Here were a few of our favorite meals:
Steamed Sticky rice in Bamboo - Our guide in Chiang Dao brought us to this road side place where a woman makes steamed rice in bamboo. The rice, sugar, and coconut mixture is stuffed into a hollow bamboo segment capped with hay. It is BBQed over a wood fire until steamed. The outer husk is then hacked off, the rice left to cool, then it's ready to eat by peeling away the bamboo from the rice. Simply amazing.
Crispy Aromatic Duck - This was tasty take on Peking duck that we have many times in Chinatown. - Chopsticks, Koh Tao
Malee's Buffet - We stayed in Malee's Guesthouse in Chiang Dao, north of Chiang Mai. The first night we went to the renowned Europen-Thai fusion restaurant next door, which was fabulous. The next night we dined on Malee's buffet. She served my favorite Thai curry, Green curry with chicken, mashed squash with egg, a huge platter of fresh fruit, and many other dishes. It was like dining in someones home. Not to be missed - Malee's GuestHouse in Chiang Dao
Thai Iced Tea - I am self-proclaimed iced tea snob. Northern restaurants on good days make me laugh with their version of iced tea, on bad days make me scream with horror. Thailand is where I surprisingly found excellent iced tea. They brew it extra strong, stronger than even the South. They they pour it over crushed ice and finish it with condensed milk!
Family meal at the Highland Restaurant - The restaurant at our resort in Raliay was the best in the area. We had no idea what to expect with the "family meal." You know a meal is going to be great when it starts with "maybe you should move to a bigger table." Our came a hot charcoal cauldron with a grille on top, a bowl of broth, a platter of veggies and rice noodles, and a plate of beef, chicken, fish, shrimp, and squid. We were instructed to coat the top with butter and then grill each. The resulting soup made from the meat drippings was delicious.
- Highland Resort, East Railay
Coke Zero out of a Glass Bottle - For fellow Coke Zero lovers, no more needs said.
You may notice on this list the abscense of Thai dishes in served in the US. They were there and we liked them. However, most good Thai resturants are very similar in the US. Therefore, it's just plain boring to write about Pad Thai.
- Nisha
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Saturday, December 1, 2007
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Thai Food I: Street Food
It took me quite awhile after arriving to Thailand to get into the food. It was not because a dislike of Thai food, since it is one of my favorite foods in the US, more more a dislike of where one eats Thai food. The restaurant culture of the US, India, and every other place I have been does not really exist here. There are restaurants, just not Thai ones. It seems that Thais will go a nice enclosed AC restaurant to have pizza, Chinese, or any non-Thai food. However, except in Bangkok, all Thai restaurants if not catering directly to tourists or in a 5-star hotel, are ramshackle open-air establishments or food carts.
The carts are not really permanent, since they are put up and taken down everyday, but they occupy the same location every night. They all have wheels to be pushed away at the end of the night. They do not have running water. They do have electricity and even meters to presumably pay someone for the power. The prices are all between 5 and 40 baht (10 - 80 cents). The ambiance matches the price - you eat on metal folding tables and plastic stools. Many are arranged in the same place to constitute a day or night food market. Some are simply a swerer or fruit seller attached to a sidecar.
In India street food is either sworn off or you know it will cost you some serious bathroom time. We had great hesitation in delving into the multitude of street eats. During our first week here, we ate primarily at tourist restaurants, which besides McDonald's, this is the place you can go to guarantee eating the worst food any locale has to offer. Slowly, as we saw more Westerners eating from them and not in the hospital with IVs, we too entered into the makeshift street restaurants.
What do they serve? Everything on a menu of a typical US Thai restaurant and more. The diversity is stunning. Curry carts offer over 10 types of succulent meat and vegetable curries. Soup carts offer something akin to Vietnamese Pho with sliced meat or shrimp, or duck. There were numerous BBQ carts with various processed meats creatively sculpted on the wooden skewer. The carts catering more to Thais include BBQed hanging offal, looking much like an anatomy class. There were stir-fry and pad Thai carts. Many served various types of iced tea - black, chrysanthemum, hibiscus, and ginger finished with condensed milk. Dessert carts had banana and nutella crepes, silver dollar pancakes filled with a coconut mixture. On every corner is a fruit cart filled with carved and chilled pineapple, banana, mango, dragon fruit, jack fruit, and watermelon whether for immediate consumption or to be whipped into a shake. The one I always looked out for was the mango and sticky rice cart. At first I scoffed at such a pedestrian dessert made with rice. However, it's hard to describe the unbelievable marriage of a silky fragrant mango with slightly salty, sweet, coconut stewed rice.
After a month in Thailand, food carts instilled in me, rather than fear and terror, a Pavlovian response of salivation. Some of the best food we had in Thailand came from these lowly eateries. Next post - more about specific dishes.
