--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "shempmcgurk" <shempmcg...@...> > I fantasize having a "push cart" offering something exotic -- like > Masala Dosa -- which I've perfected cooking and which I offer in some > urban area like New York or Washington, D.C. And I make it so good > that I can replicate for the customers off the street that come by my > push cart the same "eureka!" experience I had whenever I first came > across the dish
That is soooo funny! I also have an alternative life fantasy like that! Did you see the great indie film "Push Cart?" There are people out there living this odd dream. In NYC where street food is very serious they have a yearly Vendy award and and Indian cart won last year: http://tinyurl.com/4m7pml Here in DC there is a couple at the Balston Metro stop serving high level pizzas out of a cart. I read about it but haven't eaten it yet. Hot dog and sausage stands can be really creative. I saw an Asian version with all sorts of toppings like wasabi and kim chi. I fantasize that around here an Asian toppings pizza joint could do well. Kim chi is great on almost anything IMO. We have a lot of Hispanic food trucks here. I love beef tongue soft tacos that they serve and homemade tamales. They have a lot of Hispanic workers who are single guys living together who keep them busy. In Adams Morgan, a night club rich zone, a guy is making a killing with a great Falafal stand modeled after the ones in Amsterdam with lots of toppings. Not having any meat makes it easy to keep the kitchen clean and it is high profit. All the drunks who are sick of the usual pizza after drinking storm the place after the club's closing time. I talked with the owner who is franchising the idea. He reiterated the "location,location, location" mantra as the reason he is rocking. The food biz is so labor intensive that my pipe dream will remain that. But every time I see some interesting food cart I get the same thrill of "That could be me and here is what I would do with it!" I am so food obsessed this topic rocks my world! Thanks for feeding my "attachment!" wrote: > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "curtisdeltablues" > <curtisdeltablues@> wrote: > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "shempmcgurk" <shempmcgurk@> > > wrote: > > > > > > I suppose the most exotic place I've ever been (aside from > certain > > > parts of New Jersey) is India. > > > > > > And the most exotic street foods (or junk foods) I saw and tasted > > > while there were Masala Dosa and Onion Bhajis. > > > > > > The Masala Dosa was incredible. A southern Indian dish, I was > > > exposed to it while in northern India, in Kashmir while on a one- > > > month TM course there in '81. It's a crepe-type pancake made > from a > > > flour of ground-up rice and chick peas, rolled up over a potato > curry > > > or something with a coconut chutney (optional) smothered on the > > > outside, accompanied with (or poured over the top) an onion soup > like > > > broth (the name of which escapes me at the moment. Cost: 1 1/2 > > > rupees (well, that was in '81 which at the time equalled about 15 > > > cents American). We tried to have 2 or 3 a day. > > > > > > I am certified South Indian food nut. I have spent years perfecting > > Idly (steamed cakes) masala dosas and Sambar, the soup you > mentioned. > > > > Here are some details. The batter for Idly and dosa is a specific > > kind of rice (not basmati) and split Urid dhal. It has specific > > properties than make it work. Sambar is made of Tur dhal a larger > > split pea. The secret of great Sambar is roasting your whole > coriander > > before grinding it and toasting dried coconut. It needs tamarind > for > > the sour taste and hing instead of garlic. The batter for idly and > > dosa has to be fermented for a few days to get sour. You have to > soak > > and grind the 2/3 rice(coarsely) and 1/3 urid dhal (finely) > separately > > and then combine them to ferment. I have a great Indian store that > > sells the freshly made batter so I rarely make it from scratch these > > days. If you use a powdered instant mix use yogurt instead of the > > water from the recipe on the box to approximate the sour of freshly > > made batter. On last obsessive detail. You fry uncooked split urid > > dhal till they brown, with your mustard seeds to add to your coconut > > chutney. > > > > > Thanks for the great detailed description of how it's done, Curtis! > > ...which invokes a fantasy I've entertained from time to time. It > comes up whenever the "rat race" gets me down. > > I fantasize having a "push cart" offering something exotic -- like > Masala Dosa -- which I've perfected cooking and which I offer in some > urban area like New York or Washington, D.C. And I make it so good > that I can replicate for the customers off the street that come by my > push cart the same "eureka!" experience I had whenever I first came > across the dish. Masala Dosa is a perfect example; a discovery that > I felt no one else from my culture had yet experienced. > > Souvlaki is a good example. It's very common everywhere now but > until the '70s it wasn't anywhere except, perhaps, some parts of New > York. Someone "discovered" it (although it was common place in > Greece) and then it took off. > > Same with pizza. How many places had a pizza parlour prior to > the '30s or '40s? > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > The Onion Bhajis used to be piled high in those stalls that are > found > > > one after the other in a marketplace. Love 'em. Fried food at > its > > > best. Onions in what I assume is a gram flour (chick pea flour) > that > > > is deep-fried. Mmmmmmm Campbell Soup Good! > > > > > > Locally here in Arizona they have Indian Fry Bread which, when > done > > > properly, is delicious. It appears to be bread dough deep- > fried. > > > That's it. Back in Canada they used to call it Beaver Ears or > > > something like that. > > > > > > And in Quebec they have Poutine, which is French Fries with curd > > > cheese and gravy poured over the top. > > > > > > So, what are YOUR favourite junk foods of the world? > > > > > >
