My Weekend Odysseys

Typically for many in western part of India, Chole Bhature is a mouth watering Punjabi cuisine and a must have either at home or during a visit to nearby restaurant with family or friends. But with blending of different cultures, different taste buds, the "authenticity of the cuisine" undergoes drastic change and it typically becomes Chole Bhature as per Gujarati taste or Maharashtrian taste or may be Chole Bhature with South Indian flavor. But here we talking about the typical & authentic Chole Bhature whose taste has remained the same even after being served by four generations. And we talking about the place which is in heart of "Saddi Dilli" and Delhites swear by its taste even after so many decades of its existence or in their words a perfect place for Chole Bhaturas. Sita Ram Diwan Chand ke Chole Bhature is a mecca for chole bhature lovers. From their small shop near Imperial cinema in Chunna Mandi - Paharganj near New Delhi Station, this place serves the ...

PAV - BHAJI - It's one quint - essential street food of Mumbai which every Mumbaikar's love. Mumbai's street food was born of the need to quickly put together food that was cheap and satisfying. Stories about the creation of some of the delights are now an urban legend such as the one about Pav Bhaji. History of Pav Bhaji's origin is as tasty & delicious as the dish itself. It originated in 1850's when Mumbai was textile capital of India. Textile mills has mushroomed all over Mumbai. The workers didn't have lot of time during lunch hours and wanted something fast to gobble and return to their physical work. Someone saw this problem and came up with a solution or better word a "Juggad", Mashed vegetables like green peas, potatoes, generous dose of tomatoes was made into a spicy curry while the Roti was replaced by Pav (Indian bread) and thus Pav Bhaji was born.  Another version of the story goes that it was invented as dish for midnight sustenance, ...

Nowadays I hardly go out to eat in a restaurant for one of my hobby on weekend is to cook myself which is a great stress buster, I take pride in cooking and enjoy eating as well ;-), But I also love venturing out in search of some simple, quiet restaurants or street foods which people swear by in different areas of Mumbai and trust me there is no dearth of such places in and around my city of Mumbai. Been born and bought up in Mumbai, I have grown up eating simple Maharashtrian dishes like our very own Vada pav, or Pav bhaji or Missal pav and list can go on and on These cuisines which were once poor man's staple food are now not only available in other cities across India but can even be found on menu of some of the best restaurants across the globe. One of the famous Maharashtrian dish is Missal Pav, Missal being a spicy curry usually made of sprouted moth beans, topped with farsan and sprinkled with onions, coriander and lemon juice, served with bread rolls commonly called Pav. T...