Food for thought

And so comes the end of another memorable trip in India. Below is a collection of various thoughts and internal discussions I have had in these last 3 weeks. I couldn't write them out like a proper blog because that would make it longer than it already is. Let me know what you think.

Final Thoughts:

• According to Wikipedia, India has 28 states, 7 union territories, 22 official languages, 26 "other" languages and more than 6 religions. 

• Contrast throughout the country: "Big city life" of Delhi vs small town in UP, Himalayas in Himachal vs beaches in Goa, Thar desert in Rajasthan vs farms in Jharkhand, modern development vs ancient structures and practices, rich vs poor. 

• Some think I love India too much. My excuse: Emotions, celebrations, food, family and religion are all combined and dependent on one another. There aren't too many countries that have this. This blog was just an excuse for me to attempt to articulate this passion of mine.

• When people describe India they only say how crowded and dirty it is, conveniently ignoring that dirty little secret: Its beautiful. Those who have seen the Taj or Shimla in winter (with snow) will agree.

• I think that those who refuse to give India a chance are not necessarily scared of India; they're actually scared of what they may find out about themselves. Scared that they will not be smart enough and strong enough to go through what 1.3 Billion people go through on a daily basis. 

• "Jugaad" is a Punjabi-Hindi word which basically means "a quick work-around or improvisation". I think this is India's greatest strength as well as its greatest weakness: Strength because people are able to adjust to the perpetually-changing environment around them, allowing India, with its massive population, to operate. One example of this happened in Tanda (small town in UP). When all the water had been used up and there was no electricity, my family was able to take a bucket next door, fill it up using the old hand-pump and then warm it over an open fire so we could shower. If this happened in another country, chances are that not many of us would know how to react and some would probably act as if its the biggest problem in the world. However, "Jugaad" is a major weakness because these adjustments, and this mentality doesn't provide a solution for the root cause of problems.  

• Message to India: While stereotyping is fun, it shouldn't be Punjabis vs Bengalis, Delhiites vs Mumbaikars, North vs South. Whatever the goal is, it should be done together with a united front. I'm sick of having a new state carved out every five years.
• Message to the world: Give India a chance. There really is something for everyone. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. And if you don't want to give it a chance - that's also fine, but please keep your negativity to yourself. With a population exceeding 1.5 Billion (including those who have left the motherland in search of a "better" life), there are enough people who have negative things to say about India without actually providing a solution or trying to do anything about it. 

As always, I'm taking back with me an increased waist size and countless memories of my home. I'm already missing it and planning my next visit. But until then, I hope you all get a real taste of the motherland and have enjoyed mine.

Thanks,

Zain

Rickshaw stand in Delhi

My dream facial hair

Mosques, Temples and Churches

some mouth watering delights which deserve mentioning - Chicken lolipops, kabli mutter chaat, bhel puri, imirti, kachi tikkia, zarda and jelebi

the tri colour waving high on Karnataka's state government assembly hall

Best Chole-Bhature in Delhi

After some shopping in Palika Bazaar (underground market) and CP (Connaught Place), dad and I caught a rickshaw to Bengali Market -  a small suburb of central Delhi known for its concentration of 2 things that are generally synonymous: Bengalis and delicious sweet shops.

Nathu's Sweet House is the place we would often have lunch at when I was younger so today we took a stroll down memory lane and had Nathu's famous chole-bhature - a Punjabi meal. 

Chole-Bhature
Category: Main vegetarian meal
Nostril Flaring (hygiene issues): None identified
Personal Rating: Best chole-bhature in Delhi, my favourite vegetarian meal.

The first thing you notice when you get a plate of chole-bhature is the bhature (similar to puri). Nathu's bhature are huge! Both of them were about the size of half a basketball. Luckily these ones were not stuffed with anything - that would have made it impossible to finish. These ones were fresh out of the kadhai (fry pan) and incredibly soft making it easy to break.

