Secret Tastes of India

I love sea-food. So deep is this love that I can go around massive cities, travel to remote locations, agree to 'dangerous dares' (figuratively speaking!) and even fall in love in my pursuit of the fishes and prawns and crabs and their cousins.  My journey, from consciously disliking fish to graduating to be an avid sea-food lover, well, lets keep it for another day. All I can do is thank the Universe for this transformation (vegan and vegetarian brigades can troll me for all I care).  Lets get to the point. I was introduced to Calamari by my darling little sister (she is strictly vegetarian). It was love at first sight. I was instantly drawn to this sea creature, more commonly known as Squid, especially the rubbery rings that formed part of my sea-food Mongolian fried rice.  In no time, fried Calamari Rings became one of the thumb rules for me to judge the quality of sea-food cuisines in a restaurant. If they can botch this, they are no good and you should ...

In Jammu to pay obeisance to Mata Vaishno Devi? Or just passing through the Winter Capital of the state of J&K? You may be on any mission or bound towards any destination, a pit stop at this non-descript shop will leave you salivating for more.  Tucked in a busy corner of Jammu is Shankar’s Puri Choley. As the name suggests, this is as desi as it gets. Opposite the remnants of what was once the famous Jewel Talkies, Shankar’s is abuzz at any time of the day. The local residents prefer to haunt this shanty for a scrumptious, Indian breakfast or 'nashta' as we like calling this meal of the day. The Puris are crisp and two in number in a plate. You may ask for as many servings of the lip-smacking Choley. The first spoonful and you are guaranteed to be transported to the Mystery Land of taste. There is something about the Choley that I am yet to appropriately decipher. Your mind repeats in loop, “What is this taste? I know it”. It’s a week now and I am yet to figure o...

I am lactose intolerant and therefore, I stay away from dairy products. Yet, this evening, the bizarre me decided to give my cook a day off and ordered pineapple and anar Raita from a neighbourhood eatery, The Green Kitchen. As luck would have it, the app-based delivery executive vanished with the order and I managed a replacement from the company (that's a story for another day!) After almost 2 hours, the food arrived! I opened this neatly packed, chilled box of Raita. Looked rather plain jane. My lactose hating alter ego laughed. But I decided to stay hopeful. As a matter of habit, I smell my food to awaken my gastronomy desires. It smelled fresh. Treading on the side of caution, I served myself three spoonfuls of the Raita. The moment it touched my tongue, I yelped with delight. This was perhaps the most ingenious Raita I had in my lifetime. It was a heavenly mix of curd, caramelised pineapple or what we call murabba and achaari anaar, with a generous sprinkling of coriander lea...

United Coffee House, a glorified name that exudes the aura of a bygone era, the British Raj in India. Sans the traditional, Durwan (gatekeeper) with magnificent moustaches, there was something amiss about this restaurant, despite it's regal decor, completed with massive chandeliers, gold patterns on the walls, Victorian furniture and plush carpet. I should have specified this in my previous posts that I do not deliberate and research about the restaurants I visit or the food I order. More often than not, these selections are driven by acute hunger pangs. My posts are not designed to follow a certain pattern, akin to my maverick spirit. So there I was, in a colonial and neo-India mish-mash, treating myself to double dose of lemonade. Two distinct flavours I ordered - Kaffir and Lime Cordial and Peach & Rose. A doubly whammy they were and twin Thumbs Up to the thirst quenchers that proved effective to combat the scourge of humid monsoon. It was time to order some f...

My dearest friend and colleague, Garima and I often explore new cuisines and restaurants.  Today, we were up for some interesting, new age dishes. The food dare devils we are, we ventured in Pra Pra Prank, a corner brasserie, decked all chic and cool. As we entered, the manager announced that they serve modern Indian and Asian cuisine. This piqued our curiosity and we could not wait to dive in the menu.  After much deliberation, Garima ordered for Khasta Kachori and I ordered for crispy fried spicy fish fingers. The starters were decent. It was time for the main course. We decided to order Cottage Cheese Barrel with Thai Makhni curry and Tandoori roti. Garima, in her true blue lawyer avatar enquired if the Thai curry contained coconut milk. The waiter said a vehement, confident 'NO'. Satisfied we waited for the food to arrive. Then it landed on our table. As the first morsel of food touched our tongue we exchanged a bemused look. It tasted strongly of coconut 😣...

Act 1: Reach hotel room; dump baggage; crash on bed; pull blanket; succumb to deep sleep. Act 2: Dream of an exotic meal at a quaint restaurant; slice succulent pieces of chicken; the aroma awakens senses; twirl the chicken in the gravy; take the first bite; buttery sauce melts away; reach crescendo of taste-gasm. Act 3: Giggles fill the room; awaken from sleep; bobbing heads; jiggling heads; uncontrollable laughter; wide eyed wonder. Act 4: Real-time surprise; the food was not entirely a dream; I did taste something that my lovely friends fed me as I slept. There they were. Deceptive looking, Soya Chaap. For the uninitiated, these are more like tikkas only made from ground and pounded Soya. Healthy and yummy, they are no less than a plateful of chicken Tandoori Tikka or kebabs. The popular kiosk in Jammu that served this delectable dish full of exuberant flavours, does not have a name. However, not too far behind is another more s...

Thousands of kilometres away from mother's kitchen, I had little to write about Makar Sankranti, Lohri or Bihu cuisines. And then, thanks to my dear friends and their heart-warming gesture, I now have something sweet to share. Around the festivals of Poush Sankranti and Bihu, my heart takes a U-turn and wanders in the world of Pithey-Puli. For those belonging to the uninitiated and "not yet Bengali-cised" echelon, "Pithey-Puli" are home-made, sweet (occasionally savoury) pastries and dumplings. Bengali households, especially those with roots in 'Opaar Bangla' or what we now call Bangladesh, celebrate this harvest festival by dishing out one sweet marvel after another, primarily prepared with rice flour ground from newly harvested rice, certain pulses, newly extracted jaggery, coconut and milk. As the Sun migrates from one zodiac to another, Bengalis thank Mother Earth for her bountiful blessings by doing what quintessential Bengali does best; relis...

And now that you are in Ireland, you ought to try Guinness, one of those legendary elements that add to the definition of a country, a society, the culture. Not much of a beer drinker, this dark Irish dry stout, surprised me when it's rather smooth froth felt like velvet. Do not be fooled. This is the trick part. The real, bitter flavour hits all your senses in the first gulp and each one that follows. One of world's most famous brews, Guinness is an experience, a testament to an intrinsic facet of Irish culture. I found it therapeutic, enough to wipe away the invisible tears that have for long wanted a closure. All that's bitter ain't bad... that's life, that's Guinness. Thanks to my Guinness Guru, Alejandro Llosa, for the initiation..