We've eaten what I will call our last dinner in India. As usual, this one was something to remember. We went out with Dhaval's family (several folks including his awesome uncle Rajesh and his family from Houston... and I'm not just saying this because he's going to read this!) for a meal at a roadside stand. These are called dhaba and would equate to a food truck in America. All I can say is WOW!
The cart that we went to served exclusively eggs as the main item. We had eggs prepared in 6 different ways, I think. I'm not entirely sure as I'm so stuffed that much of it seems like a blur. Everything was cooked on little propane burners with a pan that looked somewhat like a wok. They used oil very liberally. I really wish they had used some butter or ghee (Indian for clarified butter) as a substitute for some of the oil but that wouldn't exactly be authentic. The first dish was like french toast just with spicy instead of sweet. The bread was also something that looked like mini hot dog buns. The second dish was like a scrambled egg pile seasoned heavily with green garlic and other seasonings. The third was a sunny side up-style fried egg seasoned heavily with garlic and other seasonings. The fourth was a three-part dish that took a fried egg, a heavily seasoned fry-up of chunky cut tomatoes, and a fried seasoning component. The fifth dish was a fry up of seasoned tomatoes and garlic with a bunch of grated hard-boiled eggs. I think they called this one Indian stir fry. The sixth and final dish was something they called Australian stir fry. Not sure why they call it Australian or stir fry as they don't appear to relate at all. The sixth was similar to the fifth but it incorporated chunky sliced boiled eggs instead of grated eggs. We washed it all down with one of my favorites, Thumbs Up! On top of this, we made friends with an Indian guy from Canada (sorry, I didn't catch your name but I certainly hope you read the blog!) who was filming all of the preparations and was discussing the possibility of taking the techniques home and opening up a food truck (I'm all for the idea, by the way!).
All of this was served from this cart:
Additionally, we stopped earlier tonight at another little stand for some fresh roasted corn. This was absolutely awesome. They roasted it over fresh coals until it was perfectly cooked then seasoned with lemon and some kind of chili powder mix. It was freaking awesome!
After we finished eating, we walked next door to another dhaba station. This one was more like a small open-air kitchen restaurant as it wasn't a cart like the other. I think it was called King's Corner or something. They had a nice tandoori oven and were cooking roti. The guy (his name was Ahmet, I think), who I can only assume owns and/or runs the place, was insistent that we eat more at his restaurant. Apparently it isn't in Indian culture to take no for an answer. We repeatedly refused and thanked him for his desire to feed us but we couldn't possibly eat any more. Despite our insistence, he sent a dosa to the table. While this was being prepared, he showed us around the kitchen and let us have a look at the oven and such. He also managed to talk me into taking a bag of some kind of dish which he insisted we bring back. I'll have to talk to Dhaval to find out what it was but he was insistent that it will be good for three months without spoiling. Apparently Dhaval is willing to corroborate this so I'm just gonna go with it. I doubt it'll go that long before I eat it, though. In all honesty, this is the best that India has to offer. The quality of the people here is simply outstanding. I'm not sure if they're trying to impress the best upon us as visitors to their area or what but they certainly have done an amazing job. This is just one in a long line of stories that I'll tell to my children and grandchildren.
After eating, we said goodbye to several of Dhaval's family members as they are leaving soon and we won't see them again before we're gone as well. I'm sure that I'll see many, if not all, of these folks again eventually but the warmth and fondness with which we, as outsiders, were embraced here will not be forgotten. I have made friends that I will undoubtedly remember forever. These people that make up Dhaval's friends and family just cannot be summed up in words. There is nothing that I could write to make anyone reading this ever understand. I always knew he was a special guy but the quality of people that surround him is truly outstanding. If it's said that the measure of a man is the people with which he surrounds himself then these people are truly an outstanding class. I'll talk more on this subject later when I return home and can recap this trip but truly I'm out of superlatives. Put that into perspective. For those of you that know me, you've heard it here first. I'm actually speechless. For those reading this who do not, trust me when I say that it doesn't happen with any regularity.