The chole (chickpea curry) was full of flavour and mildly spicy (not too much but had a slight kick). I think the fried/roasted zeera (cumin) seeds and deep fried aaloo (potatoe) that garnished the chole gave it a distinctive taste and added a different texture. The chole is what makes or breaks this meal; this chole definitely made it.

Chole-bhature is normally served with onions, green chili, pickle or chutney.  The chutney that was served at Nathu's was spicy and added a lot of flavour to each bite. 

We also had masala dosa (a South Indian meal), lassi and Ras Malai (a Bengali mithai). All of these were incredible but probably deserve their own blog so I'll leave them out for now.

Nathu's Sweet House is an amazing restaurant which serves authentic and very tasty food at a reasonable price (< Rs 200 per meal). Ironically, if you're looking for a delicious Punjabi meal, go to the Bengali part of town and order Nathu's Chole-Bhature.

Delhi's No.1 Chole-Bhature

Entrance of Nathu's Sweet House with their vast range of mithai on display

Rasoi - Where it all begins

I've never been a fan of Indian restaurants outside of India. They commercialize and dilute the taste of real Indian food. This is what makes me appreciate the food made in my mom's Rasoi (kitchen)  made by the hands of my friends and family. I'm in Tanda (Uttar Pradesh), my Dad's very small hometown, to catch up with family and attend my cousin's wedding (summary shown in picture 1). Tanda is about 180 km East of Lucknow and by "very small", I mean by Indian standards - a population exceeding 150,000. I've had the pleasure of experiencing many family traditions - a lot of which involve eating and preparing delicious and traditional recipes that no 5-star restaurant can replicate.

Indian weddings consist of many functions and ceremonies, all of which are incomplete without a grand feast. Unlike bigger cities, Tanda prefers to follow traditional processes of preparing meals for these ceremonies - e.g. where all of the older women in the family spend hours (waking up early) to prepare the ingredients before cooking the meal in large pots over open fires which will serve hundreds of people (picture 2 shows the gulgules made at 4am). The men also get involved in the process too. They are the ones who collect the bulk ingredients from various markets and sellers before cooking and serving some of the meals themselves (picture 3). 

After the beautiful wedding (Nikkah) ceremony, when my new bhabhi (sister-in-law) a.k.a. the new bahu (daughter-in-law) entered our house, there is a small game that is played where the younger Devar's (brother-in-laws) have to try to eat mithai from their bhabhis' moving hand 7 times. This meant that in 5 minutes I had 7 pieces of mithai (picture 4)

The traditions above are just some of the rituals I got to see. Its tough to truly explain and convey the emotions that go into Indian weddings; whether its the stress of having to cater for such a large group and make a good impression, the joy of having the extended family together, the adrenaline from the monkey attack on the house and even the sight of seeing your dad walk around in a lungi while speaking the local Urdu/Hindi dialect of Tanda. It all just seemed to make the food taste better.

This experience has confirmed my belief that some recipes are better left in the rasoi and away from those who wish to commercialize and dilute the emotions that go into each meal.

Kababi Kababs

Lucknow is famous for 4 main things: hand embroidered chikan material, its importance in modern Indian history, Lucknowi Tehzeeb (etiquette) and most importantly - the non-vegetarian Mughalai cuisine from the time of the Nawabs.  

When you're in Lucknow, you'll never be more than 100m away from fresh kababs, biryani and curries being made on large fry pans outside the numerous restaurants. This city really is a meat-eaters paradise.

I focused my taste buds on 2 main restaurants which happen to be neighbours - Tunday Kababi and Wahid Biryani.  

