. I fell in love with the dish and learned to replicate it, and then, changed it up a bit and made it my own version. It is one of my favorite dishes and I have been craving it something awful.

]]> Comment on Cooling Dishes for Hot August Nights by: ejm http://www.tigersandstrawberries.com/2005/08/16/cooling-dishes-for-hot-august-nights/#comment-608 Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.tigersandstrawberries.com/2005/08/16/cooling-dishes-for-hot-august-nights/#comment-608 Most of our Indian cooking is northern style as well - for the same reason as yours. But my husband did a fair amount of travelling through India and every once in a while craves a southern style dish.<BR/><BR/>Hing... ummm, I'm afraid it's not my favourite thing. Our hing is double jarred and STILL it manages to escape just a little. (Much like a stinky French cheese - the perfume is inescapable!) Tamarind, on the other hand....<BR/><BR/>Thanks for the tips on tulsi. I'll watch for it at the Asian market and give it a try. Our garden Thai basil is looking very lush. It's high time that we had a Thai-style curry. Most of our Indian cooking is northern style as well - for the same reason as yours. But my husband did a fair amount of travelling through India and every once in a while craves a southern style dish.

Hing… ummm, I’m afraid it’s not my favourite thing. Our hing is double jarred and STILL it manages to escape just a little. (Much like a stinky French cheese - the perfume is inescapable!) Tamarind, on the other hand….

Thanks for the tips on tulsi. I’ll watch for it at the Asian market and give it a try. Our garden Thai basil is looking very lush. It’s high time that we had a Thai-style curry.

]]> Comment on Cooling Dishes for Hot August Nights by: Barbara Fisher http://www.tigersandstrawberries.com/2005/08/16/cooling-dishes-for-hot-august-nights/#comment-607 Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.tigersandstrawberries.com/2005/08/16/cooling-dishes-for-hot-august-nights/#comment-607 Bry--go have coffee!<BR/><BR/>See, Ladi--I knew I could come up with an alternative for you.<BR/><BR/>Cheez Whiz. You know, I used to be able to eat the Nucular Plastik Orange Cheez, but my guts have finally rejected it once and for all. I don't even try--if I even smell it, I get nauseous these days. <BR/><BR/>Elizabeth--you are absolutely right--tulsi is not generally cooked with in Indian food; it is only used for ritual purposes.<BR/><BR/>But I don't let it stop me--nor do the Thais let it stop them! I have seen it sold in Thai groceries as "Hot Thai Holy Basil" with regular Thai basil being sold as "Sweet Thai Basil." <BR/><BR/>I like to use a combination of the two in my Spicy Basil Chicken or in Nam Sod or Pad Thai. The two flavors are different enough to contrast, yet similar enough to not clash.<BR/><BR/>Bry eats cilantro in a lot of my food. I just don't go with a heavy hand with it when I know he will be at the table.<BR/><BR/>As for mint chutney--there are as many recipes for it as there are families in India. That is the way of most of the classic Indian dishes--each family makes them differently. All of my Indian dishes are flavored very strongly in a Pakistani/Kashmiri/Punjabi way--because the people I learned from and cooked for were all from the North.<BR/><BR/>Asafoetida--ahhh. I love that stuff! I have a funny asafoetida story I should tell sometime. Maybe I will do a post about the stuff--anything called "devil's dung" has got to be good, right? Bry–go have coffee!

See, Ladi–I knew I could come up with an alternative for you.

Cheez Whiz. You know, I used to be able to eat the Nucular Plastik Orange Cheez, but my guts have finally rejected it once and for all. I don’t even try–if I even smell it, I get nauseous these days.

Elizabeth–you are absolutely right–tulsi is not generally cooked with in Indian food; it is only used for ritual purposes.

But I don’t let it stop me–nor do the Thais let it stop them! I have seen it sold in Thai groceries as “Hot Thai Holy Basil” with regular Thai basil being sold as “Sweet Thai Basil.”

I like to use a combination of the two in my Spicy Basil Chicken or in Nam Sod or Pad Thai. The two flavors are different enough to contrast, yet similar enough to not clash.

