Bites and Brews

Hyderabad, India:
A Palatine Paradise

By Louise Feeney Notley

Chaat Street Vendor © Louise Feeney Notley

Nothing characterizes India better than its food. Indian food is India. The cuisine is a metaphor for India itself. It shouts at your senses for attention, but its ingredients do not compete with each other – they live side-by-side, blended together in a rich multiplicity of flavour and aroma. Just like the country itself, Indian dishes are bewilderingly diverse, their spices and flavours outrageously sensual, their colours chaotically vivid, and their concentration in the bellies of the privileged undeniably controversial.

On a recent business trip to Hyderabad, India I had the opportunity to indulge in a wide variety of south-central Indian dishes, from standard street fare to gourmet-class cuisine. Just thinking about it makes my mouth water still.

“Let's Chaat”

When you travel on business to India for a global professional services firm, the trip is usually a marathon of management meetings, performance reviews, strategy and planning sessions, and quarterly or year-end reviews and presentations. My team works long hours with our Indian colleagues, trying to fit in as much as we can in two short weeks. Finding the time to stop for lunch can be a challenge. But the Indian staff love to be hospitable whenever they can, and their favorite thing to do is introduce visitors to some new taste of India and watch their faces light up with pleasure.

One afternoon, on a much needed break, my colleagues took me down to the staff cafeteria and introduced me to chaat – India's version of fast food. In Hyderabad bazaars, office canteens, and on neighbourhood street corners all over the city, Hyderabadis indulge their craving for snacks in a way that puts the hot dog to shame.

Chicken Biryani with Salan, Raita, and Daal © Louise Feeney Notley

My Indian colleagues love introducing us North Americans to the experience of "proper" Indian food; they take this responsibility very seriously. Harish showed me how to crumble up samosa – a savoury deep-fried pastry stuffed with potato, peas and spices – in the bottom of the plate, then smother it with a fragrant and mildly spicy yellow pea curry called ragada. On top of this he piled thinly sliced sweet red onion, matchstick carrots, fresh yoghurt and mint sauce, and tangy sweet tamarind sauce. An exotic blend of powdered spices called garam masala, salt, cayenne and a crunchy graham flour vermicelli called sev were sprinkled on top to finish it off. It was the best afternoon snack I've ever had. It will make settling for French fries again seem like, well… settling.

“So, do you like spicy?”

I know there are regions of southern India where the curried dishes are so full of heat I couldn't possibly eat them comfortably. Indian food has a reputation among foreigners for being too hot and spicy. However the chili pepper is a relative newcomer to Indian cuisine. It is native to South America and was only introduced to South Asia in the 16^th century by Portuguese and Spanish explorers. Indians adopted it all over the country in varying degrees, probably for its antiseptic properties and effect on the circulatory system. But the cuisine I experienced in Hyderabad was delightfully flavoured and just spicy enough to be exciting.

Hyderbadi Biryani © Louise Feeney Notley

Spices add colour and flavour to Indian food, but they are also part of an ancient medicinal tradition in India called Ayurveda. Many of the spices in Indian cuisine were chosen hundreds of years ago for their effect on the body, in particular the digestive and circulatory systems. Spices such as cardamom and cloves are used for their antiseptic qualities, fennel, cumin, and coriander for their digestive and anti-inflammatory properties. Every spice has its purpose, and flavours and seasonings are chosen to complement them to produce a richly exotic and balanced dish. Chutneys, yoghurt, nuts, fruit, and a large variety of marinated pickle are served as condiments to provide a complete meal.

My first meal in Hyderabad necessarily demanded a local dish. Hyderabad is famous for its biryani, a basmati rice dish cooked with either meat or vegetables, and infused with a mouthwatering combination of yoghurt, onions, ginger, garlic, spices, lemon, saffron and fresh coriander. My colleague Lori Anne and I indulged in chicken biryani and veg biryani – served with a delicious Mirchi ka Saalan (green chili in brown gravy) – a few times on this trip, but unfortunately never made it to the Mecca for Hyderabadi biryani enthusiasts, the Paradise Hotel. It's on my list for the next visit.