Tunday Kababi
Category: Non-Veg Meal (Galawati Kababs, Tandoori Chicken and Biryani)
Nostril Flaring (hygiene issues): 2/5
Personal Rating: 2nd favourite Kabab  

In the heart of Aminabad, arguably Lucknow's most famous restaurant, Tunday Kababi offers a special and unique kabab which is sometimes called the "King of Kababs" - the mutton galawati kabab. This kabab is so soft you don't have to chew it - it literally melts away in your mouth. It is also incredibly delicious. Supposedly, the secret is the 100+ spices that the meat is marinated in overnight and it is cooked with the commonly used tenderiser - papaya (paw paw). Picture 1 shows the 45 Rs plate of kababs served with a beautifully layered paratha and onion salad.  

The biryani (picture 2) and tandoori chicken were also very tasty. Lucknowi biryani, unlike its Hyderabadi sibling, does not have as much masala flowing through it. This allows the aroma of the rice to come through and makes it lighter on the stomach.  

Tunday kabab is a historic restaurant which is extremely popular with the locals and even Bollywood celebrities (picture 3 shows one the many pictures which are displayed throughout the restaurant). If you only have time for one meal in Lucknow, make sure it is at Tunday.  

Wahid Biryani
Category: Non-Veg meal (Shammi Kabab, Mughalai Paratha, Chicken Biryani)
Nostril Flaring: 3/5
Personal Rating: #1 Kabab, better biryani than Tunday.  

Right next to Tunday Kababi, is a small mughalai restaurant called Wahid Biryani. Picture 4 shows  their special shammi kababs, tandoori chicken and mughalai paratha being made on the hot plates in front. The shammi kababs were served with coriander and green chilli chutney. Tunday kababs were my favourite until I had this shammi kabab. It wasn't as soft, but it just tasted better to me. Shammi kababs don't use tenderiser like galawati and instead are cooked with besan (chickpea flour). The mughalai paratha had its own rich taste and was the perfect bread to have the kabab with.  

The biryani, appropriately called "Wahid Biryani" on the menu, has a bit more flavour in it than Tunday's and a slightly larger portion size.  

I personally enjoyed Wahid Biryani more because it was less crowded and, in my opinion, tasted better than Tunday. However, as the crowd favourite I recommend Tunday kabab for the common tourist who is seeking a tasty Nawabi meal.

I'll sign off here in true Lucknowi fashion by slightly lowering my head, raising my right hand towards my head and humbly saying "Dua mein yaad rakna" ("remember me in your prayers").

Ram Asrey Mithai and Shree Lassi

I'm here in Lucknow, a.k.a "The city of Nawabs", a.k.a "The Constantinople of the East" and after visiting Chota Imambara (picture 1), the majestic shrine of the 3rd Nawab of Avadh, I set out to find some of Lucknow's famous and unique mithais (sweets / desserts).  

Mithai plays an extremely important role in Indian culture and the cuisine - every birthday, every wedding, every new job, every new child, every celebration is incomplete without a pack of rich, colourful and sugary goodness. Every region of India have their own special mithai which they are known for. Today, however, I got to try some mithai you don't find in every sweet shop.  

Ram Asrey Mithai (Hazratganj, Lucknow) - "Khushiyon ki mithai"

Category: Desserts/Sweets
Nostril Flaring (Hygiene issues): None
Personal Rating: 3/5 overall, 5/5 character/originality   

Ram Asrey is a sweet shop which has been operating since the 1800s and is one of Lucknow's most popular. It was a very professional sweet shop with the necessary measures in place to keep the food free of contamination (e.g. all food covered, use of gloves etc). However, at 3pm it seemed as if they did not have a very comprehensive range of sweets. It could be that many products sold out during the day. Nevertheless, the ones which were available proved to be a unique range which I had not seen before.  

Malai Paan
Yes, your eyes are not playing tricks on you.  Picture 2 shows Ram Asrey's signiture product - Malai Paan. Malai is tickened (solidified) milk when it is boiled for a long period of time. Inside the malai "leaf" was a mixture of nuts and syrup. It was an interesting mithai and surprisingly tasty.

