Survival of the vegetarian in the holy land!

 A holiday was due, long over due. The stress and mundanity of Mumbais madness was getting on to both me and Sheetal.  Even weekend breaks and getaways weren't not doing much to the harrowed soul and the harried mind! Sheetal surprised me with a well-planned getaway to..... the middle of nowhere, only miles of arid deserts , ancient ruins , the Dead Sea and home to one of the most striking wonders of the world  Petra. The destination was Jordan! A small islamic country surrounded by Saudi Arabia on one side, Syria on the north, Israel on the North West and Egypt on the South West, nestled in between a bustling, traditional and yet modern Hashemite Kingdom Of Jordan. 

The biggest worry we both had was - FOOD. How would two vegetarians survive ten days in a largely meat eating country? Bags were packed and one specially for food - yes we took our rations of khakhras, theplas,  chakris, soya snacks and ready to eat Paneer Makhani, Black Daal et al. Sheetal also carried a small box of ‘ methia no masalo’ thats how well prepared we were. 

But Jordan surprised us all the way , with its people , with its places and more so with the culinary indulgence. Now if I rant too much about what we did and what we saw it would be more of a travel blog rather than my epicurean experience. So will stick strictly with the food!

My first experience of middle eastern cuisine was at the Kuwait Airport and I decided to eat something local. There were plenty of international chains serving factory prepared food. But I wanted local. So my choice was Fatayer. This is very much like our naan only layered with zaatar and drenched in olive oil and baked in a clay oven to near perfection with oodles of goat cheese or jibneh. With the first bite, as streams of melted cheese ooze out mingling with the tasteful Zaatar and rich olive oil, I knew I was in Allah’s heaven! Delicious. I was sure I wouldnt go hungry for the next few days. 

Right I was! Our first meal in Amman was at a trendy open air terrace cafe - Book@cafe on the hip-n-happening al Rainbow street. Filled with ultra modern Jordanians, kissing in the air, smoking on hookahs and shying away from Alcohol, but hip to the core. Our first meal was truly worth remembering - A bowl of Fateh Hummus, was simply a gastronomical pleasure. More like a pie, made of the creamiest hummus, chunks of bread, chick peas and topped with crispy filo pastry and then baked. As you spoon into this delicious middle eastern pie, you now understand why wars were fought over who invented the Hummus!!! The other must mention is the Spanakopita, now Sheetal is a big Spinach fan a-la popeye, but this pie was delicious, a large dough-pie stuffed with soft spinach, feta cheese and olive oil and baked till golden. What a blessing for us vegetarians! 

Now as I talk about food of this region, you will hear loads of words like Zaatar, Labneh, Fatayeh and the regular Mezzes - Hummus, Moutabel, Muhaamarra which need no introduction. But let me write a bit about the odd ones! 

A Mezze Platter

Zaatar - Is a mixture of herbs very popular in the middle east, a very strong base of toasted sesame which is found in almost all middle eastern cuisines in some for or the other , along with thyme, fresh oregano, Basil etc. Sprinkle this on almost anything and see how it enhances the flavour and the experience. 

Labneh - Is basically thick curd, hung for more than 24 hours till it gets an almost cream like consistency , mixed with either garlic, or a sprinkle of Zaatar, Sumac. Eaten just about anytime of the day!

Fatayeh - Is a baked pie or naan with various fillings like spinach and cheese, just cheese or meat. 

Tahini - A sauce used in almost everything middle eastern - made with toasted sesame seeds and olive oil. 

The breakfast was also a vegetarians delight. I am not going to discuss the eggs and croissants but dwell on the traditional breakfast. The main course is  Foul,  a traditionaly egyptian dish, which is basically a fava bean stew, thickly cooked in a tomato gravy and onions, top it with loads of virgin oil, tahini, hummus and zaatar. Sumac is another delicious zaatar like herb made with dried pomegranates and spices. Then there is pile of arabic bread or pita, to be dipped in labneh, or olive oil and zataar or combinations of all three! This was just getting better and better. No middle eastern meal is complete without hummus! And I know my stomach was well taken care of till dinner. At some places we also got brilliant moutabel for breakfast. Moutabel is a cold mezze or a cold starter to be eaten as a dip with pita. Made with roasted eggplants ( similar to  baingan ka bharta) but cooked in olive oil with loads of fresh crunchy parsley, tahini & lemon juice. 

