Bread Crumbs

To travel is to know a place; its people, culture, peculiarities, commonalities, history, geography, and gastronomy-in simple words-food.

We are on a long weekend right now and I’ve been cooking twice a day. Hence it’s natural that I am thinking of the food that I’ve relished through my travels. The plate is loaded with food from road side eateries to heritage resorts; each one with its unique flavor.

I begin with the home town – Delhi and from there go with the flow of salvia. Can’t help it! These are mouthwatering memories.

The first thing that comes to mind is the tea stall behind Gopaldas Towers, Barakhamba road. This is the time to be here – winters (you would relish it in rainy weather too) and sip ginger tea as you devour bread pakore dipped in coriander chutney (sauce). However, the best chutney that I’ve had so far was at the roadside joint in Khajuraho, right opposite the main temple complex. The eatery offers fried snacks, poha and of course ginger tea. The essential accompaniment i.e. the chutney was made up of some wild fruit. The vendor generously gave us the fruit, picked personally for commercial consumption, gifted to us as a perishable souvenir that we could churn into a condiment for the folks back home. Alas! We city dwellers couldn’t produce it before deadline. By the way the poha (made from rice) from the same stall was delicious too.

The wild sauce was soon followed by yet another spicy condiment made out of guava – this was at an alloo-tikki (potato snack) stall in Orcha. Imagine…guava! Reminds me of my grandmother who had a knack for turning all edible things into pickle, from groundnuts to bitter gourd!

During the short stay in Orcha, the chat routine was followed by a full meal and pineapple yogurt, which I would never even have tasted if it wasn’t so actively endorsed. Before this we were in..? Oh Yes…Khajuraho.

Khajuraho offers a wide choice of cuisines. Of what I had, some Italian and continental preparations were the best, devoured at one of the rooftop restaurants while the eyes soak in the simple streets and the intricate temples of Khajuraho.

That takes me to the street side window seat of Gesmo in Leh, and the bakeries. Bakeries in Manali are equally awesome, especially the ones in Old Manali. During my last visit, I was treated to some of the most scrumptious and innovative sandwiches, which the vendor would make in a most indulgent and warm manner. Most of these bakeries promote themselves as either Italian or German, catering to the foreign tourist that flood in – for mountains or for cheap hash. The inclined streets of old Manali are lined up with artifact shops, bakeries, and cafés. The most relished cuppa coffee that I’ve had till now was at one of these cozy-lazy joints. They put sheets of paper and a pot of crayons on each table for patrons so that one can doodle away while they brew or bake the order. The walls are of course covered with creativity and the order never arrives before half an hour, which is more or less an average in cafés around here. I am just thinking if I would find my artwork pasted on the wall when I visit next. 

Now contrast the easy paced eating experience to the fast service at a highway dhaba in the midst of fields in Ropar, Punjab. Yummy food, especially the dal fry and paneer bhurji, along with a glass of lassi to drown it all down. In fact the food is so soaked that you need not bother for paper tissues, you would need a soap to wash off the oil from your hands. But, who is complaining? Not me. The luncheon was accompanied by someone’s relentless, so much in your face humorous stories and a few ducks from a nearby swamp roaming freely in and out of the hotel. Our next stop was at Chandigarh for ice creams and then at Haveli restaurant on the highway for jalebi & pakore. Perhaps no one was in a mood to return home. Life is a highway and I am gonna ride it… hmmm… 

Highways have so many wonderful eateries, be it in Punjab or Kerala, Madhya Pradesh or Uttar Pradesh. In U.P. I ate the best ever paalak paneer. This was at a restaurant in Moradabad. In Haryana, Pehlwan’s paranthe, near Murthal never disappoint. 

Then there was the best ever south Indian meal at the Maruthi restaurant at Theni, Tamil Nadu – almost bordering with Kerala. The owner served us warmly and made sure that we had tasted all the dishes on a fully loaded thali, topping it up every now & then. After a brief halt at Munnar (dal vada + masala tea/ginger tea/cardamom tea from a van converted into a snack shop), we reached the backwaters of Kerala. There in Kumarkom, we were treated to warm and home-like hospitality at Kodianthara. They made sure that we were fed all the homemade authentic Keralite delicacies – several times a day. 

And how can I not burp over Rajasthan! The menu is loaded with spicy snacks – Gol gappe (water balls) & namkeen of Jaipur; mirchi pakore, kachori, bhujia, and rasgulle of Bikaner; and a delicious meal of ker-sangari and besan-gatte of Jaisalmer. 

All too slurpilicious! 

And, it’s about time now to cook the next meal-Sarsoon ka saag! 

Bon Appétit!

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