Santra ke Halwa
Picture 3 shows you another special preparation which I had never seen before. A halwa (cooked and mashed sweet) made from Orange (santra) peel. Similar to orange marmalade (but far thicker and more rich due to the ghee), this is quite unusual as Indian mithai are generally not made from fruit. If kept cool it would be somewhat refreshing on warm days.    

Lal Peda
Peda is a popular and common mithai originating from this state of Uttar Pradesh (according to locals and Wikipedia) - usually bright yellow (from kesar i.e. saffron) or creamy milk. Picture 4, however, shows Ram Asrey's lal (Red) peda which is slightly more coarse and not as creamy as its yellow and white siblings. I personally prefer the kesar peda, however those who like mithai which are not too sweet wil enjoy the lal peda.  

Overall, Ram Asrey has a range of mithai which may not be found in most sweet shops. On their gift packaging it has their slogan - Khushiyon ki mithai (Desserts of/for Happiness). Quite appropriate because these unique mithais seem to make you smile as you know you're having something special.  

Shree Lassi

Category: Drink 
Nostril Flaring: None identified
Personal Rating: #1 Lassi  

My cousin took me to this place to have "one of the best lassi's in town" and I was not disappointed. Lassi, for those who don't know, is basically a yoghurt-based milkshake which comes in sweet and savoury versions. While there are different flavours,  my favourite is a plain sweet one. Picture 5 shows  what I received - a full glass of delicious and refreshing lassi with some pieces of malai on top. Instead of a straw, the shop keeper gave me a spoon so I could finish the malai. Im no lassi expert, but this was definitely the best one I've had.  

I also had their Gulab Jamun and it was equally as spectacular. Those who know my taste will agree that I am particularly critical of Gulab Jamuns as they are my favourite mithai. I take my Gulab Jamuns seriously.  Unfortunately, I was too caught up in the moment and was unable to take a picture of it.  

Shree Lassi is a local favourite which you must try when visiting Lucknow.  

Hope you enjoyed this introduction to Lucknowi cuisine. Next time I'll be telling you about what Lucknow is really famous for. Let me know your thoughts or if you have any questions so far. Until next time...

Gol Gappe (aka "Pani Puri" and "Phutchka") in Gurgaon

Category: Street-food / Snack
Nostril Flaring (hygiene): dependent on location
Personal Rating: #1 of its category

Its been 12 hours since I landed at Indira Gandhi International Airport (New Delhi) and it feels damn good to be back. To celebrate, I thought I would throw my stomach in the deep end by exposing it to good old quality street food. And since I'm having street food, I thought I should start off with my favourite road-side delight - a plate of Gol Gappe.

Gol Gappe is a common snack found throughout the country with different names - e.g. Pani Puri in Mumbai and Phutchka (pronounced "Fooch.ka") in Kolkata. Its made  of 3 main parts; the small, thin and crispy potatoe or suji ball, the stuffing (boiled potatoe and chickpeas) and the flavoured water (generally 2 choices - bitter/spicy and sweet). While it is possible to have this as a take away, the authentic experience consists of standing next to the chaat-wala (person making and serving it) as he punches a hole into the ball, fills it with stuffing and then dunks it into the flavoured water before serving it to you in a small bowl which will catch any of the water that leaks out. You have only one chance to get it right - eat the whole gol gappe in one bite; trying to take a small bite of it will be messy and leave you looking like a fool who doesn't know how to eat Gol Gappe. Its all or nothing. When you're ready, you hold your plate out and the same thing happens 5 more times or more if "1 plate" isn't enough.

As I am using my phone to write and post this I don't think I can embed pictures into the text so both of them will be at the bottom or the top. Picture 1 shows what the end product looks like. It may not look too appealing but those who have had it before will agree that looks can be deceiving.

