When it comes to mastering Indian cooking, the requirement is having a thorough knowledge of the properties of each spice and how it blends with other spices.  It’s accurate to say that the characteristics of curry really depends on the balance of herbs and spices that go into its creations.  Curries differ from one region to another based on each region’s unique spice blend for their curry.

Masala is a familiar word in the Indian kitchen and itliterally means a blend of several spices. Garam (hot) masala is the most important blend masala and an absolute essential to north Indian preparations, added just before serving the dish to enhance its flavour. The rational garam masala is a blend of cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and black pepper. Masala may be in dry, rosted ground or paste form  Look below for an idea of the types of spices used in Indian cooking, but please note that these are just the tip of the iceberg.

Curry Leaf:  Curry leaves originate from the Kari tree of Southwest Asia. They are mainly used as an aromatic and flavoring for most curries and soups. When starting a curry or soup dish, put the curry leaves into the oil to fry until crisp. For extended use, air dry them completely, and store in an airtight container.

Red Chili Powder:  Red Chili Powder or Lal Mirch (Hindi) Indian chili powder is made from ground chilies. It is much hotter than the chili powder commonly found in most stores here in the US which is mostly a blend of red peppers and cumin, coriander etc. The ground product ranges from orange-red, to deep, dark red. Red pepper is a pungent, hot powder with a strong bite.

Cardamom Pods:  These light green oval pods are known as elaichi in Hindi. Green cardamom pods are highly aromatic and very fragrant, with a sweet, nutty taste. Encased in the pod are 12-15 tiny black seeds that hold the flavor. Cardamom is often used in rices, puddings and simmered dishes. It is best to bruise the pod before adding to the dish to release flavor.

Cinnamon: In India cinnamon is commonly used in meat and rice dishes, and in Garam Masala. It is also one of the ingredients of commercially manufactured curry powder. It may also be used in stick or powder form in sweets, cakes and curries.

Clove:  Cloves are the dried flower buds of the clove tree and are strong, pungent, and sweet. Cloves are used in many meat dishes, marinades, pickles and in many “garam masalas”. It is used whole or in powder form.

Black Peppercorns:  Black peppercorns are sun-dried, fermented green berries from a pepper vine native to Southwestern India. This spice is ever so popular throughout the world. It has a pungent fragrance and spicy taste. Black pepper is evident in almost all curries, dals and numerous spice blends.

Ginger:  This fresh, light-brown rhizome, is used extensively in all forms of Indian cooking. Peeled, mashed or cut, ginger has a clean and aromatic taste with a slightly spicy edge.

Tamarind:  Tamarind pulp or juice is added to bring  a touch of sourness in the curry and is extremely popular with South Indian cooking.

Fenugreek: This very powerful Indian spice plays an essential part in the flavor of curry powder. Its bitter and sweet flavor is used in soups, dals, bean and vegetable dishes, and fish and seafood dishes. It is also used in the sugary balls, ladoos. In North India, fenugreek is used in lamb stews. In the South it used in almost everything; breads, chutneys, curries and dals. In North Africa it is also used in bread.

Now that you’ve learned a little more about the types of spices used in Indian food, here’s a list of Indian restaurants so that you can let your tastebuds do some exploring.

Cafe Maharani
2509 S King St
Honolulu, HI 96826
(808) 951-7447

Ghareeb Nawaz Restaurant
2032 W Devon Ave
Chicago, IL 60659
(773) 761-5300

India Oven
2890 S Colorado Boulevard
Denver, CO 80222
(303) 756-5866

India’s Tandoori
5468 Wilshire Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90035
(323) 936-2050

Madhuban Indian Cuisine
6930 W State St
Suite 200
Boise, ID 83714
(208) 853-8215

Have you ever gone into a Mexican restaurant, market or food stand and saw signs of various beverages for sale like raspados, licuados, agua frescas, and had absolutely no clue what the difference was between all those drinks. Many of you are probably already familiar with the horchata which is a staple in any Mexican food establishment, but there’s a lot more than you may even imagine.  So take a look below and hopefully, you’ll be inspired to try something new.

Agua Fresca: An agua fresca is a beverage made with any combination of fruits, flowers, nuts and even vegetables that are blended together with sugar and water. The horchata is an agua fresca.  The main ingredient for the horchata which can consist of either ground almonds, sesame seeds, rice or barley gives this drink a milky texture, but in the end, that ground paste needs to be blended with water, sugar, cinnamon and vanilla before it becomes a drink your taste buds would recognize.  Examples of agua fresca flavors can run the range from fruit flavors like mango, papaya, watermelon to more tart flavors like pineapple, tamarind and lime. Other options include hibiscus and alfalfa.

