Thursday, December 13, 2007

Roadie Foodie

What is it about the road side food that would make you abandon your hygienically cooked and packed homemade lunch for adulterated masalas, cheap cooking oil and questionable fingers?

Just ate a yummilicious portion of Channa Kulcha from a roadside vendor. My absolute favorite roadie foodie, I think I ODed on it way back in college, and still I stop and buy a plate if I spot the large brass handi on the back of a cycle. My second absolute favorite roadie foodie is Aloo Tikki. I luuuurrrvvvveeee alooooo, I can devour boiled potatoes faster than you can say ubla-aloo and happily die of glutinous choking, I kid you not! Take boiled potatoes and fry them in oil... ooooh *shivers* such unhealthy desires canNOT be good fer moi. I make yummilicious bread-rolls (yes I have documented, recorded testimonial... though it cannot be shared with the public yet) stuffed with potatoes and cheese, deep fried and generously doused with sriracha sauce. Bliss.

I have lots of absolute favorite roadie foodies, but while I'm typing this out, a very special one is tugging my memory, pleading to be acknowledged. The humble Sundal, served with pulip-maangaa... ayyomaa... LOVE it. I can taste it right now, walking on the beach, the rogue crows cawing out warnings as they swoop down and pinch morsels off your hand, the waves surging in and out, spraying my face with salty shivers, the scent of the damp newspaper cone the lad wraps my sundal in, chewing slowly savoring the pebbly texture of the lentil and the tarty bite of the mango... miss you so much.

Ohhhh wait. How did I forget VADA PAV!!! Man, I bullied Shool into carrying a serving for me in his cabin baggage when he came down from Bom to Del. HeeHee. I went CRAZEE, dying to taste it last year, looking it up on youtube videos, pretending I could taste the yeasty pav and the hot corriander sauce. *slurppp* I, of course, threw the vada stuffing cause I have weird issues about stuffings and whats acceptable for my mouth, and ate just the crispy batter skin.

Many a times have forced Navinji to eat my insipid lunch while I ordered something heavily drenched in chilly and oil. But with progressing age, my cast iron stomach is rusting. Not a pretty feeling next morning, no siree. :P

1 comment:

~nm said...

I also love those channa kulchas and you know that! Don't you?

Whats a Sundal??

And you can have those yummy vada pavs right here in Delhi at the Mahrasthra stall at Dilli haat! They are as good I tell you! There has been not even one occasion when Hubby hasn't eaten that on a trip to Dilli Haat!

And yes, the feeling in the morning is not nice at all! :D