EATING OUT IN MUMBAI - Mouthwatering Memories - AN AFFAIR TO REMEMBER - NIHARI

EATING OUT IN MUMBAI

Mouthwatering Mumbai Memories

Nihari 

An Affair to RememberBy

VIKRAM KARVE

From my Foodie Archives: 
Mouthwatering Memories of a delicious meal I had long back in Mumbai.
I think I wrote this more than seven years ago, sometime in 2005. 
Now, let me relish the memorable meal in my mind's eye, so I post this once again for you to read and savour.
I wonder whether the place still exists and whether the Nihari is as delicious and wholesome as it was then.

I look in front of me. 

 

I like what I see. 

 

I keep seeing, my eyes locked on to the target, as if by some mysterious, yet astonishing, force of attraction. 

 

Something is happening within me.

 

Senses heighten. I am stimulated, aroused in a way I have never felt before. 

 

Waves of desire rise within me. 

 

I feel tremors of anticipation. 

 

My mouth salivates and I lick my lips lasciviously in eager expectation. 

 

I feast my eyes hungrily. 

 

My heart beats. 

 

I feel possessed. 

 

Intense passion and lusty craving overwhelms me. 

 

I can’t control myself any longer.   

 

Wild with desire, I move towards my target, ready for the kill.

 

No...! No...! Dear Reader. Just wait a moment. Hold your horses.

 

Don’t let your imagination run wild. 

 

The object of my desire – it is not what you are thinking. 

 

What I am looking at, the object of my attention, the focus of my temptation, is a bowl Nihari – two succulent generous pieces of mutton floating in rich nourishing gravy looking so luxuriant and tempting, that I just can’t wait to devour the dish. 

 

But I control myself.

Good food must be savored delicately; slowly, attentively and respectfully; in a befitting manner, with finesse and technique, with relish and appreciation and you will experience true gustatory delight. That’s the Art of Eating.

It is sacrilege to eat in a ravenous and rapacious manner.

 

The bowl of Nihari, so luxuriously appetizing; a Khameeri Roti, so soft and fluffy. 

 

It looks sumptuous and scrumptious. 

 

I move closer. 

 

The tempting aroma - so enticing, so blissful - permeates within me, energizes my brain cells, and activates my taste buds. 

 

My mouth waters. I am ready to eat.

 

Eating is not a gustatory experience alone... it is visual and olfactory as well. 

 

Food must look good, smell good, taste good and, most importantly, make you feel good. 

 

The Art of Eating... it is Holistic... Multidimensional... Encompassing all domains of your inner being.

 

If you want to do full justice to good food, you must build up an appetite for it – merely being hungry is not enough. 

 

And the first step towards building up an appetite for good food is to think about it – simulated imaginative gustatory visualization to stimulate and prepare yourself for the sumptuous indulgence. 

 

An important thing we were taught at boarding school was to read the menu and prepare for the meal by beginning to imagine eating each and every course, from soup to pudding, in our mind’s eye. 

 

Remember: First plan your “eat” and then eat your “plan”.

 

It’s true. 

 

I eat my food twice. 

 

First I eat in my mind’s eye – imagining, visualizing, “vicariously tasting”, fantasizing, strategizing on how I am going to savor and relish the dish to my utmost pleasure and satisfaction till my mouth waters and I desperately yearn to eat it. 

 

And then I do the honours – I actually go ahead and physically eat the food and enjoy the delightful experience. 

 

Using my right thumb and forefinger, I lovingly pick small piece of meat from the gravy and delicately place it on my tongue. 

 

I close my eyes. Look inside. To focus my conscious energy. To accentuate my awareness. To concentrate. 

 

That’s the cardinal principle of the Art of Eating. 

 

You must always close your eyes during the process of eating. 

 

When you eat, you must eat... nothing else, no seeing, no hearing, no talking. 

 

No multitasking... multitasking ruins the eating experience.

 

Focus, eat mindfully, meditatively, honour your taste buds and you will attain a state of delightful bliss and happiness.

 

The meat is so tender that even a toothless person can eat it. 

 

It’s truly “Melt in the mouth” cuisine – like the famous Galouti Kebabs of Lucknow. 

 

Soft, succulent, juicy.

 

You don’t chew. 

 

You just gently squeeze the meat, softly rolling your tongue against the palate until the meat dissolves releasing its fascinating flavours. 

 

It is sheer bliss... Enlightenment... Gustatory Orgasm... Sensory Resonance... 

 

I do not have words to describe the exhilarating sensation.

 

That’s the hallmark of a genuine nourishing and invigorating Nihari, the best part of the thigh muscle, specially selected prime marrow bones with  generous portions of succulent meat, tenderized and marinated with curds, seasoned lovingly in the choicest of spices and dum-cooked to seal in the juices and flavours, slowly and gently, in a gravy carefully thickened with an assortment of flours of wheat, maize and dals as per the season and taste and garnished with thin strips of ginger and fine slices of fresh green chillies and a sprinkling of coriander.

