Chai

Location: Gujarat

Description: Whilst chai exists all over India in one form or another I think some note should be paid to the unique form it takes in the state of Gujarat. It is not just that the standard of chai here is very high (with the spicing of ginger and cardamon always being just right). It is that the Gujarati's seem to take chai very seriously with shops exclusively dedicated to the stuff (sans samosa, sans fried snacks, sans everything).  On top of this the chai is always served in cute little cups and saucers (picture to follow). All of these things make chai in Gujarat a thoroughly charming experience.

Patra

Location: Bhuj 04/02/11

Description: This is a most bizarre thing. It is sold out of stands that sell both this and a form of lentil bread which I totally failed to try. The body of this dish was made up of a sort of roulard that was made by wrapping a sort of leaf around a thick paste of chickpeas.  It was flavoured with coriander seed and had a most unusual texture. This as I said was rolled in a sort of swiss roll and then cut into slices and in true Gujarati style doused in a sweet, sour, spicy and sticky sauce. This was then put on a plate with more sweet sauce yogurt and crisp fried vermicelli and coriander leave. This was definitely and interesting if not particularly pleasant breakfast experience.

Pav Bhaji

Location: Bhuj 03/02/11

Description: This was a soft white roll filled with potato curry (tomatoey, heavy with mustard oil and slightly sweet). This was slathered with sweet chilly sauce and finished with crushed peanuts. This made for a sweet and spicy experience.

Pani Puri (Gujarati style)

Location: Admedabad 30/01/2011

Description: This snack is traditionally associated with Mumbai and Chowpatty beach but never being one to bend to convention I tried them in Gujarat. For the uninitiated a puri is a small hollow ball of batter (well in this context, as previously referred to in my post about puri and chutney they can also be much larger). This ball is filled with a potato mixture and then the wallah dips the whole thing into a peppery soup with fills the ball. This is then passed to you and you have to pop the whole thing in your mouth at once and chew. This experience was described by a friend as an extremely unpleasant alternative to oysters. Whilst I can claim to love this experience I do like the ritual of the whole thing as you stuff the whole thing into your mouth and you get a sudden explosion of spice.

Fried Snack (Namkeens I think) Samosa, methi balls, aloo & chilli pakora

Location: Ahmedabad 30/01/2011

Description: This breakfast (picture to follow) of fried snacks was both familiar and strange. The samosa was beautifully made, light and flavoured (as so much is in GJ) with mustard seeds. But paired with this was an unusual little snack that I've not seen before of methi (or sweet) balls of batter dough flavoured with coriander leaves. The meal was rounded off with what appeared to be fearsome chilli pakora which instead of being firey was instead friuty and bitter like a green pepper. This was all accompanied by salted green chillies and a cucumber salad.

Beef Xacuti

Location: Margao 28/01/11

Description: This curry was a fantastically eye-watering experience. I leapt at the opportunity of eating it though as it is straight down the line Goan food and my last chance to eat cow for a few months (as cow hating Goa are good with beef) and it was quite a last hurrah for my bovine friends. The gravy was bold and meaty and beautifully spiced. In this gravy as well as tender pieces of beef there were floating what I can only describe as a multitude of green chillies. The result was that I sweated from every part of my body but it was worth every firey mouthful.

The worst cookie in the world

Location: Gokarna 25/01/11

Description: I don't know whether it was the fact it was horribly stale or the fact that it tasted vaguely of soap but this was undoubtedly one of the worst baked goods I have ever attempted to eat. I'm not sure there is much else to say as the trauma relives itself in my mind...