Happy New Year, you! First off, sorry for not being able to update our blog enough. I've been quite held up with all sort of things and also a little bit lazy. But we will try and update our blog as often as possible with absolutely delicious stuff, which hopefully you would like.
The first thing I tried in Ahmedabad was faafda. Faafda is a snack made with besan. It has a very unique process where the dough is rolled and stretched out by hand and then fried. This was served with some kadhi and this raw mango salsa-like mix along with fried chillies.
Later in the day, we went to a temple where there was something called khichu being served. I'd never heard of anything like that and upon some Googling, understood that it is actually a batter to make papad. Khichu became my instant favorite. It was smooth, hot and incredibly comforting.
I loved this dish so much that I tried making it when I got back to Hyderabad. It's quite an easy preparation - Boil some water, add salt, jeera, hing, green chilli paste and a pinch of baking soda. Then slowly add the rice flour while making sure no lumps are formed. I figured this mix has to be slightly runny at this stage, unlike what the recipes I have read online suggest. Simmer and cook the mixture down till the it reduces to a mash potato like consistency. Serve steaming hot with some oil and red chilli powder.
Ahmedabad has a unique street food culture. Later in the day, we had this sensational sweet potato.
You must be wondering what can be sensational about sweet potato. This little snack was so good that I didn't even remember to take a picture until the plate was almost over. What's in the plate is a sweet potato, boiled and smoked over some charcoal. It is peeled, cut up and seasoned with some chat masala and lemon. What an amazing thing to do with sweet potato. Simple, delicious and healthy!
To discover more of Ahmedabad's street food, we went to Manek Chowk. Now when I was doing my pre-trip research, I came across mentions of Manek Chowk so many times that we had marked it as a must on our list of to-do in Ahmedabad. I don't know if it was my high expectations or just the place itself, but Manek Chowk was a disappointment. It's a highly over-rated place that does not have much to offer apart from kilos of butter and cheese. Stalls had different kinds of foods to offer - from parathas to dosas to chat to sandwiches (including a pineapple sandwich with canned pineapple, pineapple jam and at least 2 handfuls of cheese), and the common taste amongst all these was butter!
Manek Chowk is jam packed with people till late in the night. And honestly, it has nothing to go back for except, may be the experience.
The next morning, we had quite a surreal experience, with fresh traditional food on an island. Yes, no kidding! About 60 kilometres from Ahmedabad is a lake called Nal Sarovar. This is a lake which is a destination for quite a few migratory birds. This bird sanctuary offers a boat trip along the lake and a stop on a small piece of land near the lake for some breakfast. And of course, I was looking forward to that breakfast on the 'island'. And what a pleasant surprise it was!
What we were given was a plate of two bajra rotis, garlic chutney, gud, roasted baingan ki subzi, alu subzi and sev tamatar - all prepared freshly by some women from the nearby village. These are basic Indian foods that are so easy to make and just so delicious and satisfying. This breakfast made my day!
Our short trip to Ahmedabad ended with a visit to Vishalla, a restaurant that promises to give you a village-like community experience. The cost per person is close to Rs 500 per person and the waiting time was close to two hours! Vishalla turned out to be quite a happening place with people turning up in hundreds. Of course, the entertainment provided at the restaurant with some local singers and a dhol player made up for that crazy waiting time. I literally was running behind the staff to find out when our turn would come. And at some 10 in the night, we finally got a seat.
The food itself was quite good and just about managed to live up to all that hype. Much like the city itself. But do visit Ahmedabad at least once, kyunki yahaa khushboo hai Gujarat ki.
(PS - you are probably wondering why there is no mention of the dhoklas and khandvis. The sweetness of the farsaans is not something that suits my taste buds. I honestly like them better in the Delhi Mithaiwaala shop in Hyderabad.)
