January 30, 2007
The knives come outTV
Although I don’t enjoy reality television in general, I do love that fabulous Bravo show Top Chef. I love to cook. Before I even reached our new bureau offices in Texas I had a vegetable steamer and a set of very nice (and ridiculously sharp) Ginsus pre-deployed to my apartment (via Amazon supersaver shipping). I have also invested in a fust-class set of Calphalon cookware. Meal preparation has never been this much fun! Before I took up blogging, cooking was my one and only creative outlet. It is the only right brain talent I have. Blogging and cooking are very similar when you get right down to it. You have to serve up something delicious in a short time to an an often ungrateful audience who thinks they can do better.
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Oh yeah baby. Pour that ink on me. |
My favorite part of the show are those “quickfire challenges.” In these fierce battles, contestants are given only like 15 minutes to prepare a scrumptious meal out of some very basic ingredients. Once the hosts sent the contestants into a Kwik-E-Mart and made them use the food available there for a gourmet entree.
Speaking of hosts, Padma Lakshmi, the host of this season’s Top Chef (as Amardeep previously reported), has been getting skewered by the cooks off-camera. Here is a sample of the many ways to cut and prepare a Padma:
According to a source who worked on the set of Top Chef, the ex-model turned trophy wife turned hostess Padma Lakshmi allegedly enjoys smoking pot on set, giving a whole new meaning to the term “Quickfire Challenge” — see, cause she’s allegedly lighting up a joint instead of a stove! Anyway. Exactly how often this happened is disputed, though we were assured it was allegedly “fairly regularly…” [Link]Asked if he trusted Lakshmi’s culinary taste, Ilan Hall, a line cook at Casa Mono, asked a Bravo flack, “Um, are we allowed to say disparaging things about Padma?” No. “She’s beautiful,” Hall offered. “Mostly, she just explained things, and she did a good job at that.” Cliff Crooks, executive chef at Salute!, said, “Nothing she said really made a difference in my cooking.” Sam Talbot, former executive chef at Punch, said, “Next question.” He also noted that she seemed intent on stepping out of her famous husband’s shadow. “She never wanted to talk about him. I remember a time she got a phone call and she yelled, ‘You can ask me any question you want, but don’t bring up my husband!’” And then there’s the matter of her stomach-baring, kitchen-unfriendly attire. “Some of the things she wore, I wouldn’t suggest anyone wear around a working kitchen,” said Crooks. “Either she’d be a fire hazard or she’d get hurt…” [Link]
See, if I ever had the opportunity to score a trophy wife then I think I could do a lot worse than Padma. On the show she always has a very neutral tone though. She smiles often but never actually laughs. She also gives a lot of really intelligent sounding critiques to the chefs…until the real chefs nicely contradict her seconds later. I do love those outfits though, even if they are fire hazards.
Anyways the season finale of Top Chef is on Wednesday night! It’s down to that obnoxious Marcel and the saffron-happy Ilan. I can’t stand the excitement.
It’s not just “The Apprentice” with the chef Tom Colicchio subbing for the emperor Donald Trump, not just “America’s Next Top Model” with a much higher calorie count. It’s a look at the imagination, desperation, judgment and serendipity that inform any great meal. [Link]
I will close the comments tomorrow night until after the show is over on the West Coast. You East Coasters always ruin these things by blabbing too early.
abhi on January 30, 2007 11:12 PM in TV · T·r·a·c·k·b·a·c·k address · Direct link · Email post
I missed most of it. Someone please tell me what Marcel did. Is he the Shilpa of Top Chef?
Another reason why we should remain on other sides of the country -- I'm an all-clad man myself.
I sold all my mutual funds to furnish our new bureau offices. With our budget I could only get the very nice Calphalon. All-clad was beyond my budget.
Marcel is an obnoxious egomaniac. At one point every single person on the show wanted to kill him. He's more Omarosa than Shilpa I think.
I seen the show a couple of times, and I think Padme is doing a pretty good job of hosting
The Anti-Shilpa. Now I'll have to watch all the reruns.
ssssinge!
i like the pocahontas look.
point to ponder - do you think the octopi changed colors to match her shirt?
she seriously sounds stoned, and sadly unintelligent...it is kind of depressing. i usually mute it when she talks, i can't really deal with her. has anyone seen her cook book? are the recipes any good?
come on bud, the true cook does not require the zillion dollar calphalon garbage. Actually my favorite piece of cookware is the ridiculously heavy wrought iron wok/tawah that I smuggled in from the old country a few years ago. I can cook anything in that thing, oh I do envy your knife set though, all of mine are just stolen from random steak houses in southern ohio. sorry for my shitty use of commas I'm sleepy.
