Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with indian

I'm traveling to India (New Delhi), for business in a week. Need advice!

PetiePal — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 10:26:41 -0800

It's my first time out of the USA, and I don't know what to pack! I am an IT manager whose job is to train offshore support overseas. I have a trip to New Delhi, (Gurgaon) coming up in the next two weeks. I've never been overseas or out of the country really, (except for the Bahamas or Bermuda as a kid) Got a lot of questions:

1. Climate? What type of clothes should I pack? I did a few weather reports and saw 60s-70s. Does it get chilly at all? Would a sweatshirt be prudent etc?

2. Type of dress? (On the weekends would I be fine wearing shorts, or would you recommend more like long pants like jeans?) I know that covering the lower parts of your body tends to be more culturally acceptable, especially if I visit someplace like the Taj Mahal etc. I will likely be in business shirt/pants attire for most of the time in office at least.

3. AC/Power Adapters/Voltage converters. How many should I purchase-one, two, three? I will likely have a few electronics with me such as laptop, iPad and some other things I need to charge. Is it smart to have more than one of these and perhaps a small power strip surge protector to multiply outlets?

4. Phone. I'll be using Skype while there, but I am looking into getting a world compatible phone for use while there. Are there prepaid SIMs I can easily purchase while there? I'm considering grabbing something like a Nexus 4 or smartphone I can use while there and then possibly as my business phone back in the states. Any recommendations?

5. Suitcase. I have a 28" hard shell suitcase, one of those really light ones. I'll be there for 2 weeks, and I know there's a 50lb weight limit. I'm planning on bringing some sort of backpack/daypack as well for my laptop/tablet/etc.

What are other things I should bring for the plane trip? I was considering a really compact blanket and maybe one of those neck pillows. I don't really sleep on transportation but for a 17-18 hour flight I may have to try. Should I get a money belt and keep my passport on my person at all times?

Anything else you can recommend is highly appreciated.

What is it like to live on a reservation?

Spurious — Sun, 23 Dec 2012 14:53:42 -0800

Blogs or books about "expat" living on an Indian reservation? My SO is likely going to take a great new job on a rural Indian reservation in the American Southwest. Both of us have significant personal and professional experience living and traveling in the developing world so we are pretty comfortable with austere environments.

However, I know nothing about the realities of living on a rural Indian reservation. All the books and blogs about living on reservations I can find are from Native Americans -- interesting but less useful to me. To get a sense to what we are getting ourselves into. I'd love to read some "expat" accounts of people's time on reservations.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

which bouquet to bring?

jennstra — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 11:08:10 -0800

Asking for a friend. A coworkers wife has been diagnosed stage IV brain cancer. They are East Indian. We would like to bring flowers to their home. Does anyone know if certain flowers have special meaning culturally and / or are there flowers to avoid? Thank you.

Bring the spice!

ninazer0 — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 01:40:26 -0800

Summer is coming and I'll have a lot of time on my hands. What are some of the tastiest spicy foods you've ever had? I'm thinking Indian, but Cajun, Mexican and so forth are all possibilities. I'm after interesting, involved recipes that can be spicy, but are above all TASTY. What should I make? I have a well-quipped kitchen, and my kitchen skills are medium-to-advanced. I eat anything (except balut and insects) and I have access to great produce. I can easily get Indian and Asian products, and can source harder-to-find South American products without difficulty. There are several outstanding spice stores in my area.

I lived in Chinatown for years, so I'm a bit over Chinese/Korean/Japanese/Thai foods and I've been cooking a lot of Indian and Middle Eastern food lately. What delicious things have you eaten that I should make?

"Marry me" in Marathi?

ditto75 — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 11:14:56 -0800

Can anyone tell me more about this CD of Indian wedding music? I bought this CD from an Indian grocery store and want to learn more about it. I can read enough Devanagari to figure out that one of the words is "Marathi," so it's possible that the words are in Marathi and not Hindi or another dialect. The image clearly shows it to be wedding music. That's all I can uncover, even after showing it to people from India. So are there any Mefites who can tell me more?

Here is the back cover of the CD case, with track listing.

Thanks / sukriya everybody!

Where can I get cheap and delicious food in Harlem?

