Spice route november 2016 issue

FOOD ||||| EATING OUT
historical port city of Vasco-da-Gama for
a guided tour of the farmers’ market
replete with local vegetables, fruits,
seafood and spices. Back at Rita’s home,
there’s a cookery demonstration using
ingredients sourced on the market trip.
As you don your apron and sip on fresh
kokum juice, you learn about and even
lend a hand in preparation of traditional
Goan dishes such as galinha cafreal,
rissois de camarao, fish recheado, caldin
curry, vindalho, crab xec xec and chicken
GETTING UNDER THE
SKIN OF CITIES
Top: A cookery demonstration at Rita Shinde’s
Goa home. Bottom: Food enthusiasts on the
Bandra Food and Doodle Trail
xacuti. The session ends with a
sumptuous Goan meal including Goan
desserts like bolo mimosa. You not only
come away with a better understanding
of Goan food but also with a certificate as
a token of remembrance.
Ritasgourmetgoa.com
MUMBAI
Thanks to the many communities that
call it their home, Mumbai is equally
famous for its street food and less-known
cuisines as it is for its hip restaurants.
Wandering Foodie is a culinary tours
company started by food enthusiasts
Vinod Sarma and Rahul Patil and
conducts food walks in various pockets
of the city such as Chembur and Bandra.
The Bandra Food and Doodle Trail
takes you through Bandra’s bylanes and
to Ranwar, one of its long-standing
villages largely populated by East Indian
Catholics. Sample sorpotel, chicken
puffs and mince potato chops prepared
in traditional East Indian style at familyrun
eateries while nuggets of
information on the village’s history are
thrown at you. Check out well-preserved
heritage homes and vibrant street art
along the trail. On the Parsi Snack Trail,
led by Parsi chef and food writer Perzen
Patel, tuck into patra nee machchi,
dhansak, berry pulao, lagan nu custard
and much more at restaurants and cafes
patronised by the Parsis.
Wanderingfoodie.in
Mumbai-based food and travel writer,
Kalyan Karmakar loves discovering new
dishes as much as he loves sharing the
stories behind them. In 2012, he started
the Finely Chopped Food Walks as an
extension of his love affair with food.
The walks, well received by residents
and travellers alike, offer glimpses of
Mumbai through Karmakar’s eyes and
bring to life stories from his blog which
focuses on food he loves to eat and
write about on a daily basis.
Having participated in food walks
across London, Prague, Rome, Madrid,
Barcelona, Seville and Singapore,
Karmakar believes that culinary walks
are “a great way to get under the skin of
a city”. At present, between blogging,
writing, conducting customised food
walks, cooking, and eating his way
through cities in India and across
the world, Karmakar is working on
a food travelogue. The book, slated
to be launched in the near future by
Hatchette Publications, is based on his
culinary discoveries in India. Here are his
perennial Mumbai picks:
•Bohri Mohalla in Bhendi Bazaar for
succulent meat preparations, and the
125-year-old Taj Ice Cream for handchurned
ice creams in flavours like
strawberry and custard apple
•Mumbai’s Fort precinct for its history
and diversity with stops at Yazdani
for bun-maska and chai, Apoorva for
authentic Mangalorean cuisine, and
Pancham Puriwala, possibly Mumbai’s
oldest-running restaurant, for different
kinds of puris
•Aaswad in Dadar for kothimbir vadi,
sabudana vada, thali peeth, misal pav
and other local Maharashtrian fare; and
Prakash for puri bhaji
•Bandra for its family-run restaurants
and cafes like Khane Khas, Punjab
Sweets and Candies; and masala
shopping at Pali Market
Visit Finelychopped.net for more
information
ANUJ & MUKUND SHINDE, WANDERING FOODIE
128 ||||| NOVEMBER 2016