Travel
Sites:
|
Visit
Goa, Karnataka,
Kerala, Tamil
Nadu, Andhra Pradesh
|
|
Indian
Cuisines
|
Chandigarh
takes to mouth watering, spicy, tangy Chaat
by Sunil Sharma
Chandigarh:
The onset of monsoon has increased the popularity of chaat shops in
the staid city of Chandigarh. The citizens increasingly want to make the
evening spicy and tangy, while in Chandigarh, the best way would be to
walk down to the nearest market to savour chatpati aaloo ki tikki, bhelpuri
or golgappas. Chaat', a common term for a variety of pavement food, mostly
vegetarian, has been popular in North India and Chandigarh now has many
hot spots to tickle the tastebuds with spicy and tangy snacks. The hollow
of a well-bloomed mini puri, the belly wobbly with tangy-hot masala water,
a small chunk or two of potato, mixed well with mashed chick peas floating
therein, simply brings water to the mouth. These days people in Chandigarh
rush to the street corners to savour the tangy dishes. "Whenever the people
of Chandigarh go out to eat, they keep hunting for food that is both tangy
and tasty. The keep coming people coming back for more," says Sunil Sharma,
a Chandigarh resident. It is sad women are fond of Chaat than men, but
a tour of the city shatters this myth. "I like Aaloo ki tikki. It's so
spicy. _Chaat' scores because it is less oily and less spicy. As it stores
less cholesterol in the body, people prefer it. It is easily digested.
There is chaat, golgappas, tikki and so much more available here," said
Piara Singh, a customer. The preparation for _chaat_ is an art selection
of the spices and ingredients, make all the difference. "It is said that
life's enjoyment is in tangy food. Sweets can easily bore you, but this
does not happen if one eats tangy dishes. The tamarind water so essential
triggers a change in the taste," said Lalit Garg, the owner of Garg Chaat
House. It's summer time now, and an outing in the evening is a must. While
many might say it is the latest market trend that lures people to loosen
their purse strings, the fact remains that an outing in the evening in
Chandigarh remains incomplete without tasting the city's chaat.
-July
31, 2005
Kolkatans rave about Hilsa fish, as festival begins
by Ajitha Menon
Kolkata: Residents of Kolkata are these days enjoying the benefits of the monsoon, which brings in an abundance of all types of fish, especially their favourite - Hilsa. Kolkatans are in a celebratory mood, organising a Hilsa culinary festival in the city's well-known hotels of Kolkata. The festival, which has been on for the past three days, will last till August 21. City hotels are competing with each other in offering different Hilsa preparations to their patrons. The most popular and traditional hilsa delicacies like Bhapa Ilish (steamed Hilsa), Fish Tok Jhal (fish sour- chilli), Fish Korma, Fish Bhaja (fish fry), Smoked Hilsa and Fish Tikka have thrilled aficianadoes. "These dishes are some of the most popular and traditional dishes of Hilsa. The combination that we have created with Hilsa is something that we have been giving year after year. We organised this festival even last year. Since the popularity of these dishes were high, we have put them on the menu again," said Surinder Singh, Executive Chef, at the Taj Bengal Hotel.
There
is also a preference for boneless varieties of Hilsa, and chefs are bending
themselves backwards to meet this demand as well be offering delights
like the Smoked Hilsa, Boneless Hilsa flavoured with black pepper and
Ilish Tikka and boneless Hilsa Patty cooked on a griddle. "I like the
boneless variety. It's easy. They cook it with mustard oil which is different
in taste," said Sangita Irani, a patron. The fried Hilsa is a firm favourite,
pushing the Bengali first choice of Sorse Hilsa or Hilsa in Mustard to
the background. Hilsa or Ilish belongs to the species Tenualosa of the
family Clupeidae. Locally known as Ilish, the fish is an addiction of
Bengalis, especially, who are of the origin of Bangladesh. In the rainy
season, specifically, the rainy season Hilsa is considered one of the
best delicacies on Bengali menu. In the traditional Bengali entertainment,
serving Hilsa to very near, dear and honoured guests for lunch or dinner
is almost an obligation. The body length of Hilsa may vary from 40 to
60 cm. A large-sized Hilsa weighs about 2.5 kg. A change in season and
age varies the feeding habit of the fish. Female Hilsas grow faster, and
are usually larger than males. The Hilsa is known to be a fast swimmer
and can cover even 60 kilometers at a time. It attains maturity in one
to two years. Although hilsas reproduce more or less throughout the year,
they have a minor breeding season during February-March and a major season
in August-October. It is for this reason hilsa is also a seasonal fish.
