Adventure eating

One of the best meals I ever had was not in a fine-dining, prior reservation required although empty, soft-lighted, wet towel offering, complementary (stomach filler) drink providing, heartlessly priced, baby portions garnished with a parsley sprig kind of place. It was on a dirty little mud-track on the way to Goa.

My mom, dad, brother and I had set out with my cousins and a few aunts and uncles on a family trip to Goa in our cars. It was unplanned, unarranged and totally spontaneous. We had set out at 7 am after having breakfast and in an attempt to cover maximum distance before dark had sped past all hotels, fast-food joints and tea stalls. It was 3 pm in the afternoon and we were in a sleepy little village along the Arabian coast with only one hotel which was closed for the day. We were absolutely ravenous. We strolled through the village market and found some fresh crabs and we decided there that we would cook our own meal. We bought crabs, rice, oil, some spices, a large wok and a vessel and hopped back into our cars. A few miles ahead we stopped at a small bridge where a slow little river joined the sea. We collected pieces of wood, arranged some medium sized rocks to make a stove, placed the wood inside the stove, added a little petrol and finally managed to build a fire. The women then set about cooking the meal while we played along the river bank. We sat down half an hour later to a meal of spicy red crab curry and hot steamed rice. It was the most delicious, heavenly meal I’ve had. I am sure my mom has made better, more perfect crab curries but somehow this crab curry sticks in mind. I don’t know if it was the setting - gurgling water, salty sea breeze and slow setting sun or the company – a famished but happy and wound up group of kids and adults or just plain hunger. But I’ll remember this crab curry for a long time.

The funniest meal I’ve had is courtesy my wife. As newly weds in a new town (Bangalore), we were trying to catch up with all our old friends there. We decided to invite them all for lunch at our place. My wife was a greenhorn at cooking but an ambitious one having just started to cook on a regular basis. The menu for the day was Chicken biryani, hard boiled eggs, Vegetable biryani, Raita, Carrot Halwa and Aloo jeera. Frantic calls were made from Bangalore to Chennai and back as she clarified doubts with her mother and grandma on the exact scientific procedure of boiling eggs. Time was ticking and only Carrot Halwa was ready. We were still mid-way through the biryani when our friends arrived. I tried to distract them by offering some Tropicana juice and my views on the global financial crisis. But they were more interested in the drama unfolding in the kitchen. We toiled on amid their catcalls. It was 3 pm when we sat for lunch. The chicken biryani looked like bisibele bath and the eggs were deformed and out of shape. Our usually greedy friends refused a second helping. But the Carrot Halwa was top-notch. It really was.

I have my favourite restaurants but the best food is almost always in some small little-known place. I had hot steaming momos and sweet tea in a tiny shack in Gangtok and those were some of the best momos I’ve had so far. And then there is this little roadside place in Besant Nagar which makes these amazingly creamy rich kulfis and great tasting paans. Most of these big restaurants and hotels have too much technology to have to make anything fresh. Boutique hotels and specialty cuisine restaurants process and package tastes into standard, un-distinguishable dishes. To taste really good food, step outside and seek out these little known gems. Be adventurous and you shall be rewarded!