India on My Platter by Sanjeev Kapoor, Saransh Goila
Authors: Sanjeev Kapoor, Saransh Goila
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mixture and sauté for three to four minutes. Add the rice (that has been soaked in water for 30 minutes).
4. Pour the milk and water. Add salt to taste and bring to a boil. Then lower the flame so that it simmers. Add the sugar, saffron, cinnamon and bayleaf.
5. Cover the lid and cook for 12-15 minutes.
6. Switch off the gas. Remove the lid, add the sapodilla, pomegranate and cardamom powder. Finish with the Panadanas syrup.
7. Open the biryani up after an hour or so and enjoy with pickles and raita (an Indian condiment of yoghurt containing chopped cucumber or other vegetables and spices).
∼
One of the reasons I had decided to come to Mandvi was the dabeli, a Gujarati burger made with a distinct potato masala stuffed in a soft pav bun. Served with many chutneys—tamarind, date, garlic, red chillies—it is filled with pomegranates, roasted peanuts and sev (fried shredded gram flour bits). What sets dabeli apart is its masala consisting of a secret list of ingredients. Some of the ingredients are red chillies, cardamom, cumin, cinnamon, coriander and black salt. I would still prefer to buy it from a local store, rather than making this tedious recipe. The flavour is a winning combination of all the essential ones: salty, sweet, spicy and sour. It was invented way back in the 1960s, in Mandvi, and was at that time sold at the time for six paisa!
After a long drive, of nearly 400 km, we stopped at Chokhi Dhani in Piragarhi, 14 km from Rajkot. Here, I saw a Garba performance. Garba is a traditional dance form performed during the Navratras. The dance takes the formation of concentric circles, and it is heavily influenced by the Dandiya Raas, a dance in which women are beautifully dressed in ethnic outfits and jewellery. The songs usually revolve around the stories of Lord Krishna. I met a few couples dancing who immediately pulled me in, made me change into an event-appropriate outfit and taught me few basic steps of the dance. This made me realise that not only is Gujarati food inherently sweet, but so are the people. After they found out that I was a chef, they made sure I sampled Kathiawadi cuisine. We all ate together on the floor from a big thali (platter), on being served the food. Unlike Kutchi food, this cuisine is hot, spicy and salty. One of the most popular dishes of this cuisine is dal dhokli, made of arhar dal (split pigeon pea legume), flour, nuts and spices. My favourite was undhiyo, a traditional dish made with legumes, vegetables, coconuts and coriander. The Gujaratis are very fond of their accompaniments. With the main course, I sampled the chunda, a sweet and spicy jam made of grated raw mango.
Thus, we called it a day at Rajkot.
D AY 35
9 September / Ahmedabad
Our next stop was Ahmedabad, the former capital of Gujarat. It is ranked third in the Forbes list of fastest growing cities of the decade. No wonder Gujaratis love to make money. Located on the banks of the river Sabarmati, 30 km away from the state capital Gandhi Nagar, Ahmedabad is filled with passionate, outgoing people who love to celebrate life. They are very particular about the food they eat. Few of the best thalis in India are available here.
I had the chance to meet my old chef friend Pranav Joshi, who ran his own culinary academy in Ahmedabad. He explained how most restaurants in the city served only vegetarian food. He also mentioned that the Gujaratis love experimenting and have taken to loving fusion food. To pay tribute to the city I was in, I decided to make a Spaghetti Moilee for Pranav and his students at the academy.
S PAGHETTI M OILEE
(Italian spaghetti tossed in south Indian curry.)
Ingredients
1 packet spaghetti
2 tbsp olive oil
½ tsp mustard (sarson) seeds garnish
10 piece fresh curry leaves (kari patta), plus more for garnish
1-inch ginger (adrak), chopped
10 cloves garlic (lasun), chopped
2 medium onions, sliced
4 green chillies, stemmed, deseeded and cut lengthwise
1 tsp turmeric (haldi)
4. Pour the milk and water. Add salt to taste and bring to a boil. Then lower the flame so that it simmers. Add the sugar, saffron, cinnamon and bayleaf.
5. Cover the lid and cook for 12-15 minutes.
6. Switch off the gas. Remove the lid, add the sapodilla, pomegranate and cardamom powder. Finish with the Panadanas syrup.
7. Open the biryani up after an hour or so and enjoy with pickles and raita (an Indian condiment of yoghurt containing chopped cucumber or other vegetables and spices).
∼
One of the reasons I had decided to come to Mandvi was the dabeli, a Gujarati burger made with a distinct potato masala stuffed in a soft pav bun. Served with many chutneys—tamarind, date, garlic, red chillies—it is filled with pomegranates, roasted peanuts and sev (fried shredded gram flour bits). What sets dabeli apart is its masala consisting of a secret list of ingredients. Some of the ingredients are red chillies, cardamom, cumin, cinnamon, coriander and black salt. I would still prefer to buy it from a local store, rather than making this tedious recipe. The flavour is a winning combination of all the essential ones: salty, sweet, spicy and sour. It was invented way back in the 1960s, in Mandvi, and was at that time sold at the time for six paisa!
After a long drive, of nearly 400 km, we stopped at Chokhi Dhani in Piragarhi, 14 km from Rajkot. Here, I saw a Garba performance. Garba is a traditional dance form performed during the Navratras. The dance takes the formation of concentric circles, and it is heavily influenced by the Dandiya Raas, a dance in which women are beautifully dressed in ethnic outfits and jewellery. The songs usually revolve around the stories of Lord Krishna. I met a few couples dancing who immediately pulled me in, made me change into an event-appropriate outfit and taught me few basic steps of the dance. This made me realise that not only is Gujarati food inherently sweet, but so are the people. After they found out that I was a chef, they made sure I sampled Kathiawadi cuisine. We all ate together on the floor from a big thali (platter), on being served the food. Unlike Kutchi food, this cuisine is hot, spicy and salty. One of the most popular dishes of this cuisine is dal dhokli, made of arhar dal (split pigeon pea legume), flour, nuts and spices. My favourite was undhiyo, a traditional dish made with legumes, vegetables, coconuts and coriander. The Gujaratis are very fond of their accompaniments. With the main course, I sampled the chunda, a sweet and spicy jam made of grated raw mango.
Thus, we called it a day at Rajkot.
D AY 35
9 September / Ahmedabad
Our next stop was Ahmedabad, the former capital of Gujarat. It is ranked third in the Forbes list of fastest growing cities of the decade. No wonder Gujaratis love to make money. Located on the banks of the river Sabarmati, 30 km away from the state capital Gandhi Nagar, Ahmedabad is filled with passionate, outgoing people who love to celebrate life. They are very particular about the food they eat. Few of the best thalis in India are available here.
I had the chance to meet my old chef friend Pranav Joshi, who ran his own culinary academy in Ahmedabad. He explained how most restaurants in the city served only vegetarian food. He also mentioned that the Gujaratis love experimenting and have taken to loving fusion food. To pay tribute to the city I was in, I decided to make a Spaghetti Moilee for Pranav and his students at the academy.
S PAGHETTI M OILEE
(Italian spaghetti tossed in south Indian curry.)
Ingredients
1 packet spaghetti
2 tbsp olive oil
½ tsp mustard (sarson) seeds garnish
10 piece fresh curry leaves (kari patta), plus more for garnish
1-inch ginger (adrak), chopped
10 cloves garlic (lasun), chopped
2 medium onions, sliced
4 green chillies, stemmed, deseeded and cut lengthwise
1 tsp turmeric (haldi)
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