The fish is primarily found in the Bay of Bengal, Persian Gulf, Red Sea,
Arabian Sea, Vietnam Sea and China Sea. Their habitat covers the Satil
Arab, and the Tigris and Euphrates of Iran and Iraq, the Indus of Pakistan,
the rivers in the eastern parts of India, the Irawaddy of Myanmar, and
the Padma, Jamuna, Meghna, Karnafully and other coastal rivers of Bangladesh.
-July
30, 2005
Indian beef is tickling Pak palates
Karachi:
The import of Indian buffalo meat has reportedly received a good response
in Pakistan, if the statistics are anything to go by. Pakistani importers
are planning to increase the supply in the coming months, by 1,000 tons
every week, making an aggregate 7,000 tonnes, though at present the supply
is being restricted only to hotels and caterers. Haroon Agar, a meat importer
said that Indian buffalo meat was not only cent percent Halal, but also
tastier and cheaper than the stuff available in Pakistan. He said that
India's meat exports had reached the Far Eastern and South East Asian
countries, where they were appreciated for their quality. Importers however
said, that the people had not been able to purchase it from the butcher's
shop as it necessary for the shops to have freezers for storing the frozen
consignment. "Despite the fact that the Indian meat is 100 per cent 'Halal'
and cheaper than the meat available in the city, people could not purchase
it directly from any butcher's shop. For this purpose the meat shop owner
must have refrigerators for keeping the stock frozen," The News quoted
Agar as saying. Importers are now looking forward to their Indian exporters
to supply them with other meat varieties. "We have not found out the actual
reason behind the Indian reluctance to supply us with other meat varieties.
But as per information available, Indians are more interested in exporting
buffalo meat due to better profit margin and because this is available
more easily in India due to ample stock numbers," said another importer.
Importers have also said that Indian meat is fully quarantined and safe.
"The Indian meat is already tested by the concerned authorities in India
and substandard meat can not cross Mumbai port," added another importer.
However not everyone is convinced and say that Indian meat does not taste
that good. "If you defrost Indian meat, you can see that it loses the
shape and colour and nobody can check whether it is 'Halal' or not. We
(Pakistanis) like and prefer to eat fresh meat rather frozen meat and
I think as the first consignment of frozen Indian meat would reach the
outlets, people will know and see the difference," said Iqbal Qureshi,
General Secretary Karachi Meat Merchant Welfare Association.
-July
30, 2005
Amritsar's
mouth-watering chhole kulche
by Ravinder Singh Robin
Amritsar: The aromatic spices, the rich gravies and the delicious flavours of rich Punjabi cuisine have attracted people from far and wide. Punjabi dishes are very popular, not only in Punjab but also outside the state. Though it may be possible to taste chhole-kulche at any place in India, the real taste can be savoured only at Amritsar. The deftness and the skill required for preparing the luscious mouth-watering dishes and the and the unique cooking skills can be seen nowhere else, but in the dhabas, the small side street restaurants of Amritsar. A tour across the city will take one to the eateries, big and small, at almost every street corner around town serving breakfast spicy onion paste with hot chhole kulche (chhole kulche te naal pyaazwale chatnee). The `dhaba' - "All India Fames" on Maqbool road, is a six - decade-old outlet known for its crispy stuffed kulchas and spicy chickpeas. The method of baking kulchas is also a closely guarded secret. Stuffed with a mixture of potato, onion spices, the kulchas are baked in the traditional oven called `Tandoor'. To make them rich, butter or desi ghee is used to make the kulchas - soft and crispy. After all, the method of baking only determines the taste. "The method of baking determines the taste. A proper setting of the Tandoor oven is necessary. We use big tandoors, as its low heat is suited to bake the kulchas. The small tandoors usually ruin the kulchas or renders them half-baked," said Dalbir Singh, the restaurant owner.
`Chole'
or spiced chickpeas, in a mouth-watering gravy, tastes slightly sweet,
tangy and spicy. A range of flavoured sauces only adds to the flavour
providing the ideal taste not found anywhere else. Costing around 30 rupees
per plate, people enjoy the fare either sitting at the dhaba or take it
home packed. And the dhaba surely is packed with food lovers, who flock
to the shop from eight in the morning till noon to relish the flavoured
delicacies. Surely, a visit Amritsar is incomplete without paying a visit
to the "All India Fames" for a plate of stuffed kulche and spicy chhole.
"People from far off places come to eat here. Amritsar's kulchas is famous
all over and are crispy, soft and hygienic," said Narender Sharma, a customer.