“How do they do that?”

Lal Mirch ka Paneer Tikka © Louise Feeney Notley

The base ingredient of many Indian curries is the masala, a stir-fried blend of four key ingredients: onions, garlic, ginger and tomatoes. Depending on the region or dish, a different combination of spices and seasonings is added to flavour the various meats, fish or seafood, lentils, cheese curd or vegetables that are added and gently simmered until a rich sensual gravy results. Other dishes are "dry" preparations, where a blend of yoghurt, garlic, ginger, salt, cumin, turmeric, chillies and coriander are applied as a thick marinade before cooking, kebab-style, in a clay oven called a tandoori. Even vegetarian dishes such as Lal Mirch ka Paneer Tikka – flavourful, marinated cubes of cheese curd – are served smoking hot from the kabab oven. Main dishes are served with rice preparations and flatbreads such as naan and roti for dipping or scooping by hand.

The best meal by far that I had in Hyderabad was at Kebabs & Kurries restaurant at the Kakatiya Sheraton. Kebabs & Kurries seduces your senses. In fact, it made such an impression I had to go back there twice … for research purposes, of course. Lori Anne, who has been to Hyderabad many times before, did not put up much resistance.

“ The prawns, Louise! You have to try the prawns!”

Tandoori jhinga are succulent jumbo prawns as big as your palm, butterflied and marinated in ajwaim seeds, yoghurt, turmeric, garam masala and chillies, and then grilled over smoking hot charcoal. The buttered naan at restaurant was chewy and flaky, and perfect for scooping up the house daal, a makhani-style version of black lentils, tomatoes, ginger, garlic, cream and spices simmered slowly for ten hours over charcoal and liberally laced with butter. It's so good they brand it a Bukhara – a house specialty. Every mouthful makes you roll your eyes back in your head, sigh with pleasure, and blissfully ignore the fact that you're going to see it all on your hips the next day.

K & K's vegetarian menu is no less impressive. We rounded out our meal with a riotous, colourful dish called kekashan – a healthful mix of green peppers, cauliflower, potato, carrots, peas, and corn nibblets stewed to perfection in a gravy laced with cumin, whole red chili, and topped with toasted almonds and sweet pomegranate seeds. I didn't just want to eat it. I wanted to move in and marry the chef.

Yes, I fell in love with Indian food. I can't wait until my return trip in February … more research is absolutely necessary.

Louise Feeney Notley is a Canadian writer from Oakville, Ontario. She was born and grew up in Hamilton, Ontario and has lived, studied and worked in Canada, France, Switzerland and India. She is a writer of short fiction and poetry and has learned much about writing and herself in the process. You can read more from Louise at http://myfirstwrites.wordpress.com/author/lulunot/

Breakfast Comes with a Sense of History at Zimbabwe's Victoria Falls Hotel

by Andrea Swanson

Don't Stare at Your Food © Andrea Swanson

I half expected to see a kaki-clad Karen Blixen of Out of Africa fame saunter onto Stanley's Terrace at the palatial Victoria Falls Hotel in northern Zimbabwe. The atmosphere was just that colonial. The hotel, originally built in 1904 as a railway stop along the anticipated Cape to Cairo route, has been visited by everyone from the King George V and his family to Madonna. Seated in a wicker chair, surrounded by tables clothed in white cotton and African servers dressed in traditional waiter wear, I could easily imagine breakfasting with Cecil Rhodes, the 19th century British Imperialist whose goal was to cloak the entire African continent in the Union Jack.

The terrace, named after explorer Henry Morton Stanley, overlooks the hotel's private garden, the Batoka Gorge and the Victoria Falls Bridge that spans the great Zambesi River to connect Zimbabwe with its northern neighbour, Zambia. On a clear day you can even enjoy the powdery mist from the falls as it rises spirit-like in the air.