Morrocan Mint & Camomille Teas at Sufra

Tea and Coffee play an important role in the Jordanian meal. Cafes serving Chai or Kaffe are lined up everywhere. Morrocan Mint Tea is very popular, so is the strong Arabic Coffee. The Arabic Coffee is a strong local blend of coffee, powered along with Cardamom and Clove, and added to steam hot water with sugar or sukkar ,  the brew will keep you up for hours together. The strong aromas of coffee mingling with a tinge of Cardamom andClove will keep you asking for seconds, but beware this is one helluva strong coffee. Another very popular drink is Lemonade, fresh medditarranen lemons, squeezed with soda and lots of mint leaves served with crushed ice is perfect to beat the scorching hot sun! Local and imported beers are available plentiful and the Jordanian society is modern enough to allow alcohol in public places!

Eggplant with Bulgarian Cheese & Avocado

An evening at Fakhr El Din and Sufras both in Amman were worth it. Fakhr El Din in an Arabic Restaurant, expensive and posh. Where you are served a huge tray of raw salad which is to be eaten raw with lemon, along with a thick garlic paste. The strong garlic paste was just superb without leaving any smell or aftertaste. Another surprising dish was the Eggplant with Bulgarian cheese, thick slices of roasted eggplant and bulgarian cheese and slices of avacado all piled up and drenched in a thick pomegranate molasses. Sufras - a beautiful open air restaurant, with a terrace and stunning views of Amman. Dinner is served in a traditional arabic courtyard with water fountains and gently swaying palm trees. A daal  like soup called Adas was good to whet the appetite to a fantastic meal to come. Bowls of cold and hot mezze like Musabaha - a version of hummus,  Muttabel (the best in all of Jordan) , Batata Harra - very much like our dry potato subzi , Falafel - needs no introduction to the Indian foodie! , Fatayer Jibney , although most were starters but with the arabic bread to break, this was one satisfying meal. 

Pistachio Ice Cream with Sugar Cotton Candy

But what stole the show was the local pistachio ice cream with  halva ,  a creamy crunchy pistachio ice cream served with stringy candied sugar almost like cotton candy. As you spooned into the ice-cream and halva, strong pistachio flavor paired beautifully with the soft cotton candy which just simply melted in the mouth. Sure this is what heaven tastes like! 

All Time Favourite - The Baklava!

And of course no meal is complete with the famous baklava, available plentiful in all restaurants & roadside bakeries, just layers of pure sweet pleasure!

Fatayer from South Jordan

Every restaurant, every dish had its own charm and and its own local twist. The  Fatayer in Aqaba was much different almost like a roomali roti with cheese and spinach, topped with zaatar baked till crisp. A great snack anytime of the day or night! Varities of hummus was seen all over, some with meat, some with mushrooms, some with whole garbanzo beans. Do try them all!

Sweet shops and bakeries are seen everywhere. Jordanians love their bread and you get all sorts of arabic breads, pita, shraak which is very much like a large indian roti cooked on charcoals on an upside down tava. You will see locals piling up on bread at breakfast as much as at dinner, as if it were running out of the stuff. Jordanians do love their breads. 

Never once remaining hungry or missing home food and yes most of the Indian stuff was left behind at our last stop! Now I am dying to try out the fabulous delicacies that I saw, ate and relished in this beautiful country of Jordan, so await the photos on my facebook blog, for those who dont know of it : https://www.facebook.com/groups/foodconceptsmumbai/

Keep eating, dream and living food! 
Ciao till the next one!

GROWING UP WITH FOOD!

Food was always an integral part of everyones growing up years. As you grow your tastes change, your likes changes and what you liked sometime ago, is not even remembered now. But at times re-visiting the delicacies of the days gone by is a lot of fun. 