The carts are not really permanent, since they are put up and taken down everyday, but they occupy the same location every night. They all have wheels to be pushed away at the end of the night. They do not have running water. They do have electricity and even meters to presumably pay someone for the power. The prices are all between 5 and 40 baht (10 - 80 cents). The ambiance matches the price - you eat on metal folding tables and plastic stools. Many are arranged in the same place to constitute a day or night food market. Some are simply a swerer or fruit seller attached to a sidecar.
In India street food is either sworn off or you know it will cost you some serious bathroom time. We had great hesitation in delving into the multitude of street eats. During our first week here, we ate primarily at tourist restaurants, which besides McDonald's, this is the place you can go to guarantee eating the worst food any locale has to offer. Slowly, as we saw more Westerners eating from them and not in the hospital with IVs, we too entered into the makeshift street restaurants.
What do they serve? Everything on a menu of a typical US Thai restaurant and more. The diversity is stunning. Curry carts offer over 10 types of succulent meat and vegetable curries. Soup carts offer something akin to Vietnamese Pho with sliced meat or shrimp, or duck. There were numerous BBQ carts with various processed meats creatively sculpted on the wooden skewer. The carts catering more to Thais include BBQed hanging offal, looking much like an anatomy class. There were stir-fry and pad Thai carts. Many served various types of iced tea - black, chrysanthemum, hibiscus, and ginger finished with condensed milk. Dessert carts had banana and nutella crepes, silver dollar pancakes filled with a coconut mixture. On every corner is a fruit cart filled with carved and chilled pineapple, banana, mango, dragon fruit, jack fruit, and watermelon whether for immediate consumption or to be whipped into a shake. The one I always looked out for was the mango and sticky rice cart. At first I scoffed at such a pedestrian dessert made with rice. However, it's hard to describe the unbelievable marriage of a silky fragrant mango with slightly salty, sweet, coconut stewed rice.
After a month in Thailand, food carts instilled in me, rather than fear and terror, a Pavlovian response of salivation. Some of the best food we had in Thailand came from these lowly eateries. Next post - more about specific dishes.
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Mobile Dining
There is no such thing as an authentic Thai restaurant.
OK, that might be a strong statement, but the dining culture around Thai food is really something quite unique. In the first 10 days we have been here we have not seen a "Thai" restaurant that does not cater almost exclusively to foreigners. Rather, Thai food is almost exclusively served in numerous carts which appear on the streets sometimes at lunch time but usually around dusk. Some carts are free standing, but others are a scooter sidecar. The carts are also thankfully accompanied by plastic chair and table setups, also on the street. At most there are restaurants that are just a few tables in a storefront which has a permanent kitchen set up on the sidewalk.
It is very strange because there seems to be no fancy Thai food. Everything at all these places only costs 20 to 40 baht (50 cents to a little over a dollar). Don't get me wrong, the food is often very good, but it is unusual that eating with motorbikes and buses buzzing past you is the pinnacle of authentic Thai food, at least outside of someones house.
The other odd thing is that many places, especially the ones that are a storefront with a sidewalk kitchen, do not have a menu. It seems that basically Thais just walk up and order something from a list of standard Thai dishes that everyone should know how to make. It is almost like going to someones house and someone just asking you what you would like, assuming you know the ingredients that are present in the average American kitchen and what is reasonable to cook.
The best approach we have been able to take when eating at the food carts is to first walk down the sidewalk behind the row. If you cannot read the signs telling you what type of cart each one is, the affords you the opportunity to see what equipment and ingredients they have, and what type of food they likely prepare. For example, if there is a big vat of broth, it is likely a noodle soup cart. If they have a big wok, then they probably specialize in fried rice and pad Thai. Hotel trays of curry mean that curry of top of rice is a popular option.
I know to people at home it probably seems gross to be eating, very often, from food carts in a developing country. However, so far we have had a lot of luck with these carts, never having any problems at all. The one nice thing, and perhaps why Thais consider this the normal means of dining out, is that you can very clearly see the cleanliness of the area where the food is prepared. Usually it is very clean, much better then most Indian or low end American restaurant kitchens that I have snuck a peek into.
The only catch is what happened to Nisha when she was hungry. She pointed at a cart of fruit and said she wanted to go over and have a snack. However, before we made it over the proprietor fired up his scooter, and the sidecar full of fruit was soon speeding down the road.
OK, that might be a strong statement, but the dining culture around Thai food is really something quite unique. In the first 10 days we have been here we have not seen a "Thai" restaurant that does not cater almost exclusively to foreigners. Rather, Thai food is almost exclusively served in numerous carts which appear on the streets sometimes at lunch time but usually around dusk. Some carts are free standing, but others are a scooter sidecar. The carts are also thankfully accompanied by plastic chair and table setups, also on the street. At most there are restaurants that are just a few tables in a storefront which has a permanent kitchen set up on the sidewalk.
