h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Here is a lovely site about Wagashi: http://www.avis.ne.jp/~hisa/Iwasaki/toppage.htm

speaking of sweets .love Indian sweets spesh that one that sqweeks as you eat it (evaporated milk and almonds and pastachio nut (i think ) anyone know its name ?

Hi Mudhooks
oh i like the look of Iwa-simizu & Mizube Look very refreshing

Mmmmm.... Indian sweets.

Here is a great site with lots of images or some of the most beautiful Wagashi. The making of Wagashi is really is an artform, in itself: http://www.gafudo.co.jp/kisetsu/main3.html

Many of the Indian sweets have those ingredients. It may be Burfi.

Nope not according to google image.there are round almost white little dumplings in a evaporated milk sauce and as you bite into them they squeak against the teeth

Almost sounds like you mean gulab jaman pdante'. Coincidence you should mention them as our local newspapers food section is running segments on the city's various ethnic communities. Yesterdays included a picture of east indian children clustered around a bowl of gulab jaman. The article estimated our cities east indian population at over 40,000 which I'd say is reasonable. It also included a picture of a favourite of mine jalebi, a syrup-soaked rather pretzel-like confection. Guess what I'm off to purchase?

I used to eat gulab jaman when I was a kid - except then I couldn't pronounce it so I used to call it "Glub-Jub"

I was lucky enough to have an early education in "foreign" foods - my parents used to take us to lots of different restaurants from when I was about 4 years old, and I'm talking about back in the late 60's early 70's! We used to go out for an Indian meal every Friday night and we got to know the owners of one particular restaurant very well - so much so that us kids used to go into the kitchens and "help". I remember making a naan bread in the tandoor oven when I was about 7 or 8.

Mahmood - the boss - used to give us free Glub-Jubs if we behaved ourselves! (and sometimes free Mango )

Hi jaz'dupcurry,That almost sounds right but i remember them being almost the colour of almonds(same thing?)

*waves* Oh, I assume there may be some slight/minor variations. I haven't had them in quite awhile.

Gulab Jamun are usually brown, made of a cakey dough and steeped in syrup. http://www.eurasie.net/webzine/IMG/jpg/gulabjamun.jpg

More commonly known to Westerners as Rum Baba.

Other candidates:
Raismalai: http://www.madgeandgeoffrey.co.uk/rasmalai.htm
Rabdi Gulab: http://www.shaadi.com/wedding/kitchen/chefs/images/rabdi-gulab-b.jpg
A whole lot of candidates: http://www.geocities.com/parasu41/Indian_Sweets/

yahoo is offline for an hour so can't check the last ,but i think it's the first candy dateRasmalai
(wasn't that a catch phrase on the BBc's Goodness graceous me?

When I was a kid, my step-father's mother (I don't call her Granny anymore, as I think she was a real b!tch. She HATED me, and I was only 11) used to send parcels of things to my Dad.

They were packaged up in cotton duck, which was sewn up and had bolbs of sealing wax all over holding various seams and flaps, as well as the labels and string on tight.

Inside were all sorts of things, including some little toys, clothing (I think she thought there were no clothing shops in Canada) and sweets....

My two favorites were Halwa which, unlike the Arabic type is more like turkish delight, and something I have never seen again, though, almost 4 years later, I can still recall the taste of. It was a sort of waxy confection with cardamom, cashews, almonds, etc, sliced into paper-thin slices and layered in a box with waxed paper in between the slices.

Despite the fact that these things had taken months, if not a year to reach us by steamship, they were still in perfect condition, and no one was ever sick. I don't imagine any of these things had milk as an ingredient, and certainly not eggs.

I wish I knew either where to find the latter sweet, or at least a name and a recipe. Nothing seems to come close to being the right thing.

P.S thanks to Lady in a tree ,Jazdup, and Mudhooks, for input
MadgeandGeoffrey!?

Thanks for doing the research Mudhooks, my computer chose this morning to get tempramental again! *rolls eyes* Yes, I had looked at the Madgs & Geoffrey site before & was quite impressed. In any case, I have jelabi, etc to aquire.*waves*

Mudhooks, I know exactly what you're talking about, but cannot for the life of me remember the name. I will be stopping at the local persian market later on tonight, however, and will be sure and ask at the bakery.

One of the best things about living in southern California is the sheer plethora of ethnic foods. I'm a big fan of persian food, and the market just down the street from me makes so many of them from scratch. I'm currently addicted to Koo Koo and to their kabob.

Ummm, yes well I have been going through the posts again, been a few days since I have been on H2g2, and I came accross the car conversations, I can remember as a young, sweet, innocent 16 year old, (yes I can remember that far back) I had a boyfriend who owned a ford anglia!!! oh yes, I was the envy of all my friends!! of course aa few years later the greatest "trophy" boyfriend owned a ford escort, preferably with "go faster" stripes painted down the sides!!!

Some years later, probably at the ripe old age of about 23, I got to know a young man, very nice, who invited me out to dinner, he came to collect me, how very thoughtful, but I was mortified when I saw a Reliant Robin, with it,s 3 wheels, standing outside my house!!! He very proudly drove a Reliant Robin, I spent the entire journey with my head down searching for something in my handbag!!

Actually I drive, (reluctantly, I hate driving) a Fiat punto, it,s amazing how much junk, shopping, kids etc., one can fit in it!!!

Just thought I would add a bit of trivia

love
Jane

You drive a Punto but are embarrassed to be seen in a Robin? Apart from the number of wheels, is there that much difference?

RF

Traveller in Time on his head
"I more get the impression of a tardis punto, as it seems to fit the content of an average handbag."

OK, what are those day-glo flourescent orange things that are like mutant pretzels but are steeped in so much sugar water that they make a diabetic go into shock when they see a grainy black and white picture of them half a mile off through a bad telescope?


(Delish, by the way...)