Licuado: The licuado is a blend of milk, fresh fruit, juice and sometimes ice.  While similar to the American smoothie, there are inherent differences.  Mainly, licuados use a milk base with fresh fruit whereas smoothies will start with fruit juice usually in combination with sherbert or yogurt.  Also, licuados are known for the addition of nuts, sugar, granola or honey while the same may not be true for the smoothies.  An example of a licuado could have ingredients like milk, honey, strawberries, granola and pecans.

Jugo: Simply, a jugo is a beverage made up of juices freshly squeezed from fresh fruit and vegetables.  Two popular jugos are the Vampiro and the Dietico.  The Vampiro is a mixture of orange, carrot and beet juice and does look “blood red.”  With a name like Dietico, this drink’s purpose is obvious.  It’s a drink for those who are looking to lose weight and it’s a blend of celery, pineapple, grapefruit and cactus.

Raspasdo: Raspados, which translates to “scraped ice”, literally is ice shaped into a snow cone shape, put mid-way into a cup and than a natural fruit syrup is poured over the ice and and then topped with fruit.  A popular raspado is the Diabilito with a tamarind and mango syrup mixture that is topped with chamoy (a spicy-sweet sauce made up of apricots)

Atole: An atole is a cornstarch-based hot beverage that comes in many fruit flavors like guava or strawberry. The chocolate atole is known as champurrado.

Now that you’re armed with a little more knowledge, you may want to check out some of the places below that specifically sell one or more of the various kinds of beverages that I just listed or be sure to keep an eye out for them on the drinks section of the menu of your favorite Mexican restaurant.

Nevera
4846 Florence Avenue, #101
Bell, CA, 90201
(323) 887-3451

Realeza Michoacana
2520 North 16th Street
Phoenix, AZ 85006
(602) 271-4527

Raspados Michoacan
115 E 8th St
National City, CA 91950
(619) 477-0415

Menuism reviewers are truly awesome! Whether they found an unexpected tasty gem of a restaurant or took it for the team after having a terrible meal, we truly applaud all their efforts in giving us the scoop on where we should be spending our hard-earned money on. On that note, I’d love to introduce you to those reviewers who we feel really contribute quality content to the site as well as quality information to fellow Menuism’ers. Our Featured Reviewer today is Mandy, better known as Mandy70065. So let’s learn more about Mandy originally from Kenner, LA.

My name is Mandy. I live in Kenner, Louisiana (about 20 minutes from New Orleans). I have lived here pretty much my whole life. The exceptions are when I lived in Grand Haven, Michigan for 3 months, and when I lived in Atlanta, Georgia for about 4 months, because of hurricane Katrina. I love food. Being from the greater New Orleans area that is a given, and we have some of the best food in the country here. So I consider myself lucky.

1. How did you find out about Menuism?

I found out about Menuism, by searching for restaurant menus online. It was kind of an accident, but I like the site. It is fun to review places that I have tried, and hear what others have to say.

2. What about Menuism first appealed to you?

I try a lot of restaurants based on others opinions of them. So what better a place to see what people have to say than a Restaurant Review site.

3. What restaurant did you write your first review about?

I think Mojo Grill.

4. What is your food philosophy?

This city is famous for it great food…so while I am here I want to eat the best food available to me. I might not have that luxury one day.

5. What are your favorite restaurants?

Zea, Equator, Phil’s Grill and Kyoto 2.

6. What are your favorite cuisines?

I would have to say Mexican, Thai and Japanese.

7. What are your favorite comfort foods?

My favorite comfort foods are anything decadent. Desserts, Chocolate, etc.

8. What is the best meal you ever ate and why?

I really could not pick. I have eaten so many good meals from so many places, but if I had to pick it would probably be something that my grandparents cooked…not anything from a restaurant. (sorry people)

9. Do you have any favorite cookbooks (if any)?

I really like Rachel Ray’s cook books… I am really into cooking healthy without sacrificing flavor. So I mostly look for healthy recipes online.

10. What words of encouragement would you give to first time Menuism reviewers?

Write Reviews, because you are definitely helping people (like me) choose where to eat. I always read reviews about a place before I eat there (if I can find them). You may be helping someone avoid the worst experience at a restaurant they’ve ever had.

If you’d like to be able to keep up with Mandy’s reviews, click here to check out her profile!

If there is a Menuism reviewer who has really helped you make great dining choices and you’d like to see him or her be a Featured Reviewer, than be sure to message me or send me an email at abby@menuism.com.

By Abby C. Abanes
Menuism Community Manager

Trying to figure out where or what to eat or snack on this weekend? Check out your fellow Menuismer’s Gutchecks for inspiration!

chopin42 ate Mizithra and browned butter.

