Just recently came back from travelling in the north of India - mainly in New Delhi, Jaipur and Agra. Also spent some time in Saharanpur and Dehradun for a friend's wedding, which was a totally unique and memorable experience. There had been some pretty odd and unpleasant experiences along the way but overall, it was enjoyable and it's a country that I would like to explore more of it's culture and, of course, food!
Here are some food highlights that I have enjoyed during the trip. I can't remember some of the names but I definitely remembered what they tasted like.
Vada with Sambar: This is the best version of vada that I've had throughout the trip. It was crunchy on the outside, light and fluffy on the inside. It's a meal in itself and you dip this in a watered down vegetable curry called sambar.
Tandoori Chicken: On our last night in Delhi, one of our travel mates took us to this alley way that's close to a mosque called Kamir. If you're going there for the first time, you WILL get lost. But lucky for us, he had been there and raved about the chicken and the mutton korma. And true enough, this is one of the good versions of tandoori chicken that I've had. It's nothing like the tamed down version of the chicken dish that I've had before. It's fierce and luscious. Even though the chicken was a bit...skinny...you can see the juices flowing out as you cut into it. I can actually see people ordering an entire chicken just for one person!
Bi-da: This is what they eat after a meal. Inside are sweet stuff and pods that tasted like toothpaste. The leaf outside is actually a bit bitter but the combination somehow worked. It's an acquired taste. The first bite will definitely throw you off but take another bite and it's actually not hlaf bad. This version has some shredded coconut inside. My friend admitted that this is version was better than the ones he had from Chennai.
Chicken Kebab: Probably one of the most non-Indian dishes that I've tasted. I think this dish is very Greek. It's marinated in yoghurt and coriander, which made the chicken pieces really tender. I was dredging this thing in chilli water (and I was actually eating the chillies!).
Papad: This tasted exactly like fish crackers, only that it's huge! The street vendors carry this in big baskets covered by a cloth. I know that once you've seen how they sell this on the streets, you wouldn't even think about buying it! It's not the best thing out there but it's interesting.
Dessert comes first: This is probably one of the most popular sweets from India. It is actually deep-fried just to get that really deep brown almost burnt color, then submerged in sugar syrup. It is extremely sweet, the Indians like it that way. They even drink the sugar syrup after they've finished eating the luscious things. Texture-wise, it's actually like cake, not too dense.
Chicken Biryani. So, here's the thing. My friend actually told me that biryani was brought to India by the Muslims. I'm surprised that this is not dish invented by Indians since I've always seen biryani in most Indian restaurants around the city. Needless to say, since we're in the old city of Agra, this was the best chicken biryani I've had by far. I think I've had chicken biryani for 4 times throughout the trip. Some tasted unusual and gave off a flower-y scent, which I'm not entirely sure of the combination of spices. This one below just tasted right and I felt that this is how a real chicken biryani should be. Take note of the rich, deep yellow tinge surrounding each bead of rice, it's almost like gold. Fried sweet onions and shredded carrots on top. Chicken pieces embedded in the rice.
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