Ramasseri Idlis....

Idlis is a staple breakfast in almost all south Indian Homes. Each region has its own slight variation - - from your regular idlis to Kushboo Idli to Thatte Idlis. A good 30 years of living in South India and just as you think you have sampled the entire plethora of Idlis  - there comes another that is subtly different from everything else you have tasted...

'Ramasseri Idli'...... from the village of Ramasseri a few kms off Palaghat district in Kerala. These idlis seem more like steamed version of Mini dosas - So thin and flat are they! Here is a picture of the idli we had for breakfast one of those days.......

Am told that in this part of Kerala, Ramasseri Idli is a regular item during feasts at home and hotels. But of course, we had to drive the extra 10 -15 kms to Ramaserri village and sample the 'original'(cue to roll eyes)

You could read more about Ramasseri Idli and its cooking procedure here


Linking this to AtoZ challenge - I is for Idli. N thus we head off to Palaghat and its interiors for the next few days.....

Eating in Kolhapur..

Kolhapur was the pit-stop on our Bangalore-Mumbai road trip. Of course, it was a conscious stop considering this place is synonymous with its non-veg cuisine :).

This is how our dinner plate looked like that evening. Now, this is the interesting bit - you'll see two kinds of gravy - the red and the white one.  The white\green gravy is called "Pandra Raasa" and its mildness is the perfect foil for "Tambda Raasa" which is a fiery hot red gravy!

For breakfast next day morning, we landed at Phadtare Misal Paav. This is a no-frill, modest eatery open only for breakfast and the only item in the menu is Misal-Paav. Its rated as one among the best in  Kolhapur and it truly didn't disappoint( Of course am no expert on Misal, but it was definetely lip smacking good).......

Of course, no trip to Kolhapur is complete without picking up these famous Kolhapuris....

 

Linking this to AtoZ challenge  E is for Eating@Kolhapur

Good times are here again ....

Which by default means time for a short getaway. Reporting live from Malpe beach.

Good Locale!

Good Food!

Linking this to AtoZchallenge - G is for good (good food, good times, good locale) 

Food Tales!

The 'sides'\ accompaniments to Rice-Kanzhi\Conjee\Rice gruel - from fryums to chilies to pickles - U can take ur pick! Indeed this version of street food is novel to me.....Clicked near mettur dam @ TamilNadu

Looks yummmmmmm doesn't it! While I hvnt tasted it at this place, this dish was a regular at our home during those hot summer days in Hyderabad! N a real thirst-quencher it is.

Now if Food in itsef were a indicator of our culture-tradition, what would the above pic speak of? Rice gruel in itself is more of a poor mans food, but topped with these 'side-dishes' should indeed be a relishing dish that will leave you with a contended sigh - So what does it speak of our people? People who fight against odds, but can make a feast out of nothing..... so true of our country rt or at least of the poorer strata of the society.

Linking this to Thursday challenge - CULTURE (Food, Dance, Clothing, Festivals,...)

Wood Fired Pizzas!



Wood Fired Pizza @ Bier Club, B'lore



One item that I see flying off the shelf at quite a few lounges is the "Wood fired Pizza". Yea, we hv had it too .... N if u ask me it definitely tastes betta than ur regular pizza.  Of course goes without saying that you pay a premium for it cause well they are "wood roasted"!

But come to think of it, isnt it how the food was always cooked at least until a few years back in villages across India! Heres a click, clicked at a roadside eatery somewhere on the Kerala-B'lore Highway... "Wood Fired Dosa" anybody :-D

Funny huh, that we end up paying "premium" for what was(is) still jus a regular way of life! Signs of changing times??

Linking this to ABC Wednesday(W if For Wood-Fired)

Highway On My Plate!

is what I was watching on "NDTV Good Times".

Ha realized that the foodie I am N the regularity with which I hit the highways (The Credit goes to the driving freaks of a hubbs that I hv!) its a surprise this space hardly featured any of these yum yum food centers that dot our highways.......

From the kutti tea stalls bang in the middle of nowhere.... Sipping tea from those glasses even as the rain is pouring down has a v distinctive charm of its own!

Ever sampled a 'Omlette', 'dosa-Chutney', 'Mutta-dosai' n washed it all down with a cup of hot coffee on a way side shack! I did on ma way back to B'lore from Kerala... N trust me they can give darshinis run for money anytime of the day!

N the fav of all... The dhabas! Yum yum dhababs :). Yum yum to the eyes tooo... seen those bright colors tht they always decked up in! From the ones modelled after your regular darshinis to the 'Garden Dhabas' where in each group is assigned a separate 'hut' (you get the kind am talking of?) to my fav ones - where in for the seating you hv the 'Katiyas' (C the pic)!

N ma food recommendation :-D. The You-will-never-go-wrong 'Dal-Roti' n possibly a tandoori chicken n wash it down with a lassi.... Thou I would suggest that the driver skips the 'Lassi' part .... well we dont want the driver to doze off on the road... do we? But having said that I had tasted the best ever 'Prawn' dry roast in a dhaba on the outskirts of goa... yum it was!!


So until the next time I hit a highway ... If all goes well it should be next week...A road trip from B'lore to hyd... yipppeeeee!!! Well my dear Mgr, plz approve ma leave :)

PS: Dint hv the paience... so all pics are courtesy google!