It is very strange because there seems to be no fancy Thai food. Everything at all these places only costs 20 to 40 baht (50 cents to a little over a dollar). Don't get me wrong, the food is often very good, but it is unusual that eating with motorbikes and buses buzzing past you is the pinnacle of authentic Thai food, at least outside of someones house.
The other odd thing is that many places, especially the ones that are a storefront with a sidewalk kitchen, do not have a menu. It seems that basically Thais just walk up and order something from a list of standard Thai dishes that everyone should know how to make. It is almost like going to someones house and someone just asking you what you would like, assuming you know the ingredients that are present in the average American kitchen and what is reasonable to cook.
The best approach we have been able to take when eating at the food carts is to first walk down the sidewalk behind the row. If you cannot read the signs telling you what type of cart each one is, the affords you the opportunity to see what equipment and ingredients they have, and what type of food they likely prepare. For example, if there is a big vat of broth, it is likely a noodle soup cart. If they have a big wok, then they probably specialize in fried rice and pad Thai. Hotel trays of curry mean that curry of top of rice is a popular option.
I know to people at home it probably seems gross to be eating, very often, from food carts in a developing country. However, so far we have had a lot of luck with these carts, never having any problems at all. The one nice thing, and perhaps why Thais consider this the normal means of dining out, is that you can very clearly see the cleanliness of the area where the food is prepared. Usually it is very clean, much better then most Indian or low end American restaurant kitchens that I have snuck a peek into.
The only catch is what happened to Nisha when she was hungry. She pointed at a cart of fruit and said she wanted to go over and have a snack. However, before we made it over the proprietor fired up his scooter, and the sidecar full of fruit was soon speeding down the road.
Sunday, November 4, 2007
I would rather drink with an elephant then a skinny bird
As you may have read previously, I was getting pretty sick of Kingfisher beer when I left India. Thankfully the situation in Thailand is a lot better.
They still have tariffs here that make only a small collection of beers reasonably priced. The ones that you see everywhere are Singha, Chang, Leo, Heineken and Tiger (from Singapore). They are all decent, sweet Asian beers, but more like the ones in Japan then the sickly sweet stuff they drink in India.
The beautiful thing is that, at least in my opinion, the best tasting, strongest and cheapest is "Beer Chang". They run only 60/40 Baht (big/regular) in most bars. Also, they have the coolest label I have ever seen, with my favorite animal on it.
I may be eating my words in a month when I am sick of these, but for now I can't get enough.
Update (6/11/07) - I found out that "Chang" actually means elephant in Thai, now I like it even better "Elephant Beer".
They still have tariffs here that make only a small collection of beers reasonably priced. The ones that you see everywhere are Singha, Chang, Leo, Heineken and Tiger (from Singapore). They are all decent, sweet Asian beers, but more like the ones in Japan then the sickly sweet stuff they drink in India.
The beautiful thing is that, at least in my opinion, the best tasting, strongest and cheapest is "Beer Chang". They run only 60/40 Baht (big/regular) in most bars. Also, they have the coolest label I have ever seen, with my favorite animal on it.
I may be eating my words in a month when I am sick of these, but for now I can't get enough.
Update (6/11/07) - I found out that "Chang" actually means elephant in Thai, now I like it even better "Elephant Beer".
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Must Have Food in India Part III
Alright, this is the last of the 3 posts about food you must try when visiting India. The first post covered our travels in the north, through Rajastan, Mumbai, Gujarat and Goa. The second post was dedacated to that amazing city of Kochi and focused on the resturant, Dal Roti. I have been assured by the owner Ramesh that the recipes I promised in that post would be up on his blog soon.
Below are my greatest hits from Chennai and Calcutta. Forgive me if I ramble on since I am Thailand now and am suffering from major Indian food withdrawl.
Mutton Kola Curry - I ate this curry for three straigt days in Chennai. It consisted of succlent tender minced lamb meat balls either served dry or in a curry gravy. The fiery gravy was thick with tomato and ground onion, as are most Indian gravies. The major differendce here was an even more libreal use of aromatics in the form of multiple eidble fresh curry leaves, cinnamon, cloves, and many other spices I could not identify. This is the best recipe I could find, but I am not sure if it will produce what we had. If anyone knows of a better one, please let me know! We washed the curry down with frech pineapple shakes and sopped it up with buttery parathas. Ponnusamay Hotel, Chennai
Ayurvedic Vegatarian Meal - This venerated Chennai establishment is also an ayurvedic center. They are a pure veg resturant (no eggs, meat, but dairy OK) that offer a special 26 course lunch. Each dish is to be eaten in a specific order. It started with 5 juices - date nut, beet, buttermilk, branwater, and I think banana. Next was the 4 raw vegatable salads, then 4 partially cooked salads, followed by 4 fully cooked dishes. This was all followed by 2 types of rice, 3 types of sambar (a falvorful lentil gravy ubiqutuois in South Indian meals), fianlyl a dessert of honey and payasam, a sweet. The most memorable vegatables was the banana flower salad. Only after this meal is finished is one to deink water, as this is thought to impair digestion. Not only did I not miss meat during meal, I felt better than ever. Of course, our dinner was Mutton Kola Curry. Sanjeevanam Vegatarian Health Restaurant, Chennai
Bengali Sweets - So Ian has already wrote a bit on the city-wide addiction of Bengalis to sweets in his previous blog. It is all true. There were times this Durga Puja season that we would eat Rasgullas for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Not entirely by choice of course. How can you resist my Aunt Mya chasing you around with a clay pot full of them? Ian could not.
