NO, this is no cookery blog. Neither I have any plans to
introduce any cuisine related flavor to it. It just because I came across
something and I’m writing about it.
I’m not a foodie. My plate is not my test bed. I like only
trusted thing to be in it. I could be only among very few Indian who don’t like
their dishes to be spicy and red hot. For the same reason, I rarely enjoy any
change in my menu. But this Saturday, it was some different.
For probably first time in couple of months, The Columbus in
me, got a chance to come out. Driving at snailing speed of 30-35 kmph over
NH-50 (that my favorite road to drive along) on a Saturday morning is one of
the best thing you can do on earth. When you see Trucks, Buses and Cabs gushing
beside you at a killing speed, you understand and appreciate the time you have
in your kitty. And I need not to explain how priceless this feeling can be for
those who keep on patting their keyboards all day long pegged into their cubes.
You start to believe that you are not the last person on the earth, who will
die without having time to do what you want to do. There are many more, who are
running faster than you, to an extent for endangering their life. It might
sound a really weird way to do it, but that’s one of my stress buster techniques.
Coming back to the where we had derailed, it’s around 11:00
AM in the morning. I dropped down around a motel, to feed myself. Things around
where pretty similar to what one should expect in a highway side motel. I was
looking for someone to make an order and a board hooked my attention. It says “Aaj ka Menu- Gulmohar ki Sabzi”. I was
not there for lunch, so didn’t give it much a thought.
An old couple sitting just beside seemed very exciting about
it. I remember to have overheard the lady saying that she used have it every time
they visit their ancestral place. I was still stiff not to go for it, but the
moment that couple was severed, I knew what I have to order. The aroma of the sabzi had just filled the place and it
was too hard to avoid.
Without giving and more time to my mind to counter my heart,
I placed my order. One plate sabzi and
2 Chapaati. After some 15 minute, my
pie of taste was on my plate and it looked awesome. It was a dry base of ginger
garlic with chopped tomato in it. Red gulmohar
petals along with green coriander leaves and golden brown fried onions were
making the sabzi more colourful. And the fragrances of hot smoking spices were
making my secretion system work overtime.
In goes the first bite, which soon followed a full glass of
water. It was spicy and hot. The gulmohar
was giving a pinch of sweet to it and tomato was making it a pinch sour. Everything
were put in almost picture perfect amount. I ordered 2 more chapatti. Just after taking
my last bite, I thanked that old couple for such an unique dish which I could
have never tasted otherwise.
I moved out and asked for the bill. “pachas rupiya” (50 Rupees) came the response. And all those heavy
bills I paid in so called best dine place in the city came in front of my eyes.
Rightly they say, best things in the world are found only where they are least
searched for.
P.S.- now wherever I’m seeing a gulmohar tree loaded with flowers, I want to eat them all J
