A Tasty Memory - Feast Fit For A King

My foodie adventures always cheer me up whenever I'm down about something. One of my most tastiest travel memories was at Choki Dhani in Jaipur last year. Choki Dhani is a re-creation of an authentic Rajasthani village filled with food, entertainment and wonder. The dining hall was decorated with Rajasthani art and hangings. Servers dressed in the traditional garb served a variety of curries (e.g. kofta, dal, korma), flat breads (e.g. naan, roti, paratha), Khichdi, Kadhi, pakora, freshly churned butter, salad and desserts (e.g. sooji halwa, laddu, kheer).

Servers passed by and refilled any dish that was almost empty. My family and I felt like we got the royal treatment when we ate a feast fit for a King. We left the hall with big smiles and bulging stomachs. It was truly a culinary delight. And if that wasn't enough, outside the hall there was a vendor selling a freshly brewed Rabri, sweet and condensed milk based dessert.

 It was a cool and refreshing way to end the night!

Rich food plus great company equals a magical night! I would definitely recommend anyone traveling to Jaipur to visit this place for a night of fun and foodie delight. For more eye candy, check out my post about my Jaipur trip.

Be sure to visit WanderFood Wednesdays for more tasty adventures and add your own.

Instant Uttapams (Indian Pancakes)

Here's a stereotype I can't stand, Indian people are hot heads. What does that even mean? I will tell you something that is true - we do eat a lot of spicy food but not all the time as people perceive it to be. We also like spicing our breakfast up with items like corn flakes with masala or uttapam (Indian pancake).

 You know how pancakes are a popular breakfast or brunch item here in the States. In South India, uttapams are a popular breakfast item. Pancakes and uttapams are similar in that they are both flatbreads except ours is savory. Traditional uttapams are made with a combination of urad dal and rice. Since Urad dal is not available in regular grocery stores, we came up with an easier Uttapam recipe. This blog is called "Indian" Khana (food) Made Easy for a reason.

This recipe makes about 10-12 pancakes or uttapams.

Ingredients:
- ½ packet of Pancake mix (any variety)
- 2 tsp Salt (or to taste)
- Vegetable oil or Pam (toasting pancakes on griddle)
Vegetables:
- ½ of Green Bell Pepper
- ½ of Red Bell Pepper
- ½ cup of shredded Cabbage
- ½ cup of Spinach (Frozen or Fresh)
- ½ cup of Frozen carrots and peas
- ½ of Medium Onion, chopped
- ¼ cup of Fresh Coriander, chopped
- 3 Green chilies, finely chopped or 1 tsp of Red chili paste

Procedure:

Follow the instructions for making the pancake mix from the packet or box. Add in all the chopped vegetables, salt and rice flour and mix well. Add an extra ¼ cup of water and mix to an uniform consistency.

Heat a griddle on medium heat for few minutes. Sprinkle or spray cooking oil onto the griddle and when it's hot, pour in 2 ladles of the dough onto the griddle.

Spread the dough out evenly in a skillet or electric griddle. Add a teaspoon of oil around the pancake and cover the griddle or skillet with a lid to cook evenly. Allow the pancake to cool and serve with your favorite chutney.

***Quick Tips:

- When using frozen vegetables, make sure to drain off the water before mixing into the batter. If the batter is runny, then the pancakes will come out soggy. 

- Also, for thicker pancakes, add 1/8 cup of rice flour. 

Another savory breakfast item that is really popular in South India is Guntapongalalu or Veggie Pops. Check it out!