Jaipur and Agra: Food for Thought Part 2

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After 10 amazing days in Thailand, I'm back to continue and finish the story of our time in India. Heads up: there won't be any food related content on this post. Our remaining time in Jaipur and our day in Agra were not particularly food centric. For various reasons (timing, safety, etc) we ate at our hotels, and the food wasn't particularly noteworthy!

We had one full day to explore the city of Jaipur. A city southwest of New Delhi, Jaipur is known for the beautiful Amber Fort and the Palace of Jaipur. We started our tour at the Amber Fort. The fort has a beautiful wall around it, almost reminiscent of the Great Wall of China. 

One thing I've really struggled with on this trip is the treatment of animals. As part of our tour (we did a paid/guided tour while we were in India), we rode an elephant to reach the fort. I can honestly say this was a terrifying and sad experience all at once. I won't get into animal rights on this blog, but I don't think elephants enjoy walking up an incredibly steep hill an unimaginable number of times per day in the scorching heat. All while carrying 3 humans on their back.  
Next, we visited the City Palace of Jaipur. Full of history, part of this compound is actually still a functioning home for royalty today! I believe the current prince is 17-years-old. Lucky guy!

Our last stop was the observatory.There are tons of very interesting tools to read the time based on the sun's position. They work with amazing accuracy!

After our time in Jaipur, we set out for a 4 hour drive to Agra. On our way there, we encountered a serious Indian traffic jam. They are the real deal. Because of the gridlock on our side of the road, our driver, and many other cars, moved to the opposite side of the road. This created another gridlock situation. Suffice it to say, I will never complain about an American traffic jam again!

Our time in Agra was spent visiting the sites. We got to see the Taj Mahal at sunrise. It was gorgeous; photos simply do not do it justice. The monument was built as a sign of love and to house the body of Shah Jahan's third (and most favorite) wife. Made of white marble, the building is also covered in gem stones.

Next, we visited the Fatehpur Sikri. This was essentially a walled city built in the late 1500s. From palaces, to courts, to banks, to a mosque, this place had it all. While the Taj Mahal is built of marble, this compound was built of red sandstone. Built by a King named Akbar, we were told that he left the main city of Agra and built Fatehpur Sikri to have children.

Our final stop was the Agra Fort. The grandson of Akbar, Shah Jahan, was imprisoned here by his son (who also killed several of his siblings). Similar to Fatehpur Sikri, the Agra Fort as it currently stands is a walled city made of red sandstone.

Agra was a very tough place for me in India. Perhaps the toughest we've seen so far. Millions of tourists, myself included, flock to see the Taj Mahal. But, what few mention is that steps outside the world wonder is poverty so extreme it broke my heart into a million pieces. From talking to our tour guide, my understanding is that the local government outlawed local industries 10-15 years ago because the pollution was damaging the Taj. Little if any profit from tourists goes back to the people in Agra. 

I hope at some point to be able to give back to the people in this city. In the meantime, I'm trying to shift my perspective to be a bit more thankful for how fortunate I am and a bit less quick to complain. I encourage all of you out there to take a moment to do the same. 

Next up, Jackie and I traveled to Thailand. Cooking class, island views, and tons of food pics to come!

Jaipur: Food for Thought Part 1

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After our first night in New Delhi we awoke very early for a 40 minute flight to Jaipur. While I will focus on the food we ate over the course of our time in India, I also want to note that the tone of this blog, especially with regard to posts on India, will be more than just about food.


On that note, to kick things off lightly, let's start with airplane food. After my brief experiences with international and domestic flights to and within Southeast Asia, I can honestly say the US needs to up its game! We sampled some delicious food on our Emirates flights to India, and were offered breakfast on our flight to Jaipur. You read that correctly--free breakfast on a 40 minute flight. And it was good. Basic bread with a cold chic pea salad mixture. Delicious and unique way to start the day.


Our first day in Jaipur was during the Holi Festival in India. Holi is a day celebrated in the springtime where citizens spend time coloring each other with powder and water guns. It's pretty cool to see and even more fun to participate in!

We spent the day at a converted palace with other tourists celebrating and eating. It took us about 1 hour to drive to the palace from our hotel. The event itself was quite enjoyable. We met some other great people and had a very fun time. The ride back was a bit scary as our car was surrounded by about 10 boys/men. They pounded on the vehicle demanding money. At one point, my car door was opened and I definitely feared for the worst. But, we made it out safely. Lesson learned, always make sure your door is locked!


For dinner our first night in Jaipur we dined at the Samode Haveli. Once a palace, this hotel is unbelievably beautiful. We arrived after dark and struggled to capture some good photos, and the ones I snapped really don't do the space justice.

For dinner we shared 3 courses. First, the eggplant. Served cold, this is one of my favorite dishes so far in India. Giant pieces of eggplant served in a yogurt broth with coriander and cumin, the flavors were crisp and satisfying. It was also nice to change it up from some of the more typical India dishes.