Viola — Fri, 14 Sep 2012 07:42:33 -0800

I work in West Harlem on 135th St. and 8th Ave. I love all types of food, but especially meaty, flavorful foods like oxtail stew. Where should I go? I'm a grad student with a 45-minute lunch break, so the cheaper and closer to work, the better!

Rap song with indian singing sample

wrok — Sun, 26 Aug 2012 17:01:40 -0800

Identify-that-song-filter: What is the current top-40's rap song with sample of high-pictched male(?) indian singing looping repeatedly in the beat? It's driving me crazy and my Google-fu is failing me.

Moved back to the Netherlands, and I'm hungry.

digitalprimate — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 11:36:14 -0800

Mefites of Holland! Send me to your favorite ethnic grocery stores and trattorias in de Randstad. Bonus points for North Holland (esp. Haarlem-A'dam-Alkmaar), and you win 1,000 internets if you know of a real Mexican, Thai or Indian grocer anywhere within 250k of Amsterdam.

Music to go with reading Rushdie's "Midnight's Children"?

dnash — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 08:21:33 -0800

Recommend me some music to go along with reading Salman Rushdie's Midnight's Children? While reading the book, it's occurred to me that I like and am interested in Indian music, but don't really have any, and don't really know any artists to look for other than Ravi Shankar. I think I'm mostly looking for the more classical Indian styles, as opposed to the pop/Bollywood stuff, but some of both would be nice maybe. Can anyone suggest other performers or albums? Bonus if they're easily available through Amazon or iTunes.

What to do with Carob Molasses?

euphoria066 — Fri, 29 Jun 2012 19:51:02 -0800

exotic ingredient: Carob Molasses - how do I use it? I was at my tiny/weird local grocery store today, and saw something called Carob Molasses.. and since I love carob and love molasses I thought I'd grab it and take it home and look up some recipes.

however, I'm finding the internet to be a little bleak on recipes with it, so other than just substituting it into recipes that call for blackstrap, does anyone know any uses for this?

Calling all arborists. Need help identifying tree feature.

punkfloyd — Sun, 10 Jun 2012 06:00:42 -0800

What could have caused this unusual feature in the bark of a mature post oak tree? Another view. This is a 150+ year old post oak that is being studied for its potential to be an Indian trail marker tree. I am asking here about the specific bark feature. Our local arborist does not think it was caused by a cut branch. He thinks these features occur when something is embedded in the bark. Thank you!

Name This Indian Sweet

grak88 — Fri, 11 May 2012 10:23:03 -0800

Name This Indian Sweet I'm travelling in India and came upon this sweet in Panjim in Goa. I forgot the name. It's delicious. It's got a very unique texture. Very chewy, but not in a sticky way. It's got a mild taste, not super sweet. Can someone tell me what the name is so I can ask for it? Thanks! see photo here.

How do I overcome the limitations of my upbringing and make Ayran palatable?

jason's_planet — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 14:16:46 -0800

How do I make Ayran drinkable? I have a bottle of Ayran in my fridge. Specifically, this brand.

The last time I tried Ayran straight, at a Turkish restaurant in Brooklyn several years ago, I thought it was simply godawful. Sour, nasty, overly-tart. I have an all-American palate; I didn't grow up drinking this. I rather doubt that I'll ever acquire a taste for the unadulterated version. But I would like to try adding things to this drink to see if I can make it palatable.

What are some recipes for lassi/ayran style yogurt drinks that might appeal to someone who doesn't regularly drink it? I'm particularly interesting in learning about mint-based recipes. Extra bonus points for recipes that don't rely on large doses of sugar; I do love the stuff but I know that it isn't good for me.

Many thanks in advance!

How to find a girlfriend?

Parh6512 — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 12:46:35 -0800

Im 22 years old college male and never had a serious relationship. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. So I have been in college and never had a relationship with anyone. Well I did have a girlfriend back in high school but that was to show other people we are boyfriend and girlfriend. Nothing serious there. Im 22 and still a virgin. I don't have the courage to go up to a random girl and asking them out or even start a conversation. I goto school full time and work almost full time so don't have much time to parties and all that every weekend.

I have a small circle of friends, majority of em are guys.