Azher is right about the cookware, Calphalon is actually rather heavy considering the quality - I have a grudge against the Calphalon concept because all the good heavy cookware lines switched to the (more expensive) anodized format after it became trendy, and it's hard to find good affordable stuff now. All Clad isn't quite necessary either. You can get great cookware in restaurant supply stores, and Cuisinart makes good copper-bottomed pots as well.
Knives are another matter, you get what you pay for.
Padma Lakshmi comes across as QUITE the bimbette, I'm sorry to say, and I've lost a lot of respect for Rushdie after he took up with her. Hairy_d I think you're right about the octopi, they're naturally purplish but never seen that shade of pink....
Even a hot stoner host is not enough to get me to watch a reality show. That's what the Food Network is for.
I know someone that works on the set who claims the same thing but does say she sounds really smart and put together and is rather soft spoken when she's not doping up which apparently everyone knows is happening. I haven't seen the show. I try to limit myself to one show that sucks up all my energy every season since 24 is on I'm tuning everything else out until of course Ghost Hunter comes on. I still do occasionally catch Iron Chef which I enjoy but I really used to love the original Japanese ones and they don't show them anymore.
Clueless
Star Wars fan, huh :)? Me too...
ylrsings
It's *awesome*. Quick, healthy, flavorful recipes. I'm not sure about authenticity (the recipes come from all over the world and are trimed of unnecessary fat) but i can vouch for the ease of prep and all round delectableness and presentation. Who in their right minds would fault Chidambaram Chicken that can be fixed in under 25 minutes?
And for anyone who needs convincing that PL is VGL, pictures of her from ten years ago ought to totally do the trick.
That said, i've never watched the show--i'm going to start today though.
Abhi
I'm a Wusthof gal myself, but i add my blessings to your Calphalon acquisition.
And how about that "Everything is Illuminated" piece that you wrote!! It was so amazing; it infiltrates my dreams... Phwoar!
It would be horrifying if Marcel became Top Chef.. It should've been Elia -- with $100K she could totally run a restaurant with her eclectic mix of Lebanese, French, Mexican cuisine. Did Marcel and/or Ilan ever run a team? Elia led a few teams. Marcel is just 'good tv'.
Did y'all hear that he got attacked in a bar -- a girl asked if he was Marcel from Top Chef and she hit him with a bottle. Beechara got 30 stitches! (I think he was due for a head-shaving, not a bottle smashing).
BTW, I love that Omarosa comparison. But, I don't think he's as evil as Omarosa.. just an annoying gnat with a lot of foam.
Hey Abhi, why aren't you married yet? There must be plenty of eligible ladies seeking a blogger who cooks, or a cook who blogs, there absolutely must be!
That would explain her strange enunciation... listen to her with your eyes closed and you'll hear a of California surfer dude drawl through a weird flat westernized Indian-ish accent.
She looks like wife from tv sitcom My name is Earl.
"Y'all want some lemonade"
If any of your are home/in front of a TV, a TC marathon (from the first episode) is now showing on Bravo! Catch up before tonight's finale :).
Le Creuset, y'all!
I'm a big Top Chef fanatic. Padma's not the brightest of the bunch, and not who I'd go to for culinary criticism, but as hosts go, she's a far cry better than last season's host - the woman whose eyes never smiled. So sad.
Marcel's hair is weird. And his obsession with xantham gum is lame.
Le Creuset is bloody heavy! Very hard to manouevre about unless you're big and benchpress your own weight or something.
Well, I don't know if closing comments is going to serve any purpose. I think the results have been leaked already. I am not going to paste the link here, but yesterday MSNBC featured an article on their website that was titled "Did Web site spoil "Top Chef" finale? This was on the article (whose link I am not posting here, to preserve whatever surprise is left.. Also removed names! :D )
And the article continues....
Doesn't anyone use the good 'ol cast iron anymore besides me? It's legendary in the south for cooking grits. If I gotta swing some heaviness, I prefer it to the Le Creuset.
Otherwise it's all-clad all the way baby.
