Snow Day Post + Info on India Must Read!

Hi, Obviously the snow will change our plans and schedule for the rest of the week.

Here are my suggestions, if any of you feel strongly against this plan, please post you comments below for all to see, and we can discuss. I want to make sure that you're all satisfied
getting the exposure you expected and that the grading system seems fair to all.

1st - We will pick up on Thursday with the Indian menu, details on that are posted below. Thursday will be a practice day, with an Indian Tasting and Lecture - HEADS UP Station 6, be prepared to set up the Indian Tasting on Thursday. We don't have time for a formal Thai Tasting. Because I think these 4 items are particularly important from Thailand, you should take a look at them on line and can try to take a few minutes on Thursday morning to look and handle them in class.

Gula Melaka - Dark brown/Black Palm Sugar from Melaka Malaysia, Famous for rich, deep flavor

- Thai Eggplant -  Small, round, green with white streaks, have a pleasant peppery flavor from the seeds. Used with the skin on and can be eaten raw, salted and fermented - Kim Chi style, cut thin for stir fry, battered for deep fry, or cut into thick pieces or 1/4s for stews, braises, curries.

Kaffir lime leaves (wild lime leaves)- The leaves of a species of lime indigenous to South Asia, note the bilobal structure of the leaves (figure 8 shape). Two lobes are considered 1 leaf. The aroma is strongly "lime" and very pleasant. Raw, the flavor is bitter. Frying briefly in hot oil removes the bitterness and allows them to be combined in savory or sweet preparations for their aromatic qualities.

Shrimp Paste - Made by fermenting various types of small shrimp with salt and pounding in to a paste. The Aroma is somewhat like strong blue cheese, and not generally appreciated by westerners.
South Asians appreciate the flavor just as some westerners appreciate strong cheese, and will use it straight, as a dip. Fried, with aromatics in a wok, it adds a similar umami depth that you get from adding fish sauce.

2nd- Here is how I propose to deal with the test/quiz balance -

 - There will not be a quiz on Vietnam and Thailand, but the geography or Thailand + Vietnam and ingredients from Vietnam will be on the final, as well as a few items from India, which we'll cover tomorrow.

- I don't want to re-weight the quizzes you've already taken - that's not fair - so I'm going to weight the final at 20% of you final grade. 5% for each quiz and 20% for the written final.

- The Final will be 30 multiple choice questions from Key Terms, Study Questions, and PowerPoints and 20 items to identify, including all items from the China, Korea, Japan, Vietnam, and India Tasting and the 4 items mentioned above from Thailand.

If you're not happy with this, please let's discuss.

Please be prepared for the Indian Menu tomorrow!

Sous Chefs-

We usually make our own yogurt on Day 11 to use on Days 12 + 13 + 14, that didn;t hapen today, so I'll order yogurt from the store room. if we have time, we can still make a small amount so you can see how its done.

All entrees will be served on a 12" round plate LINED WITH A BANANA LEAF CIRCLE Traditionally, Indian diners will not eat from plates, they use banana leaves to hold the food, these circles will fit into the 12" plates as liners. Ask me early and I'll show you how, we'll use a 10" plate as a template to cut circles to fit inside of the 12" plates for service.

Menu is divided into "North" and "South" - everything will be in 1/2 hotel pans on the steam table except for the accompaniments. There won't be enough space on the steam table for the rice - put rice in chaffing dish at end of steam table near plates.

Set up according to this description:

Items representing the North on the left side, will be set in the steam table and plated in this order:

- Paneer Saag
- Dal Tadka
- Tandoori Chicken
- Lamb Khorma
- Samoosas
- Naan

The steam table should look like this:

                                                                North

Rice	Paneer  Saag	Dal Tadka	Tandoori Chicken	Lamb Khorma	Samoosas	Naan	Plate wipes/ garnish
	Mushroom Cauliflower Curry	Dal Sambar	Keralan Fish Curry	Pork Vindaloo	Bondas	Puris

                                                                   South

Items representing the South on the right side, will be set in the steam table and plated in this order:

- Mushroom + Cauliflower Curry
- Dal Sambar
- Fish Curry
- Pork Vindaloo
- Potato Bondas
- Puris Bread



Soup for Days 12+ 13/14- will be Tomato Dal Rassam. Make 1/2 recipe on Day 12 and 1 full recipe on Day 13/14

Salad - 1/2x recipe for Day 12 and a full recipe for Days 13/14. This salad is served with the other accompaniments on a small, round "condiment" plate, you only need about 1/4 cup of salad per plate surrounded by the other condiments - chutni, raitha, pachadi. It will be similar in set-up to the street food plates - on service days, these can all be plated ahead.