PS: Im Indian living on my own and never had a experience in a dating world. What I found with indian girls is that they don't have sex before marriage and that is a reason I try to stay away from dating/asking indian girls.

So if you guys have any advice, I would appreciate it.

How complete are DNA tests at determining ethnic / racial background?

mortaddams — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 09:01:43 -0800

How complete are DNA tests at determining ethnic / racial background? I am researching the phenomena of "Black Indians"--African American people who also have Native American ancestry. One of the dilemmas that has faced many Black people in recent years is whether to take and how to interpret the results of genetic tests, used to demonstrate ethnic and racial heritage. How complete are these tests? Is there a significant margin of error, due to incomplete profiling?

Tina Turner believed that she had significant Navajo and Cherokee ancestry, but genetic testing revealed that she was only 1% Native. Is that 1% likely to be a truly accurate number?

I have heard that the tests often only look at part of one's ancestry. For example, only the paternal or maternal line. Could Turner thus actually have a lot of Native ancestry, perhaps 10% or more, despite being told this small number, because only some ancestors are revealed by the testing?

Any insights into rates of error, or advice for interpreting such tests, would be greatly appreciated.

Resources about Native America

RajahKing — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 12:04:43 -0800

Help me find resources for elementary age children regarding the modern Native American experience. As a parent of a elementary school kid in Brooklyn, NY with extended family in Oklahoma of Cherokee heritage, I am concerned that the combination of prevalent cultural imagery, and curriculum on "Native American history" has already taught my small kid that Native Americans are from the past and don't actually exist anymore. The only curriculum her school has planned through 6th grade is all pre-industrial history. I have to keep reminding her about Aunt Dorothy...

So, do you all know of any resources to help counteract these prevalent messages? I am interested in books, movies, etc., that I can show my kiddo, but I also have some buy-in from her school to share such information more widely - so I would very much like to hear suggestions about organizations, curriculum, guest speakers or teachers that might help her class learn about the more than five million Native American people alive and well today.

Imagine if Alton Brown or Mark Bittman wrote an Indian cookbook

matildaben — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 10:58:42 -0800

MisterBen needs recommendations for a very specific kind of Indian cookbook – one that’s organized by technique, not by course or ingredient. Imagine if Alton Brown or Mark Bittman wrote an Indian cookbook. The idea is to learn reusable techniques and general concepts of what flavors are used together. What he already has: Madhur Jaffrey’s classics, Raghavan Iyer’s “660 Curries”, and Vikas Khanna’s “Flavor First”, which are used as bibles. Almost all Indian ingredients can be found in our area, and he is comfortable at making his own masalas, so feel free to recommend books you might think of as advanced.

How to find a wedding venue in or near London that matches some pretty specific criteria?

philipy — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 14:38:05 -0800

How to find a wedding venue in or near London that matches some pretty specific criteria? A relative of mine plans to get married in Oct 2012 and has been having trouble finding a venue that matches their requirements.

The requirements as I understand them are....

- They have a specific date in mind, so venue must be available then
- They envisage circa 700 guests
- It will be a traditional Hindu wedding, which entails a ritual around a small central fire. (Apparently not all venues have the requisite clearance to allow such fires.)
- In London, or at least within easy traveling distance

Aside from that they also would like a venue that is memorable, and maybe a little unusual. The couple are successful young professionals, so venue costs can be in line with that.

Venue suggestions are very welcome, but what could be even more useful are suggestions for resources or processes that would allow for efficient searching. (Given that any individual venue has a pretty high chance of being unavailable on the required date.)

So, hive-mind, what are your thoughts on how best to conduct this search, and what some suitable venues might be?

Turkey Meatloaf Muffins, new and improved?

booksherpa — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 13:43:14 -0800

I need more ideas for how to spice up/flavor my turkey meatloaf muffins. My new favorite thing to make in bulk is meatloaf muffins with ground turkey. They freeze well, reheat well, are filling and healthy. I'll typically buy 4 lbs. of 99% fat free ground turkey at a time and make 4 "flavors" of muffin (1 lb. = 6 muffins). The problem is that fat-free turkey tends to be dry and not flavorful, and I'm running out of ideas for additives.

