Hello friends! Welcome to visa2explore! I am your host Harish Bali. Right now I am in the commercial capital of Madhya Pradesh, Indore. Indore is also known as “Mini Mumbai”. On my first day in Indore, I am going to eat poha for breakfast at the oldest poha shop, Prashant. I am in the Rajwada area of Indore, let us go inside the shop. In India, poha originated in Maharashtra. But here in Indore too, poha is synonymous with breakfast. In our households, poha is usually made with a tempering consisting of curry leaves, asafetida, cumin seeds & mustard seeds. However, about the poha here, I can tell you about its taste only after I eat it. Since I’ve heard so much about it, I’m sure, its taste would be different from that available in Delhi. The immediate thing I noticed about it is that the shape and design is totally different from the poha we eat in Delhi. It is topped with fried sev and I can see a piece of boiled potato and a wedge of lime on the plate as well. I can also see green chili on the side. I have to admit I agree with whoever has said that the poha of Indore is No. 1. Driver: “Poha-jalebi of Indore is No. 1!” It is truly No. 1. Whatever limited exposure I have of poha is from what I’ve eaten in Delhi. This is very, very, very different. Poha is totally different in taste. The poha we get in Delhi is bigger in size, this poha is smaller, thinner and softer. The sev sprinkled on top is totally amazing. One thing I’ve noticed is that maybe mustard seeds haven’t been used. I maybe wrong but I will try to find out from the owner. The amount of asafetida is also minimal & so is salt. Sugar has been used but in minute quantity, though, I’m not sure. Our father began this shop to sell poha way back in 1949. We use peanut oil or soyabean oil instead of ghee to cook poha. Man: “This shop is a pioneer in poha. In fact, they were the ones who started a poha shop in Indore. This is a high-energy, boost up morning food.” This morning I was discussing my lunch and dinner options in Indore with some locals. One name that came up during the discussion the most is “Guru Kripa.” A while ago, I reached the Guru Kripa restaurant near Sarwate Bus Stand. It was crowded and the waiting line was quite long. So, the owner suggested that I should go to their other branch. And here I am in Guru Kripa, South Tukoganj. I’ve already ordered two dishes to eat and I am waiting for my order to come. Till then, I requested them for some sev to munch on. I’ve had a few bites and this sev is very spicy, but interesting! I have ordered 2 dishes for myself – Sev Masala &ShahiMethi. For bread, I’ve ordered tawa chapatti with some butter instead of tandoori roti. This is sev masala. Now I’m serving shahimethi. I don’t remember when I had sev the last time. I’m sure I must have eaten a lot of it when I was in Mumbai but never after that. This is my first experience to eat sev like this, cooked with a bunch of spices. But it is good! This one is quite spicy! That spicy sev has been cooked, I think, in a tomato gravy with some red chili powder. So, I am assuming that it must be double spicy now, though I had asked for medium spice. Good taste but the base of this dish is that of tomato gravy. Let me taste the shahimethi too. First confusion that I have is about the name of this dish. Since it has paneer (cottage cheese) in it, it should be named paneer masala or something like that. But anyways, let me taste it and I will tell you more. Hmmmm! Cashew nuts! The base of this dish is methi (fenugreek leaves), in fact, there is a lot of methi in it. I think since they’ve added paneer to it, that is why they must’ve named it shahimethi. This one was very spicy but this one has very less spice in it. In fact, both these dishes are absolutely in contrast to each other. High spice, low spice! This dish is rich because of lots of cashew nuts in it along with paneer. I could see a few bits of cashew nuts right away. Hmmmm! Yummy dish! One of my friends has lived in Indore for about 6 years. I asked him about a dish of Indore that I might get to eat everywhere. Can you guess what he told me? Sev! My friend told me that I may eat anywhere in Indore, 70-80%, even 90% dishes would have sev in them. In fact, it is my first day, so I cannot imagine what more is in store for me. But I am expecting lot of sev in Indore. There is a saying in English language – Well begun is half done! So, my food journey started at a very good note today. I’ve enjoyed my breakfast and lunch so far. And I am sure that for the coming 5-6 days, I would keep on enjoying more food in Indore. That is my feeling as of now! As I keep talking to locals, and their suggestions keep piling up, I feel that list is going to be endless! Right now, I am at PanchvatiGauravrestaurant on the 2nd floor of a building at MadhumilanSquare. The thali is already here and I am