You really shouldn't read Slate onlinte today...they have the story that leaked who won. Apparently Food&Wine leaked the names....don't worry, I won't provide the link.
Cast iron used here, coach. Hell yeah! Along with Le Creuset.
Side note: Boxing Latinas who cook grits = hot.
I have two major workaday cast-iron pans that I use regularly, esp to cook sabzi in (nothing beats them). But I don't go in for Le Creuset, and my expensive all-round fry pan is All Clad.
Aye, back off. She wants ME.
And, just so you know, she cooks more than just grits.
I use cast iron for a lot of desi food. I trust the heaviness. Works best when you have to do all that churning.
is she topless in the show? (like in her book, duh). no? then what's the point?
hear hear
padma is one of the most unenthusiastic, boring, unwitty hosts out there.. and that was in the mere 10 minutes i was forced to watch when a friend was visiting..but she was as bland in the travel special with jeremy pivens traveling india a few months back... i guess it's one of those situations where a person may look good, but once they open their mouth, the magic is evaporated....hmm... married to rushdie? huh? well i guess we know what he was thinking....
i am obsessed with this show!!!
marcel is annoying but he is no villain ... this is a competition and he is competitive ...
most of the other chefs have bullied him, but he seems pretty resilient
one guy threatened to kill him (frank) ..
one guy assaulted him (cliff) while others (ilan & sam) watched in an attempt to shave his head...
i can't stand sam or ilan ... sam instigates constantly and then steps back and lets others bicker while he seems to be the mature one ... ilan's put downs on marcel only illuminate his own insecurity ...
i wanted elia to win right up until the last episode ... where she joined the pack and accused marcel of cheating ... it was poetic justice when the others didn't back her up on it as they had originally planned ...
did i mention that i'm obsessed with this show??
on a more serious note, i think its kind of sad how marcel was assaulted at that club all b/c he is seen as a villain...
I am a sucker for a good Chinatown-bought light-weight wok, though. Easily the best bang for your buck in your cooking arsenal. Although nothing can compare to a good set of knives.
I just checked the TV listings and I didn't see it being listed on the Bravo in Canada, does anyone know when its on in Canada. Is it on a different channel in Canada.
Please stop with the Padma bashing. Anyday she is better than the uber perky Rachel Ray and the ever annoying Martha Stewart.
How I wish Giada was the host!
those mentioned above all are horrible..EVOO up yours Rachel Ray...
i prefer alton brown.
now that is fun to watch.
shodah:
sorry you had to be with rachelheads..or so called racial ray..
UGH!
she was tolerable when she first came out..but her voice and her fake 'chirpiness' grinds to no avail...and her talk show SUCKS... oh well with her comments about oprah recently, we'll see how things turn out since the big O is her sugar momma and opened the doors for her..note to rachel: never make fun of Oprah..she is like the godmother of the world..and never bite the hand that feeds you ;)
I am obsessed with this show and cannot wait for this evening. I hope there's a brawl.
Except when Tom Colicchio accused Marcel of not using heat and she said, "So?" with such 'tude. I was impressed. Girl got her backbone back.Sid-Uncle, I had no idea you were so bougie.
P.S. Why are we even talking about crazy EVOO-woman?
I think Padma is doing a pretty good job, all things considered. Part of mediating all those warring personalities is *not* being the uber-know-it-all, I think. Plus I love the fact that she really seems to enjoy her food, sometimes you can tell she's wanting to dip in with her fingers to get every bit of the good sauces, unlike the typical model-actor-wannabe.
Marcel has been horrendous from the beginning. Ilan has been a peacemaker for most of the show - sharing a room with Marcel (which he did until pretty recently) would be enough to drive anyone crazy.
Cast iron: you guys rock for using it, I just can't deal with the whole no-wash thing.
you moron, it's not supersaver shipping. everyone gets free shipping with orders over $25. you probably could have paid half of what you did if you did take advantage of the supersaver stuff on amazon.
i hereby nominate the above comment (#41) in the SM Comment Hall of Fame.
He ai'nt called the fury for nothin'...
LOL, siddhartha.
Anyone see Padma on that Jeremy Piven India travel show? She was in the 'North India' half of the show and was pretty funny, actually. I liked her in that show. Plus, it was hilarious to see Jeremy Piven travel through India, partly shirtless at times, and wrinkling his brow in when in deep thought.