Most foodies are familiar with the Gulab Jamun, which is a deep fried, sugar water soaked ball of flour and milk solids. This is just the beginning. The king of all Indian sweets, the rassogolla or rusgulla, is a made from milk solids as well. It is not fried, but rather soaked in a warm rose water and sugar mixture. The sweet is usualy served cold or room temperature. These can be modified to include a small cane sugar ball in the core to increase the sweetness. I have seen them as large as a baseball, but normally they are 1 - 1.5 inches in diameter. The perfect rassogolla has a soft texture, a delicate rose taste, and should not be overpoweringly sweet. Once in Udaipur, I starving for them as I passed a sweet shop. I asked the owner for a rassogolla and was brought a small bowl from the back. While all the patrons watched me eat this sweet, I had to feign enjoyment while chewing this sqeaky ball of metallic tasting sweet cheese. He gave me a canned one and thought I couldn't tell!
I could go on and on about the staggering variety of Bengali sweets. What they can do with milk and sugar baffles me. But I would only mention one more - the ras malai. This is similar to a rassogolla but it is flat and soaked in saffron and cardomen flavored milk. Heavenly! If in Calcutta - try Haldirams or KC Das. Don't try the canned version!
Fish Fry - I'm not sure how this famous Calcutta first escaped me on my prior visits. Serving fish fry is as common as serving fried chicken in the south. It's much tastier though. Bengali fish fry consists of a very thin piece of fish smeared with some sort of spice paste, then breaded and deep fried. Sounds simple, and it's divine. Even Ian, that hater off all things fish, ate is fish fry and liked it.
Strangest food we had: Fermented millet alcohol in Sikkim. Steming water is poured over fermented millet in a large bamboo stein. I wasn't particulary strong, but tasted like the last bottle from our carboy of homemade wine - very yeasty. Only my dad and Ian were able to finish it.
That's all for now. Some of the best food we had was at relatives' and friends' houses, too many to mention. Indian hospitality is second to none. As it was explaned to us by a friend in Calcutta, a visitor in a house is treated like he or she is sent by God, and should be fed as such. And we were. I can't wait to go back to India.
- Nisha
Below are my greatest hits from Chennai and Calcutta. Forgive me if I ramble on since I am Thailand now and am suffering from major Indian food withdrawl.
Mutton Kola Curry - I ate this curry for three straigt days in Chennai. It consisted of succlent tender minced lamb meat balls either served dry or in a curry gravy. The fiery gravy was thick with tomato and ground onion, as are most Indian gravies. The major differendce here was an even more libreal use of aromatics in the form of multiple eidble fresh curry leaves, cinnamon, cloves, and many other spices I could not identify. This is the best recipe I could find, but I am not sure if it will produce what we had. If anyone knows of a better one, please let me know! We washed the curry down with frech pineapple shakes and sopped it up with buttery parathas. Ponnusamay Hotel, Chennai
Ayurvedic Vegatarian Meal - This venerated Chennai establishment is also an ayurvedic center. They are a pure veg resturant (no eggs, meat, but dairy OK) that offer a special 26 course lunch. Each dish is to be eaten in a specific order. It started with 5 juices - date nut, beet, buttermilk, branwater, and I think banana. Next was the 4 raw vegatable salads, then 4 partially cooked salads, followed by 4 fully cooked dishes. This was all followed by 2 types of rice, 3 types of sambar (a falvorful lentil gravy ubiqutuois in South Indian meals), fianlyl a dessert of honey and payasam, a sweet. The most memorable vegatables was the banana flower salad. Only after this meal is finished is one to deink water, as this is thought to impair digestion. Not only did I not miss meat during meal, I felt better than ever. Of course, our dinner was Mutton Kola Curry. Sanjeevanam Vegatarian Health Restaurant, Chennai
Bengali Sweets - So Ian has already wrote a bit on the city-wide addiction of Bengalis to sweets in his previous blog. It is all true. There were times this Durga Puja season that we would eat Rasgullas for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Not entirely by choice of course. How can you resist my Aunt Mya chasing you around with a clay pot full of them? Ian could not.