I do know this. I'm stuffed to the gills from an amazing meal and it's time for bed. Tomorrow we begin the trek home. Plans have changed again and it looks like it'll just be me and my dad being taken to the airport by our favorite driver, Ranjit! This should be a lot of fun and a fitting way to end our Indian experience.
The cart that we went to served exclusively eggs as the main item. We had eggs prepared in 6 different ways, I think. I'm not entirely sure as I'm so stuffed that much of it seems like a blur. Everything was cooked on little propane burners with a pan that looked somewhat like a wok. They used oil very liberally. I really wish they had used some butter or ghee (Indian for clarified butter) as a substitute for some of the oil but that wouldn't exactly be authentic. The first dish was like french toast just with spicy instead of sweet. The bread was also something that looked like mini hot dog buns. The second dish was like a scrambled egg pile seasoned heavily with green garlic and other seasonings. The third was a sunny side up-style fried egg seasoned heavily with garlic and other seasonings. The fourth was a three-part dish that took a fried egg, a heavily seasoned fry-up of chunky cut tomatoes, and a fried seasoning component. The fifth dish was a fry up of seasoned tomatoes and garlic with a bunch of grated hard-boiled eggs. I think they called this one Indian stir fry. The sixth and final dish was something they called Australian stir fry. Not sure why they call it Australian or stir fry as they don't appear to relate at all. The sixth was similar to the fifth but it incorporated chunky sliced boiled eggs instead of grated eggs. We washed it all down with one of my favorites, Thumbs Up! On top of this, we made friends with an Indian guy from Canada (sorry, I didn't catch your name but I certainly hope you read the blog!) who was filming all of the preparations and was discussing the possibility of taking the techniques home and opening up a food truck (I'm all for the idea, by the way!).
All of this was served from this cart:
Additionally, we stopped earlier tonight at another little stand for some fresh roasted corn. This was absolutely awesome. They roasted it over fresh coals until it was perfectly cooked then seasoned with lemon and some kind of chili powder mix. It was freaking awesome!
After we finished eating, we walked next door to another dhaba station. This one was more like a small open-air kitchen restaurant as it wasn't a cart like the other. I think it was called King's Corner or something. They had a nice tandoori oven and were cooking roti. The guy (his name was Ahmet, I think), who I can only assume owns and/or runs the place, was insistent that we eat more at his restaurant. Apparently it isn't in Indian culture to take no for an answer. We repeatedly refused and thanked him for his desire to feed us but we couldn't possibly eat any more. Despite our insistence, he sent a dosa to the table. While this was being prepared, he showed us around the kitchen and let us have a look at the oven and such. He also managed to talk me into taking a bag of some kind of dish which he insisted we bring back. I'll have to talk to Dhaval to find out what it was but he was insistent that it will be good for three months without spoiling. Apparently Dhaval is willing to corroborate this so I'm just gonna go with it. I doubt it'll go that long before I eat it, though. In all honesty, this is the best that India has to offer. The quality of the people here is simply outstanding. I'm not sure if they're trying to impress the best upon us as visitors to their area or what but they certainly have done an amazing job. This is just one in a long line of stories that I'll tell to my children and grandchildren.
After eating, we said goodbye to several of Dhaval's family members as they are leaving soon and we won't see them again before we're gone as well. I'm sure that I'll see many, if not all, of these folks again eventually but the warmth and fondness with which we, as outsiders, were embraced here will not be forgotten. I have made friends that I will undoubtedly remember forever. These people that make up Dhaval's friends and family just cannot be summed up in words. There is nothing that I could write to make anyone reading this ever understand. I always knew he was a special guy but the quality of people that surround him is truly outstanding. If it's said that the measure of a man is the people with which he surrounds himself then these people are truly an outstanding class. I'll talk more on this subject later when I return home and can recap this trip but truly I'm out of superlatives. Put that into perspective. For those of you that know me, you've heard it here first. I'm actually speechless. For those reading this who do not, trust me when I say that it doesn't happen with any regularity.
I do know this. I'm stuffed to the gills from an amazing meal and it's time for bed. Tomorrow we begin the trek home. Plans have changed again and it looks like it'll just be me and my dad being taken to the airport by our favorite driver, Ranjit! This should be a lot of fun and a fitting way to end our Indian experience.
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