papad with spinach paneer spread

 

 Hi there! It's been quite a while. My blog presence has shifted to the art world. I am still eating, cooking and traveling and have even felt a twinge of guilt from time to time for neglecting the veggie voyager. Can't promise to post all the time....but I'll try to be better.

In case you're wondering what I've been up to, please take a minute to check out the amazing project I am up to my ears in here in Mumbai, India.

Me (in the middle) with friends and colleagues in Mumbai.

Papad is an Indian snack food that is available all over the place. If you have an Indian market near you, I suggest you go pick up a packet. My friends here tell me that, like ramen in the US, papad is the food that gets college students through those tough nights of studying and drinking. It is not the kind of food that most people here even bother to make from scratch, although I have heard tell that it is sometimes done. But most people just buy papad the way we buy tortillas.

And tortilla like it is. It is a crunchy, flat disc on which one can put any number of toppings, or just eat plain. I have been experimenting with all kinds of different toppings here in my 21st floor apartment. My favorite to date would have to be a spread of yogurt, paneer (Indian cheese, not unlike fresh farmers cheese), garlic and spinach. Kind of a fusion invention, I hope it will appeal to Indian friends as well as everyone else in the world who loves a good quick snack. Consider it fusion food.

papad three ways: grilled paneer & tomatoes, olive oil & tomatoes, spinach paneer spread & tomatoes.

Topped with fresh tomatoes, this can't be beat...

Spinach Paneer Spread

6 cloves garlic
little bit of oil
1 bunch spinach
1 lb paneer (or farmer's cheese)
1/2 cup plain dahi (yogurt)
1 green chili
salt and fresh pepper to taste

Chop the spinach and garlic finely. Sauté the garlic in oil until fragrant and add the spinach to wilt for a minute or so. Put the rest of the ingredients into a food processor or blender and pulse until creamy and spreadable. 

Heat the papad on a dry skillet until it bubbles and becomes crispy. Remove from heat, spread with the spinach paneer spread, top with sliced tomatoes and sprinkle with salt and fresh pepper. Enjoy!

Sardar Pav Bhaji

In the past few days, we have managed to eat a lot of food. While we have yet to consume anything that has not been downright delectable, some foods are even better than others. And some places are famous for their specialties, for a reason. This would be the case with Sardar Pav Bhaji in Mumbai's Tardeo Circle.

According to Wikipedia, Pav Bhaji (pronounced "pow-bah-jee") originated in Mumbai as a fast food lunch dish for mill workers. It consists of a flavorful vegetable curry with potatoes, tomatoes, onions and spices that you dip soft buttered bread rolls into. This dish is very buttery...I would say there was a quarter stick on each plate of bhaji. While not gluten-free or vegan, it is vegetarian, and quite delicious. 

Last night we met up with some old friends of Ryan's from his Mumbai days. They suggested that we eat at Sardar, the most famous joint in the city for this ubiquitous dish. Even though we already had a plate of the stuff at Chowpatti Beach that afternoon (good, but not as good as Sardar), we readily agreed, as A) we are quite keen on the dish, and B) how do you pass up anything that comes from an eatery universally agreed upon as "famous" by the local population? The place opens at 7pm, and we arrived at 7:05. All the tables already full, we were second in line of the queue that formed immediately, curving around the corner and down the street. 

Serving up only one thing, Sardar is in the business of selling pav bhaji not only to the sit down clientele but also to an endless stream of to-go customers on foot and in car, which does not let up until closing time at 2am. It was fascinating to watch the cooks mashing up huge pans of butter, spices and vegetables into the famous red colored curry that we would be sopping up with hot, buttery rolls. The sheer volume of food that this place churns out is formidable, ensuring fresh, delicious fare from opening time until closing.

This restaurant is all about the food. Bright lights, stark decor and fast service are what you get. If you need more bread, simply get the waiter's attention and he will toss another couple of rolls down on your plate. When you are finished, pay up and get out of there as there are dozens, if not hundreds, of others waiting to take your place. 