Most foodies are familiar with the Gulab Jamun, which is a deep fried, sugar water soaked ball of flour and milk solids. This is just the beginning. The king of all Indian sweets, the rassogolla or rusgulla, is a made from milk solids as well. It is not fried, but rather soaked in a warm rose water and sugar mixture. The sweet is usualy served cold or room temperature. These can be modified to include a small cane sugar ball in the core to increase the sweetness. I have seen them as large as a baseball, but normally they are 1 - 1.5 inches in diameter. The perfect rassogolla has a soft texture, a delicate rose taste, and should not be overpoweringly sweet. Once in Udaipur, I starving for them as I passed a sweet shop. I asked the owner for a rassogolla and was brought a small bowl from the back. While all the patrons watched me eat this sweet, I had to feign enjoyment while chewing this sqeaky ball of metallic tasting sweet cheese. He gave me a canned one and thought I couldn't tell!
I could go on and on about the staggering variety of Bengali sweets. What they can do with milk and sugar baffles me. But I would only mention one more - the ras malai. This is similar to a rassogolla but it is flat and soaked in saffron and cardomen flavored milk. Heavenly! If in Calcutta - try Haldirams or KC Das. Don't try the canned version!
Fish Fry - I'm not sure how this famous Calcutta first escaped me on my prior visits. Serving fish fry is as common as serving fried chicken in the south. It's much tastier though. Bengali fish fry consists of a very thin piece of fish smeared with some sort of spice paste, then breaded and deep fried. Sounds simple, and it's divine. Even Ian, that hater off all things fish, ate is fish fry and liked it.
Strangest food we had: Fermented millet alcohol in Sikkim. Steming water is poured over fermented millet in a large bamboo stein. I wasn't particulary strong, but tasted like the last bottle from our carboy of homemade wine - very yeasty. Only my dad and Ian were able to finish it.
That's all for now. Some of the best food we had was at relatives' and friends' houses, too many to mention. Indian hospitality is second to none. As it was explaned to us by a friend in Calcutta, a visitor in a house is treated like he or she is sent by God, and should be fed as such. And we were. I can't wait to go back to India.
- Nisha
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Sweets.... Bengali Beer
Sweets are an obsession in Bengali culture. Especially at Puja time, where they are served anywhere and everywhere. The most popular ones in Kolkata are the Rasgulla and the Gulab Jamun. Others are popular as well, but these are the ones you see the most.
I finally have this obsession figured out, it is basically exactly the same as American's obsession with beer. Drinking is quite taboo in most parts of India, so a substitute is needed, and has been found.
To demonstrate, try switching out the word "beer" for "sweet" in any of these observations and see if it is not true for Americans.
- At any celebration or family gathering, sweets will be served.
- A common topic of conversation at said gatherings is the quality of the sweets, and where the best sweets are made.
- People at celebrations attempt to get you to consume more sweets then you are prepared for or comfortable consuming.
- People also commonly discuss how many sweets they have consumed in the past at other celebrations or how many were consumed by the attendees of a celebration.
- At a large party it is common to have a large barrel of sweets (actually a giant clay jar).
- It is considered more festive to consume sweets in one gulp, rather then consuming then consuming them bit by bit.
- If you go over to someones house to consume sweets, it is essential that you bring some with you. These also must be more sweets around then anyone could reasonably consume.
- You can never have too many sweets at a party.
Funny sidelight to this:
We were watching the Bengali news channel on TV and they had a reporter out at a Pandel announcing that the club had been given some award for the design of their Pandel. First everyone was just standing around staring at the camera, as Indians do. Then when he announced the award everyone started dancing around like mad and a man walked into the crowd with a giant jar of sweets on his head. A second later, someone reaches in from off camera and stuffs a giant Rasgulla into the reporters mouth, silencing him at his obvious embarrassment.
I finally have this obsession figured out, it is basically exactly the same as American's obsession with beer. Drinking is quite taboo in most parts of India, so a substitute is needed, and has been found.
To demonstrate, try switching out the word "beer" for "sweet" in any of these observations and see if it is not true for Americans.
- At any celebration or family gathering, sweets will be served.
- A common topic of conversation at said gatherings is the quality of the sweets, and where the best sweets are made.
- People at celebrations attempt to get you to consume more sweets then you are prepared for or comfortable consuming.
- People also commonly discuss how many sweets they have consumed in the past at other celebrations or how many were consumed by the attendees of a celebration.
- At a large party it is common to have a large barrel of sweets (actually a giant clay jar).
- It is considered more festive to consume sweets in one gulp, rather then consuming then consuming them bit by bit.
- If you go over to someones house to consume sweets, it is essential that you bring some with you. These also must be more sweets around then anyone could reasonably consume.
