indian food – Rickshaw Challenge

Top Dishes to Try in Kerala: Part One

David — Thu, 06 Oct 2016 23:40:04 +0000

Kerala, in Southern India, is known as “God’s own country” for its glorious beaches and luscious backwaters, but the food is also heavenly. Check out the top dishes to try in Kerala.

There are plenty reasons to visit Kerala, ranging from the pure relaxation possible on the Malabar Coast’s golden beaches to the adventure-fueled madness of a rickshaw challenge adventure rally. However, there may be no better reason than to enjoy the incredible food, of which the top dishes to try in Kerala are just part.

Photo by Augustus Binu

The beauty of Kerala’s cuisine is that — like the region itself — it’s so diverse, with plenty for vegetarians, or lovers of meat and seafood, to enjoy. Expect a lot of coconut, rice, and the flavourful seasoning you would expect from an area known for millennia as the “land of spices”. The region is filled with mouthwatering dishes, far too many to list, and of course there are also many specialties of South India generally that are available there. Here, though, is the first part of our selection of meals that make a trip to Kerala such a culinary treat:

Puttu with Kadala Curry

Photo by John Jackson

Let’s start with breakfast. While masala dosa is very popular in Kerala, it originates in Karnataka so doesn’t make the list. Puttu, though, is a local dish beloved all over the state. It’s delicious, healthy, and simple: it’s a combination of just steamed rice, grated coconut, water and some spice, often cumin. It’s often accompanied by Kadala curry, a thick coconut gravy with spiced black chickpeas. The perfect way to start the day.

Idiyappam with Egg Roast

Photo by Viewfinder18

Idiyappam is a classic breakfast, so it works just as well at dinner. Sometimes known as string hoppers, it consists of steam rice noodles. Along the Malabar coast you’ll find it mixed with sweetened coconut milk. Because of its simplicity idiyappam can be eaten with pretty much any curry, but a classic addition is egg roast. Roasting eggs in think masala gravy is a Kerala classic in its own right, and matches perfectly with this and other dishes.

Appam with Stew

Photo by Devika

Egg Roast is also regularly eaten with appam, a delicious rice pancake that is spongy in the centre and delicately thin around the edges. The beloved dish is an easy selection as one of the top dishes to try in Kerala, delighting locals and tourists alike with its unique texture. It’s most popularly served with stew, commonly chicken soaked in a spicy coconut gravy, though any will do so long as it includes coconut milk!

Sadhya

Photo by Yashima

Sadhya is a way of eating that is at the very heart of food culture in Kerala, when people come together for a feast. A variety of foods are placed on a large banana leaf, while the invited sit cross-legged and eat without cutlery, using only their right hand. There can easily be thirty or more different dishes, mostly vegetarian, with separate courses from starter to dessert. The centerpiece is usually boiled rice, along with a wide variety of curries and side dishes. This is not only one of the top dishes to try in Kerala, attending Sadhya is one of the must-try experiences in Southern India.

The options for a hungry traveler in Kerala are tantalising, and there’s even more to come in Part Two. If these dishes (not to mention the golden sands and gorgeous backwaters) tempt you to visit Kerala, there’s no better way to experience the region that by participating in a Rickshaw Challenge. The Malabar Rampage sets off from Trivandrum, travels up the Malabar coast through Kerala, and finishes in Goa. Your week on a tuk tuk will be full of crazy experiences and stunning beauty, and you’ll have plenty chances to enjoy some of the finest food India has to offer!

Are you crazy enough to come along for the ride? Then join us on the next Rickshaw Challenge. Get a team together and let’s see you at the starting line! If you want to join us in spirit, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and Instagramto keep up with our latest antics.

The Story of Indian Food

admin — Tue, 01 Jul 2014 11:18:22 +0000

The Story of Food is a new TV series based on the history of Indian cuisine. The series explores the histories and myths surrounding culinary-culture, foods, ingredients and various-recipes from across India.

“We delve into the the evolution of the Indian palette in different regions by examining the sumptuous tables of numerous Royal families from across the country, while simultaneously understanding the geo-political and cultural factors that led to the transformation and maturation of food and its philosophies.”

