January 2007
My camera has been stolen. So those photographs that I promised will just have to wait until I find it or arrange for another one. I am quite upset and depressed about it but such is life I guess.
So the eating frenzy continues. Went to another wedding last night and the food was all vegetarian. At first, I was deceived into thinking that it was meat since they were peddling (i know, i know - offering is what i should be saying) things such as chicken tikka and kebabs but later found out that it was all different versions of tofu. Tofu galore I will call the evening. It got to be a bit much and so we decided to go to a neighboring restuarant that served Indian Chinese food. We all trapsed in there and ordered Chicken Corn Soup. It was so so, not the best that I have had. Was missing some of the inherent sweetness that corn provides. Then we had some prawns that were succulent and some chicken and pork ribs which were delicious. There were big chunks of fat attached to the ribs which made them mouth meltingly divine and yummy. We were stuffed to the hilt and were not even able to get to the main course which were Chili Garlic noodles. As soon as we saw it at the table we asked them to pack it up had them for breakfast this morning. Nothing like cold chinese food for breakfast.
Lets see where the day takes me today. I will sure to report about all the food I partake of today.
Until then. Please, please send me some comments.
Until we eat again!
January 27, 2007
January 24, 2007
January 22, 2007
January 2007
Going for another round of the afore-mentioned chaat. Looking forward to it. Had a big breakfast but should have enough room in a couple of hours to enjoy the chaat.
So are there any childhood foods that you crave? What are they and how often are you able to get your hands on them. Lets get the conversation going here.
Going for another round of the afore-mentioned chaat. Looking forward to it. Had a big breakfast but should have enough room in a couple of hours to enjoy the chaat.
So are there any childhood foods that you crave? What are they and how often are you able to get your hands on them. Lets get the conversation going here.
January 21, 2007
January 2007
In the last couple of days I went to two catered affairs in Delhi. The first was a wedding reception and the other was a wedding anniversary celebration. One of the two was clearly my favorite and thus the winner. There were atleast a dozen appetizers being passed around by servers. It was all Indian and quite good. There was Chicken Tikka and Green Pea Kebabs (which I liked very much and was unusual). There was also soup, which was quite bad I hate to say. The appetizers were hot, plentiful and provided most of the respite from hunger. By the time dinner was unveiled at the first event I was quite full but that hasn't stopped me in the past - so what was different on this day? I took a plate and started to make my way down the buffet. There were the obligatory salads which I generally stay away from except the Russian Salad which was a childhood favorite. I had to indulge in that one. All it is is boiled vegetables like carrots, peas and potatoes slathered in mayonnaise. Quite simple and not too appealing to some but for me it carries a load full of childhood memories. And how can you go wrong with anything that is slathered in copious amounts of mayonnaise?
Moving down the buffet line there were the curries - lamb and chicken and then some sauteed stuff with paneer and chicken. There was dal and some vegetables. The thing I liked most was that fresh breads were being prepared to order. Tandoori naan and parathas and missi rotis. Also roomali roti. That was quite a treat and I enjoyed that part of the meal the most.
So this buffet was done and over with. To be fair I will say that I had had more than my share of the appetizers and probably didn't do much justice to the dinner but I have taste buds and this wasn't the best food I've had.
The second was a lunch yesterday at a farm house. The setting was beautiful and so was the day. A nice sunny afternoon. The appetizers started and they were quite good and also as plentiful as the last event. There were seekh kebabs, chicken tikka, mushrooms, tandoori stuffed potatoes and more. Once again, I had to try it all and more than once or twice. This time when lunch was set I still had enough of an appetite to enjoy the lunch. I was told that the focus was on Kashmiri food. Some I was familiar with and some not. There were these meatballs where the meat was way too pulverized for my taste. Almost like a bad hot dog. Then there was this chicken curry in a white sauce redolent with whole spices like cinnamon and cardamom. The rice was beautifully cooked. There was paneer prepared on a large skillet and leg of mutton that was luscious and falling off the bone. There was haleem which is lentils and meat cooked together for a long time to form a creamy and silky concoction. They also had breads prepared to order and then these gulati kebabs, which if I am not mistaken are little morsels of minced meat cooked on a skillet. Crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside. Very nice indeed.
That was the delicious lunch - far superior to the dinner of the other night. A good introduction to the caterers of Delhi that I hear are plentiful.