I remember when I was young, one of the most important meals for me was Maggi Noodles. You come back home from school hungry as hell and a nice hot bowl of Maggi Noodles are waiting for you, the aroma of the ‘two minute’ masala spreading its long tentacles and enticing you to devour that entire bowl. Maggi was and is an all time favourite for kids growing up. Maggi by itself, with tomato ketchup or boiled vegetables, always a very welcome meal any time of the day. In-fact in the later years, when I was up late night cramming for hindi exams or struggling with complicated Math problems, it was Maggi that satiated the midnight growls. Every home had its own style and expertise of making Maggi. Ours was with lots of vegetables and cheese. 

Another delicious treat to remember was the Punjabi Samosa at Heera Mishthan in my school, ask any of the old timers from G D Somani school and they will sear by it. Costing about Rs.2.50 each, they were a treat to gobble up in the 15 minute short break, slobbered with a thin watery pudina chutney and served hot, as we bit into them, their delicious flavours of the garam masala was enough to make you forget the screams from the Geography teacher for not being able to point out where the Tropic of Cancer lay. Heera today has given way to a fancy bank, bye-bye samosas, sure the recent batches of G D Somani School will never know what they were like.

As I moved out of school and entered college, the stalls outside H.R. College were a favourite hangout. Especially the Dosas there. Five of us would order one butter sada dosa with an extra dash of mirchi powder and a sprinkling of onions. They were then re-ordered five times over! Next to him was the sandwich stall which made the best toasties ever. Brushed on both sides with butter, the crisp brown toasty oozed out streams of butter and cheese as you took the first bite, without worrying about burning or scraping your palette or caring about whether you need to credit what comes in or what goes out! The growing hormones needed food at that time. Thereafter just behind H.R. College and opposite Industry House, sat the very very popular Vada-Pav walla, he ran a flourishing business of selling piping hot crunchy juicy wadas, kanda bhajees and all sorts of bhajiyas to be washed down with ice-cold lemon juice. Those were the carefree college days, not a worry in the world, needed just enough money to shell out for these deliciously cheap road side delicacies. Then packing up in cars to hang-out at scandal point in the evenings, to ogle at the Napean-sea Road babes and eating yummy frankies from Rajesh’s stall. He still exists ever so popular! Not too far away and very close to Priyadarshini Park which was all but a wasteland those days was “Papas”, a very popular hang out to go on cheap dates with even cheaper babes, a favourite was a mini-meal of Roomali Rotis with succulent cubes of paneer in a creamy makhani sauce. The only thing that could divert my attention from starring at her assets!

Nights would be cheap Manchow Soups or greasy American Chopsuey at ‘New Hungry Eyes” mobile chinese vans parked at the end of Nariman Point. Good meals for less that fifty bucks. Enough to treat your girlfriend and all her nerdy friends to earn brownie points. But a true Bombayitte can never forget the dandiya nights! Those late nights of frenzied dandiya-playing till 3.00 am much before the noise curfews were put in place. Cars spilling out with hormone-raging guys in kurtas and chicks in backless cholis ,lined up outside Bhavans Juice Center at chowpatty, watermelon juice, steaming hot idlis, buttery pav-bhajis and indian ishtyle  pizza were the order of the day to fuel hungry stomachs from a night of debaucherous dandiya-playing! Yes those were the carefree days, where having a babe by yourside at Papas was the ultimate high and getting laid was all that mattered!

As college gave way to work, Nariman Point was a hotbed of all sorts for street food and cafes. Every space on the footpath was taken up by roadside stalls. There used to be a chinese stall right outside Atlanta Building. His so-called chinese was finger-licking delicious, saucy tangy chop-suey topped with a huge heap of fried noodles mixed with a bowl of vegetable Manchurian was just enough to fill your stomach, not empty your pockets and yet have a doggy bag to give to the office accountant as a bribe to release your reimbursements faster.  Serious dating had just started , girlfriends understood that Santoor at Cuffe Parade was fancy as it could get. The Black daal and paneer makhni was the best all over Mumbai. It was difficult to find secluded and discreet places to meet up , make out and mojo at, but places such as Flora at Worli, Chinese Room at Peddar Road, Kobes at Chowpatty, were all dim lit and very popular to go to. As the romance flourished, the earnings increased the cheap places were replaced by the five star coffee shops, a favourite being the Trattoria at the President & the Shamiana at the Taj. Just perfect places to go to after a late night out drinking and partying. The Mushroom Trifolatti , Quattro Fromaggio Pizza at the Trattoria, drenched in olive oil and the free bread baskets gave the system enough carbohydrates to absorb all the excessive alcohol. The steaming hot cups of deliciously thick hot chocolates, the huge platter of veg biryani were a must have at The Shamiana any time of the day. These two were like second homes to us. Many an early mornings have seen us leave, dreary eyed out of Shamiana driving home as the milkmen started their early morning delivery rounds. 