Bry eats cilantro in a lot of my food. I just don’t go with a heavy hand with it when I know he will be at the table.

As for mint chutney–there are as many recipes for it as there are families in India. That is the way of most of the classic Indian dishes–each family makes them differently. All of my Indian dishes are flavored very strongly in a Pakistani/Kashmiri/Punjabi way–because the people I learned from and cooked for were all from the North.

Asafoetida–ahhh. I love that stuff! I have a funny asafoetida story I should tell sometime. Maybe I will do a post about the stuff–anything called “devil’s dung” has got to be good, right?

]]> Comment on Cooling Dishes for Hot August Nights by: ejm http://www.tigersandstrawberries.com/2005/08/16/cooling-dishes-for-hot-august-nights/#comment-606 Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.tigersandstrawberries.com/2005/08/16/cooling-dishes-for-hot-august-nights/#comment-606 I was under the impression that holy basil is only used for temple offerings in India. Whenever I've seen holy basil, it always looks a little weedy and overly strong flavoured. Am I wrong, Barbara? Is it as wonderful as other basils? <BR/><BR/>A little Thai basil might be okay instead of coriander leaf. I like the slightly more delicate flavour of Thai basil over the Italian Genovese. And cinnamon basil might be nice too. But I think I would be more inclined though to just leave the coriander leaf out entirely if we were entertaining people who can't stand coriander leaf. (Have you noticed that people either love or loathe coriander leaf? Nobody seems to be indifferent to it.)<BR/><BR/>This <A HREF="http://www.indianchild.com/Recipes/chutneys_recipe/mint_chutney_recipe.htm" REL="nofollow">mint chutney from indianchild.com</A> looks good too. It calls for tamarind and no coriander leaf at all. Heh, it also calls for hing (asafeotida) - not the most pleasant smelling of the herbs and spices. (cough)<BR/><BR/>And this <A HREF="http://www.asianonlinerecipes.com/online_recipes/indiapakistan/mint-chutney.php" REL="nofollow">mint chutney from asianonlinerecipes.com</A> has no coriander leaf - and no hing either.<BR/><BR/>(brrr, cheesewhiz. Funny, we haven't had any in the house for years and I don't miss it at all! :D)<BR/><BR/>-Elizabeth<BR/><BR/>P.S. Bryian, were you aware that coriander leaf was lurking in the cucumber mint raita that you scarf up? I was under the impression that holy basil is only used for temple offerings in India. Whenever I’ve seen holy basil, it always looks a little weedy and overly strong flavoured. Am I wrong, Barbara? Is it as wonderful as other basils?

A little Thai basil might be okay instead of coriander leaf. I like the slightly more delicate flavour of Thai basil over the Italian Genovese. And cinnamon basil might be nice too. But I think I would be more inclined though to just leave the coriander leaf out entirely if we were entertaining people who can’t stand coriander leaf. (Have you noticed that people either love or loathe coriander leaf? Nobody seems to be indifferent to it.)

This mint chutney from indianchild.com looks good too. It calls for tamarind and no coriander leaf at all. Heh, it also calls for hing (asafeotida) - not the most pleasant smelling of the herbs and spices. (cough)

And this mint chutney from asianonlinerecipes.com has no coriander leaf - and no hing either.

(brrr, cheesewhiz. Funny, we haven’t had any in the house for years and I don’t miss it at all! :D )

-Elizabeth

P.S. Bryian, were you aware that coriander leaf was lurking in the cucumber mint raita that you scarf up?

]]> Comment on Cooling Dishes for Hot August Nights by: etherbish http://www.tigersandstrawberries.com/2005/08/16/cooling-dishes-for-hot-august-nights/#comment-605 Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.tigersandstrawberries.com/2005/08/16/cooling-dishes-for-hot-august-nights/#comment-605 Mint, Thai basil...sounds much yummier!<BR/><BR/>Mmm...cheese whiz. It's amazing what I miss about Amerika. Mint, Thai basil…sounds much yummier!

Mmm…cheese whiz. It’s amazing what I miss about Amerika.

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