Konkan Delight - Madhuram Paryatan

Having driven down to Belgaum from Bangalore - which by the way is about 500 kms along the NH4, we took a halt there. Now Belgaum is my hometown and I have as many relatives as are streets there. A quaint lil' town which was once known for its lovely winters and mild summers is now a busy city. Its now has its share of the urban curse - noise, pollution and people everywhere. But I'll tell you about that sometime later.
From Belgaum we drove down via Savantwadi to reach 'Madhuram Parayatan' - a small homestay run by Mrs and Mr Samant. Its in a small village called Parule - the nearest 'known' village is Kudal. The road from Belgaum to Kudal winds through Amboli (which is also a hill station in its own right). Along the ghats near Amboli we stopped by Nangarthas Falls. Its not a very big waterfall but the unique thing about it is the fall is a straight 80 feet down in to a narrow chasm which makes the whole view dangerously beautiful.
Along the way there are quite a few brooks running down the hills that make the drive quite enjoyable. And throw in a hot cup of coffee and 'vada-pavs' at the road side eateries and your day is made.
We reached Madhuram Parayatan at lunch time and Mr. Samant greeted us as though we were his long lost friends. After the pleasantries, we were served lunch - and a grand affiar it was. Surmai Fry, Fish Curry, Prawns roasted with Ginger paste and spices, rice, dal, veg curry, salads, and of course a bucket-ful (yes a bucket) of Sol-kadi. For the uninitiated - here's what sol-kadi is --- http://www.syvum.com/cgi/online/serve.cgi/recipes/srcpm10.tdf?0.
A foodie that I am, I fell in love with this place at first sight. Fresh, authentic spicy konkani sea food served with love in the cool shade of swaying coconut and arecanut trees. That was one of the happiest moments of my life (dont judge me please). And the best part is that these wonderful meals continued for the rest of the stay - just as wholesome, just as authentic, just as tasty.
Over the next 3 days Mr. Samant became our personal guide and took us to the most pristine, untouched beaches in and around Parule. Every 10 - 15 kms we experienced some of the more beautiful beaches I have ever seen. And the best part of at all was that there was not even a soul on any of the beaches. Have a look at the pics
http://picasaweb.google.com/deepakjoshi19/KonkanBeaches?authkey=Gv1sRgCIaxkPW8pLyG3wE#
Mrs and Mr Samant plan to have 8 cottages and help people experience that 'Konkan' which is hidden from the rest of the world and I wish them the best of luck. I hope more people can see and experience what we did in those 2 wonderful days. We left Madhuram with our minds refreshed and souls nourished - thanks to Madhuram Parayatan and the Samants.

The Perfect Omelette

I Love to eat and I Love to cook ... I look at these two acts as 'stress-busters' and they sure make you feel good.

10 years or so and some 15 kgs ago I read a piece by Dileep Padgaonkar in the Times of India with a identical title. And though I had enjoyed the article - I thought why go through such painstaking detail about how the mundane Omelet is made. But after years of wondering why every small time 'omelet - walli - gadi' makes omelets that make you say 'Mmmmmm' and why the omelets in 5 star hotels suck I realised was wrong ... Making something as simple as an omelet - magical is truly an art.

So what is the magical ingredient, that secret technique, that exact instance where the stars and planets come in to a formation to create the perfect Omelet ??

Well this is how I make MY 'Perfect Omelet' -

SO lets start with the ingredients - wholesome eggs (brown, white does not really matter - fresher the better), Red onions as finely chopped as possible, 1 or 2 green chillies - to pack that punch, Red tomatoes again finely chopped and a cube of cheese - grated and finally loads of fresh coriander. You could throw in some mushrooms or potato slices; but keep it simple I say.

Now for the technique -

Most often than now we tend to throw in all these in to a bowl and whip them together, throw them on a oiled pan and leave the rest up to fate. That's a perfect way - to RUIN an omelet. The magic is to saute the chills and onions with a pinch of sugar (yes, SUGAR - it helps caramelize the onions and gives it a crispiness). And once they are turning brown, throw in the tomatoes and continue the saute for another 2 mins before letting the beaten eggs find their way through this melange. And once the upper surface of the omelet begins to dry - comes the Pièce de résistance - flipping the omelet to let it simmer for a minute more. Easier said than done this is something I too have been trying to achieve flawlessly but have met with little success.

And finally we have the timing - when is the best time to 'create' an omelet

Not on a busy Monday morning when you have one eye on the stove and the other is picking out what to wear that day. Neither is it an evening thing to have with a glass of juice and a slice of toast.

The perfect time is a lazy winter Sunday morning, when even the sun seems to be fighting against it own nature of heating the day up, when the clouds are just fluffy enough to give a hint of whiteness in a clear azure background and when the world seem to have slowed down just for you and you alone to celebrate this wonderful art form

Try this and believe you me, the end result will be like nothing you have tasted before.

And be fore-warned, if you miss any of the above mentioned tenets the experience will always be incomplete.

Cheers

Konkan Delight - The 'PLAN'

Ahhh ... Come december and there is a spring in my step. Vacation Time!!! For all of us who work for the evil cruel capitilist imperilist western world (and get paid good money for that :D ) December is the time when the world slowly comes to a grinding halt and everyone heads off to spend some 'quality' time with their families.
This year, like every preceding one, Arch and I began planning for 15 days of blissful solace way back in October. And believe you me, we gave a fair chance to East India (Shillong, Darjelling, Gangtok) - only to realise that traveling in India is far more expensive that going to Malaysia. Having said that we as fate would have it - we settled for a road trip along the western coast of Maharashtra - KONKAN. Today in hindsight, my belief in the adage 'whatever happens happens for a reason and for your good', is even more strongly reaffirmed.
The idea was to drive to the coast and then halt every 100 - 120 kms along the beach and relax for 2 - 3 days and finally reach Pune before heading back to Namma Bengeluru.
Now this is easier said than done. For one - every known beach along the coast were booked well in advance and the rates touched the sahyadris as we move towards Mumbai.
Finally after 100 or so phone calls and spending close to 10 hrs reading reviews of home-stays (yes, they are cheap, homely and give you an experience that no resort can) we finalized the grand route ---- 2850 Kms of 'unchartered' roads -----
Bangalore - Belgaum - Kudal - Malvan - Devrukh - Guhagar - Pune - Bangalore.
At each of these places we booked our selves in to homestays that were recommended by fellow travellers.

Now the only thing to do was --- Head off !!!