notes from the road/nepal/india

Jaspal Riyait , art director, blogger, world traveler, and gastronome  writes in to Hungry Ghost from her culinary adventures travels in the Far East. We met on a recent shoot and immediately bonded over our mutual love for food and travel.

Jaspal is an Art Director who spends the majority of her day fantasizing about donuts. When her head isn’t up in sugary clouds, she’s writing about her sweet and salty food finds at chewblr.com She’s currently developing a food app and recently co-chaired a panel at SXSW on Food and Technology.

NEPAL

My travels to the far east led me to the vibrant, hectic city of Katmandu, the central hub of Nepal. Upon arrival I was immediately stuck with stimulation overload. Bustling crowded streets, wondering stray animals, city strikes and faces speaking to all Asian races from Tibetan, Chinese, Nepali and Indian which meant I was in for a diverse cuisine treat. A smattering of curries in all flavors, dumplings and exotic fruit awaited me.

The traditional meal of Nepal is called Dal Bhat, which translates into curried lentil soup and rice. Lentils can range in color spectrums from reds, orange, yellow, green and black. Having tried Dal Baht in a few restaurants, I had the opportunity to take a cooking class and give it a go first-hand. Lucky me!

Social Tours is a Nepali organization which promotes responsible tourism striving to enrich travelers in an eco-friendly way. Go Local is a new series of cooking classes and I knew the moment we entered the building we were in for a treat.





Upon arrival our first step was to head over to the local market to purchase fresh, ridiculously cheap, veggies and lentils for our meal. Our guide told us Nepalis eat Dal Bhat twice a day, at breakfast and evening. It’s even consumed after a late night of partying to aid in a hangover. 



In the kitchen we worked hard to prep our meal which involved pounding into a paste garlic, ginger and chilies, frying up onions and fenugreek as our curry bases, and wiping the sweat from our brow as we hovered over the stove constantly mixing and seasoning.


And three hours later... voila! Our hard work produced an absolutely fragrant, delicious home cooked meal consisting of basmati rice, yellow dal, curried cauliflower and potatoes, spicy al dente spinach and a simple, easy to make chutney from a blend of tomatoes, onions and chilies. Cooking while on vacation is an absolute favorite experience of mine. It’s the gift I can bring back home to re-live my travel taste buds over and over again.



Wandering aimlessly around the energetic streets of Katmandu, I couldn’t help but be completely enthralled with the meticulously laid out individual green markets haphazardly scattered throughout the city. Vibrant colored piles of cucumber, beans, squash and more.




Food stalls are everywhere, but the one that kept drawing my attention was something that looked like curried corn puffs which I had to sample. This on-the-go-paper-cone-one-handed-snack is called Jhaal Muri. A savory combination of what appeared to be puffed rice, onion, popped corn, potato, chilies and a clear liquid which tasted like vinegar. The mixture is freshly made, and rolled up in a neat newspaper cone. Need a spoon? Naw, just use a square piece of cardboard instead which works as equally well to scoop out each bite.

INDIA

After Nepal, I was off to India for a quick four day visit which involved eating, shopping and more eating.





I couldn’t travel through New Dehli and not consume a freshly-made, piping-hot, sugary-indulgent jalebi. Strands of maida batter are swirled into a vat of scorching oil creating golden coiled patterns. Each piece is then soaked in a sticky, sugary syrup. Crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside. My favorite is the Old Famous Jalebi Wala counter nestled along the hectic streets of the infamous Chandi Chowk market.





This market is also home to Paratha Wali Gali, a food stall which serves up crispy, hot parathas (traditional stuffed flatbreads) in an assortment of flavors. I opted for the densely flavored mooli (grated white radish mixed with spices). For a measly $30 rupees (which converts to $0.66 USD) I was served a thali of curried chickpeas, potato and sweet and savory chutneys. Talk about bang for your buck!
Navigating the streets of Chandi Chowk is a feat in it’s own. If you’re not lost, then you’re distracted in every possible way. Ask for directions, this place is also a favorite amongst locals which will have everyone pointing you in the right direction for a change.



A quick day trip took us to Agra which is not only famous for the Taj Mahal, but is also well known for it’s sweets. Petha, a translucent candied ash gourd (primarily white pumpkin or winter melon) is a must when visiting the city and attracts sweet lovers from all over the country. On our way back to Dehli, we stopped off at a stall called Panchii and a friend picked up a few boxes. My favorite was the intensely orange colored jelly version smothered in toasted coconut. Petha has a a longer shelf life which makes it the perfect gift to be presented to friends and relatives at festivals.



The most memorable item I consumed on my journey was a sweet and savory bowl of Soondal. This photo doesn’t do this dish any justice. Navigated by a friend, we hiked our way into the back streets of Dehli, hopping over rubble, side-stepping stray dogs and walking up four flights of stairs to find ourselves in a hidden gem only a local could find. Gunpowder is a tiny South Indian restaurant serving up exotic flavors. With only 20 indoor seats my mouth was salivating as I waited and watched the staff bring out dish upon dish to tables. Soondaal consists of black chick peas, mustard seeds, onions, cumin, onions, coriander and the best part...handfuls of freshly grated coconut. I tried my best to remember the flavors in order to replicate when I returned home, but I can only add this meal to a long list of savory memories which will keep me coming back to the far East over and over again.