Rice - Saffron rice Pilaf for Day 12 - make SURE you know everything there is to know about rice Pilaf METHOD -this is where people fall down, I will ask you about it, so be prepared. Use 6 cups raw Basmati rice on Day 12, and use  plain water as the liquid.   On day 13 we will make Lemon-Mint pilaf, speak to chef in advance for recipe and plan to make 10 cups. For Day 14 we can discuss other options in advance. Use Basmati rice and speak with Chef about the amount of seasoning to use.  As stated above, we serve rice from a chaffing dish at the far end of the steam table, near the plates.

Mango lhassi - the yogurt is being made overnight - should be ready in the morning. You will receive frozen Mango Puree from the store room. Don't plan to make mango lhassi both days - look for some other flavors or talk to me. Serve in 10 oz milk glasses - check that the glasses are in the kitchen early, if not - let me know. There are both "Sweet" and "Salted" lhassis, do a bit of research and find alternatives for days 13 + 14


Station 2:
Lamb Khorma - start early, lamb should be cooking by 8:30, braise in small rondo on top of stove - keep covered, stir often, don't scorch. You will receive 2# lamb cubes for this on Day 12 and 4# for Day 13 /14. Cashew paste is made by soaking cashews in hot water and then pureeing in food processor. Serve from the "North" side of the steam table in 1/2 hotel pan (see details in Sous Chef Section.  Ask Sous Chefs where to put everything on line for service.  DON'T forget the garnishes for this dish - have them in place before service starts.

Dal Tadka : Soak the toor dal the night before, if possible, and start the cooking of the dal (lentils) as early as possible in the morning. These should be lightly thick and creamy - the dal should be falling apart and feel smooth in your mouth. If they become very think before they are cooked through, add more water to thin out and prevent scorching. Make 1 full batch for each day

Samoosas- Make 1x the dough recipe and 1x the filling for Day 12 and 2x dough/ 2x filling for Days 13+14. The Dough needs to be made early on Day 12 and extra can be made to be ahead for Day 13 - remember, this is a PASTRY dough, be careful not to over work the Gluten - if you're not confident about this, ask chef to assist. Filling should be prepped, then they need to be assembled and finished. Let me help you toast the spices, they burn easily.Hold formed samoosas on parchment paper - they stick to paper towels! The samoosas should be fried in small batches as needed for service and served from steam table in 1/2 hotel pan on the "North" side.

Station #3:

Fish curry - Talk to Chef about how many portions to make for each day - it depends on the type of fish we receive. Read recipe, know all ingredients, watch video and ask chef to help get started, This is an unusual and unique dish and requires the assistance of the chef the first time you make it.. Make sauce ahead, hold hot, poach fish in sauce a few orders at a time, just before serving. Serve from steam table in 1/2 hotel pan. You will receive enough fish on Day 12 for the rest of the block, so ask how much to use for day 12 and ice the rest for the next day.

Pooris(puris) bread 1x dough for each day- Make dough early - before anything else. Check with chef for proper consistency, let it rest, ask chef for advice on rolling and cutting. Watch demo on frying and pre-heat cast iron pans about 20 minutes before you plan to fry. These should be fried before service and held warm on paper towels to absorb extra fat. Serve from steam table in 1/2 hotel pan lined with paper towels, sous chefs will have a diagram telling you where to put them.

Check to see if there is pork already Brined for Day 1 - if not, plan to fabricate and brine pork according to the BBQ pork recipe in the Chinese Section; in any event, once it's brined, you need to put it in the marinade from the same recipe.