It is my plan to move to India some day and open a catering company of my own. I will not do too much Indian food as there seem to be plenty other people doing a good job of it. I intend on offering a variety of other cuisines and focusing on the service and presentation which I wasn't impressed with.
So that's the plan and that's the description of my two catered affairs that I attended.
In the last couple of days I went to two catered affairs in Delhi. The first was a wedding reception and the other was a wedding anniversary celebration. One of the two was clearly my favorite and thus the winner. There were atleast a dozen appetizers being passed around by servers. It was all Indian and quite good. There was Chicken Tikka and Green Pea Kebabs (which I liked very much and was unusual). There was also soup, which was quite bad I hate to say. The appetizers were hot, plentiful and provided most of the respite from hunger. By the time dinner was unveiled at the first event I was quite full but that hasn't stopped me in the past - so what was different on this day? I took a plate and started to make my way down the buffet. There were the obligatory salads which I generally stay away from except the Russian Salad which was a childhood favorite. I had to indulge in that one. All it is is boiled vegetables like carrots, peas and potatoes slathered in mayonnaise. Quite simple and not too appealing to some but for me it carries a load full of childhood memories. And how can you go wrong with anything that is slathered in copious amounts of mayonnaise?
Moving down the buffet line there were the curries - lamb and chicken and then some sauteed stuff with paneer and chicken. There was dal and some vegetables. The thing I liked most was that fresh breads were being prepared to order. Tandoori naan and parathas and missi rotis. Also roomali roti. That was quite a treat and I enjoyed that part of the meal the most.
So this buffet was done and over with. To be fair I will say that I had had more than my share of the appetizers and probably didn't do much justice to the dinner but I have taste buds and this wasn't the best food I've had.
The second was a lunch yesterday at a farm house. The setting was beautiful and so was the day. A nice sunny afternoon. The appetizers started and they were quite good and also as plentiful as the last event. There were seekh kebabs, chicken tikka, mushrooms, tandoori stuffed potatoes and more. Once again, I had to try it all and more than once or twice. This time when lunch was set I still had enough of an appetite to enjoy the lunch. I was told that the focus was on Kashmiri food. Some I was familiar with and some not. There were these meatballs where the meat was way too pulverized for my taste. Almost like a bad hot dog. Then there was this chicken curry in a white sauce redolent with whole spices like cinnamon and cardamom. The rice was beautifully cooked. There was paneer prepared on a large skillet and leg of mutton that was luscious and falling off the bone. There was haleem which is lentils and meat cooked together for a long time to form a creamy and silky concoction. They also had breads prepared to order and then these gulati kebabs, which if I am not mistaken are little morsels of minced meat cooked on a skillet. Crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside. Very nice indeed.
That was the delicious lunch - far superior to the dinner of the other night. A good introduction to the caterers of Delhi that I hear are plentiful.
It is my plan to move to India some day and open a catering company of my own. I will not do too much Indian food as there seem to be plenty other people doing a good job of it. I intend on offering a variety of other cuisines and focusing on the service and presentation which I wasn't impressed with.
So that's the plan and that's the description of my two catered affairs that I attended.
January 19, 2007
January 2007
Random thoughts about my dining experiences in India
Most meals are had with a companion. Now that may be because I am on vacation and am always surrounded by family - but as a rule ... at least one meal is had with family. The other thing that I noted was that almost every meal is freshly prepared that day from scratch. This is probably the case since all households have help and the prep if not the cooking is done by the help. That encourages most people to eat fresh meals everyday. There is also some unconscious Ayurvedic traditions at play here since it is suggested that all food is alive and thus should be eaten at its prime. Refrigerated, and especially frozen food is frowned upon.
Thinking to my life back in the United States, I am certainly not going to employ a cook or a person to cut my vegetables but I can surely try to eat a freshly cooked meal everyday or every other day. Also, all the food eaten starts off in its natural form in that the carrot is freshly peeled and the chicken is probably freshly killed. No packets and cans here - which adds to the healthful properties of the meal.
Eating with another person has to be important too. One actually takes the time to lay the table and the sense of sharing and well being prevails.
I probably cannot dramatically change my lifestyle when I get back to the states but I can surely incorporate a few of the above in my daily meal times.
Until we eat again.