 

I turn my attention to the Kameeri Roti. 

 

Holding the roti with my left hand I pull out a piece with my right. The texture is perfect – soft and fluffy. 

 

I sample a piece – yummy – it tastes good by itself... and why shouldn’t it taste good...? 

 

Whole-wheat atta kneaded with plenty of curds, seasoned with a bit of sugar and salt, fermented overnight in a moist cloth, flattened and cooked in a tandoor. 

 

Nourishing, luxuriant, ideal accompaniment with the Nihari.

 

I dip a piece of roti in the thick gravy allowing it to soak in and place it on my tongue. 

 

Exquisite. 

 

A gentle bite. 

 

Tangy ginger strips and sharp chilli.

 

A confluence of contrasting tastes. 

 

I absorb the riot of zesty flavours. 

 

It’s exciting, invigorating, perks me up and I am ready for what I am going to do next.

 

And what am I going to do next...? 

 

You knew it, didn’t you...? 

 

I call for a marrow spoon, dig it into the marrow bone, scoop out some marrow and lick it on my tongue. I close my eyes and I can feel the nourishment coming all the way through. 

 

It’s a wonderful feeling. Yes, it's a truly divine feeling.

 

I eat in silence. 

 

Mindfully. 

 

I savour the aroma, delicately place the food on my tongue, chew slowly and experience the variety of flavours as the permeate my taste buds, fully aware and sense the nourishment as the food dissolves and sinks deep within me.

 

The succulent meat. 

 

The sumptuous gravy. 

 

The luxuriant fluffy Kameeri Roti. 

 

It is a feast worthy of the Gods. 

 

Indeed an ambrosial repast...!

 

I am in a supreme state of bliss. 

 

Is this enlightenment...? 

 

Or is it gustatory delight...?  

 

Maybe it’s meditative eating. 

 

Or let’s narrow it down to the art of eating....to be specific... the art of eating a Nihari.

 

It’s simple. 

 

Create a positive eating atmosphere, honour your taste buds, respect your food and eat it in a proper state of mind, with love, zest, awareness and genuine appreciation and it will transport you to a state of bliss and happiness. 

 

That, in a nutshell, is The Art of Eating. Especially, the art of eating a Nihari.

 

 

Epilogue

 

I used to visit two eateries on 1st Marine Street Dhobi Talao near Metro Cinema in Mumbai – Sassanian when in the mood for Parsi food or maybe a Roast Chicken, or to pick up delicious cakes, biscuits and freshly baked delights from their Boulangerie next-door and Punjabi Fish Mart for earthy deep fried fish best enjoyed piping hot by well fortified cast-iron stomachs on cold damp monsoon evenings.

 

Sometime back, maybe in mid 2005, when I used to live near Churchgate in Mumbai, returning one evening from one of my food-walks, I noticed, in between these two of my favourite eateries, a newly opened restaurant - Jaffer Bhai’s Delhi Darbar – with a takeaway section, from where I picked up a menu card and walked home.

 

Later that night I read the menu card and was delighted to find on it my favourite non-vegetarian delicacy – Nihari. I knew it wouldn’t be long before I partook of the dish.

 

And soon I had my tryst with Nihari and experienced this delightful gustatory affair to remember.

It's been a long time since I visited Jaffer Bhai's for a Nihari, so dear reader, if you happen to live nearby in Mumbai, why don't you visit the place and let us know whether the place still exists and if the Nihari is still as good as it used to be then...

 

And, my dear fellow Foodie – Do let me know of a good place where I can enjoy my favourite Nihari in Pune and also tell me about your favourite Nihari... if you've relished one...
Happy Eating. 

VIKRAM KARVE 

Copyright © Vikram Karve 2012
Vikram Karve has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.
© vikram karve., all rights reserved.

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About Vikram Karve

A creative person with a zest for life, Vikram Karve is a retired Naval Officer turned full time writer. Educated at IIT Delhi, IIT (BHU) Varanasi, The Lawrence School Lovedale and Bishops School Pune, Vikram has published two books: COCKTAIL a collection of fiction short stories about relationships (2011) and APPETITE FOR A STROLL a book of Foodie Adventures (2008) and is currently working on his novel and a book of vignettes and short fiction. An avid blogger, he has written a number of fiction short stories, creative non-fiction articles on a variety of topics including food, travel, philosophy, academics, technology, management, health, pet parenting, teaching stories and self help in magazines and published a large number of professional research papers in journals and edited in-house journals for many years, before the advent of blogging. Vikram has taught at a University as a Professor for 15 years and now teaches as a visiting faculty and devotes most of his time to creative writing. Vikram lives in Pune India with his family and muse - his pet dog Sherry with whom he takes long walks thinking creative thoughts.

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