And as you grew up, the street food stalls gave way to the fancier Moshes and Indigos, the Sada Dosas replaced by Crepes and ice cold lemon juice replaced with Lemon Tea. But if you grew up in Bombay, I am sure you too must have followed a similar gastronomical journey all starting from the basic Maggi Noddles and ending up at a Five star coffee shops. The faces changed, the places changed and the price tags only grew fatter, but what did not change was the love for food, getting off at the Flora Fountain signal to qucikly grab a delicious wada-pav or call for a vegetable chutney sandwich. My love for good food whether at a street side stall or a fancy Rs.1000-a-head reastuarant grows only stronger!

MONSOON MAGIC

Its the monsoon magic mesmerizing Mumbai. Dark clouds gathering, unexpected and sudden showers, the rattling of the windows , the whistling of the winds and the ruffling of the trees. The Monsoons have set in but not as much as we would have liked it. But, nevertheless monsoons brings with it its own fun, its own memories and monsoon related food!

Remember when it would start to rain, the sweet smell of wet earth? Missing school and staying in just because the roads have flooded? Running to hide under trees to get less wet then you already are? Playing football and getting all muddy and wet? But the rains, the winds and the wetness also arouse my appetite and hunger!

With the advent of the rains, my first thoughts are of hot bhajiyas or batter-dipped fritters, not to be mixed with the delicate japanese tempura! These are dipped in a thick layer of gram flour batter and deep fired in hot oil. The combinations could be various, from the regular like potatoes, onion , green peppers to methi, palak, baby corn , bhindi , cauliflower , and the very risky banana and mango. Yes we even batter fried bananas and mangos to make delicious bhajiyas. If you are lucky in late Monsoons you may hit upon juicy purple yam,skin and slice them, deep fry them (no batter required) and serve with loads of chaat masala and lemon, very very delicious. You could experiment with sliced sweet potatoes, brinjals and even jackfruit. Team them up with freshly made corriander chutney, tamrind chutney and ketchup and the monsoons just became more enjoyable. The crunch of the crispy onion pakora keeping up with the thunder , the bite of the chillie pakora to drive away the cold and the fulfilling aloo bhajiays re-assuring you that life cant get any better than this!

Another favorite monsoon snack is the bhutta  or corn on the cob, roasted over charcoals, rubbed with a large lemon teamed with salt, pepper and chilly powder. The last time I made a chilly butter by taking a dollop of butter mixing it with cayenne chilly powder and a bit of lemon juice and spread it over a freshly charcoal roasted corn. Amazing !!! the tingling spicy chilly balanced by the creaminess of the butter and the sweet roasted corn was just perfect to spend a rainy evening staring into the waves and lashes of rain. 

Monsoon dinners also included loads of soups especially coming home from work, drenched to the bone, shivering and cold. A hot bowl of soup after a warm shower always helped. I experiment with soups a lot, recently I tried the  Summer Veggies and Pesto soup. Made with Leeks and Zucchini , leek a fairly western vegetable, but just like the onion without its pungentness and Zucchini similar to kheera kakdi found more up north. Start by frying some leek, and zucchini in some two tbsps of olive oil, till the leek starts to turn translucent and the zucchini soft and tender. Take a bowl of vegetarian clear broth, no tomatoes please. Add to it white beans, use canned or boiled ones if you have the time, some vermicelli and salt, pepper to taste. At the first boil add at the leeks and zucchini and let the broth come to a gentle simmer. Once the broth is thick enough, take off the gas and add diced tomatoes and garnish with a big dash to pesto. Hmmmm, the freshness of the pesto will first hit your nose and as you devour the rest of the soup, in front of the TV and hear the thunder outside, you know you are safe and comfortable at home.

