I am not a big fan of chole bhature but once in a month, I enjoy it. Even though I have been living in Delhi for a decade or more, I have realized that Mumbai is the city that I love the most.
Since 25th March we have been under lockdown and now, we are entering lockdown 3.0 We don’t know what lies ahead as the situation is grave. We have to keep ourselves motivated and keep going. Hopefully, soon, we will be able to overcome this. Since I didn’t go out and have been cooking a lot at home; hence the thought of sharing some of my cooking experiences. Next week I will share my views on the future of F&B post lockdown.
Lockdown is a tough phase that is hard on everyone and each of us are reacting to it in a different way. I love cooking but at times, I get bored too! Today was the day when I didn’t feel like cooking at all. However, when I felt the hunger pang, I quickly turned towards preparing a simple lunch. My grandpa used to love chutney and chokha in his everyday meal especially during lunch with rice. Mango and mint both are in abundance in summers. While mint helps you to calm your body, mango protects you from the heatwave.
A simple chokha – mashed boiled potato, burnt red chili, and mustard oil mixed together.
Chutney – mint, raw mango, Fresh Coriander, salt and mustard oil blended in the mixer.
Try this out, it lifts your spirits! Rice, dal, Chokha, and Chutney – Easy to prepare – Quick and filling! This was my way to beat the blues!
Lockdown is also a phase of transformation and time to hone your skills and do what you enjoy doing! Spend time with family and look towards supporting each other. Amidst my wife’s hectic schedule, I prepare dishes to help her out. My way of showing support and spending quality time! Try it – the days just get better!
Every city has its own character and a life of its own. This morning while having my breakfast, I had kheer alongside. It suddenly reminded me of my childhood when I and my cousin would go for puri jalebi nashta ( breakfast). My cousin was not fond of jalebi so he usually had different mithai. This nashta is very famous in Bihar but Chapra is unique. It’s a city where most people love to eat outside. Every hotal in the morning is bubbling as people eat puri sabji and jalebi. In the afternoon, the streets are brimming with energy as food stalls are crowded with people enjoying mutton/chicken cooked on tawa, along with litti. I have never seen any other city which is so fond of litti and sattu. If you go towards Chapra station there are many food vendors serving little chokha and sattu lassi. I definitely miss these things here, as that’s not how I relish jalebi and the way we eat jalebi in Delhi, it’s different.
Finally, I had the famous Delhi ka breakfast – chole bhature. Naina is Probashi Bengali. She was born in Delhi but brought up mainly in Punjab. Her Punjabi cooking is outstanding. She makes an amazing chole. Together we tried our hands on bhatura. I am not a big fan of chole bhature but once in a month, I enjoy it. Even though I have been living in Delhi for a decade or more, I have realized that Mumbai is the city that I love the most.
#MyFoodDiary is a weekly column where I share my experiences of the previous week. This is the weekly summation of the new place, meeting a new chef, or learning something about a new cuisine. Synopsis of the entire week rolled up together!
