Paw Bhaji is a tomato-based veggie curry made with a kick and lots of spices You dip what seems to be a yeast roll in it and enjoy. I bet these rolls came from the same bakery that we visited on the bike tour. It was pretty yum. The Bhel Puri is a mix of puffed-up/fried grains and rice, mixed with coriander, onion, tomato and spices. It's like a crazy Indian Rice Krispies meal... and it was also yummy. Something in it made it sweet, so the mix of sweet/spicy/salty dance on the palate! We shared both, but afterwards we were so full. That is one thing I have noticed, they eat curry-style food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It's really tasty, but I think Paul is loving it more than me.. There's only so many times in a row I can eat a heavy curry.. I'm dying for a salad at lunch or dinner or some yogurt for breakfast. Today I was craving fruit so much! I am interested to see what the Ashram has going on in the kitchen.
We ended our day with lots of different street foods and snacks. Steph and Pete were nice enough to take us to some of their favorite local spots where we could try "must-haves" in Mumbai.
First, we went to this place that was themed around a garage, called "Toto". All the servers looked so cute in their bright yellow mechanic jumpsuits and little caps..This place has taken bar peanuts to a whole new level.. Masala Peanuts. I will have to bring this back home with me: it's peanuts, cilantro, onion, tomato, mango powder and a little lime juice. We ordered 2 portions and they went pretty quickly. We also tried fried baby corn, and that's about as good as it sounds.. The dipping sauce was nice, though!
We headed to the Main Street where we could try some local and safe street foods. That's one thing I do not want, to get some stomach bug again. Ugh. Awful.
First, we had what Steph describes as "a watery explosion of flavors in your mouth". After trying, I'd have to agree. It is called Pani Puri, and basically its a little fried ball suffed with cold chana masala (chickpeas) and other little bits, then before eating it is dunked into a watery tamarind sauce. You eat it all in one go. I will say, it was delish, and I'm sure would be refreshing on a hot day, because it's served cold.
We then walked across the street to try Sev Puri, which resembles Indian nachos. It has lots of complex flavors and hits pretty much every part of your palate.. Also, really really good.
I cannot take credit for these photos, thanks Google Image. I was too busy stuffing my face that I failed to take my camera out.
Steph did, however, get a nice video of us trying this crazy digestive called "Paan". I would like to compare its taste to first, eating an inscent, and then the flavor morphs into what I could imagine launry detergent to taste like? I have no idea what's in it, but the man making it put in dashes of all kinds of spices and some weird jelly? I noticed strong hints of anise and soap. Definitely cleansed the palate. Paul got a special bonus, if you pay close attention at the end. (ew!)
Our street food tour filled the belly for sure, and was the first of many I am sure. Southeast Asia and Taiwan are also known for the huge street food halls where you can sample soup and scorpions in the same place. We had such a blast with Steph and Pete, and are so glad we were able to stay in their home.
Currently, we are in Trivandrum, Kerala as I am sitting in the hotel room using my last few hours of technology for 7-10 days. We have seen a lot of the city, but we weren't able to make it to the famous backwaters due to time. We did get to go to the zoo where The Life of Pi zoo was inspired, check out the "tourist village" at Lake Veli that had what seemed to be no tourists (not western, anyways) and walked on the beach. We also went to Sree Padmaswamy, a Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu. I'm not sure if it had to do with the full moon or if it was always like this, but it was crazy there! Tons of people walking around, going to prayer, eating a makeshift restaurants, and taking pictures. It was very beautiful, though.
Well, tomorrow marks our first full week in India, and so far it has been a blast. Tomorrow we retreat to a spiritual haven about 45 KM outside Trivandum in a natural preserve called Neyaar Dam. I am excited for some peace, quiet, and 4 hours of yoga everyday. The 5:20 am "waking bell" will be tough to handle at first. My dear friend 5 AM I haven't missed you that much. Crazy to think I used to get up that early to run or hit the gym. 5 AM and I have a love/hate relationship. No ipad, no phone, nothing for at least a week! Our daily schedule is pretty rigorous and structured, so I probably won't even notice! We will be at the Sivananda Yoga Ashram in Kerala, if anyone is interested. Just google it, it tells you allllll about it. If you're not into yoga, you will probably wonder what the heck we are doing there. Being miles away from smog and noise is enough to make Paul go..that, with his vision of coming out loose and limber. I want to get thrown out of my comfort zone, learn, practice and get a deeper understanding of thier method of yoga to help me become a better teacher. I am going to soak up every minute! Until we have wifi again in Goa, I am going off the grid and back to journaling. I'll be sure to take lots of notes and fill everyone in.. Namaste!
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