But nothing in the world is like a nice cup of steamy hot tea or chai , perfectly brewed with a bunch of fresh pudina or lemon grass, a generous dash of ginger to drive away the  shivers and lots of elaichi or cardamom. Monsoons and cups of tea go hand in hand and if you have a plate full of Bhajiyas or pakoras, then your evening couldn't get better however hard it may rain, how ever loud the clapping of the thunder and however startling  the lightening. As you curl up with a cup of spicy Indian Tea and garma-garm  pakoras,  you know you are in a safe , happy , cozy place. Nothing more mesmerizing than Mumbai Monsoons!










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A trip down Epicurean Alley

Food touches every sense possible. Its aromas to inhale, its visual appeal to please the eye, its multitude of tastes, its crunch to resonate the ears and the wonderful memories to titillate the senses. Food is complete. Food is life.

In every sense the very aroma or a vision of food can send you back in time to wonderful memories which you so cherish, locked away in one compartment of the cranium afraid to let it unleash least you put on a few calories just by thought. Bringing back with it a tingle to the tongue and growl in the stomach.

Just the other day as I was walking back home and I smelt charcoal being burnt in a pit. It was this aroma, that took me back to the winter days spent in Ahmedabad during Diwali and going to my Nana’s cloth-mill a day before Diwali for Chopda Poojan. Post the ceremony what awaited was a fantastic full-aon Gujarati spread but what was special was the ‘Matla Nu Undhiyu’ , cooked in an earthen pot in a pit with charcoals. 

‘Undhiyu’ is a Gujarati delicacy, mainly cooked in the winters, prepared with mostly winter vegetables and tubers. Undhiyu is cooked with a mixture of green beans like Fava Beans - Hyacinth Beans colloquially known as Vhalor Papdi along with the pods, Green Toor Beans or Pigeon Peas, grated cococnut with lots of corriander leaves, making the mixture very green and pleasing to the eyes. Add to this skinned Sweet Potatoes, Eggplant, Purple Yam and Muthiya and here we have the Undhiya ready. For the uneducated in Gujarati Cuisine,  Muthiyas  fried dumplings made of gram flour and methi  or fenugreek . People love the Muthiya  giving the dish a crunchy yet bitter aftertaste But its not as easy as it seems. Remember to cut the tubers in big cubes. They make the dish look larger than life!. All this seasoned with lots of garlic, green chillies, Dhaniya Powder and Jeera powder and of course loads of vegetable oil makes the  Undhiya  what it is. Put it all in an earthen pot, cover it with dough and cook it underground with charcoals in a pit. The charcoals, the pot and the mud will give it a strong, earthy smell and taste. 

Once nice and cooked,as you open the dough cover, the flavors and aromas will entice you to eat a spoonfull, but don't just yet. The best way to have  Matla Nu Undhiyu , the way my  Mami  would make it was - take a big spoonful, with your bare hands crush everything , add a splash of ‘Koth Ni Chutney’  or  Kothiyu , koth is a wild fruit which has a great sweet-n- sour taste, add to it a topping of sev , coriander chutney, tamarind chutney and its ready to be devoured!

Matla Nu Undhiyu  was the star of the menu to be eaten with  Pooris , this itself made for a fantastic meal but Gujarati meals are never so simple or scarce . You need more - and more there was. 

The buffet started of with a great Basundi  and piping hot Jalebis -  thin and juicy with the right amount of crunch, dripping with the sweetness of saffron, followed by the Undhiyu ( panner butter masala and its variants were unheard of in those days!). Now, no gujju meal is complete without a farsaan , a huge plate full of the softest white dhoklas steamed to perfection with a generous sprinkling of pepper and red chillies to be devoured with a dollop of green chutney - heaven! As if this wasn't enough, the meal would end with Dhakko Daal,  an Amdavadi speciality , toor daal cooked with loads of vegetables, peanuts and thinly sliced dates. If the undhiyu had’nt sent you to heaven, then a bowl of pipping hot Dhakko Daal  would surely do the trick. After this we would need to loosen the string of our pajamas, let out a few loud burps and wait for the Badam-Kesar-Pista (aka BKP) ice cream to be served in little silver bowls with flat-headed spoons, cant ever forget the cream sticking to the palette. Who paid attention to the pooja, we kids only waited for this gastronomic meal. 