- You can never have too many sweets at a party.
Funny sidelight to this:
We were watching the Bengali news channel on TV and they had a reporter out at a Pandel announcing that the club had been given some award for the design of their Pandel. First everyone was just standing around staring at the camera, as Indians do. Then when he announced the award everyone started dancing around like mad and a man walked into the crowd with a giant jar of sweets on his head. A second later, someone reaches in from off camera and stuffs a giant Rasgulla into the reporters mouth, silencing him at his obvious embarrassment.
Sunday, October 7, 2007
Must Have Food in India, Part II
Anything at Dal Roti
Kochi was a wonderland of great food - both Indian and non. There were serene art cafes straight from uptown New Orleans, U-pick-we-cook seafood stands, and posh Kochi restaurants celebrating the Arabic, Syrian, Portuguese, Dutch, British, and Jewish influences of this strange town.
With all these wonderful cuisines represented in one town, I did not think we would find some of the best Indian food we have had on this trip here. Next to our charming guesthouse, we wondered into a small unassuming restaurant called Dal Roti for lunch. As soon as I saw that the menu had wraps on it, I know this was no tourist-North-Indian-and-American-Chop-Suey place. This was a menu designed by a fellow foodie. Not only did this place have wraps, they also had stuffed parathas, biranyni only made a few days of the week, succulent chicken curry... I get ahead of myself.
Soon after we realized we were in no usual Indian restaurant, the owner, Ramesh came over to introduce himself. Tall and stately, he reminded us of Naresh Sharma (Amisha's father). He revealed that this restaurant is his labor of love while he continues to work in the international shipping industry. Capturing the authentic and lost food of Bihar is his objective. Yes, Bihar. The avid ianandnisha blog reader will recognize this as the lawless backwards state in the north that is more known for lynching of innocent people than food. Nevertheless, Ramesh hired some native Bihari cooks to turn his idea into magic. Quick to laugh and a fascinating conversationalist, we spent many hours over the next two days in his restaurant. You can even check out his blog that includes recipes.
Apparently, Bihar does have some tasty long lost recipes. I ordered the Chicken stuffed Mughali Paratha. Succulent marinated chicken was wrapped in a paratha that could rival the best Greek phyllo dough. Ian ordered the Chicken Curry, whose plain name betrayed the work of art set before him. He did receive chicken curry, but also bowls filled with a variety of succulent vegetables. The highlight was the flaky, ghee filled paratha to sop it all up with. Desert was a small chilled bowl of a carrot pudding laced with cashews and cardamon.
Finding Indian food heaven, we came early the second day for a cooking lesson and more lunch. Look out all future Iron Chef contestants. Ian and I now know how to make the king of all Indian breads - the flaky paratha. We received our lesson from the cooks while they prepared our lunch of Chicken Kati Rolls. This was marinated chicken pieces topped with sauteed and fresh red onions and cilantro wrapped in the flaky paratha. In this land of enterprising restaurateurs and scrumptious food, why are there no convenient hand lunches? With the exception of the Frankie, I have never seen a wrap in India and worse, no Indian-American restaurateur has had the creativity to do it either.
Following this second fabulous meal, Ian and I lamented with Ramesh about the dearth of creativity in Indian food in the US. It's all North Indian food operated mainly prepared by non-Indians - Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, or Nepalis. There is no Goan, Rajasthani, Gujarati, Keralan, or Bengali food. There is surely no Bihari food. Why O why do Indian-Americans deprive the American public of some of the best food in their home country, or even their own house?
For the next few days, Ian and I seriously discussed starting a lunch kati roll restaurant in Boston. Ramesh in on board. Anyone else?
- Nisha
Kochi was a wonderland of great food - both Indian and non. There were serene art cafes straight from uptown New Orleans, U-pick-we-cook seafood stands, and posh Kochi restaurants celebrating the Arabic, Syrian, Portuguese, Dutch, British, and Jewish influences of this strange town.
With all these wonderful cuisines represented in one town, I did not think we would find some of the best Indian food we have had on this trip here. Next to our charming guesthouse, we wondered into a small unassuming restaurant called Dal Roti for lunch. As soon as I saw that the menu had wraps on it, I know this was no tourist-North-Indian-and-American-Chop-Suey place. This was a menu designed by a fellow foodie. Not only did this place have wraps, they also had stuffed parathas, biranyni only made a few days of the week, succulent chicken curry... I get ahead of myself.
Soon after we realized we were in no usual Indian restaurant, the owner, Ramesh came over to introduce himself. Tall and stately, he reminded us of Naresh Sharma (Amisha's father). He revealed that this restaurant is his labor of love while he continues to work in the international shipping industry. Capturing the authentic and lost food of Bihar is his objective. Yes, Bihar. The avid ianandnisha blog reader will recognize this as the lawless backwards state in the north that is more known for lynching of innocent people than food. Nevertheless, Ramesh hired some native Bihari cooks to turn his idea into magic. Quick to laugh and a fascinating conversationalist, we spent many hours over the next two days in his restaurant. You can even check out his blog that includes recipes.