Megster1187 ate hummus and warm pita bread.

lolacola ate a bagel with herb and garlic cream cheese.

pleasurepalate ate mung bean, spinach and chicken soup.

zoran ate lasagna.

CleverGrrl ate cocoa almonds.

Scramie ate pepperoni/jalapeno pizza and an Italian salad.

ariddle1019 ate grilled chicken and sirloin steak.

typewriterninja ate fried yuca and habanero sauce at The Saint.

imqz ate green beans and carrots.

If you want to make next week’s list, keep eating and be sure to update your gutchecks!

Trying to figure out where or what to eat this weekend? Check out your fellow Menuismer’s Gutchecks for inspiration!

rednecktek ate Dijon sirloin tip on egg noodles with fresh popovers.

HayleyM ate agedashi tofu, hijiki salad, pork, shrimp and potato kats.

goodforyoursoul ate tacos.

bluepupae ate homemade cauliflower bisque and a farmer’s market plum.

Manzabar ate green tea breath mint.

typewriterninja ate pasta with asparagus and pine nuts.

jmorse48 ate organic pop tarts.

sugar520 ate special K red berries and skim milk.

Ladyterrapin ate chicken pot pie.

Eco ate pumpkin bread.

If you want to make next week’s list, keep eating and be sure to update your gutchecks!

No, we’re not talking about organic vodkas and the organic drinks that use them; we’re all about what restaurants are doing to save some money, ’cause diners just aren’t spending like they used to. According to this article on trends in restaurant beverage consumption, proprietors are offering more limited-time-only drinks to showcase innovative drink ideas without considerably lengthening their menus.

One trick restaurants are using to move drinks are including the words “100 fruit juice” or “natural ingredients” on the menu. This particular study showed that about four out of ten consumers were more likely to order a juice that was branded as actual juice. And thirty-six percent of restaurants polled sold bottled water, forcing all of their customers to specify that they wanted tap water while the server gives them the old stink-eye.

I was genuinely surprised to see that diners are embracing the all-natural drinks; I worked at a restaurant where we sold only all-natural soda, so when someone asked for a Coke, I’d have to kind of shuffle around and say that we had an all-natural drink similar to Coke, and hope that they were okay with agave nectar and fruit-derived colors

While what we wanted to do for our advertising campaign for our fun buy-able items was go to parades and toss out freebies from a giant Foodha float, that proved – er – impractical. So we scaled back to this simple reminder: we’ve got some pretty cool stuff for sale.

You have a friend that would love this totebag; grab it for the (and I know everyone says this, but it’s really true this time) low, low price of $14.99.

Through splatters and grease stains, Foodha’ll grin and bear it, triumphantly gripping his fork and spoon. Is Foodha on your guest list for your 4th of July barbecue? Buy this apron for $16.99.

Sometimes adorableness sells itself. Buy this bib for $7.99.

We’re busy thinking up one-liners for other products like the Foodha clock (Time for food! etc., etc.) and the Menuism sweatshirt (I sleep in mine and it’s way more comfy than your jammies – watch for the testimonial, late-night infomercial-style on YouTube). While we’re working on that, how about you check out what we’re buzzing about?

A recent MSNBC article studying the art of the business lunch reads like a Goldilocks and the Three Bears modified for a Fortune 500 audience. Some restaurants are too loud; others, too fancy or too trendy. It’s up to the hungry businessman to make a few distinctions. Tip One? Don’t drink at lunchtime. Not brandy, not wine, and don’t make a picnic out of the olives in your martini. Tip Two? Learn & love your restaurant staff. Mariani writes, “Indeed, getting to know a maître d’ is crucial in ensuring things will be the way you want them to go.” But here’s what we want to know: what does the business-savvy diner order at a business lunch? What does your lunch say about you as you try to avoid having it dribble down your tie? A steak: aggressive, with good teeth. Dessert: indulgent. Fish: a brainiac. If we’re going to go on (and we are!), let’s call this:

The Menuism Guide to the Business Lunch: Eating Expensive Foods off of White Plates Like A Champ

The fire-grilled catfish with tropical salsa (here, from Elephant Bar in Cupertino, CA). There’s a brainiac element of omega-3s, and of course the health benefits: you probably make use of the company gym. Frequently. The salsa suggests that you have a wild side; you’re the fun at the annual Christmas party.

A lobster bisque (shown, from Opah in Irvine, CA): you’re not afraid of anything: man, beast, fish, fowl, or staining your shirt. Still, you’d rather leave the messy work to the pros. A real power negotiator would crack open the lobster him or herself.

A sangria (here, from Exposure Tapas Restaurant in Chicago, IL) means you forgot Tip One. Refer back to Tip One.

