On return from a colourful trip around south India, I return with many photos, ideas, inspirations to share with you. All food related. Well, practically all of them.
This is the first of many India blog entries. I've decided to share many of these photos and experiences despite feeling the heat of the competition from other food bloggers. In India, we brought with us two cameras of very good quality, a fujifilm x10 and a Nikon Coolpix 510. I think that's quite keen. However, when we saw some travellers with even heftier photographic gear we thought, jeez! How on earth can we compete with that?
When I received my delicious dosa, I was pretty chuffed (as you can see from the photo)
I mean, it was a pretty cool dosa, crown shaped and special. It was bound to make a good photo. But it was until I spotted a fellow blogger across the restaurant who was taking a photo of her meal with her photographic equipment that crushed my ego by more than half. The camera was bigger than she was, and it was for this reason that I have taken a long time to post anything. Because I feel threatened.
I am now deciding that in order for me to be able to realistically capture the true essence of India and convey it to my readers, some of my photos may show a little dirt and untidiness. India is where new meets old, greyness meets vibrant colour, where dirt meets cleanliness, where tackyness meets rafinity. These contrasts are what makes India the place that it is.
This is paratha, a delicious flat bread eaten with nearly everything. It originates from Punjab, yet we found it everywhere we travelled in India. We usually found plain paratha, yet they are commonly stuffed with vegetables, potatoes or paneer, then ghee is layered on before frying. Often they are rolled and dipped in sambal or other chutneys and curries. They are quite simply, delicious.
Often, a breakfast option would be paratha and omelette, which is what we ate in Tamil Nadu.
The Keralan breakfast was definitely one of the best. This is a traditional south indian breakfast. The two plates lined with banana leaf consist of idly (which is further back in the photograph) and vada, served with coconut chutney and sambar. To the right we have a sweet filter coffee and to the left, chai.
Idly are known as 'rice cakes': they made of fermented black lentils and rice then steamed.
Vada are often doughnut shaped and made from dal, lentil and gram flour. These are also a common street food, along with a tasty chai, theres no saying no.
When we were not in the mood for a breakfast consisting of sauces, we would often have a tasty samosa and, of course, a chai or a freshly blended fruit juice.
Photos by Abigail Scheuer and Jacopo Primus, with special thanks.
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