waiting for the food to be served. I have 10 empty bowls inside a huge thali right in front of me. So, I am actually looking forward to what is going to be served in these bowls. They have provided me this menu to read. Just by looking at the dishes, I can say it is going to be a mix of Rajasthani and Gujarati cuisines. I’ve never had such a combination before today. The price of this thali is Rs. 310 (including taxes). Rest, I will tell you more after the food is served. (Host laughing) From what I have understood so far, this is paneer, potato, Balor (local dish), Chawli (type of bean), Rajasthani dal, Rajasthanikadhi, Gujarati kadhi (I’ve been told it is sweet). I’ve got 3 types of breads here – normal tawachapatti, roti made of bajra flour & this small poori. Dal-bati, the famous Rajasthani dish, is also served in this thali. There are 3 types of chutneys and raw onions on the side. I just took a bite of paneer and I can say that the food is quite simple. I am going to start in this order and taste a bit of every dish. So, first bite, very simple! The good part is that they have served me very less quantity of servings. Since the food is unlimited, they will keep serving me. But serving lesser quantities of food ensures that if you don’t like a dish, you won’t be wasting too much of it. So, I think this food is enough for my whole meal. If it would have been more than this, then I would have been forced to waste food. That way I am happy that I’ve been served only so much that a single person can finish easily. And if I need more, they are ready to serve me more. The potato is slightly sweet. I have heard that Gujarati dishes are sweet in taste. So, I am feeling that sweetness, though it is at a minimal level. I did not like Balor that much. I do not know what it is exactly but the first bite was not that interesting. I am calling this lobia because in Delhi, we call it so. This is decent! But the one thing common in all the four dishes I’ve tasted so far is that the spice content is very limited. Not spicy at all! Suitable for people of all age groups! While being served, I had asked about it and I was told that it is Rajasthani dal. Then I asked about the difference between a Rajasthani dal and a normal dal. I was told that this could be a bit higher in spices. Rajasthani dal is supposed to be spicy. But on eating it, I did not find it spicy at all. The taste is decent and garlic is on a higher side. Hmmmm! Kadhi! This dish is my favorite but this one here has no pakora (fritters) in it, just kadhi. Magical! This kadhi is quite tasty. Slightly tangy, just like a kadhi should be. That way it is good! Now this Gujarati kadhi seems to be out of place in this thali, especially since it is placed right next to the Rajasthanikadhi. Either we should eat it first or I don’t know in which order we should eat it. But both these kadhis together are a bit of mis-match. It is my personal opinion. Yeah! Dal-bati I had eaten in Jaipur and it is not after 4-5 months later that I am getting a chance to eat this dish again. I am not sure about the correct style of eating this dish but, yes, they have already poured dal over crushed bati. Hmm! Good taste! Interesting! I am going to finish this dal-bati before I start with my chapatti. If we would want to rename this thali as per the food combination available, we can call it “Mini BahubaliThali.” Bahubali because it is unlimited and you can keep ordering more as per you taste and choice. As of now, I am enjoying this thali. If I am asked about my preferences in this thali, I would say RajasthaniKadhi, lobhia, potato, paneer. These are the four things I’ve told you about. I haven’t tried this dhokla yet. What is the difference between khaman and dhokla? That I will know only after going to Gujarat. A lot of people keep telling me that this is not dhokla, it is khaman. To be honest, I don’t know the difference. Both are same to look at. When I go to Gujarat, I will find out what is khaman and in Delhi, I am going to find out about dhokla. Then I will be able to compare. Good! This is very soft. Overall good food! I’ve enjoyed it. I was not very hungry, so that is why I did not order repeat servings. But this thali is good by the standards of unlimited servings. The only thing I feel is that the price is slightly on a higher side – Rs. 310 per thali. But it all depends on the kind of food you enjoy. If you want both Rajasthani and Gujarati flavors, one has to pay for it. But I still think that the price should have been slightly lower. Done! Right now, I am at 56 Dukaanarea, at Jolly Hot Dog, to eat omelet for breakfast. It is 12 pm now, and since I was answering comments on my videos, I got late for breakfast today. This omelet is very simple to look at. There is a warm bun, inside which the omelet rests. There is ketchup and green chutney on the