Base recipe for 6 muffins:
- 1 lb. 99% fat free ground turkey
- egg whites (for binding)
- 1 slice of bread, shredded (for bulk)
- something to add moisture
- spices/flavorings
- something to glaze top of muffin (optional)

So far I've made:

traditional (ketchup, onion soup mix)
spicy (ginger pepper jelly, harissa, garlic)
Italian (tomato paste, Italian spices, garlic)
chili (pepper jelly, chili spices)
barbecue (barbecue sauce, steak spices)
Thanksgiving (butternut squash puree, sage, craisins)

I eat these A LOT, so would appreciate more ideas for flavoring/ingredients. No dietary restrictions, allergies, or strong dislikes, though I'd like to keep the muffins on the healthy/lower calorie end of things. I have Hispanic, Asian, Indian and specialty gourmet stores reasonably nearby. My knowledge of Asian/Indian home cooking is zero, though I like those cuisines, so ideas in that wheelhouse would be especially appreciated.

tl;dr How do I flavor my turkey meatloaf muffins so they are moist, delicious and well-spiced, yet still healthy and reasonably low in calories? Ideas from the Asian/Indian family of spices especially appreciated.

Where can I buy Penda in Denver?

jefficator — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 19:31:12 -0800

Where can I find Penda in Denver? I love the treat and I don't wish to make it for myself. Where can I buy some locally? Whether at a store or a restaurant.

Dosa cooking advice?

expialidocious — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 14:15:30 -0800

I am planning to make dosa for the first time this weekend, with perhaps a foray into uttapam. I have appropriate ingredients (and access to an Indian grocery), but no special equipment. Help me make them the best they can be! I have dried split skinless urad dal, various kinds of rice (brown long and short, white short), fenugreek seeds, a bazillion onions, and generally a fully-stocked kitchen and spice drawer. Grinding equipment is limited to a food processor, though if a standard blender would be better, I've been planning to replace my broken one anyway. I've got a 9-inch cast iron skillet and a somewhat smaller nonstick pan for frying.

I am also full of questions: Can I make dosa and uttapam the same day from the same batch, or does uttapam have to ferment longer? Which pan? Oil or no oil in the pan? Does rubbing a cut onion on it help? Do I need poha? How do I make the really crispy paper style? Any and all tips would be helpful.

Indian Whiskey NYC?

zvs — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 22:11:55 -0800

Where can I buy Indian whisky in or around NYC? Really want to try Indian whiskey. I live in Jackson Heights and I still haven't been able to find it.

Help me out! I'm willing to go as far as Jersey.

All dal'd up

6and12 — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 15:53:05 -0800

What are your favorite recipes from Yamuna Devi's Lord Krishna's Cuisine: The Art of Indian Vegetarian Cooking? I finally picked up a copy of Lord Krishna's Cuisine, but as anyone who is familiar with this book knows, it's huge, so I'm wondering about your favorite recipes. I borrowed a copy from a friend years ago and made several dishes--a dal, pakoras, a few chutneys, and curried cauliflower with potatoes (gobhi aloo sabji). The latter is my absolute favorite so far.

So, what other dishes are your favorites? Suggestions for combinations of dishes would be great too, although I see that Devi has suggestions like that throughout already.

How do I make a good curry with a curry powder?

lunasol — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 20:35:49 -0800

How do I make a good Indian curry with a pre-made curry powder? I bought a small jar of curry powder from Penzey's a few weeks ago (the Maharaja blend), but I have yet to use it because most of the really good/authentic-looking recipes I've found online (including most of the excellent ones recommended here on AskMe) presume the chef is starting from scratch. I know that's the more authentic way to go, but I've heard good things about Penzey's blends, so I decided to give it a shot.

Can you recommend a good curry recipe for this spice blend? Here's the description of it.

How can a white guy learn to appreciate Indian culture?

dougrayrankin — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 15:37:42 -0800

How can I make the most of my time in Northwest London to understand Indian culture, cuisine, customs? I'm a resident of Northwest London and in an Indian dominated part of town, but I'm a white guy. I'd love an opportunity to get to know Indian culture better, but short of walking up to someone who might be Indian (might be Pakistani) and asking "Will you be my friend and tell me all about your culture?" I don't see exactly how I can immerse myself properly. Is there an easy way for an interested white guy to become involved/interested in the British Indian culture?