The buffet breakfast is extensive, as is the a la carte menu: eggs prepared in all manners; fresh cooked meats and tropical fruit; hot scones, fluffy croissants and tasty butter rolls. Traditional favourites include a Southern African sausage called boerewors; local juices – guava and litchi – quench an early-morning thirst. The Zimbabwean coffee, grown in the mountains near the Mozambique border, is rich and dark, and the national tea of South Africa, rooibos, is served as elegantly as if it was meant for King George himself.

I didn't stay at the hotel (I preferred the less-expensive Sprayview Hotel down the road), but the maitre d at the Vic allowed me to partake in this century-old breakfast buffet tradition. Times have changed and Zimbabwe's current political turmoil has unfairly taken its toll on tourism. A lazy morning on the Vic's terrace, listening to the cooing of turtle doves while gazing at the spray from the falls, is now open to everyone who can afford it.

It's only a few minutes walk from the hotel to the falls with its kilometre of cascading water. Be warned, however, that the area along the Zambesi is a national park, and it's common to encounter Cape buffalo and other wildlife along the way. After a day strolling along the park's jungle-fringed trail that, at times, winds dangerously close to the falls' precipitous chasm, I decided not to return to the Vic for their spectacular dinner buffet. In the morning the maitre d had tempted me with a promise of a traditional braai (barbeque) of everything from buffalo steaks to guinea fowl, forests of torches lighting the starry night and Matabele warriors dancing to the beat of African drums. Instead I caught the historic Vic Falls train to Bulawayo, Zimbabwe's second-largest city, to experience a jungle of a different kind. But for years to come, I'll be visiting Stanley's Terrace in my mind, savouring the feeling of being transported to a time when both African tourism and European colonialism were in their infancy.

(You can find more information at vicfallshotel.com. Reserve at + 263 13 44751 or by email at pacro@africansunhotels.com. Contact the Sprayview Hotel at + 263-13-44344 or by email at sprayview@zol.co.zw.)

Kettle Valley Station Pub, Penticton

By Kenneth Fagan

Mini Desserts © Kenneth Fagan

If I didn't live in Vancouver, I would frequent the Kettle Valley Station Pub in Penticton, British Columbia, more than just once or twice a year. It has an old style charm about it and friendly staff who genuinely want you to be there. On a recent visit to Penticton, I was put in a bad mood by being left standing for nearly ten minutes in the entrance of a different restaurant. That experience left a rather bitter taste in my mouth because, let's just say, I am fussy. If I am not impressed with the staff I will never return to a restaurant. If the staff is rude and unhelpful, what must the food taste like? I wasn't sure if the KVSP could provide me with anything that could cheer me up.

Once seated, it took me quite a while to peruse their extensive menu and decide exactly what I wanted. I didn't want to be boring and cheap, so I decided against going for the least expensive thing. As per the norm, I started with a drink—a Naramata Nut Brown Ale, a dark and pleasingly refreshing beer with a smooth and easy flavour and a nice clean aftertaste.

Being a move-over-soup, bring-on-the-chocolate cake sort of person, I chose not to order a starter. For the main course I ordered a full rack of baby back ribs for a quite reasonable $19.99. The dish was artfully presented and came with a honey chipotle barbecue sauce, corn on the cob and a generous helping of lightly seasoned roasted potatoes. The ribs were delicious, and the meat slipped off the bone like silk off a mannequin. The barbecue sauce was not overpowering or too flavourful to mask the taste of the ribs. My Naramata complimented the dish perfectly.

I was a little disappointed with the rather small variety of desserts to choose from—a Granny Smith apple crustini or a small collection of offerings simply called mini desserts were the only options. You could pick three from about five or six different options, I chose to have two chocolate mousses and one cheesecake. When I first saw the dishes being placed in front of me, hanging off some fancy metal tree-like formation, I was rather impressed with the presentation. After getting over my first impression I thought the dishes were a little scant on the dessert side of things. My eyes had deceived me, however, as I could barely finish them. Each dessert was so light and delicious I felt it a shame to leave any to waste. It was a delicious finisher to a fine meal, and I went back to my hotel all full up and happy.

I would definitely recommend this pub/restaurant. The staff is friendly and accommodating, the prices are fair and the food quality is superb.

My rating 8/10