side. Let me eat it and tell you about its taste. I can see a lot of people eating omelet at this time. I am sure this place must be packed at the time of breakfast too. And 56 Dukaan is an area that is more crowded towards evenings, than in the mornings. There are 2-3 things I would like to highlight – people usually use butter or oil to cook omelet. Here, they’ve cooked it in desi ghee. Second thing, there are no heavy spices in this omelet, just some salt and red chili powder. Omelet itself is fluffy and it tastes good with the bun. In my personal experience, omelet goes best with a bread slice but I am enjoying it better in the bun. So, I will prefer this with this pudina (mint) chutney. Very simple chutney! I cannot guess anything else other than just pudina and dhaniya (fresh coriander). Even if it has green chili in it, that must be quite low because it doesn’t feel it has green chili in it. Here it is called Egg banjo. Rest, you can even call it a bun-omelet too. The price is reasonable too – Rs 30/- for this bun and one egg omelet. I think if you want to have a heavy breakfast, you can eat two of it. And if you want a light breakfast, then one is sufficient. Overall, I’m enjoying it. Simple omelet but tasty! I have travelled to many places in India and eaten omelets there. But the way they cook it, they dip the bread in egg and then fry that on a griddle. And this is a unique place where they cook omelet in desi ghee, with or without bread both. Right now, I am at the Banana Leaf Restaurant, in Malhar Mega Mall, to eat South Indian for lunch. I have ordered Rasam-vadafor myself to start with. As per my limited knowledge of this dish, I can say that though rasam is cooked in a variety of ways, there is only one way to cook rasam for rasam-vada. This vada is made with urad dal (split black gram). Rasam is made with a whole lot of ingredients and it is supposed to be good for a sore throat, and also a good appetizer. While vada is made with urad dal, in rasam, they put tomatoes, garlic, ginger, black pepper and cumin seeds, etc. Now I am going to eat some of it and tell you about its taste. First impression, the vada has become quite soft on being dipped inside rasam. I could divide it into two with my spoon. I can also see fresh coriander leaves floating in rasam. Hmm! As expected, rasam is slightly on a higher side of spicy, it has green chilies as well as black pepper. Normally, we use black pepper in tomato soup too, but the ratio is quite low as compared to that in rasam. It tastes good. In fact, rasam is not as thick as the tomato soup. Primary reason for that could be that people usually add some thickening agents to tomato soup but rasam is pure tomato. This rasam is thin in consistency and spicy, though not so spicy as to force me to run for water. Pre-packaged Rasam masala is also available in shops from which you can make rasam easily. Now, in restaurants, whether they use readymade rasam masala or use individual ingredients, I don’t have any knowledge of that. But if someone wants to make rasam at home with the readymade rasam masala, that makes the job easier. As I keep on drinking this rasam, to be very frank, I am feeling a soothing effect in my throat. Even though my throat is not sore but if it would have been, I am sure this rasam would have cured it. Very nice, good experience! I enjoyed it. Now I am going to check the menu again to decide what to order further for my meal. There are many varieties in lunch menu – utthapam, dosa, thali, but I am in mood for idli. Host: “I like this name on the menu – Bahubali idli. So, this has 6 types of idli?” Waiter: “Yes sir.” Host: “Hmmm. Coorg idli, masala idli, mughlai idli, rice idli, mini idli, great! So, I will take this.” Waiter: “Okay sir.” Host: “How long will it take to come?” Waiter: “10 minutes sir.” Host: “Cool.” This is Bahubali idli platter – which has six types of idli. This yellow idli is called Kanchipuram idli and it contains dry fruit. This is rice idli. This is Coorg idli made in dry tomato paste. This is masala fry idli cooked in onion, tomato and dry masala paste. That is mini idli. This is mint-flavored idli. I’ve got 3 types of chutneys with it. This is Mulagapudi chutney. I will have to taste it to tell you more about it. This is garlic chutney, made with, of course, garlic and red chili. This is coconut chutney, without red chili. I have got sambhar too. Some time ago, when I was shooting a food video in Connaught Place, I was pronouncing it wrong. I was calling it Sambar. So, I paid attention to its right pronunciation here and came to know that it is actually called ‘Sambhar.’ I have been told about a South Indian cuisine called Mulagai, so that is the first idli I am going to taste. It should be mint-flavored as per my understanding. The color of this idli, I believe has come from the mixture of coriander & mint leaves, grinded together. I’m not sure but that is my guess. The best part of this meal is that I am eating 6 different types of idlis in a single platter. Before today, I’ve had only white idli. In fact, I was not even aware of so many varieties in idli. I knew about so many varieties in dosa, but this is my first such experience in case of idli. This yellow color of the Kanchipuram idli is due to the turmeric added to it. It also has dry fruit in it. Hmmm! These idlis had gravy, while the other idlis are dry. But it is a good experience. Let me have a spoon of this sambhar. I can see a lot of curry leaves in this sambhar. In fact, I believe that the real magic in sambhar is caused by the curry leaves, though mustard seeds & other ingredients also play a part. Moreover, eating sambhar laden with curry leaves is more exciting as an experience. Very nice! There are so many varieties in sambhar. Wherever you go, there is a different method of cooking sambhar. North Indians cook sambhar in a different way. Within South India too, if you go to 10 restaurants, you will get to taste 10 different types of sambhar. So, I will continue to understand sambhar as and when I can get an opportunity to do so. In fact, at home too, I will try to cook sambhar myself, so as to gain more knowledge about its recipe. Masala idli, it is said to be cooked in tomato gravy. I am enjoying eating this idli platter. Idli was tempered with mustard seeds and then cooked in dry gravy of onion and tomato paste. It has green chili too so it is a bit spicy as well. Among these three idlis, I found the masala idli quite spicy because it has a lot of green chilies. Before eating the white idli, let me taste this Coorg idli. From this idli, I remembered that Coorg is a place in Karnataka. I have been planning to go there for a long time but I was not able to go there. I’ve heard a lot about the coffee plantations there and it is supposed to be a very beautiful place. In the coming 2 years, I am definitely going to go to Coorg. This idli has been cooked in tomato gravy. It is not spicy at all. In fact, to sum it up, this Coorg idli has limited spices while this masala idli had the most amount of chili in it. This one has coriander, sorry mint, flavor in it. Rest, I am going to eat up these idlis gradually. To sum it up, I am feeling hungry. I had had a light breakfast this morning. And now I am enjoying eating this South Indian food, especially so many varieties of idli. Ever since I came back from my trip to Amritsar, I have developed this habit of looking for kheer (pudding) wherever I go. So, before leaving here, I looked again at the menu, hoping to find kheer here. So, they told me that in South India, this is called ElaneerPayasam. I had to repeat it 5-6 times in order to get it right. Otherwise too, it has another name – tender coconut kheer. By tender coconut, it means coconut with lots of cream inside. First of all, I was astonished to see the kheer being served in this coconut shell. The coconut shell has been divided into two halves and the kheer is served in one of the halves. I can see almonds on top, dry fruits, and shredded coconut cream too. The cream looks quite thick. Obviously, there are all varieties of coconut and I will be able to tell only after eating a bite. Hmmm! Yummy! I am so happy that I thought of eating this South Indian kheer – ElaneerPayasam. Next time when I go to any South Indian restaurant, trust me, I will not miss eating this dish. I liked the taste of idli, as well as rasam-vada. But I had eaten both the dishes before. This concept is first-time experience for me. I am highly impressed by the way they have served it. Like this, in a coconut shell. Very interesting, wonderful! I was roaming outside the hotel when I saw this board announcing falafel Arabic sandwiches. I have not had any Arabic dish before today. I won’t say I am excited but I am keen to try this Arabic sandwich. So, let us go inside and try this sandwich. This restaurant is right there, in the basement. Let me go inside and try to understand more about these sandwiches. I can see 4-5 items on the board here. Baba Ganouj, Falafel Hummus – these names sound alien to me. So, let me talk to the owner and ask him for suggestions for my dinner today. Owner: “As per my suggestion, you can go for Falafel with hummus or Baba Ganouj, sold as a combo. Falafel is made with green peas. And it goes well with hummus (made with chickpeas) and Baba Ganouj (made with eggplant). It is stuffed inside pita bread and both of these are a good combination to enjoy.” This sandwich was made in front of my eyes. When I asked him what it is called in Arabic, he told me it is called Qubbus. In English, this is called Pita Bread. This bread has a hollow space for the filling to be placed in. On one side of this hollow space, they have