Station #4;
Pork Vindaloo  is already marinating for all days. Use 1/4 of the pork for Day 12 and use the remainder for Day 13/14. You can make it in a large wok, but you have to be very careful about heat control and evaporation - keep the flame low and keep the wok covered. Serve from steam table in 1/2 hotel pan - see sous chef's diagram for where to place it.This must be started early and you should ask for Chef's help at the beginning so that it does not scorch.

Dal Sambar - make 1 full recipe for each day, also start very early. Toasting the spices for this can be tricky - ask chef to help you start so you don't burn them. Lentils should cook until mushy. Keep heat low, stir often, keep pot covered. If lentils start to stick, change pots and add a bit more water. Serve from steam table in 1/2 hotel pan according to sous chef's diagram. TIP: Indian cooks soak their lentils in water over night with a small amount of baking soda (about 1 tsp. per kilogram of lentils). This helps soften them and shortens the cooking time

Bondas - 1/2 recipe for Day 12 and 1x recipe for Days 13/14. Filling for this can be made a day ahead - so you may make extra on Day 12 for Day 13. Cook potatoes early, let chef help with spices toasting; combine potatoes and spices and let chef demo how to size and shape. Dip in batter and fry only as needed for service. Serve from steam table in 1/2 hotel pan according to sous chef's diagram.

Pachadi - Make 1/2 recipe for Day 12 and 1 for Days 13/14. Crack open fresh coconut and remove flesh - chef can help. Toast in oven, stir occasionally to keep coconut from scorching. Toasting chick peas is a long process, so start early- they should have been soaked over night in water with a small amount of baking soda - on the day you use them, drain off the soaking water and place in a pot with enough fresh water to cover. Simmer until tender but not falling apart, drain and cool. Then they may be toasted on a sheet tray in a low oven toasted until they are cooked through and crunchy - if they're soft in the center, they're not done. Check with chef for help on this technique, it's very different from western cooking.

Station #5:
On each day - including Day 12 - Make 1 full recipe of dough for naan first thing; it needs to rise, be divided, and rise again. Naan should go into the tandoori oven between 10:15-10:45. Watch the video so that you are familiar with the set up and make sure you know which tools to use - have them on your station for a demo by 10:15.

Tandoori chicken - Make 20 pieces on Day 12 and 40 pieces on Day 13/14. The Chicken should already be marinating on Day 12  but needs to be prepared on Day 12 for 13 and Day 13 for 14. Check with Chef that chicken has been properly cut and marinated before you begin. If fabricating the chicken for the first time for this preparation, ask chef for demo. Remove chicken from marinade and put on skewers early in the day. The meat will cook more easily if it's not cold right out of the cooler. Skewered meat can be held on plastic lined sheet trays at room temp. Be ready to put skewered chicken in oven by 10:00 AM. Serve from steam table in 1/2 hotel pan according to the sous chef's diagram.

Raitha is made with drained yogurt - if the yogurt did not get drained the night before, drain it in a chinoise lined with cheese cloth for a couple of hours before making, put in small container for sous chefs to arrange on the accompaniment table.

Station #6:

Remember - we will be doing the Indian Tasting on Thursday,  Please prep the Tasting early in the day so we can get anything we might need from the store room. 

Paneer Saag - 1/2 recipe for each day. Make cheese as early as possible, it can be made a day ahead, but if it's not- 7:15 or so on Day 12. Let drain and firm until cool, then cut into small dice. Spinach is braised - meaning a longer, slower, moist heat method. Have all MEP near a wok and be ready to start cooking slowly by 9:45. Let simmer on low heat, covered, until spinach is very soft. Then finish with cheese and yogurt. The paneer saag is a braised veg dish, it needs to be started in a large wok no later than 9:45 in order to cook slowly and gently and should be finished no later than 10:45

Vegetable Curry - Also a braised veg dish. Long, slow, moist heat, covered. All MEP ready by 9:45, cook slowly until cauliflower is very tender.

Prep for Day 1 - on the last day of the course - Day 13 or 14 - please rinse, cook, cool, and store 8 cups of long grain white rice for Fried Rice on Day 1. Discuss with chef to be sure you're setting up the incoming team for a smooth day