Anyway, there is NO JUSTICE in the world when you can be that pretty and that successful. I want a prettiness tax. Oh, wait, that already exists. I think it consists of having ugly, non-rich guys slobber all over you at bars while you desperately search for someone of your own caliber. Mean? Yes! Bitchy? Yes! But this is me we are talking about.....
MD: see here
: Le Creuset, y'all!
Go Siddhartha! Spoken like a true cook. Le Creuset....I second your opinion. Heavy...but great to cook with. Curries turn out awesome and so do stir fries. Their dutch oven pot/stock pot works well for Biryani/Pulav.
The NYT piece on Top Chef made this little crack about Padma Lakshmi:
: Cast iron: you guys rock for using it, I just can't deal with the whole no-wash thing.
mexicalidesi, I can't deal with the no-wash thing either, especially since I use the cook ware to make food for very staunch vegeterian people & meat eaters as well. I cook,wash & season the Le Cruset iron woks each time. Little more work - but worth the effort. To season the wok after you cook each time wash /scrub thorougly with non-scratch scrub , dry the cast iron cook ware, place on the stove to dry out any residual water. Heat for 3- 5 minutes. Turn off the stove and take a tissue paper with some oil and rub it on inside of the pot. Works great.
You cast-iron pan users have my respeck, I tried cast iron for about a month after reading scare articles about how nonstick was bad for you, but the cleaning was such a PITA that I gave up. What's the word on nonstick these days, last I checked it was OK so long as you put the oil/fat in it before turning on the heat so it doesn't burn dry, and you're OK so long as there are no scratches on the Teflon.
i wash my pans all the time and wont use anything other - the versatility is amazing especially because one can also use these directly in the oven - i like the simplicity of few utensils.
prepping the pan is important. when you first get it, rub it with oil (non-olive) and 'bake' it in the oven upside down for maybe 20 minutes. over time the layers that form give it a nonstick cover.
good luck and go iron. it also improves the forearm - you should see me flipping masala omelettes.
before i forget - cooking in cast iron pans in the oven is a very quebecois thing - and i've had some pan baked breads that have an aroma and crumbly-crustiness that's just mmm mmm mmm
Hairy and Lurker, you wash the cast iron pan with soap and water and the works? I was told no soap...and no water, for that matter, which is why it was such a &%*#ing pain to clean.
yes i do SP. it works fine. but i've also heard about people who dont wash it. but as lurker said, i also take a little piece of paper towel and rub it over with oil after the clean up. it ends up being less non-stick than steel and better than teflon - i tend to overburn things sometimes when i lose track of time - and i had a bad experience with teflon when i let it stay too long and a crust formed - i thought it was some piece of potato but it was some layer peeled off the teflon and i didnt figure out why i was sick * until the day the surgeon peeled it out of my stomach lining. i had been getting bloody stool for a couple of weeks by then and the headaches were getting intolerable.
*p.s. everything after the asterisk is fiction - for your general entertainment and gross-out value. enjoy. dont say hairy doesnt love ya.
SP,
Yup, Soap & water works for me. Seasoning after washing is the crucial thing. I do have to try prepping the pan hairy's way though....Sounds like it really works.
Will have to try that, thanks y'all. I'm very vigilant with the teflon but should probably start giving the forearms a workout.
you have got to be kidding me!!!!
"cherries bring down your libido"
"i'm doing an homage to marcel's foam"
(the above quotes will only make sense to TC2 enthusiasts)
I wash my cast iron pans with soap, water and mild scouring equipment ... it's fine. Once you build up a patina from cooking, it's very hard for it to wash away.
My real problem is the back of the pan, which never got seasoned properly and is harder to do.
i also do it with my long woollen underwear and socks to get that toasty feeling to the bone. thought you shoudl know
Rani - I second your comments.
Marcel is annoying, arrogant but he should have won. The other chefs picked on him and instigated confrontations as much as he did. In the end it became a popularity contest. Ilan won because he was the more likable chef, but he's an insecure unoriginal clown. Spanish dish after Spanish dish. I love Spanish food, but show some creativity and take some risks. He also went out of his way during the competition to trash Marcel's dishes to the customers. Complain about Marcel's behavior in the kitchen and then you pull something like that, twice? You talk about your soul and passion for cooking then you use canned baby eels. "Oh I just planned the meal while in the farmers' market..." You had the whole thing planned out with your Spanish flavor. Uggghh What a phoney.
