Unity in diversity may sound cliched, but it is exactly that defined Indid’s culinary heritage By Anoothi Vishal If you happened to be in Hyderabad and decided to go on a biryani crawl—a hopping expedition across restaurants and clubs, big fat wedding dinners (where indeed some of the best is to be had) and small [...]
Culture in India
Indian cuisines and Independence Day musings
Posted by Anoothi Vishal on July 27th, 2011
Posted in Commonwealth, Culture in India, Destinations, Heritage 
Tags: Biryani, Caste, Commercial Cooks, Concoction, Culinary Heritage, Grain Of Rice, Hole In The Wall, Hyderabad, Indian Cuisines, Local Flavours, Mishmash, Mothers In Law, Mutton, Nation Integration, Persia, Pulao, Slow Flame, Unity In Diversity, Vishal, Wedding Dinners 
Comments OffContemporarise, don’t cardboardise!
Posted by Anoothi Vishal on May 1st, 2011
Why are chefs at Amarata, the Oberoi’s contemporary coastal restaurant shying away from the soul of Indian cooking? By Anoothi Vishal What is the future of Indian food in India? This is a question that is often debated by chefs, restaurateurs and foodies. And clearly, looking at the spate of big launches in the last [...]
Posted in Cuisines, Culture in India, Restaurants Tags: Blue Cheese, Coastal Cuisine, Comfort Food, Curries, Fancy Restaurant, Foie Gras, Food In India, Foodies, Gastronomy, Great Expectations, Grouse, Gurgaon, Hot Thing, Indian Cooking, Indian Cuisine, Indian Food, Indian Restaurants, Oberoi, Restaurateurs, Vishal 1 Comment »Buddhist New Year, Hindu New Year and songs of spring
Posted by Anoothi Vishal on April 19th, 2011
Discovering a little bit of India in Thailand By Anoothi Vishal At Khao San Road, Bangkok, backpacker-paradise, buckets are in big demand. “Buy a bucket…***” say placards, and not necessarily in polite terms, even as you jostle through the impossible crowd, boisterous and high-spirited. It’s the spirit of Songkran, you soon realize, rather like Holi [...]
Posted in Culture in India, Heritage Tags: Baisakhi, Beer Mugs, Beginning Of Spring, Cold Dark, Colonial Roots, Deadly Poison, Fertility Cycle, Hindu New Year, Holi, Khao San Road, Khao San Road Bangkok, Northern Hemisphere, Point Agenda, Polite Terms, Revelers, Sense Of Fun, Social Mores, Songkran, Thai New Year, Vishal Comments OffThe Hyderabad Eatathon: It’s not just about biryani
Posted by Anoothi Vishal on September 21st, 2010
By Anoothi Vishal An old immersion myth tells the story of Narada asking to be shown “maya”, that illusory, creative force driving life, according to Hindu philosophy. It’s not an easy concept to understand — much less to accept. But the sage gets a “test drive” one day when he takes a dip in the [...]
Posted in Cuisines, Culture in India, Destinations, Heritage Tags: Alternate Life, Alternate Reality, Biryani, Creative Force, Deep Sorrow, Ganga, Haleem, Hindu Philosophy, Husain Sagar, Hyderabad, Hyderabadi, Infinity Pool, Lifespan, Lilt, Maratha, Melting Pot, Modernity, Narada, New Hotel, Places In The World Comments OffMonsoon cuisines of India
Posted by Anoothi Vishal on July 24th, 2010
Curating a monsoon food and art festival at The Park New Delhi has been fun and a good learning experience. I discovered the importance of seasonal foods in our cooking traditions… Seasonal diets have always been an intrinsic part of Indian regional cuisine(s). While we may not have had codified “kitchen literature”, and recipes and [...]
