Fit for a king....
I have been fortunate enough to have traveled quite extensively, and being a lover of good food I make it a point of finding a place that serves local traditional cuisine. I have eaten cat fish baked in a pie and pickled herring Germany, clam chowder and fresh crabs boiled in sea water in San Francisco, goat and camel in Saudi Arabia and a whole host of dishes, both savory and unsavory across the world.
Of all this is the one that really stands out for me. At a restaurant in Mumbai, a stainless steel tray with six small bowls is placed in front of me. A waiter proceeds to fill each bowl with a different vegetable dish. A couple of chapatis, papa-dams and a number of spicy pickles are strewn around the tray. Ghee, or clarified butter is spooned over the chapatis.
The aroma of the food fills the air and I salivate in anticipation. Proceeding from left to right, breaking a piece of chapati and scooping a small quantity of the contents, I taste of each bowl. Flavors of unbelievable complexity and subtlety explode in my mouth. Beans, cauliflower, cabbage, drum sticks, egg plant and spicy curds. Each vegetable with its distinct taste is married to a blend of herbs and spices that compliment it and lift it without overpowering it. Every accompaniment has been carefully chosen to compliment the food being served and adds a new dimension to the taste. The aroma adds to the experience and for a moment it is as if I am in heaven.
I have picked my favorites out of the six and proceed with the meal. As the bowls empty, a waiter who has been monitoring the guests, proceeds to refill them. More chapatis, more papa-dams, more pickles and a new dish, rice and lentils cooked gently together and tempered with ghee and cumin, is spooned into the tray. Rich and with the distinct taste of lentils and a subtle hint of spices, a perfect close to the meal.
As I washed my hands contemplating the meal I had just eaten, it came to me that the chef who had cooked this feast did it with love and care and great attention to detail. And I could not help but feel like a king... :-)
Of all this is the one that really stands out for me. At a restaurant in Mumbai, a stainless steel tray with six small bowls is placed in front of me. A waiter proceeds to fill each bowl with a different vegetable dish. A couple of chapatis, papa-dams and a number of spicy pickles are strewn around the tray. Ghee, or clarified butter is spooned over the chapatis.
The aroma of the food fills the air and I salivate in anticipation. Proceeding from left to right, breaking a piece of chapati and scooping a small quantity of the contents, I taste of each bowl. Flavors of unbelievable complexity and subtlety explode in my mouth. Beans, cauliflower, cabbage, drum sticks, egg plant and spicy curds. Each vegetable with its distinct taste is married to a blend of herbs and spices that compliment it and lift it without overpowering it. Every accompaniment has been carefully chosen to compliment the food being served and adds a new dimension to the taste. The aroma adds to the experience and for a moment it is as if I am in heaven.
I have picked my favorites out of the six and proceed with the meal. As the bowls empty, a waiter who has been monitoring the guests, proceeds to refill them. More chapatis, more papa-dams, more pickles and a new dish, rice and lentils cooked gently together and tempered with ghee and cumin, is spooned into the tray. Rich and with the distinct taste of lentils and a subtle hint of spices, a perfect close to the meal.
As I washed my hands contemplating the meal I had just eaten, it came to me that the chef who had cooked this feast did it with love and care and great attention to detail. And I could not help but feel like a king... :-)
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