The formula was pretty similar to last year with two talented chefs, one very likable (Harold and Ilan) and the other a foil and villian for the others (Tiffany and Marcel). Unlike Tiffany, Marcel admitted that he had help and did not try and steal someone else's dish like Tiffany. Marcel lost because he was not well liked and he picked that slob Michael to help him. Weren't you watching him during the competition. The dude is sloppy and careless, of course he's going to forget things and then sell you out at the end. Sam at least had some integrity, did his job, and even helped out someone he did not like.
Sam and Marcel were the best in my opinion, followed by Ilan. Elia made a few dishes, but I have never seen someone whine soooo much. While she treated Marcel fairly for the majority of the show, she turned on him at the end in a very slimey way.
Hopefully it will end up like Project Runway where someone unlikeable but talented (Jeffrey) will win out.
Padma, while unanimated at times, was much better than the robot they had last year. She had the personality of a fencepost.
No I'm not obssessed either...
The biggest problem with the food is that Padma doesn't reach her skinny arm through the TV to share. :(
If you're using Le Creuset, you don't need to season the pans, or worry about washing them in soap and water. The whole point is that since they are enamelled, you get a versatile, essentially non stick surface with the heat transmitting properties of iron.
Here is their website's section on caring for pans: http://www.lecreuset.com/usa/products/care.php?dir=products%2Fcare&name=Enameled_Cast_Iron_Grills_%26_Griddles#1
If you're using plain cast iron, like Lodge, then you do have to season the pan and use just water to clean it.
Le Creuset rocks!
Lurker Chef, hairy_d, ennis, thanks for the tips on the cast-iron pots. I think I will take the big leap and get one (if only to have it hanging on the pot rack so people will think I'm cooler than I am:) )
Hairy,
So what type of curry are you interested in?
Paneer Makhani
Coorgi Pork Curry
South Indian Sambar
Pineapple Gojju
And the list can go on and on.....
Just a thought.....Maybe SM can have a repository for South asian tried and tested recipes....Just a thought....I know SM's charter/interests are wide and varied and does not want to become another bawarchi.com.
chef sez
whatever helps mexicalidesi get off to a good start with cast iron pan :-)
me, i'd really like to know your sambhar recipe, especially how to make the sambhar masala. I get the store bought packet but doing it from scratch would be awesome.
good idea! park that right next to sepia destiny :-)Who needs sepia destiny when we have the comments?
Dude, think of all we're missing. Not just double-blind email and other technicalities, but crucial information like "Favorite Movies," "Most Embarrassing Moment," and of course, "Five Things You'll Find in My Bedroom" !
For laughs, my Persian Mob Squad sometimes points me to iranianpersonals.com where you'll find the hilarious and hot, and sometimes both. Her World Bank comment is a gasser.
Because you can't easily exchange biodatas via comments!
Wow that's a detailed questionnaire! Gotta love a dating questionnaire that asks you, in deadpan alphabetical order, about your attitudes to Gun Control, Homelessness, Legalizing Drugs, and Mohammed Khatami.
The script got flipped towards the last few episodes in terms of good guy/bad guy. Marcel is consistently annoying, but he was definitely the more immature figure for at least the first half of the show. As time went on, though, I think you saw him being more genuine and mature, but his words and actions got interpreted as being malicious because of how he set himself up in the beginning.
I really wished Sam would be in the top two. Maybe it's because he's hot.
A married woman with way too many single friends!
Let's hop to it. like now. :-)
Maybe we should do some kind of Sepia "The Bachelor" contest for him.
hairy_d:
Kerala Sambhar Powder:
It's a little different from Madras sambhar because (of course) we use grated coconut. But here is the sambhar powder recipe: Sauté 5 tsp coriander seeds, asafetida, and 4-5 red chilies without oil and keep aside. Sauté 4-5 tsp of grated coconut until it turns brown. Grind coriander seeds, asafetida, red chilies, and coconut.
