Food- Day 10

Keeping kosher in Toronto is such a breeze, being in India for just about 2 weeks I can now truly say I understand the difficulty of keeping kosher. 

Our first meal in the morning was at the Chabad house where we waited a long time but enjoyed a wonderful Israeli style breakfast. My favourite throughout the trip has been the shakshuka which comes with a roll, Israeli salad and a fruit shake- that morning I had pear. 

Throughout the trip we had omelette or grilled vegetable sandwiches for lunch and cereal, fruit, peanut butter and sometimes rolls for breakfast. Compared to the others our cuisine was pretty tame and North American. That is until we looked further into the matter and were able to enjoy simple rice and lentil dishes: paper dosa, idli and utapa, along with freshly squeezed fruit juices. The dosa is paper thin, chewy and crispy and served folded into what looks like a tube. Idli is steeped and it was kind of bland. The utopia was similar to a pancake and tasted great wit some sprinkledsugar. I ate mine often with some banana slices.

A second challenge of the trip was not being able to eat unpeeled fruit, as well I am allergic to mangos, but I was able to try a chikoo. The chikoo reminded me of the texture of a pear, with the sweetness of a fig or date. It became difficult some days since a lot of times we could not have access to Chabad meals and the rice and lentil dishes were very carb heavy and there is only so much fruit one can eat. We each packed our own protein bars and snacks, but we all are in need for a good cooked meal. 

For Lag Baomer we had BBQ at Chabad, where they shared with us the last of their beef that was brought into India. Since then they have not been allowed to bring it in.

Shabbat at Chabad was not too much different for me as a vegetarian; lots of Israeli style salatim such as matbucha, then, chums, babaganush, egg salad, beets and fried eggplant.The first course was a lovely light salmon and for the main they served chicken, rice and green beans with cashews and mushrooms. Dessert was a non-dairy chocolate and vanilla mousse that really hit the spot. I did not go to bed hungry thats for sure.

Lunch the next day was similar with salatim, battered fish with a spicy sauce, a green salad with candied nuts and of course chulent, followed by a moist chocolate cake. 

For me I think the hardest parts were with the lack of dairy products, green vegetables, and having to think constantly from ml to meal. I am leaving India excited to return to the simplicity, amazed at the challenges we faced, but happy I was able to enjoy a real chai tea. 

- Ruchie

Food- Day 9

Paneer?

What is it do you ask? Paneer is a type of cheese made of just milk and lime. Most of us have tried paneer in a variety of ways throughout the trip. Whether it being as part of a vegetable mixture in a tomato sauce that is rich in Indian spices, or mixed with potatoes and peas in a paneer masala dosa, Paneer has been a hit amongst many members of the group. Paneer has also been enjoyed by many with Indian spices topped with a slice of tomato, and a slice of onion.
Overall Paneer has been a favourite of many throughout the trip!

Food- Day 2

Our Indian food journey began on the plane ride from Frankfurt to Mumbai, when a small mix-up occurred. Unfortunately, the flight attendants were short on kosher meals so some of us were given vegetarian Indian style meals instead. My meal consisted of white rice with a curried sauce and Indian rice pudding on the side. I ate the meal with great satisfaction, and as I did so, I turned to the Indian brother and sister sitting next to me who I had recently befriended. They informed me that the food would only get better from there.

And sure enough, they were right. On our first day in Mumbai and since then, we have been given a choice to eat our meals at Chabad or at nearby "pure veg" restaurants. Both options have given us rich and flavourful eating opportunities. Those of us who ate at the restaurant experienced our first authentic taste of India. We had chapati dipped in baji, which is a hot tomato-based dipping sauce with mangoes, and samosas with dal and panjabi on the side. This was the Indian equivalent of chickpea and potato bourekas. My initial reactions? The weather and food here have a lot in common, as they are both incredibly hot!

For me, the most memorable meal so far has been at a restaurant where my table ordered mushroom paneer masala with naan and some other delicacies whose names I cannot remember or pronounce. Many of the flavors were ones that I had never before tasted. Eating at these types of Indian restaurants has proven to be an interesting social, and unique cultural, experience because everyone ends up sharing their dishes with each other. This makes it easy to sample a whole bunch of Indian dishes at once. When the meal was done I looked down at my finger nails and saw that they were yellow from all the dipping of breads into various sauces!

But, for all the satisfaction we get from it, Indian food also has a dark side. For one, some of us agree that that eating Indian food for every meal does not agree with our stomachs. I've also been hearing group members say that all the different foods are starting to look, smell, and taste the same once you've had a few meals in India. Thankfully, meals at Chabad offer a nice change of pace, with a mix of Israeli and American style dishes such as shakshuka, chicken sandwiches, and Israeli salads. I am excited to celebrate Lag baomer tonight, which we will celebrate with a  bonfire and barbecue, and am looking forward to the other tasty dishes ahead!

- Tovi