A pasta dish, like this Carbonara from Cafe Bengodi in Seattle, WA, means you’re adept with a fork and enjoy a challenge. You’re old-fashioned and you never participate in casual Fridays. The garlic bread on the side? Leave it (however sorrowfully) behind.

This is the deep analysis we’d like to see when an article scrutinizes the business lunch. Ah well – at least we’re here to provide the Part II.

After I spilled out of a long flight onto California soil, my sister said, “Come on, we’re going to Cheeseboard.” I was jazzed; Cheeseboard has its own following on Menuism, as well as in Berkeley. It’s famous for being worker-owned, as well as breeding long lines of gourmets stringing down Shattuck Ave. And maybe the most unique element? As user JanetHan writes, “They only serve one kind of pizza each day! Can’t go wrong though!”

My sister and I bought a half-pizza ($10) and carried it back to her house with all of my luggage and a bottle of Pellegrino. That day, the pizza had a base of mozzarella & feta with roasted potatoes, onions, garlic olive oil, cilantro, and halves of miniature key limes, turned face-down.

dmo writes, “The eating experience can be a fun one. A live band is present at times, and if it’s too crowded indoors, plenty of people flock to the median where you can watch traffic from Shattuck Ave. flow around you. Apparently there are signs telling you not to do so, but hey, I’ve always seen people on the grass when I drive by.”

Because it was sunny, we saw people on the median squeezing lime juice into their slices and taking large bites, nonchalant in the face of cars whizzing by on both sides. They were blissing out.

There’s loving pizza, and then there’s real pizza love that you see popping up from time to time, like the careful pizza cook-offs detailed in DC Pizza Blog and the administrator in Berkeley’s admissions department who saw well-made pizza as a real selling point:

and, of course, Chicagoans and New Yorkers who will get out their rulers and measure a crust just to make a culinary point.

Pizza: definitely a topic I want to return to.

Anyway, after all of that pizza nirvana, it was only too good to curl up in front of Top Chef with a big piece of pudding cake and some bubbly wine. Anyone else hoping they’ll be asked to make a pizza in the finale?

A lot of chain restaurants use all sorts of come-ons in their websites to make you log on and veg out, apparently picturing the scenario in which a group of shaggy-haired boys in sweatpants sit around chewing on their fingers and wondering what sorts of trouble to get into, and one boy says, “You guys, a new game launched on Burger King’s website! Let’s play Burger King games and then go eat Burger King!” and they grab their mom’s wallets and enter into an implicit understanding that whoever can consume the most burgers has a corresponding amount of testosterone.

Sounds far-fetched (or just stupid), right? Probably, but marketers are still trying. Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr. are launching 3D websites. Procrastinators, the lonely, and dieters will be able to throw on a logo jacket and party with friends among three-dimensional, non-edible burgers, fries, and shakes. Awesome, right?

If you’re a Windows user, yeah; if you’re one of the few young people nowadays that use this new thing called a Mac, you can still practice your burger slaying skills or build your own virtual burger with Hardee’s. Cool. I’m hungry. Let’s slay and review.

Burger Slayer

The placard reads: Look into your heart, slayer, and you will open the door. Gotta answer a few questions before you can be a slayer.

What’s my favorite kind of burger? Do they ask you this kind of thing in World of Warcraft?

Is this like a secret knock?

They wanted to know all about me for the exclusive brotherhood! Too bad they forgot to ask my gender, because brotherhoods aren’t really my scene.

The game pretty much seems to be that you hand over your e-mail address and zip code & they give you a coupon and a free MP3 called “Burger Slayer.” The lyrics of the heavy metal tune include, “Devastator, life-taker/ you’re the fiercest slayer in all the land/ you once accidentally ate your own hand.”

Burger Slayer Rating: I give it a “Wait, did I miss something?” which isn’t a thumbs-up or a thumbs-down, but a confused look.

Superior Burger Experience

After destruction necessarily comes re-birth, and after slaying assumed burgers as well as my own internet privacy, I’m ready to make a really giant burger. Here’s what I’m working with:

After a few rough drafts:

(A onion ring sandwich with cheese & a BLT burger)

Here’s my ultimate burger:

Yum, am I right? Perfection is delicious; who needs, you know, ketchup?

Superior Burger Experience Rating: While the site comes across as trying a little too hard (“We get you kids and your one-off, ironic sense of humor! Engine parts on your burger, that’s classic, right?”) I admire that I can build a burger that fits me and my lifestyle – namely, one I can’t consume.

Find both games at hardees.com, and remember, if you peel yourself away from burger demolition and restoration long enough to actually eat a burger, let us know how it is.