And here's how you use it. Cook 1 cup toor dhal with 1/2 tsp turmeric and mash. Save this. Sauté 1 tsp mustard seeds, 1 tsp cummin seeds, and 1 sprig curry leaved. Add 2 tbsp chopped shallots and sauté till clear. Add 1 cup veggies (I like pearl onions, but you can use drumstick, japanese eggplant, or lightly sautéed okra) and cook in 2 cups tamarind water (1 tsp tamarind paste) and bring to boil. Add toor dhal paste, sambhar powder and salt. Cook on medium heat till veggies are done (about 10 mins).
venu, you've made me a happy happy man. thank you thank you thank you.
hairy_d:
And, you can do this in one pot (so long as you mash the dhal later). Always important for me. ;-)
venu sez
hehe... hairy_d sez in #50
indolence was coined after an indo. har har har
Stop calling it sambhar! It's sambar, pronounced saambaar. The b is not aspirated, it's a common North Indian mispronounciation/misspelling. Sounds like a good recipe, though :)
:-D @ #68 siddhartha and hairy_d's indolence joke (gotta remember that one)
Here's a biodata of someone I know
* Gainfully employed
* Does not drink coffee, tea or other addictive substances
* Wears undies with Shilpa Shetty prints on them
* Is good with sex - Make benefit entire nation of womans
* Fair and handsome
* Matches international condom size
* Not a racist or classist. In fact, no opinion on anything at all
* Made it to the county level spelling bee when in high school
* Not involved in identity theft
* Not a terrorist
* Sensitive to earthquakes and other large perturbations
* Is very good at playing "countries-capitals"
* smells like mango burfi
* Atheist (except for occasional monotheism/bitheism once every few months)
* Known as "Khan of bay area"
You think any of your friends would be interested?
hey venu... i did the sambar but it came out all black and a little more tart than i expected - i guess i need to cut down on the tamarind.
dear desishiksha ... sorry for the barb ... your northindian thing stung... and i thought you were doing a mapuche number on sambar. i guess i got my comeuppance. my sambar turned sour.
Don't worry hairy_d, sambar is non-proprietary. Anyone can make it well, as far as I'm concerned. In fact, I don't even care if someone makes it badly, if that's what pleases them, as long as they don't call it "sambhar".
I prefer to use dried tamarind in hot water instead of the concentrate--you have more control over the sourness.
I like it extra sour. I think of that also as "spicy". Btw, have you guys noticed that buffalo wings are more sour than hot?
cuz they are dunked in tabasco sauce, which is basically vinegar with some red coloring thrown in. Anyone notice how desis like sour things as much as sweets?
hey desishiksha... (i am really tempted to call you bob... as in desishishka-bob... but you'll probably skewer me ;-)
thanks for the tip. i didnt realize the tamarind paste was so potent. the thing just swirled and inked up the whole pot. my place smells very masala-ee right now btw - but in a good way.
some learnings -
Speaking of sambHar, Trader Joe's has this written on their bottle (pretty healthy stuff for a good price).
Then there are pictures of a raja's crown and an Indian flag. Kewl! Any rajas/ranis/princes in the house from the Sambhar region where curry powder is the real emperor?
grinding spices: you can use a coffee grinder (just make sure you never use it for coffee unless you like your lattes haldi spiced)
or if you have an osterizer blender they make a small jar that fits over the regular blade that you can use to grind dry ingredients. Maybe other blender companies make the same thing too?
You didn't use 2 cups of tamarind paste did you? (I think the recipe said 1tsp in 2 cups of water).
hahaha...puns and food, my two favorites.
and finally: I don't bother with making my own sambar powder...I use MTR brand. It's probably sacrilege but it tastes quite good.
I love me the MTR too. What is sacrilege? Ease is sacrilege? Remember your culture and practice INDOlence (hat-tip to the master). 'Scratch' and 'authentic' are over-rated, I say. Taste is what counts in my book (and being healthy), regardless of how invented-yesterday it is or how easy it is to make.
Spot on:D
I've met her in real life. She's related to my relatives (i.e. not my blood relatives.
She can't cook to save her life. Made some watery chicken curry and then proceeded to stick whole baby carrots in it...
trust me, its a pretty bad combo.
She was dating a much better looking Italian guy (don't check out dudes, but any fool could see he was a complete 180 from Salman) at the time of the curry incident who oddly really wanted to play football in the backyard.
Root beer = Iodex - YES! But there's more to wings than Tabasco. There's Frank's hot sauce, vinegar, celery salt and garlic powder too. For some reason me and every desi I know who went to the US is a wings FANATIC. My amriki friends said they never ate so much bar food before meeting me...
MTR rassam and sambhar powders are v.g.
You do need a small small food processor for masala pastes (esp with coconut) and Thai pastes. Braun makes one that has various attachments including an in-the-pot blender extension, and it works best for masalas, IMO. Mini-Cuisinart sucks.