Apparently, Bihar does have some tasty long lost recipes. I ordered the Chicken stuffed Mughali Paratha. Succulent marinated chicken was wrapped in a paratha that could rival the best Greek phyllo dough. Ian ordered the Chicken Curry, whose plain name betrayed the work of art set before him. He did receive chicken curry, but also bowls filled with a variety of succulent vegetables. The highlight was the flaky, ghee filled paratha to sop it all up with. Desert was a small chilled bowl of a carrot pudding laced with cashews and cardamon.
Finding Indian food heaven, we came early the second day for a cooking lesson and more lunch. Look out all future Iron Chef contestants. Ian and I now know how to make the king of all Indian breads - the flaky paratha. We received our lesson from the cooks while they prepared our lunch of Chicken Kati Rolls. This was marinated chicken pieces topped with sauteed and fresh red onions and cilantro wrapped in the flaky paratha. In this land of enterprising restaurateurs and scrumptious food, why are there no convenient hand lunches? With the exception of the Frankie, I have never seen a wrap in India and worse, no Indian-American restaurateur has had the creativity to do it either.
Following this second fabulous meal, Ian and I lamented with Ramesh about the dearth of creativity in Indian food in the US. It's all North Indian food operated mainly prepared by non-Indians - Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, or Nepalis. There is no Goan, Rajasthani, Gujarati, Keralan, or Bengali food. There is surely no Bihari food. Why O why do Indian-Americans deprive the American public of some of the best food in their home country, or even their own house?
For the next few days, Ian and I seriously discussed starting a lunch kati roll restaurant in Boston. Ramesh in on board. Anyone else?
- Nisha
Friday, October 5, 2007
Must Have Food in India, Part I
We have had some amazing food and dining experiences here. Here is my attempt to share some with you:
Mutton momos - Momos are Tibetan dumpling with a thin nearly translucent dough and a spiral top. We had may momos our week in Leh. However these were the only ones we went back for twice. Tibetan Kitchen, Leh
Anything Handi - A few times on this trip, we have come across such sublime food, that rather than go to yet another different restaurant, we will frequent the same place. In Jaipur, we ate at the Handi Restaurant twice and would have gone a third night if we had stayed longer. We knew this place would be great when the menu said "we do not sell in bulk." This Mughali's restaurant's specialty was the Handi mutton - mutton cooked in a clay vessel over a fire all day. The mutton was a soft as butter and bathed in a deep yet fragrant mouth searing gravy. Paired with their freshly made parathas (similar to naan but flaky), this may rank as one of the best meals we have had in India. The second night we had their assorted kebab plate. Numerous chicken and mutton all marinated, minced, and cooked over coals various ways. Amazing anyone can be vegetarian. Handi Restaurant, Jaipur
Gujarathi Thali - We rolled into Junagath after a 12 hour overnight "sleeper" bus ride hungry and feeling like I just worked a 24 hour ED shift. The hotel owner pointed us to a local thali restaurant. The word thali refers to a whole meal or eating experience with several different dishes. This is best done at lunch in a busy locals-filled restaurant. We ordered the "special thali" and sat at the last empty booth. Soon we were assaulted by several sunglass wearing men pouring endless bowls of delectable vegetable curries into 7 small stainless steel cups on our thali plate. Another man came with freshly made chapthis. Another came with rice. Another came with a chilled selection of desserts, giving the special thali its name. Each bottomless steel cup was better than the last. Not realizing that these men would continue to pile our plates with food until we told them to stop, we ate ourselves sick. We returned the next day for a more restrained lunch experience. I could only be vegetarian in India. Geeta Lodge, Junagath in Gujarat
Panki chatni - As a general rule, I always order anything steamed in banana leaves. These thin divine savory rice pancakes were steamed in a banana leaf and folded in quarters. The soft cake was scraped from the leaf by the server table side and topped with a spicy green chutney. Swati Snacks, Mumbai
Rose-Pineapple Ice Cream - Also at Swarti Snacks in Mumbai, this ice cream was the pink shade of an English cabbage rose mixed with whole red petals, smelled like tropical perfume, and tasted light, airy with the perfect balance of fragrance and tartness. Swarti Snacks, Mumbai
Frankie - Also in Mumbai, this was Indian fast food at its best. New York has the hot dog vendors, Mumbai has its frankie vendors. Its a thin chapthi filled with raw onions and a choice of egg, veg, or marinated chicken or mutton. So simple, yet so delicious! CST train station, Mumbai
Bebinca - After several weeks of the sticky sweet Indian desserts, we were happy to find the bebinca. This traditional Goan dessert is made with 16 layers thin cake and then steeped in a coconut-almond mixture. It's hard to describe, but I have found several recipes with will just make for you when I get home. Cavala Resort, Goa
More to come! Next is all about Kerala.
