My World of Food and Travel

I wrote about our weekend in Coorg in my previous post . While writing it, I realized that we had so much fun there; it deserved a few more posts! For instance, take the case of Madikeri – the key hill station town of Coorg. We spent only a few hours in the town and yet they will remain etched in our memories as really incredible, although all we did was to EAT and SHOP.  Allow me to take you around some of the places in Madikeri where you can do the same! Coffee: The most important thing in your shopping list. You are in coffee country and you just can’t leave the place without carrying a few packets of the rich brew. Did you know that Coorg produces the largest amount of coffee in the country? As we drove around the city’s market area, our olfactory senses were pleasantly assailed by the heady aroma of strong coffee. Finally, we could not take it anymore and decided to begin our quest for the perfect coffee shop. And herein lay the problem – there were scores of shops se...

Doesn’t the picture look dreadful? So unappetizing! And yet how much we all loved the dish. Just goes on to prove that looks can be so deceptive.  I had to prowl on the net again when the husband brought home this 2.5 kg rohu fish. I hardly know a few fish recipes and I generally keep on carrying out experiments till all of us get tired of them. As a matter fact, I don’t think I made this recipe the correct way. Oops! The secret is out! Maybe that is why the picture did not come out well. Hmm. Then again, I made the recipe with rohu fish steaks, which is an Indian fresh water fish and is very mild in taste. The original recipe (or rather recipes, as I mixed and matched 2-3 of them) called for sole, flounder or haddock fillets. Now, who wants to wait till those fish come home?  Anyhow, the recipe seemed super simple and I thought I could whip it up easily for dinner after a hard day at office. As usual, I am always hit by trepidation when the dish ...

I love inviting people over for meals. Perhaps this is a legacy passed on from my parents. Deta (my dad) used to invite people for lunch or dinner at the drop of a hat, although he found it extremely difficult to visit others’ homes for the same. Every weekend my mother would be found slogging at the kitchen, preparing an elaborate spread. From soups to desserts, everything would be made from scratch. Later, when we sisters grew up a little, we were able to help Maa in her chores. I would make the salad and sis would make the dessert. Sometimes, I would make the raita and sis something else. Deta had his own specialty – sweetcorn soup. At that time, I used to wonder why is it that we have to keep feeding others. Was it really necessary to cook so many dishes? I had put this question to Maa once and received a sharp rebuke. Today, I know the worth. My heart fills with pride every time I see appreciation of my food on the face of my guests, not necessarily in words. The food I...