Film by: Akshar ‘Daaku’ Pillai

The Story of Food Trailer

Crazy Things You’ll Only See in India

admin — Wed, 11 Jun 2014 11:45:39 +0000

India is a unique country. It’s a vast landmass that could count as a continent in its own right, filled with a rich and unique culture, spicy cuisine and colorful people. In a country where people ride on top of trains and cows get permission to sit in the middle of the road, it goes without saying that things are different.
For those who go to India the first time, the noise, color, aromas and general business in the streets may be an intense invasion of the senses, but for those who are veteran visitors to the sub-continent will still experience things that will still make you take a double take reinforce the notion that you are well and truly away from home, and that’s precisely why we love India so much.
Life is not boring here, and here are some examples to show you just how crazy things can get.

Chilies used as weapons

Indian food is famed for being spicy, and for some delicate constitutions this may be a bit too much, but used as a weapon? Sure a strong vindaloo might give you a classic case of the good old “Delhi belly”, but you’re not going to toss a chili at your enemy in battle, are you?
However, it looks like the Indian military has cottoned onto your tears as you tuck into your extra spicy curry and have taken the strongest one of all, the “bhut jolokia”, which means “ghost chili” in English, and condensed its horrible sting to make hand grenades which act like tear-gas, with the plans to use it as a way to immobilize suspects.
The chili has more than 1,000,000 Scoville units, making it one of the hottest chilies on the planet. Aside from using the bhut jolokia in riots, it could also be developed into a form of pepper spray.

Photos of deities used to ward off public urination

People urinate in public a lot, and it’s a common site to see men peeing against walls and wherever they can go. While some argue a solution to this problem is to install better public toilets, other want a more immediate approach, by drumming and blowing whistles in disapproval.
However, until better toilets are installed around India’s towns, people will continue to urinate in public. But for now, it looks like putting up pictures of gods serves as a good deterrent for people looking for a place to pee in public, it seems like people are using divine intervention to help stop people peeing in the streets.

Onion theft

As prices increase for food staples in India, grocery robbing instead of bank robbing is in vogue. Last year, a band of robbers made off with a truck of onions, after a supply shortages caused the prices to rocket.
The men who stole the shipment on a road in Jaipur faked a car accident to get the truck to stop, before driving off with the onions. The police managed to catch the onion heist.

Trucks encourage honking

India is known for being loud, and cars are no different, but when you hear horns being honked in the street, it’s not something aggressive. In fact, honking is encouraged. You’ll find some trucks actually have the words “Horn OK, please” written on the back.
If you drive an auto rickshaw through South India’s streets, the chances are you’re going to honk your horn at least 150 times a day, unless you want to look like a tourist. Those are just the conservative numbers. In heavy traffic, horns go off at least once every 30 seconds, and the average rickshaw horn can go up to 93 decibels, not unlike a pneumatic drill!
Driving in in India is literally a deafening experience; where all those rickshaw horns add up to the traffic equivalent of a jumbo jet during take off.

Incredible Indian Traffic

How to Make Khandvi

admin — Mon, 24 Mar 2014 15:58:31 +0000

Khandvi is a delicious gluten free snack, traditional to the western state of Gujarat, India. Made from cooking a mixture of gram/chickpea flour and sour yogurt, to which a mustard seed and curry leaves tempering is applied, Khandvi is a healthy snack idea for many Indians.
From The Novice Housewife

How to make Khandvi at Home

Bollywood Theater: India to Portland

admin — Wed, 09 Oct 2013 11:53:14 +0000

Before opening Bollywood Theater in Portland, OR, Chef Troy MaClarty ventured on a trip to India that included Kerala, Goa, Calcutta and Mumbai in order to experience the food, people and culture of India first hand.
Film by Jeremy Fenske

Food Sellers of Mumbai

admin — Tue, 24 Sep 2013 12:00:23 +0000

This is a montage of food sellers on the streets of Mumbai by Empty Mind Films

DOSA HUNT

admin — Tue, 11 Sep 2012 07:49:36 +0000

The greatest hunt for south Indian food in NYC ever committed to film!
DOSA HUNT, a film by Amrit Singh.

How to Cook Karahi Gosht

admin — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 08:29:14 +0000

How to cook Karahi Gosht, India. From the food series JK Delicious