Take me back to those days when naan , paneer makhani , methi malai mutter, Dum Aloo Kashmiri were taboo topics in a traditional Gujarati meal, where mithai meant Saffron rich Jalebis not Chocolate Tarts and BKP ice-cream was eaten by the bowl full instead of ramekins of Creme Brulee´. 

Give me a traditional Gujarati meal any day. And for those unfortunate ones who dont know what all the above is, call up a Gujarati friend or family and invite yourself to a lunch, you will be treated like a God and fed like one too! 

We Gujaratis love our food and love to feed. 

Food In My Veins

From days I remember, food has been a very integral part of my life. My father a die hard foodie, would throw a fit at the slightest slip in his meal, training my mom and the rest of the staff to serving perfect meals. His love for food is remembered by all those who knew and remember him. Even at restaurants, he would order, unusually and new things and saying 'No' to him just did not exist. So thanks to him we got a chance to try it all. Thats where it all started. 


And so I say food is in my veins. Think food, live food , dream food and of course eat food. From years gone by the house was filled with all sorts of food being made, people being entertained and parties happening. People knew that if they were coming to my house, they would be fed well. Those invited for dinners would swear they hadnt eaten the entire day to save up for the evening meal. Food or food ideas never ran out at my house. 


It was at Dads insistence that Mom took upto cooking. Researching and reading cookbooks, learning from others and so on. Tarla Dalal was a huge influence on her and her recipes were the gospel truth. So we were already enjoying Khau Suey when most of my friends thought it was a Thai bad word or our Pizzas were renowned as we made everything including the dough from scratch, so my mom and dads friends kids would demand for Pizza Parties, with just Pizza and Thumps up. Most concoctions were unheard of for a lot of the invitees then, who had ever heard of a Bijaldo in the early 90s? BTW Bijaldo is a Aubergine layered bake with a smooth tomato gravy and cheese. So when I say food is in my veins I actually mean it. 


Seeing so much food being made in the house, it became an integral part of my life. My early attempts are cooking were miserable and a waste of food. Didnt know how to break an egg leave along cook it. This was before the internet days. But that changed with the advent of broadband internet entering the house and practically everything available on You-Tube!


My first and early experiments were with eggs. The simplest and easiest to make. I started with Omelets, Scrambled and then the French Toast. With every burnt omelet, I just got better, realizing when to turn, when to flip and how much to beat. But my culinary skills came out in the open when I started experimenting with French Toast. This was a treat for my daughter Seher and I would make it every Sunday Morning. This once I made with with Caremalized Bananas inbetween two french toasts and it was a hit. I was commanded every Sunday Morning by Seher to make that and it just got better. 

But the real encouragement came from my partner Sheetal, who egged me (not literally ) to seriously take it up. My first experiment was with Pesto and Pizza, which was successful. Then I invited a few of my friends over for dinner precisely 4 of them to experiment with. I had decided to try out the Salad Pizza and it was a hit! The next time around I invited a larger bunch of my friends and they absolutely loved what I had served them along with a bit of fusion food including haloumi cheese with Indian kebabs, Gonnchi (yes made at home!) a Morroccon Peanut Salad, Veggies in Corriander Pesto and a Creamy Sundried Tomato Pasta (the only let down on the menu!). Thats when I thought yes I can do it. I have it in me. 

So every weekend became a event to experiement. The house staff must be hating me but I was enjoying the experience. Grinding up a fresh pesto, inventing up new dishes , copying and twisting ideas, but just loving it. I have just touched the tip of the iceberg but I know there is a lot more to learn and discover. And I Am Loving It. 


Yeah.... Food Is In My Veins!!!