Next we had the baked cauliflower with peas. I'm generally not a huge lover of this veggie, but the spices - cumin and coriander - successfully overpowered this (in my opinion) strangely flavored food. It was good, but definitely not a dish I would order again.

Last we had the Dal Makahni, or black lentis. Again, the lentils were basically pureed, but I preferred this dish to the yellow lentils we had the night before. The flavor was more subtle and paired well with the garlic naan.

Our first full day in India was both fun and delicious!

worlDCrave: Dum Pukht, New Delhi

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FooDCcrave will be taking a bit of an international twist for the next 6 weeks. For the first several days, Liz and I will both be abroad. She's traveling in Istanbul with her main squeeze and I'm on a southeast Asian vacation with my BFF, Jackie. After our vacation ends, I'll be working in Bangalore for four weeks.

Jackie and I departed the U.S.on Wednesday morning at 6:30 am. We arrived to our hotel in New Delhi at 5 pm local time on Thursday. After over 24 hours of traveling, we weren't really up for exploring the city and opted to dine at one of our hotel's amazing restaurants. 

We stayed at the ITC Maurya. NBD but this is the same hotel President Obama stayed at when he visited India in January. When he stayed there, the hotel was entirely shut down. We didn't receive the same treatment, but it was still a great experience! The most famous restaurant in our hotel is Bukhara but we opted to dine instead at Dum Pukht. 

The restaurant was a great (high end) way to transition into Indian cuisine. We didn't mind shelling out the extra bucks to make sure we had a safe and delicious meal. From the moment we arrived, the staff was very attentive and took the time to help us select a great shared meal. 

 

We started with the Murgh Tandi Tikka. This dish was my favorite of the entire meal. A traditional kabob style chicken, it was marinated in cumin, grilled and served with a flavorful tikka, or buttery sauce. It was topped with silver leaf, which we were told helps with digestion.  

Next, we sampled the yellow lentils, or Dal Dum Pukht. The lentils were seasoned with yellow chiles and a yogurt sauce. They were very saucy and the lentils had almost a purred appearance. We both loved this dish, especially when topped with the mint sauce accompaniment we were provided with. 

Along with the lentils, we had another chicken dish called Murgh Rizala. This was my least favorite dish of the meal. The flavors were decent, but nowhere near as decadent as the kabob.  Also, I think it was a different cut of the chicken, perhaps darker meat, which I don't love. The sauce was supposed to be almond and yogurt based, but neither of those flavors came through to me. It wasn't a bad dish, just not as exciting the others. 

The last course we ordered was the lamb biryani. Let me preface this by saying I do not like lamb. But, wow. This dish was simply amazing. I am a biryani lover, and have been fortunate enough to sample a co-workers mom's Pakistani goat biryani on numerous occasions. So, I was excited to see how they compared. The dishes were quite similar, although the Pakistani version is somewhat more spicy and herb-flavored. The Indian biryani was cooked in a ceramic pot that was sealed off with what looked like dough. It cooked over a low fire for 25 minutes before being served along with a yogurt sauce. The lamb was outstanding. Truly like no other lamb I've ever tasted before, it fell off the bone and melted in your mouth. 

 

 

After all these courses we were stuffed beyond belief. Numerous waiters kept asking us if we wanted dessert, to which we respectfully decline. Well, I am thinking that maybe in India when you are offered dessert, you don't refuse. Because soon enough, we were presented with julienned rose petals in a spiced condensed milk. It was delicious. Aromatic, delicate, and sweet. 

 

Last, we were offered beetle leaves that were filled with spices to help with digestion. We were a bit confused when we were told not to swallow them, but rather put the whole thing in your mouth, chew it for a while, and spit it out. We took cautious bites, but weren't in love. They tasted like, well, leaves filled with fennel. 

Overall, this meal was a great way to kick off our 4 days in India. It was pricy, at around $75 per person including tip, but well worth it in my opinion. The staff were incredibly attentive and helpful, but were very confused about why I wanted to photograph all the food. Not sure they are as familiar with food bloggers as restaurants in the States are!

 

See you from Jaipur!

 

 

Tsujita: Tsukamen-style ramen

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If you are a loyal reader of this blog, you may have picked up on our ramen obsession. Naturally, I had to seek out ramen for my last meal out in LA. This was probably one of my favorite meals all week just due to the uniqueness of the flavors and style of ramen. The coolest part was that this was Tsukamen-style ramen with the noodles served on the side for dipping. 

The layout of the restaurant is tiny. There are only a few seats at the counter and two other tables. When you arrive, you put your name on the list and hang out outside till seats open up. Thankfully at lunch time we didn't have to wait more than 15-20 minutes.  

There are only two options on the menu: Ramen with the noodles mixed in the broth or Tsukamen with the noodles on the side. Since I had never tried it before, I went with the Tsukamen and added an extra egg and char siu pork. Honestly the  portion was so generous that the add-ins were unnecessary. 

