A Party With Panipuri

Who invited these little tidbits to the party? To be honest, I had absolutely no clue when I stumbled on these small pieces of joy on a night out in Mumbai. They were being served on a clear cart on the street to various hungry people in a slapstick, and, less than sanitary conditions. Just money, the snacks, and hands. I didn't know what to make of it. 

Pani (which is flavoured water) and puri (meaning a hollow, fried crisp pastry or bread) is an Indian street stall dish served all over the country, and I encountered it in all variations in Mumbai, Delhi, Dharamsala, and everywhere in between. It is a very strange concoction of the aforementioned fried crisp, tamarind chutney, chili, onion, chickpeas, and chaat masala (not necessarily in the same order as the local stall owners put their own twist on it.) 

At first, I had no idea how to eat this food, or even how to order it for that matter, so I observed the locals, noting also how much money was exchanged for how many pieces. It turns out that you get served anywhere between four to eight small pieces, all in rapid fire succession. I noticed that Indians generally like to eat very fast and this became a challenge for me as I eat slowly and like to really chew my food. Not at the Panipuri stalls. Upon ordering, I was handed a small metal plate to hold on to and in rapid fire succession was served six of the pastries. The small plate was not so much for holding each piece as for the tamarind to seep out into, to be consumed at the end as a drink. Some folks even ask for pure tamarind juice at the end of their meal on the plate to drink. I also did this several times. Pure taste bud bliss.   

I really enjoyed the process of making this tasty dish, the vendors have a quick way of using their thumbs of making a small opening in the pastry and then proceed to dunk it into all sorts of tasty looking sides and sauces. For an idea of how it is made, have a look at this video (soundtrack included!) I found a simple recipe for you to get an idea of how to make it here. If you are living in the Toronto area, go and try these strange concoctions at Bombay Chowpatty, it is definitely worth it!

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Momos And Friends

This is the inceptive post for my new project. It is something I have been wanting to do for a long while and finally my thoughts have come to fruition. As I sit in this hot Delhi apartment room, it has come to my attention that the plethora of interesting food that the world has to offer is as interesting as travelling to these very same, interesting destinations. Sometimes it is not about the journey, as is the common frame of thought, but rather about the end. Sometimes that end is a food cart stand in an exotic locale where nothing looks like your typical lunch sandwich (not that I want to single out a tasty grilled cheese that's been on my mind as well lately.) 

This will not be a review blog, but rather a focus on the uncommon, rare even (at least from a Canadian perspective) foods that you will find at your friendly neighbourhood Dhaba (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dhaba), or London fusion eatery that serves up nothing short of a fire breathing marshmellow cake. More on that later. Even in our own backyard there are plenty of dishes some people may turn their nose on but if you allow for a minute of indulgence, I guarantee you will not regret those thoughts of mixing kimchi and brie. Although travel to these places is a necessity, it is not a requirement to read, so go on, kick back, and enjoy the view. 

When I arrived Dharamshala (there are apparently several ways to spell the name,) or, more preciseley, McLeod Ganj, I encountered a seemingly exiled population of Tibetan refugees. With them came the momo. It is a dumpling of sorts (think dim sum) that is rolled with any type of filling under the sun. Be it paneer, vegetables, chocolate, or meat, it was available everywhere from the food cart to just about every restaurant. As a lover of dim sum, I was naturally curious about this new (for me) and delicious looking dumpling. After trying out a few street stalls and a restaurant or two serving these creations, with which a tasty yet spicy chili sauce was used for dipping, I decided to try my hand at making a few at Sangye's Kitchen. It was a great experience and Sangye was very informative on how to correctly shape a home made momo. 

To taste, I personally loved the vegetable and cream cheese combination momo, but the chicken and mutton fried dishes were also very unique and unlike dim sum, the dough had a slight perogi-esque texture to it. 

You can find these dumplings all over Himachal Pradesh in India, which has a sizeable Tibetan population, as well as some parts of Delhi. I have read that Nepal serves them us as well but have yet to visit so I cannot speak for it myself. After a little research, I have found some momos in Toronto at Tibet Cafe and cannot wait to try them! If you happen to be in the area, I am sure that the staff will appreciate the phrase ''tashi delek'' and proceed to offer you a taste of something different, yet familiar to the tastebuds. 

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