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Category Archives: science
Desmid Dividing!
Desmid Dividing! Continue reading
Red, White and Grape: From Jumping Genes to Wrapping Leaves for Dolma
Red or White? Even King Tutankhamun (1332-1322 B.C.) prudently stashed away amphorae of both red and white wines to enjoy in the afterlife. Biochemically, a single class of pigments found in grape skin, the anthocyanins, separates the red from white. White … Continue reading
Posted in FOOD, Garden, Middle Eastern, science, Spices, Vegetarian
Tagged anthocyanins, dolma, grape leaves, Greek, jumping gene, rice stuffing
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The Flight of the Hummingbird
The Flight of the Hummingbird Continue reading
Gene Drives: Green Signal or Back Seat?
Gene Drives: Green Signal or Back Seat? Continue reading
Falafel Faves and Favism
Start with dry chickpeas. Fresh bought works best (save those fossilized pellets from the back of your pantry for ammunition in case of squirrel invasion). Soak the chickpeas overnight in generous excess of water and they will reward you by becoming pleasingly plump and doubling in quantity. One cup dry chickpeas should be plenty, two will feed a crowd. Continue reading
Posted in FOOD, Humor, Middle Eastern, science, Travel, Vegetarian
Tagged baba ganouj, Chickpeas, Falafel, Fava beans, Favism
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Inferring from Infrared
Inferring from Infrared Continue reading
Pumping up Pumpkin Pie
My postdoctoral advisor, Carolyn Slayman, could strike fear into us by the deceptively mild statement..”Wouldn’t it be nice..?” We all knew what that meant. At least another couple of months of experiments, if we were lucky. Twenty years later, I … Continue reading
Fun With Furans: Making Flat Bread with Fenugreek
The first reports of a strangely seductive aroma wafting over Manhattan, Queens and nearby New Jersey began in 2005. People smelled maple syrup, which got them fantasizing over pancakes and waffles. No doubt, the local Denny’s did brisk business. But … Continue reading
Posted in FOOD, Herbs, Indian food, science, Uncategorized, Vegetarian
Tagged aroma compounds, Fenugreek leaves, flat bread, methi paratha, sotolan
10 Comments
From Protein Folding to Punjabi Pea Paneer
Making fresh Indian cheese, or paneer, used to be a bit of a production in my home. My mother would start with not-so-fresh milk (why “waste” good milk, was her reasoning), bring it to a boil and then add lemon … Continue reading
Posted in FOOD, Humor, Indian food, Matar Paneer, science, Spices
Tagged Mattar paneer, paneer, protein, vegan curry, vegan gravy
11 Comments
Of Hartford and Homemade Red Rooster Sauce
“Do you take Hartford?” The elegant sari-clad matriarch nodded kindly in my direction as I filled my plate at one of those pot luck events that brighten the dim memories of my postdoctoral tenure. I puzzled over the query for … Continue reading
Posted in FOOD, Humor, science, Spices
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madame scientist's not-so-mad musings 