In the Mood for Adventure and the Lack Thereof

I might earn a few brickbats for saying this but I believe that we, as Indians, are a bunch of people who prefer to stick to safe and secure food and cuisines rather than venturing too much into a territory without a flashlight. Indeed, you see many Indian restaurants serving your usual malai tikka, dal makhni, laccha parantha fare. Even Italian or Chinese restaurants serve the usual fare. Very few Italian restaurants here serve "Gnocchi" and no one serves "Cannolis". Something as common as "pot stickers" are hardly seen in Chinese restaurants and again "bubble tea" isn't found here. No one dares to go beyond the regular fare. Call it being scared of taking risks and seeing their means of livelihood tank or just not knowing any better. However, if you do truly love food, just take one step beyond the ordinary and you will love it.

I used to be a very safe eater preferring to go to the tried and tested restaurants and ordering the same food which I eat every other weekend. My love for food has truly grown in the last 3 to 4 years which has resulted in me craving experimentation with my food. Sure, once in a while I do crave the good ol' stuff but more often than not, I am disappointed after the meal because I rue the missed chance of having tried out something new.

This obsession with trying out new things has resulted in me tasting some truly incredible food. I will try to describe a few of my experiments with food here. While on my month long trip to London, I encountered a farmer's market in Greenwich which had food from all corners of the world. I tried out some Turkish fare dished out by the good looking (ahem) Turkish sisters. The completely different Turkish pizza was one of the best pizzas I have ever eaten. It was a pizza crust stuffed with keema and rolled-up and stuffed with what can be called a kachumber salad. It was brilliant. While there, I also visited a beer and jazz festival which had a dark beer which had mint leaves and lemon in it and it was the most refreshing beer I have ever had. I also had a hog sandwich (hog meat grilled on a huge pit and marinated with honey and mustard and stuffed in a baguette). Once you have eaten hog meat, it'll be difficult to appreciate any other kind of meat. Sadly, it is not found anywhere in India.

Coming back to the something different food in India. Here the hunt for something different begins with another 'D", something difficult. My trysts with experimental food here has mostly been in food festivals. I recently attended a Bohra Muslim food festival. It has a huge Gujarati influence since most of the Bohra Muslims resided in Gujarat and specifically the Kutch region. The hara masala mutton was brilliant. I have hardly found such subtle and complex flavors in Indian food (that probably sounds like a paradox but it's true).

I also had Tajik food recently. Now this cuisine has probably hardly been eaten by anyone here and I am pretty sure there are no restaurants serving this. The dumplings, roasted vegetables in curd, the sambusek etc. were really really good. Special mention must go to the mutton quorma,which, with its delicate spices beats it's Indian counterparts anyday. The biryani and keema 'non' though good, were not very different from what we might have eaten here. Though, I would advise vegetarians to steer clear of this cuisine unless they are happy with grazing on very few vegetarian dishes, most of which consist of roasted vegetables.

Experimentation in Indian cuisine, specifically, cuisine of the South should be done by people who swear by the usual suspects the vadas, dosas and idlis. Try it. It'll knock your socks off. I used to vociferously malign Gujarati food though I must confess that a recent encounter with it tempered my indignation at it. It is probably the most balanced Indian cuisine.

Though I have to confess, not all my experimentation has turned out to be good. My experiments with Malaysian food were not good. I would not be running back there to try their version of 'thukpa' nor for their green colored dessert made from potatoes (yes, it's true). Their 'rendang' though, was something I would travel the world for. A dinner at a French restaurant; a cuisine which I have never eaten before; left me a little disappointed. The 'Quiche Lorraine' was the only redeeming part of the meal.

Try different food pairings. You never know what you might love. When I was a kid, we were hosting a dinner party and Dad made a vegetable, complete desi style, from artichokes. To this day, I regret frowning at that dish and not tasting it specially after our guests really praised the dish. Try a pineapple and pepperoni pizza, its good.

It makes me happy to see Russian, Irani and Afghani restaurants opening in the city I love. I like the fact that Lebanese restaurants are experimenting, Italian restaurants are serving pizzas without the overpowering marinara sauce. But still, a lot needs to be done.

Experiment, broaden your horizons, try something new every time you eat out. You never know what you might love.