« Go Green, Go Organic! | Main | Kuching: Familiar Foods with a Twist »
Ahmedabad: A Vegetarian Discovery
By estar | January 4, 2008
While I’m usually a full-fledged carnivore when it come to eating, a recent work trip to Ahmedabad, a north Indian city, may have just convinced me that vegetables aren’t that bad. One vegetarian highlight was the Gujarati thali, where food is served on steelware. Thali simply means ‘meal’, and consists of several courses.
The first was an interesting appetiser. Don’t be fooled by the ’sandwich’! It’s a rice cake, to be eaten with a tamarind-based sauce.
This was followed by lentil curry, potato masala, a savoury yoghurt drink and several other dishes, all accompanied by as much freshly made chapati, papads, and rice (both plain and yoghurt) as you can eat.
To round off the meal, we were given ‘paan’, an Indian digestive of betal nut bits and various spices, wrapped up in a betal leaf and studded with a clove. The intent is to chew ’paan’ for a long time in the mouth, but it’s definitely an acquired taste. Â
For those with a sweet tooth, white sugar-coated fennel seeds were also served. Ignore the fact that they look like maggots, these have a slightly astringent taste and are very refreshing, especially after a spicy Indian meal.
Though the meal didn’t have meat, it was surprisingly filling and satisfying. But somehow I think I love my steaks a tad too much to become a total convert - not just yet.