[Sca-cooks] Weirdly simple but confusing Indian dish...

[Phil Troy/ G. Tacitus Adamantius]

Also sprach Huette von Ahrens:
>Why do you think that there is "Western
>Influence" in this dish?  Because it doesn't have
>curry in it?  I personally think that most of the
>current Indian food has a heavy "Western
>Influence".  Why? Because almost everything
>_does_ have curry or peppers in it.  Capsicum
>peppers are not native to India and didn't become
>popular in India until they were introduced there
>by Westerners.  I have been trying to find
>recipes for Indian food that don't have curry or
>peppers in them.  It is a very hard thing to do.

No. Actually, this did have a slight kick to it (I suspect turmeric
and ginger, largely). My remark on Western influence was due to the
dish being made from cutlets pounded flat, egg (or partially egg)
washed, and "crumbed", albeit with coconut, then fried. This probably
isn't the first method that comes to mind when you think of
traditional Asian cooking methods.

Furthermore, it was served with, unless I'm very much mistaken, a
chutney that either was, or was stylistically indistinguishable from,
Major Grey's.

To me, it resembled something that would send 19th-century Raj
memsahibs into transports of ecstasy, and cause the Tamil cooks to
roll their eyes and shrug.

Adamantius