Food for Soul

They say, good food must be savored delicately, slowly, attentively and respectfully, in a befitting manner, with finesse and technique, with relish and appreciation and you will experience true gustatory delight. That’s essence of the Art of Eating. Eating is not just making yourself not-hungry. It is about filling your appetite by having a soul-satisfying tasty food. Why neglect the soul while we do so much so for our bodies? While exercise is good for a healthy body, good and tasty food is necessary for the soul.

And here I go keying in my list of favorite foods. Food for my soul. Enjoy…

Nanking’s Chilli Chicken – Though not an up market restaurant, Nanking is one of the oldest and most renowned of the Chinese restaurants in Hyderabad. I went there as a kid with my family and I make it a point to visit the place every time I get there, even now. We wait outside patiently till we get a table even today and quite know that every minute of that wait is worth the visit. Even to date the ‘Chilli Chicken’ wet style what’s served there is so unique and special, goes hand in hand with the hot noodles that after a fast meal you are left with nothing but incredible satiety. The taste what I experience here cannot be compared to any Chinese dish I’ve had till date.

Pushkarni Bhel - ‘Bhel’ is the specialty of Pune. It could be rightly called as the signature dish of the city. It's a yummy lip smacking sweet and sour zesty mixture of churmure, sevs, chiwda, nuts, chopped - tomatoes, onions, green chilies and coriander, kairee [raw mango], potatoes, sweet (tamarind) and hot (Mint) chutneys, a dash of lime mixed well in a stainless steel bowl and served fresh and eaten immediately. My mouth waters yearning for my favorite delectable Bhel in Pune!

Darjeeling Momos - A popular food in Darjeeling is the scrumptious ‘Momo’ - A simple preparation of a steamed dumpling containing chicken and vegetables cooked in a doughy wrapping and served with very hot and spicy chili sauce in the freezing cold makes it a very healthy and a satisfying energy giving dish which lingers long after you have savored it.

Shree Guru Kottureshwara Benne Dose - A small eatery in front of Bapuji Dental College entrance in Davangere serves world-class 'Benne Doses' (Butter Dosa). Goes with very basic coarsely ground 'coconut chutney' and a glob of 'aloo palya'. What comes out of that huge Dose making platform is just a thin crust of Dosa, made as criminally savory as possible with lavish portions of butter added and re-added to the batter that’s spread out on the pan to make the Dosa. The strong roasted buttery flavor coming from the Dosa as you relish each and every bit of it (you are literally feasting on butter here, only this time it has a thin crusty film underneath), makes it an amazing 'Benne Dosa' experience.

Shadab Biriyani – Being a hyderabadi and not mentioning ‘Biryani’ is something close to indigestible. I am not a diehard Biryani freak but when it comes to a good titillating Biryani teasing my taste buds, then nothing more authentic than the Chicken Biryani served in an old city Biryani specialist Shadab located near Charminar where one gets to savour Biryani in its true essence.

Local Pani-Puri Wala - Eating ‘Pani Puris’ mouthful from street side vendors, standing in a queue and waiting for my turn is something I badly miss. Very simple mouth watering snack, fun when roadside, amidst the crowds, as the vendor keeps filling the Puris with the savory Pani and then goes on dropping them one by one in your bowl even before you’ve made your attempt to force one in your already full mouth. He would just go on and on till you say stop and I’m done! Good temptation for the tongue on the same day and bad reaction on the tummy the next day!

Makki di Roti and Sarson ka Saag - Amazing combo eaten all through our unforgettable journey from Delhi to Shimla. The hot ‘Rotis’ coming from the Tandoor with a generous dollop of ‘Makkhan’ (butter) and the rich ‘Sarson ka Saag’ from roadside Dhabas on the highways lingers in my mouth till date.

PizzaPapalis Pizza -There are many tasty deep dish style pizzas - especially in Chicago - but there is only one PizzaPapalis pizza, made Chicago style! And that’s only in the Detroit area! Fresh dough to make the perfect crust, loading every pie with premium Wisconsin cheese, tomatoes for the tangy sauce come from Italy and finest vegetables cut fresh daily to generously top a wide variety of Pizzas. Definitely pleases the palette – yummy! If at all I miss Detroit, I miss it for this pizza. In all likelihood, it was by far the best pizza I have ever had to date.

Menu from my mother’s kitchen - Home cooked food is divine! I just love everything that my mother prepares. And my love for good food helps me relish every grain prepared with love. Her love infused creations of all the delightful meals and sweetmeats always unfailingly filled my heart, and later my tummy, with joy.

-Manasi

One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating. ~Luciano Pavarotti