My favorite part of the dish was the noodles. They were perfectly chewy and balanced the heat and spice of the ramen broth. I was surprised that they were served slightly chilled, but I am told that is the thing. I alternated between dipping then in the broth and spooning the broth over the noodle bowl. It was so fun to play with my food! 

Compared to the picture above, the broth took on a deep red color once I stirred in all of the ingredients. This is largely due to the generous portion of chili powder that I incorporated into the broth. Thankfully the heat was mild to medium, and I never felt overwhelmed by the spice level. For heat lovers, there was extra chili powder served on the side. And if you are spice-averse I recommend stirring in little bits at a time. Also, if the broth gets too spicy you can just spoon it over the noodles to temper the heat.  

The flavor of this broth was increasingly complex with each bite. The eggs were perfectly cooked to a soft-boiled consistency. I felt like I experienced new flavors with each bite.

What I love about ramen is the multitude of variations I have tried and how each one seems to surpass the others.  Tsujita was a fun foray into the world of Tsukamen, and I can't wait to find more places to try it out. If any readers know of a place to get Tsukamen in the DC-area, we would appreciate the suggestions!

Liz

A.O.C. Beverly Hills

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At least one meal of every trip I have taken tends to be over-hyped and underwhelming. A.O.C. in Beverly Hills perfectly fit the bill on this trip. I had read about A.O.C. on EaterLA and when I mentioned it to Martie, she had already made a reservation. Unfortunately, both in terms of service and food, this visit was unable to replicate her previous experience. 

The atmosphere and decor of A.O.C. was lovely. We sat on a covered patio that felt like you were dining at a Mediterranean house in Spain or Greece. But from the outset the service was disappointing. Our waiter seemed both overtaxed and disinterested throughout the duration of the meal. We had to flag him down for drinks and barely saw him after he took our order.  

The menu, however, looked promising with loads of interesting ingredients. Our first dish was a flat bread with lamb bacon, caramalized leeks, and chèvre. We were both intrigued by lamb bacon, but I can now see why it has not caught on. It was missing the salty fatty richness of pork, and the gamey texture of lamb. I was left reminded of deli-style ham. Martie was hoping for a crispier bacon to balance the soft bread. 

I had also been really excited about the arroz negro with calamari and saffron aioli. We had a hung jury on this dish. Martie liked the high acidity of the black rice and the pairing with the calamari. I disliked this dish because of the massive glob of mayonnaise served on top. Sometimes a little aioli can add some richness to a salty dish, but I thought this tasted like Hellmans and was just way too much. I also found the rice to be overly salty and the calamari to be a tad chewy. 

Unfortunately, the one dish I really enjoyed is not pictured. We ate it too fast! Imagine pappardelle topped with soft roasted Tahitian squash (similar to butternut or kabocha squash) and spinach with grated Parmesan and cracked black pepper. 

Next we had cauliflower with curry powder and red wine vinegar. The cauliflower was flavorful, but the size of this dish, compared to the others,  was confusingly large. 

Lastly, we had black cod with roasted carrots and onions. It was topped with a nondescript creme. The roasted vegetables seemed out of place with such a light fish, and would have been better suited to a meatier protein. While the skin of the cod had a nice crispness, the rest of the dish was quite bland. The only saving grace was that the waiter, who had otherwise ignored us for most of the night, noticed our dissatisfaction and offered to take it off the bill. 

For a restaurant that receives such high accolades, we were both surprised by the mediocrity across the board. Thankfully, neither of us were starved for delicious food this week and we knew more excellent meals would be on the way. 

Liz

Carbon Beach at the Malibu Beach Inn

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From the desert and mountains of Palm Springs we drove due West and up the PCH to Malibu.  Driving into town, you can't see much because the houses overlooking the cliffs take up much of the view. So my first real shot of Malibu was sitting down to lunch at the Carbon Beach Restaurant at the Malibu Beach Inn. The moment instantly called for a glass of wine to celebrate the beauty and warm sun. I tried a delicuously buttery Chardonnay from a Malibu winery called Dolin. This picture is just perfection. 

The food options were mostly light traditional American lunch fare - salads and sandwiches. Of course we had to go a little outside the box. I ordered the fish tacos, which, instead of standard tilapia or other white fish, came with seared ahi tuna. 

I was impressed with the generous portion of the fish, and was happy to spread California avocados all over my tacos. They were light and refreshing with good quality ingredients. 

Martie picked an even more unusual option - tuna tartare with Indian spices. Again, it was a very generous portion of tuna. She raved about the combination of fresh fish and Indian spices and used the crunch buttery pappadum cracker on top to scoop up the fish. 

But more than the food, we were awed by the view. Basking in the sun with the waves lapping against the rocks was pure bliss. 

After brunch we drove deeper into Malibu to go on a hike along the cliffs on the coast. California, with its range of landscapes is stunningly beautiful and Malibu is no exception. Just to make my snow covered East Coast readers a little jealous, I wanted to share a few pictures from our hike along the cliffs, down to an isolated rocky beach, and ultimately back up for sunset. 

Certainly beats the snow piles back in DC! 

Liz