Random thoughts about my dining experiences in India
Most meals are had with a companion. Now that may be because I am on vacation and am always surrounded by family - but as a rule ... at least one meal is had with family. The other thing that I noted was that almost every meal is freshly prepared that day from scratch. This is probably the case since all households have help and the prep if not the cooking is done by the help. That encourages most people to eat fresh meals everyday. There is also some unconscious Ayurvedic traditions at play here since it is suggested that all food is alive and thus should be eaten at its prime. Refrigerated, and especially frozen food is frowned upon.
Thinking to my life back in the United States, I am certainly not going to employ a cook or a person to cut my vegetables but I can surely try to eat a freshly cooked meal everyday or every other day. Also, all the food eaten starts off in its natural form in that the carrot is freshly peeled and the chicken is probably freshly killed. No packets and cans here - which adds to the healthful properties of the meal.
Eating with another person has to be important too. One actually takes the time to lay the table and the sense of sharing and well being prevails.
I probably cannot dramatically change my lifestyle when I get back to the states but I can surely incorporate a few of the above in my daily meal times.
Until we eat again.
January 18, 2007
January 2007
So the chaat was quite nice. One of the biggest complaints I have about the chaat these days is the sanitization of it. As opposed to getting it on the streets like the days of yore, one eats chaat in brick and mortar buildings now. Some of the charm, atleast for me is lost in the process. But what can one do. Atleast the chaat thrives and that is what is more important to me.
We went to this place called Om Sweets after seeing another store we originally wanted to go closed. We sat down and ordered a few things. Papri chaat was the first to come. This is fried flats of chickpea dough, doused in tamarind chutney, yogurt, boiled potatoes and more chickpeas. It is also sprinkled with some indescribeable spices which will never be revealed by the proprietor. Dry mango powder and cayenne is my guess. We enjoyed the crunchy chaat with the tangy tamarind and the cooling yogurt. Quite delicious sans the grimy hands of the man on the street.
Next we had the Raj Kachori. What this is - is an over-sized fried dough ball about 5 to 6 inches big. It is placed smack in the middle of the plate and is then stuffed with sprouted green lentils, boiled potatoes, chickpeas and the tamarind and yogurt sauces. Quite good and eerily similar to the Papri Chaat. This is a fairly new concoction. Didn't exist when I was last here about 10 years ago. Good development nevertheless.
Now on to Channa Bhatura. This is a delicious chickpea dish cooked in dark spices like cinnamon, cloves and cardamom. It is all simmered for quite some time until the spices have immersed themselves into the chickpeas and developed this rich, luscious dark sauce that coats the chickpeas. It is garnished with fresh cilantro, raw red onions and green chillies. It is served with these fried pillows of love, as I think of them. It is white flour that is kneaded and fried into large poori like bread. It is different from pooris in that they are more doughy and a tad sour with the yeast in the dough. A very delicious lunch any given day.
The next dish is a bit hard for me to describe. This is Mattar Kulcha. Now the mattar part of the dish is dried green peas cooked with some mellow spices. It is garnished similarly to the above described channa. This dish has major childhood romantic value. The man that sold this treat - yelled outside on the street every few days to get our attention. He placed his make shift stand down and atop it a big pot of these mattars that simmered for hours. I had to negotiate with my mother and promise her that it wouldn't ruin my dinner and that I would study extra hard the next day. The kulcha part is similar to the Bhatura - but it is not fried. I believe it is steamed and then baked-not to be quoted at this time. I have recently acquired this encyclopedia of Indian food that I shall be referring to often and reporting back.
That was lunch. A very worthy trip despite the sanitized surroundings.
Until we eat again.
So the chaat was quite nice. One of the biggest complaints I have about the chaat these days is the sanitization of it. As opposed to getting it on the streets like the days of yore, one eats chaat in brick and mortar buildings now. Some of the charm, atleast for me is lost in the process. But what can one do. Atleast the chaat thrives and that is what is more important to me.
We went to this place called Om Sweets after seeing another store we originally wanted to go closed. We sat down and ordered a few things. Papri chaat was the first to come. This is fried flats of chickpea dough, doused in tamarind chutney, yogurt, boiled potatoes and more chickpeas. It is also sprinkled with some indescribeable spices which will never be revealed by the proprietor. Dry mango powder and cayenne is my guess. We enjoyed the crunchy chaat with the tangy tamarind and the cooling yogurt. Quite delicious sans the grimy hands of the man on the street.
