Food Porn

The countdown to returning to the U.S. is happening.  This brings with it a lot of mixed emotions.  For instance, I will absolutely miss 30 rupee dosa, and biryani and ramali roti, and aloo palak, and chilly everything.  But at the same time, I am having day dreams about all the things I will eat back in the States.

The reason why I wasn’t paying attention

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Warning: Lewd and excessive salivation may occur upon reading this post. 

First, there are a few things you should know about Indian food.  One is that it’s not all spicy.  Another is that most of it is – the best of it is.  The last is that the best of the best food gets spicier as you continue to eat it.  (There’s usually a cooling yogurt sauce to help ease the heat sensation.)  
 

Here’s an update on the foods I’ve been enjoying:

Biryani and dosa are weekly staples. 

Aloo anything is a favorite.  Curried potatoes are amazing, y’all.

During Ramzan, I tried haleem (pictured here).   Haleem – roasted mutton (or chicken) spiced with cloves, pepper, cumin, allspice, and other spices, ground into a paste and dowsed with ghee – is tastier than it looks.  It is actually reminiscent of pate, except a serving is an entire bowlful.  Give me a cracker or two with a little smear of haleem and I can handle it.  A bowlful? No thank you.  (Also, look out for the bones.)

Haleem

Naan, naan, naan, naan, naan, naan – yum! I can’t get over it.

Coffee with a scoop of ice cream ? Ok!

Street food. It typically involves frying and chillies.

Dal (aka lentils) – for the protein and the fact that you don’t have to remember to soak them overnight, they are perfect.

My new favorite snack: cucumbers sliced like pickles and sprinkled with salt and cayenne pepper.  (I splash them with a little vinegar too, but that’s not how they are served on the streets.)

Given all that deliciousness, it's all Indian food, isn't it? You miss true variety sometimes.  Your mind wanders. 

Meals I plan to have when I return to the U.S.:

• Macaroni and cheese (made with real, sharp, white cheddar)
• Bagels with cream cheese and coffee
• Salad with fresh mixed greens
• Wine (What? That’s not a meal, you say? I beg to differ.)
• A cheese plate with fruit and crusty bread (This, I guess, could be the side dish for the wine…)
• Ice cream
• Broccoli: Pasta with broccoli and olives or maybe this 
• Celery: in soup, or salad, or cornbread dressing, or with peanut butter
• Greens, cornbread, and stewed tomatoes
• Queso, salsa, and tortilla chips
• Quesadillas
• Fajitas
• Burritos… Mexican food, you get the point, right?
• Pesto… all kinds of pesto…
• Blueberries.. probably in some pancakes.. with real maple syrup.. and freshly whipped cream.. and chocolate sauce (Overboard, much?)
• A baked potato (with cheese and sour cream and broccoli)
• Roasted vegetables (with a balsamic vinegar reduction, or parmesan cheese, or both?)
• Cake that hasn’t been soaked in sugar water… with cream cheese frosting… carrot cake? Or this chocolate cake?
• Risotto with asparagus 

…And basically every.single.one.of.these.  And these.  And more cheese.  And wine, don’t forget the wine, please.

But the very first thing that I plan to bake and eat in mass quantities is this.