Quote from: Ithoriel on 19 August 2022, 09:36:50 AMthere are plenty of tasty veggie dishes

As a carnivore I am not sure I can agree with that  . But I will submit to your superior knowledge of the subject  as a vegetarian. 

QuoteWe have the same issue here with "Chinese" takeaway food. Its all imported recipes that is totally un-authentic.

The most consistently bad food I've ever had was the diet of my two months domicile in Suzhou. I've heard it's much better in Taiwan, so perhaps the Cultural Revolution destroyed gastronomy along with most Chinese civilisation. The food in Chinatown here in Bangkok, in Kuala Lumpur, in London, and in New York was certainly far better (and I've had Chinese dining companions in some of these locations).

Quote from: FierceKitty on 19 August 2022, 08:01:40 AMHave you read Meera Taneja's books? They're far simpler, but she knows what she's doing in the kitchen. I rather like her Indian Regional Cookery.

No I haven't.  I will give it a try.  The other one I use a lot is Michael Pandya's Complete Indian Cookbook which dates from 1980.  Can I mention Rick Stein's India – In Search of the Perfect Curry?  It accompanied his Indian Odyssey TV programme.
Do you think we need a 'Cookery' sub-board?

Quote from: Orcs on 19 August 2022, 09:41:03 AMWe have the same issue here with "Chinese" takeaway food. Its all imported recipes that is totally un-authentic.

I'm afraid you are right.  I worked in Hong Kong for a couple of years in the 1980s and was spoiled as far as Chinese food is concerned, well Cantonese anyway.  The only good Chinese food I've found in UK is in London's Soho, and what I cook myself.  The same goes for Indian food.  I worked in Oman in the 1970s and again in the 1980s.  Not only did we have Indian and Sri Lankan cooks where I lived but I took my leave on the Indian sub-continent rather than going back to UK. 

Try China Town in Liverpool, look for the scruffiest resteraunt

QuoteWe have the same issue here with "Chinese" takeaway food. Its all imported recipes that is totally un-authentic.

If you're lucky enough to have any Chinese friends they can point you to where the expats go for the authentic stuff. Had some great meals off that, though it's usually restaurants rather than delivery. No doubt it's the same for other regional cuisines.

One of the most interesting we had was in Melbourne where we were walking through their Chinatown and there were lots of welcomers outside becoming people in and queues of Aussies, so we avoided those until we spotted some Chinese people going into this door up some steps with what looked like a restaurant sign beside it and we went in to investigate. Was a huge restaurant area, you'd never have known from outside, full of Chinese expats and with plenty of stuff on the menu we'd not seen before. 

QuoteIt's not that I don't cook, just that there are plenty of tasty veggie dishes that require much less effort to prepare. Soups, stews and casseroles are usually prepared so I can have one portion today, one tomorrow and two for the freezer.

Curries have never been a big favourite of mine. OK for a change though.

Indian food is probably the best vegetarian food out there. I find a lot of meat dishes from Indian takeaway are underwhelming and samey, but the veg dishes have a lot of flavour and variety. Plus things like daals and saag and the like are easy to make, and some veg roasted in spices for crunch and a bit of flatbread or rice and you're sorted.

I agree about Indian veggie food, and often go for it, to Lee's disgust, but I think it's also hard to go wrong with lots of good olive oil and garlic.

It may seem difficult to credit, in modern society, but I NEVER had any form of curry until my mid 40s... when, from curiosity, I asked Ma to make one. She just cooked chicken, rice and used a can of Homepride and THAT became a staple for ME.    She did not like curry... so it had never been on house table. I tried various 'Indian' sauces from cans/jars... but was not keen. It was only when Ma had difficulty cooking, that I started on ready meals... they are 'OK' for me.

I am afraid 'home cooking' is not really an option for myself. Too much of a faff. But, for those who do... pre-cooking Chicken, foiling and freezing... doing a big pan of rice and dividing into portion sized containers for freezer... was what Ma used to do. Same with various Pasta... pre-cook, divide and freeze. My meals were rather HUGE in comparison to ready meals or restaurant portions... and, somehow, stuff, now Ma gone... just 'not the same'. OK at best. 

We hardly ever 'ate out', so I never became 'adventurous' about food. Maybe a voracious Female to feed might have been a benefit! 

QuoteI agree about Indian veggie food, and often go for it, to Lee's disgust, but I think it's also hard to go wrong with lots of good olive oil and garlic.

Very true, pretty much any vegetables cooked with garlic, herbs, a little tomato and plenty of extra virgin olive oil are hard to beat.

QuoteBut, for those who do... pre-cooking Chicken, foiling and freezing... doing a big pan of rice and dividing into portion sized containers for freezer... was what Ma used to do. Same with various Pasta... pre-cook, divide and freeze.

Very sensible, and much cheaper than ready meals. Think of all the money you could save to spend on the hobby!

Quote from: FierceKitty on 19 August 2022, 09:34:59 AMI spent five and a half  weeks in India on my first Asian holiday. I don't think I saw the word "curry" on a single menu!

I was watching the TV chef, Rick Stein, recently (on TV, of course). He was in India and, from memory, I think he said  'curry' was simply the word for gravy in India.

Quote from: Westmarcher on 19 August 2022, 10:09:17 PMI was watching the TV chef, Rick Stein, recently (on TV, of course). He was in India and, from memory, I think he said  'curry' was simply the word for gravy in India.

That's what he was told as I remember too.  It comes from the Tamil word for a sauce pronounced kari which was transliterated by the British as Curry and applied to any Indian dish with a sauce.

turkari - Hindi and other northern language for a kind of stew; always contains turmeric, never yoghurt or cream; the rest is negotiable.

kari - Tamil word, meaning "food"

kari phulia - the neem tree, whose leaves have an appetising smoky scent; used rather like a bay leaf, or fried to flavour various dishes. In no way interchangeable with bay.

Shiva alone knows which is the actual origin of the word we know and, in the case of so many Brits, so monstrously abuse!

Ah! The British Empire Soldiery! We ended up with much of World, if WE/THEY did not really want it. Took some of the cooking... and many of the words... and  did 'Wot' with it? 
And now?
Food... doubt many Chip Shops across globe! MacD's now't to do with us!
Language... IMHO global world has BIA! LOL. But SNAFU. 
At least not Romans. Latin based vocabulary in all Western occupied territory? Just be VERY glad Roman Cuisine did not last!    'Sounds' foul to Me... but maybe I should go to a reinactment sometime, and 'sample?   

Quote from: Heedless Horseman on 20 August 2022, 02:26:33 AMAh! The British Empire Soldiery! We ended up with much of World, if WE/THEY did not really want it. Took some of the cooking... and many of the words... and  did 'Wot' with it? 
And now?
Food... doubt many Chip Shops across globe! MacD's now't to do with us!
Language... IMHO global world has BIA! LOL. But SNAFU. 
At least not Romans. Latin based vocabulary in all Western occupied territory? Just be VERY glad Roman Cuisine did not last!    'Sounds' foul to Me... but maybe I should go to a reinactment sometime, and 'sample?   

I had to do the cooking for a small classics dept end-of-year do once (complicated by several Hindus and Muslims among the students). The recipes are unexpected at times, but not entirely terrible. Out east here we use fish sauce every day, and it's delicious.

Depends on what you are used to! I am not keen on Fish anyway. Think I would approach Garum with extreme caution!