Next we had the Raj Kachori. What this is - is an over-sized fried dough ball about 5 to 6 inches big. It is placed smack in the middle of the plate and is then stuffed with sprouted green lentils, boiled potatoes, chickpeas and the tamarind and yogurt sauces. Quite good and eerily similar to the Papri Chaat. This is a fairly new concoction. Didn't exist when I was last here about 10 years ago. Good development nevertheless.
Now on to Channa Bhatura. This is a delicious chickpea dish cooked in dark spices like cinnamon, cloves and cardamom. It is all simmered for quite some time until the spices have immersed themselves into the chickpeas and developed this rich, luscious dark sauce that coats the chickpeas. It is garnished with fresh cilantro, raw red onions and green chillies. It is served with these fried pillows of love, as I think of them. It is white flour that is kneaded and fried into large poori like bread. It is different from pooris in that they are more doughy and a tad sour with the yeast in the dough. A very delicious lunch any given day.
The next dish is a bit hard for me to describe. This is Mattar Kulcha. Now the mattar part of the dish is dried green peas cooked with some mellow spices. It is garnished similarly to the above described channa. This dish has major childhood romantic value. The man that sold this treat - yelled outside on the street every few days to get our attention. He placed his make shift stand down and atop it a big pot of these mattars that simmered for hours. I had to negotiate with my mother and promise her that it wouldn't ruin my dinner and that I would study extra hard the next day. The kulcha part is similar to the Bhatura - but it is not fried. I believe it is steamed and then baked-not to be quoted at this time. I have recently acquired this encyclopedia of Indian food that I shall be referring to often and reporting back.
That was lunch. A very worthy trip despite the sanitized surroundings.
Until we eat again.
January 2007
I am in India these days on holiday. Have returned after 10 years and there are many changes for me to experience and of course a lot of food for me to consume. The traditional food remains the same. I thank God for that. Some new fangled European restaurants have sprung up. More on those later. Right now I want to talk about chaat. This is India's quintessential street food. Say the word Chaat to anyone in India and they begin to salivate and look around to see what awaits them on the street corner. There are many kinds of chaat. Much like all Indian food it varies by region. I was in Bombay a few weeks ago and Bhel Puri and Pav Bhaji is the thing to have. I am in Delhi now and Gol Gappas and Papri and Tikkis are what I am about to have for lunch. I can't wait.
I am in India these days on holiday. Have returned after 10 years and there are many changes for me to experience and of course a lot of food for me to consume. The traditional food remains the same. I thank God for that. Some new fangled European restaurants have sprung up. More on those later. Right now I want to talk about chaat. This is India's quintessential street food. Say the word Chaat to anyone in India and they begin to salivate and look around to see what awaits them on the street corner. There are many kinds of chaat. Much like all Indian food it varies by region. I was in Bombay a few weeks ago and Bhel Puri and Pav Bhaji is the thing to have. I am in Delhi now and Gol Gappas and Papri and Tikkis are what I am about to have for lunch. I can't wait.
January 2007
Happy New Year. This is the first day of the rest of my blog. I have wanted to blog for several months now-enjoying many specimens of very good blogging and some not so good blogging. Wanted to join the bandwagon but one thing or the other kept stopping me. But today I woke up with a resolve that has brought me to this post.
I hope you will join me in my journey of all things food. I would love to hear from you regularly - the good, the bad and the out right rude. Bring it on. I am a big girl and I am sure that I can handle it.
So what do I intent to do with this blog?
I have no set ideas as of yet except that it will involve food every step of the way. What I eat, what I am about to eat, what I would love to eat. There will be no recipes or reviews per se, but once in a while if I come across something exceptional that I think you will enjoy - I will be sure to post it.
This blog will evolve with me and the times. Lets see where the journey takes me and I hope you join me along the way.
Happy New Year. This is the first day of the rest of my blog. I have wanted to blog for several months now-enjoying many specimens of very good blogging and some not so good blogging. Wanted to join the bandwagon but one thing or the other kept stopping me. But today I woke up with a resolve that has brought me to this post.
I hope you will join me in my journey of all things food. I would love to hear from you regularly - the good, the bad and the out right rude. Bring it on. I am a big girl and I am sure that I can handle it.
So what do I intent to do with this blog?
I have no set ideas as of yet except that it will involve food every step of the way. What I eat, what I am about to eat, what I would love to eat. There will be no recipes or reviews per se, but once in a while if I come across something exceptional that I think you will enjoy - I will be sure to post it.
This blog will evolve with me and the times. Lets see where the journey takes me and I hope you join me along the way.
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