We were all keen to not cook tonight and go out for dinner instead (since we have done little of that). Our friend Shubha recommended a place called Angeethi, a restaurant that prepares north Indian cuisine from the Haryana/Punjab region. Haryana borders Pakistan to the west and is where the capital city of Delhi is. We will be traveling up to Rajasthan, just south of there, in early March.
Punjabi food is prepared using some different ingredients and spices than the southern Indian food we have been preparing and eating here in Hyderabad. Oooooweeeeeeee! Are there some-a-spicy dishes here! Shrikant & Charanya helped us get a good selection of dishes so we could experience a good sampling of the food. We started off with a couple of drinks, Jal Jeera (when it came to the table I thought it was a glass of pond water with frog eggs floating on the top! Tasty!) and Lassi, which looked like a glass of milk (and a little safer to drink!). The Jal Jeera (cumin lemonade) is made with water, ground cumin, mint leaf paste, lemon juice, black salt, cilantro paste and dry mango powder. Boondi, little deep fried flour balls, are floated on the top. To say it has a very unique taste is an understatement, however we grew to like it by the end of the meal. Lassi is made sweet, salty or fruity. We were served the salty version here. It is made with yogurt, cumin seeds, milk, lemon juice and salt - much easier to drink right off the bat and pretty tasty.
The waiters in the restaurant were dressed in traditional Punjabi attire, which made it fun as they came to the table to serve us. If any of you go out for Indian food, we highly recommend looking for these Punjabi dishes if you can find them. They are extremely delicious, but be ready for some heat.
Here is what we had:
Bhatti Di Champ – chicken rubbed with spices. The least spicy of our dishes and very tender
Roghan Josh – Lamb in the most delicious curry sauce I have ever tasted. The lamb fell off of the bone. Very spicy but you just can’t stop eating it because it’s so good. If Mutton Biryani is a pot of love, this is a plate of pure PASSION! YUM! YUM! YUM!
Paneer Kurshan – Indian cheese dish with peppers and veg.
Sarson Ki Saag – Mustard leaves with kick-yo-ass-hot chilis that sneak up on you as you take that big bite expecting it to be a harmless little vegetable dish. I almost had to take off my clothes I was having such a sweat! It was delicious.
Chilies anyone? :o)
I feel ring sting coming on :o)………………
For dessert we walked over to the Paan counter in the restaurant where they make fresh Paan right in front of you. Paan is made by using a Betel leaf. There are regional variations (India & Pakistan). It is chewed as a palate cleanser, a breath freshener and digestive. Paan makers may use mukhwas or tobacco in paan fillings. Most paan contains areca nuts, cardamom, anis, katha with choona (lime paste), grated coconut, different kinds of betel nuts and a small piece of various candies. The variety of ways it can be made is endless. Here are photos and a movie of the Paan counter.
The Paan was the most unusual flavor explosion we have ever experienced. I can't really explain what it tastes like and does to your mouth. The texture is leafy, crunchy & crackly. Rowans hilarious response - 'I feel like I just ate a bar of soap! So I guess it tastes sort of like an organic toiletry? We laughed all the way to the car. We would do it all again in a heartbeat!