If you are visiting Mumbai, be sure to hop on the train to Mumbai Central and take the ten minute walk to Sardar for the butteriest deliciousness you will ever have. Here is a Google Maps link in the event that you plan to go there.

this awesome sequence made by ryan

When I get home I might experiment with a vegan GF version, which will certainly not taste the same, but hopefully will evoke some of the sensations that I have experienced while eating the pav bhaji here. Coconut oil, maybe? I probably shouldn't mess with something so iconic but we'll see...

Sardar Pav Bhaji
166b M Malviya Marg, Tardeo-tulsiwadi, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400034, India

+91 22 2494 0208 ‎

Achchha Lagta Hai!

Means "It's very tasty" in Hindi...or something to that effect. Forgive me for possibly butchering both spelling and meaning but it is what I've been taught to say since arriving...and I use this phrase about 10 times a day.

Am I in heaven?

Writing about the joys of veggie-voyaging in India is like shooting fish in a barrel. Let me just say that, if you are looking for the vegetarian mecca, it is here. Four days in and my pants are already a size too small, and we've done our fair share of "walking it off." I feel like its hard to find a restaurant that does serve meat. Let me offer you a list of the things I have had the good fortune to consume since our arrival early Wednesday morning. 

Pani puri, pav baji, dosa, chana masala, chai, bathura, malai mutter, mysore masala dosa, ginger lime soda, sugar cane juice, bhel puri, dahi patata puri, sabudana, aloo palak, baingan bharta, wada sambar, coconut water, samosa, idli & sambar, vegetable pulao, fresh juice.

upscale dosa...

restaurant dosa...

I don't even know where to start. I'm loving the dosa of course. If you are not familiar with this delicacy, it is a fermented rice and bean flour crepe filled with deliciousness, eaten with the hands. We have had corner store dosa, fancy catered dosa, street food dosa, and restaurant dosa. Happy to report that the hands-down best version yet would be the street food dosa. It was so flippin good that I will tell you how to go there in the event you are in Mumbai, near the train station and the post office, and not afraid to eat street food while standing on a noisy road. Slathered with ghee, loaded up with potatoes, onions, tomatoes and spices and served with sambar and coconut chutney, I actually spent 10 minutes after we finished eating directing other foreigners straight to the stall so that they could share in my culinary delight. Here is the approximate location on the map for your reference. It's on Saint George Road, just outside the train station by the post office. Eat at Tamil Nadu Foods, for a culinary taste explosion. See the locals also enjoying the delights? Always a good sign.

best. dosa. ever.

But really, I have yet to try something that was not delicious. Like I said, I think I'm in heaven.

aloo palak and baingan bharta

Of course, India is not just about the food. There is so much to take in here, like a sensory overload. In addition to big flavors, there are big colors, big smells (good and bad), big sounds. Our color and sound sensory input were turned up to 11 on our second day here at the holi festival, or festival of color. Marking the change of the season, this is the holiday in which people blast each other with colored powders and water, basically a big water balloon fight on the streets. In the olden days it was believed that during the change of the season it was prudent to throw around medicinal colors to help ward off sickness. Neem, turmeric and other natural powders were smeared and tossed around in a communal inoculation of brilliant hues. These days the colors are synthetic dyes that can stain the skin and hair for days. I was encouraged by my friend who we are staying with to douse my blond hair with coconut oil and then cover it up. That of course, did not stop her husband Vijay or Ryan from wrestling my scarf off my head and then dousing my hair with colored water and powders. Fortunately, the coconut oil did the trick and I am still looking natural. A few days of pink hair would be fine but Jill reported that one year her hair stayed colored for months.

all dressed up for holi

the aftermath

the pyre for a holi bonfire

We are in Mumbai, and will be here until Tuesday, when we depart for Delhi. The rest of our trip will be spent in the northern states, where Ryan called home years ago. So I am doing my best to soak up the sights and sounds of the south while here. We visited caves, saw monkey families and a festival in the street yesterday. Tonight will be spent with old friends of Ryan's and I hope there will be much more walking and eating today. Maybe we'll check out a Bollywood film at some point, Ryan claims samosas and chaat are on offer as well as popcorn...

One more thing...Ryan has posted some pretty funny pics of our time in Capadoccia...check it out
http://everthine.blogspot.com/

a sweet way to end a meal