There are many things about Gol Gappe which make it such a special snack. Firstly, the spice and flavour all come from the water mixture; i.e. the combination of the sweet and spicy leaves your taste buds fizzing. Picture 2 shows the sweet (red) and spicy (green) water mixtures which are generally used in Gol Gappe. You can normally instruct the chaat-wala how you like it. Personally, I love the bitter/spicy one. If you're feeling adventurous and want to do as the locals do, at the end of your serving you can take a scoop of the water in your bowl and drink it by itself. This gives you a peculiar long lasting feeling of cold spicyness on the back of your throat.

Secondly,  Gol Gappe is hardly ever the same in different places. Every plate of Gol Gappe that you buy is potentially "the best Gol Gappe ever". Its this uncertainty and anticipation that creates a buzz and excitement about having Gol Gappe - maybe more so than other chaats (snacks) available. During my last trip I came to the conclusion (more of an opinion) that Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai's Gol Gappe can be loosely grouped as Bitter, Spicy, and Tangy/Sweet respectively.  

In terms of hygiene, it varies depending on each shop/business/chaat-wala. When travelling through India, you do need to be careful with the water that you consume.  However, to experience what I did a few hours ago, you need to take a few risks and have faith that your stomach and imune system have not been completely weakened by living in countries like NZ and Aus (i.e. where pollution is not a major issue). If you are one of those high-maintenance individuals who's nostrils flare at the thought of not having sparkling water from a gold tap, then Gol Gappe is definitely not for you. But if you do make the wise choice to try it out, when assessing the seller - word of mouth and large groups around the chaat-wala are a good starting point  

Ok this is becoming quite long and I think I have made my point. Gol Gappe/Pani Puri/Phutchka is my favourite road-side snack and I do urge you all to try this if you are craving a light snack or appetiser before going onto a heavy main.  Now for the final results:. The 30 Rs/plate Gol Gappe served at the stall outside Ansal's Plaza (in Gurgaon i.e Delhi) was surprisingly fantastic. The chaat-wala was friendly and good to talk to in between the Gol Gappes. Highly recommended. Below is a diary of how I felt hours after having it....
1 hr: Great. Feels like I just had some spicy food. No discomfort or pain.
5 hrs: Still good. Stomach still feeling the same.
Next morning: No issues. Excited and ready to have my next plate!

Got a train to Lucknow to catch. So I'll see you after the next meal......

Pilot

Hey guys. This is a brief intro to the blog I plan to write during my visit to India. Atm I'm writing this from Auckland International Airport, waiting to board my flight to Delhi (via HK) and I'll be returning on the 14th of Jan so it'll only be a short stay.

While this blog will include a few details about my travel experiences, as the name suggests, its mainly about one of the many things that make my Motherland such an amazing country - THE FOOD.

Background
Last year I went on a massive 4 month trip around India and fell in love with the country - the land, the language, the people and the food. This gave me a good idea of what to expect this time and I have prepared myself with a list of places to try out.

I didn't do a blog on my last trip to India because it was more of a personal experience - only photos could describe it. Whereas food and the pleasure of experiencing the different tastes/smells/textures, as Indian cultural norms dicate: is best enjoyed when shared with the wider community.

Writing Style
This is my first blog and have no prior editorial type experience. I apologise if my writing seems a bit emotional - there aren't too many things that make me as happy as food does! Seriously. Its rare to find me NOT thinking or dreaming about nice food. My friends believe I am a real "bhukkad" - one who is always hungry for food.

Don't blame me if I spell Hindi/Urdu words wrong as there is no one correct spelling - they were never meant to be spelt in the English script. 

I'll try to give a brief description with a picture, some background info, possible variants (if any), a rating of hygiene (for the high-maintenance individuals) and any other info you might find interesting or should be aware of.

Im not sure how many I will get to do, but when I think I think of the all the street food, kababs, curries, desserts/sweets etc there should be enough to keep me busy as long as my stomach can handle it. I'm willing to put my body on the line for the sake of my audience ;)

So stay tuned and hopefully you enjoy this taste of the motherland.