"Its full of butter, crispy and tasty to eat," said Mahima Khanna, another
customer. Many calorie conscious persons feel like having a bite of chhole
kulche at Amritsar. After all chhole kulche is part of Punjabi cuisine.
"Though I am very calorie conscious I find eating kulcha is a tradition
in Amritsar. A visitor who does not sample the kulchas of Amritsar, has
missed something very special," said Shinki Bhatia, a resident of Amritsar.
-July
29, 2005
A Hyderabad restaurant boasts of revolving kitchen
Hyderabad: Hyderabad, the Hi-tech city of Nawabs famous for its Mughal cuisines, now has a new restaurant with a revolving kitchen, where customers can interact with the chef and get food of their taste ranging from south-Indian to continental dishes. The food lovers can see for themselves their desired dishes being cooked and get assured that whatever they are eating here is freshly made and cooked. "The concept is brought all the way from London, where in some places you have this live kitchen in the middle of the restaurant. But, the unique thing is that it is revolving...I believe that this is first of its kind in Hyderabad or in India for that matter. And the main concept of the live kitchen is seeing the freshly made food. It is all cooked and prepared here in front of the guests, assuring them of its freshness. Guests will also not think that it is stale food," said Harish Chandra, owner, 'ur kind of place' at Himayat Nagar in the city.
The customers visiting the joint lauded the owner for the unique concept that has brought a wide variety of food, alongwith an ambience that has truly won their hearts. Whatever be the cuisine, Indian or continental, the style of cooking has a mouth watering visual content. "This is within our budget and has a good range of food too. Here you can also interact with the chefs and ask them to make any changes, which they readily accept it too," said Jyoti. Also, another visitor, Ranjana said, "It is a new concept, never seen anywhere else. I am sure people are liking it." "It is an open kitchen. You can request what you want. You ask for changes. Personal requests are accepted. They do as per your requirement," said Amruta, a guest. The revolving kitchen makes the overall feel of the restaurant trendy, enhanced by supplementary items like pastries and cakes. The open kitchen also provides an interactive atmosphere. Guests give suggestions on their dishes, which the chefs willingly oblige. With deft strokes, chefs put together ingredients to prepare sumptuous meals and guests have an opportunity to watch every nuance of the chefs' manoeuvres. And going by what people have to say about this restaurant, it may give rise to many more revolving outlets in the city. In Hyderabad's 400 year history the Hyderabadi cuisine has, like its culture, stood high and unmatched by any other state in India.
In fact Hyderabad was known for the spectacular way its aristocracy entertained. The feast at these banquets usually contained a selection of Mughlai dishes which would be decorated with varq (a very fine pure silver leaf). The Cuisine of Hyderabad has been influenced by various regional and religious cuisines, both Indian and Foreign, despite which it has been able to create an identity of its own. It has also been able to contribute towards making Indian cuisine popular world wide. The "Biryani" from this cuisine is one such example. What makes the Hyderabadi Cuisine special is the use of special ingredients, carefully chosen and cooked to the right degree. The addition of a certain Herb, Spice, Condiment, or an Amalgam of these add an unique taste and texture to the dish. The herbs and spices used and the method of preparation gives the dish its name. "Murgh do pyaza" gets its name from the onions that are added twice to the dish in two variations. The Masalas or the rich blend of herbs, spices and condiments give the dishes a base, or what is popularly known as "Gravy". Some of these blends are a well-kept secret that pass only down the family line or from the Ustad(Teacher) to his Shagird(Pupil). The head cooks or the "Khansas" were an asset to the house hold, and were treated with due respect. The word "Nawabi" is as synonymous with the Hyderabadi cuisine as "Shahi" is with Luknowi. These terms conjure delicacies that are rich in taste and texture with mouth-watering aromas.
The
"Kebabs" in Hyderabad need a special mention, the "ShammiKebab" is one
such popular dish. The Kebabs are originally from Greece!! The Hyderabadi
meal is never complete without the bread from the kilns of the local bakers.
The breads from this cuisine are equally popular, be it rich "Sheermal"
or "lukmi" (bread stuffed with savory mince meat). Bread is not only an
accompaniment to the meal but also forms a base for a popular sweet dish
"Double Ka Meetha". Hyderabad was founded in 1586 by Mohammed Quli, fifth
Sultan of the Qutb Shahi Dynasty of Golconda. Today, it is the capital
of the state of Andhra Pradesh.
-July 12, 2005
Tourist
offices
in India