Posted in Cuisines, Culture in India, Eat Healthy, Luxury Tags: Agrarian World, Art Festival, Art Literature, Climactic Conditions, Cuisines Of India, Curating, Family Recipes, Food Community, Ganpati, Golen, Indian Families, Methods Of Cooking, Monsoons In India, Odd Shower, Onam, Rakshabandhan, Regional Cuisine, Savouries, Seasonal Foods, Teej Comments OffMathur food festival at Fire, The Park, New Delhi
Posted by Anoothi Vishal on April 24th, 2010
Often labeled “sharabi-kebabi” or “adhe Mussalman” (half Muslim) because of their gastronomic adventurousness, the Mathur-Kayasthas have always considered themselves to be sophisticates, well versed in matters cultural—and culinary. Often, in a household, the passion for music (or dramatics and urdu poetry) would only be overshadowed by an interest in food, with dining room conversations routinely [...]
Posted in Cuisines, Culture in India, Recipes Tags: Adhe, British India, Cosmopolitanism, Dramatics, Espousal, Food Festival, Kurtas, Medieval India, Menfolk, Mughal, No Doubt, Preferred Attire, Princely States, Religious Practices, Room Conversations, Shaayari, Sophisticates, Time Members, Vaishnavite, Womenfolk 3 Comments »Paya, paella and some omlette talk
Posted by Anoothi Vishal on December 31st, 2009
How to serve up trotters… and the best of eggs… By Anoothi Vishal “By the way, Chandra can now cook the perfect paya,” said uncle-in-law, who can be quite the intimidating editor with a fondness for all things food and French. Chandra is his cook, an affable pahari lady who has withstood perfection in the [...]
Posted in C'Wealth Cuisines, Cuisines, Culture in India, Recipes Tags: Accompaniments, Amrita Sher Gil, Breads, Chandra, Fondness, Foodie, Indian Classical Music, Jama Masjid, Members Of The Family, Old Delhi, Paella, Paya Recipe, Poor Man, Red Wine, Roti, Shahjahanabad, Sher, Trotters, Vishal, Wheat Bread 3 Comments »How to plan your trip to Ladakh
Posted by Manisha Pande on September 25th, 2009
Most seasoned travelers would swear by a road trip to Ladakh via Rohtang or Kashmir as the ultimate in biking expedition in India. But for those suffering from back problems, time constraints or simply a less adventurous streak, there is an ultimate in flying experience too offered by most private and government airlines: This is [...]
Posted in Cities in India, Culture in India, Heritage Tags: Adventurous Streak, Ascent, Beer Chang, Best Bet, Drastic Shift, Emerald Lakes, Geography Teacher, Grassy Stretches, Heart Of The World, Highest Mountains, Himalayas, Kashmir, New Delhi, Panoramic View, Perception Changes, Road Trip, Rohtang, Sand Dunes, Stupa, Time Constraints Comments OffCuisine of the Mughals: Akbar (1542-1605)
Posted by Anoothi Vishal on June 30th, 2009
Akbar (1542-1605) Akbar’s childhood was spent in present day Afghanistan. From his Persian mother, he inherited princely manners, his love for literature and the arts. And from his Turkish father came his fierce energy, his love for war and his ability to command. Later, he learned to absorb what was genuinely Indian. The Ain-i-Akbari, a [...]
Posted in Cuisines, Culture in India, Food Books Tags: Akbar, Barley, Central Asia, Cooks, Courtier, Different Regions, Fazl, Gazetteer, Hakim, Humam, Hunting Grounds, Imperial Kitchen, Lentils, Mughal Empire, Persia, Persian Influence, Present Day, Rajputs, Regions Of India, Vizier Comments OffCuisine of the Mughals: Humayun (1508-1556)
Posted by Anoothi Vishal on June 20th, 2009
Humayun (1508-1556) Humayun, the beloved father of Akbar, ascended the throne amidst great festivities in 1530. He had acquired proficiency in the arts and science in his early years. He was very fond of poetry and had great skill in that. He was also adept at astronomy and in geography. Persian craftsmen, especially painters of [...]
Posted in Culture in India, Food Books Tags: Beloved Father, Beloved Son, Chicken Pulao, Craftsmen, Different Kinds, Emperor, Exquisite Miniatures, Favour, Festivities, Flavours, Kitchen Recipe, Lavish Hospitality, Miniature Painting, Mughals, Painters, Persia, Persian Cuisine, Persian Origin, Proficiency, Royal Kitchen, Sophistication Comments Off