filled salad while in the other side of the folded bread, This whole sandwich is called falafel, as per this menu. I also understood that this dish is called Baba Ganouj and it is made of eggplant. This dish is called Hummus and it is made of chickpeas. Rest, I will tell you about its taste after a few bites. Both these dishes are made in olive oil. My first bite was taken from the corner of the sandwich, so it has more of bread than the filling. This bread is not like kulchas (a type of bread) that you get in Delhi, though the appearance is similar. Its taste is more like a mix of whole wheat flour and refined flour along with yeast. It is obvious that I’ve had this type of bread for the first time. So, I cannot say whether I liked or disliked it in the first instance. But it is clear that in order to develop a taste for this type of dish, I will have to eat it more than once. Now I am going to take a bite full of patties and salad. Whenever we have had baingan (eggplant) bhartha till now, it was never of this shade. Let me taste this separately, after I have mixed in the olive oil drizzled over it. I can understand this to be baingankabhartha. But how it was made, and why does it taste so, I have absolutely no clue about that. But I am finding this good. This baingankabhartha is tasty. It is a totally different experience. If the owner had not told me that this hummus was made of chickpeas, it would have been impossible for me to recognize that. I could understand this to be made with eggplant, but not this. Woman: “I am coming here for last one year, twice a week or sometimes once a week. I like hummus more than anything else over here. Every time I am here, I order hummus combo. It is healthier as well as tastier if you want to have a healthy diet.”
Indore is the commercial capital of Madhya Pradesh, it is also said that Indore is the food capital of central India. You may want to support this channel: https://www.patreon.com/visa2explore During my 6 day food journey at Indore, I covered Breakfast, lunch and dinner. I enjoyed Poha in breakfast that is the main staple food of Indore. For lunch and dinner i visited popular and famous food joints. Summary of restaurants where i had food in Indore is given below: Day - 1 - Breakfast Prashant Poha - This is the most famous breakfast joint of Indore famous for being the oldest for bringing Poha culture in Indore. I found the Poha at this restaurant to be nice, tasty, low spices. Prashant has more than one shop in Indore, i visited their shop at Rajwada. Address below: Prashant poha - poha price Rs 12 per plate. Address - 72,PV ROAD, OPPOSITE SBI, RAJWADA, INDORE, M.P. 452004 Google Location - https://goo.gl/ocMxXn Lunch Guru Kripa - This is a famous restaurant of Indore, every person whom i met at Indore told me that this is best food joint of Indore, which is perhaps the reason why i visited Guru kripa on day one. Below is the dishes i had at Guru kripa Shahi Methi - Rs 180 Sev Masala - Rs 120 Address - No 8-A-1, Near nath mandir, south Tukoganj, Indore, M.p - 452001 Google Location - https://goo.gl/LPuCnY Dinner Panchvati Gaurav: They serve Thali which has Gujrati and Rajasthani dishes, this is an unlimited Thali Address - The Grace Building, Madhumilan Square, Murai Mohalla, Kibe Compound, Indore, Madhya Pradesh 452001 Panchvati Thali - Rs 310 Google Map Location - https://goo.gl/c7mtsA --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Day - 2 Breakfast: Johny Hot Dog - 56 market, This is a popular Omelette shop at 56 Dukaan, He serves Omelette with bun, simple with least of spices and reasonable price. Address: shop no 51-52, 56 Dukan St, Chappan Dukan, New Palasia, Indore, Madhya Pradesh 452001 Egg Benjo - Rs. 30 Google Map Location: https://goo.gl/9m96Ed Banana Leaf - Lunch: Popular south Indian food restaurant of Indore, i enjoyed Rasam Vada and Bahubali Idli at this restaurant. Address: Banana leaf, 2nd floor, malhar mega mall, indore Rasam wada Rs. 160 Bahubali idli Rs. 275 Elaneer payasam Rs. 180 Google Location - https://goo.gl/PJ4Bjp Dinner Al Arabi Falafel: Owner of this restaurant serves Arabic food, this is a new restaurant but has picked up well because of offering something different in Indore. I found lot of youth who enjoyed food at this restaurant. Falafel hummus - Rs 100 Address: Navneet darshan, ug 2 down side of mishri sweets m.p., Indore, Madhya Pradesh Google Map Location - https://goo.gl/RsqE9D With this the Day 2 of Indore food journey ended. I will share the links of other Episodes of Indore food below for ready reference. Over all summary: People of Indore love to explore food, they love to talk about difference in taste that one restaurant offers vs another. I discovered that most food of Indore is above average. Restaurant owners who make average food cannot survive in Indore as people are very demanding..