- Nisha
Mutton momos - Momos are Tibetan dumpling with a thin nearly translucent dough and a spiral top. We had may momos our week in Leh. However these were the only ones we went back for twice. Tibetan Kitchen, Leh
Anything Handi - A few times on this trip, we have come across such sublime food, that rather than go to yet another different restaurant, we will frequent the same place. In Jaipur, we ate at the Handi Restaurant twice and would have gone a third night if we had stayed longer. We knew this place would be great when the menu said "we do not sell in bulk." This Mughali's restaurant's specialty was the Handi mutton - mutton cooked in a clay vessel over a fire all day. The mutton was a soft as butter and bathed in a deep yet fragrant mouth searing gravy. Paired with their freshly made parathas (similar to naan but flaky), this may rank as one of the best meals we have had in India. The second night we had their assorted kebab plate. Numerous chicken and mutton all marinated, minced, and cooked over coals various ways. Amazing anyone can be vegetarian. Handi Restaurant, Jaipur
Gujarathi Thali - We rolled into Junagath after a 12 hour overnight "sleeper" bus ride hungry and feeling like I just worked a 24 hour ED shift. The hotel owner pointed us to a local thali restaurant. The word thali refers to a whole meal or eating experience with several different dishes. This is best done at lunch in a busy locals-filled restaurant. We ordered the "special thali" and sat at the last empty booth. Soon we were assaulted by several sunglass wearing men pouring endless bowls of delectable vegetable curries into 7 small stainless steel cups on our thali plate. Another man came with freshly made chapthis. Another came with rice. Another came with a chilled selection of desserts, giving the special thali its name. Each bottomless steel cup was better than the last. Not realizing that these men would continue to pile our plates with food until we told them to stop, we ate ourselves sick. We returned the next day for a more restrained lunch experience. I could only be vegetarian in India. Geeta Lodge, Junagath in Gujarat
Panki chatni - As a general rule, I always order anything steamed in banana leaves. These thin divine savory rice pancakes were steamed in a banana leaf and folded in quarters. The soft cake was scraped from the leaf by the server table side and topped with a spicy green chutney. Swati Snacks, Mumbai
Rose-Pineapple Ice Cream - Also at Swarti Snacks in Mumbai, this ice cream was the pink shade of an English cabbage rose mixed with whole red petals, smelled like tropical perfume, and tasted light, airy with the perfect balance of fragrance and tartness. Swarti Snacks, Mumbai
Frankie - Also in Mumbai, this was Indian fast food at its best. New York has the hot dog vendors, Mumbai has its frankie vendors. Its a thin chapthi filled with raw onions and a choice of egg, veg, or marinated chicken or mutton. So simple, yet so delicious! CST train station, Mumbai
Bebinca - After several weeks of the sticky sweet Indian desserts, we were happy to find the bebinca. This traditional Goan dessert is made with 16 layers thin cake and then steeped in a coconut-almond mixture. It's hard to describe, but I have found several recipes with will just make for you when I get home. Cavala Resort, Goa
More to come! Next is all about Kerala.
- Nisha
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Australian for Beer
We are in Mumbai (sometimes still known as Bombay) now, so a couple of updates to my list from yesterday:
- I forgot that they actually brew Foster's under licence in India now, so the beer situation is a little better then described. Since it is technically a "domestic" beer the price is the same as Kingfisher, where available.
- Will write more on this, but Mumbai rocks, and they do have cafes here that are more or less like a normal bar. Nisha and I had a couple of the previously mentioned Fosters and watched the end of a big India-England Cricket match on a big screen in a packed house last night.
- One of the afore mentioned bars also has beef burgers and Chinese food with beef. The funny thing is that even though one of the objects of my affection is right in front of me, I don't think I am going to pull the trigger. I have no idea where they get beef from in India, but I don't really want to know. The possibility that it is one of those cows that hang out eating piles of garbage on the street is too much to take.
- I forgot that they actually brew Foster's under licence in India now, so the beer situation is a little better then described. Since it is technically a "domestic" beer the price is the same as Kingfisher, where available.
- Will write more on this, but Mumbai rocks, and they do have cafes here that are more or less like a normal bar. Nisha and I had a couple of the previously mentioned Fosters and watched the end of a big India-England Cricket match on a big screen in a packed house last night.
- One of the afore mentioned bars also has beef burgers and Chinese food with beef. The funny thing is that even though one of the objects of my affection is right in front of me, I don't think I am going to pull the trigger. I have no idea where they get beef from in India, but I don't really want to know. The possibility that it is one of those cows that hang out eating piles of garbage on the street is too much to take.
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