RUSTIC CHICKEN CURRY - Mouthwatering Vizag Memories

RUSTIC CHICKEN CURRY
Mouthwatering Vizag Memories
By
VIKRAM KARVE

I am in a blue mood. All alone in my home in Wakad, the back of beyond place where I now live, I am feeling lonely and I am feeling hungry.

My spirits plummet and I sit downcast in desolate silence and indulge in forlorn self-commiseration mourning the past (which makes me feel miserable), speculating the future (which causes me anxiety) and ruining my present moment (which makes me melancholic).


Whenever I am in a blue mood, two things are guaranteed to lift my spirits – good food and beautiful women – or even merely imagining about them in my mind’s eye. 


In fact, I dread that the day I stop relishing good food, or appreciating beautiful women, for on that day I will know that I have lost the zest for living and I am as good as a “dead” man!

As I languish out here in this godforsaken environment bereft of gustatory or visual stimulation (Colaba and Churchgate but distant memories), I close my eyes and seek to simulate my senses.


That’s the trick – if you can’t stimulate; then simulate.


I try to think interesting thoughts, evoke happy nostalgia, and suddenly a mouthwatering memory rekindles my spirits as I vividly remember the tastiest chicken curry I ever eaten and truly relished long back, almost 25 years ago, sometime in the eighties, at a rustic wayside dhaba on the highway near Visakhapatnam , or Vizag as we knew it. 


The ramshackle place was called NSTL Dhaba.


Why? I do not know. 


Maybe it does not even exist now. 


Or maybe the rustic dhaba may have metamorphosed into the ubiquitous motel-type restaurants one sees on our highways. 


We reached there well past midnight, well fortified and primed, as one must be when one goes to a dhaba, ordered the chicken curry and watched it being cooked.

Half the joy of enjoying delicious food is in watching it being made – imbibing the aroma and enjoying the sheer pleasure of observing the cooking process. 


And in this Dhaba the food was made in front of you in the open kitchen which comprises an open air charcoal bhatti with a tandoor and two huge cauldrons embedded and a couple of smaller openings for a frying pan or vessel.

They say that the best way to make a fish curry is to catch the fish fresh and cook it immediately. 


Similarly, the best way to make a chicken curry is to cut a chicken fresh and cook it immediately with its juices intact. 

And remember to use country chicken or desi murgi or gavraan kombdi for authentic taste.

And that is what is done here. 

The chicken is cut after you place the order and the freshly cut, dressed and cleaned desi murgi is thrown whole into the huge cauldron full of luxuriantly thick yummy looking gravy simmering over the slow fire.

How do you cook your Indian Mutton or Chicken curries? 

Do you fry the meat and then add water and cook it?

Or do you cook (boil) the meat first and then fry it? 

Here the chicken will be cooked first in the gravy, on a slow fire, lovingly and unhurriedly, and then stir fried later (tadka ).

There are a number of whole chickens floating in the gravy and the cook is keeping an eagle eye on each and every one of them, and from time to time gently nurturing and helping them absorb the flavor and juices of the gravy.

As the chickens absorb the gravy they become heavier and acquire an appetizing glaze. 

Once the cook feels a chicken is ready (30-40 minutes of gentle slow nurtured cooking), he takes out the chicken, chops it up, and throws it into a red-hot wok pan to stir fry basting with boiling oil and then ladles in a generous amount of gravy from the cauldron. 

When ready the chicken curry is garnished with crisp fried onion strips and coriander and savored with hot tandoori roti. 

We have a bowl of dal (simmering in the other cauldron) duly “tadkofied” as a side dish. 

The chicken is delicious and the gravy is magnificent. 

Ambrosia! 

We eat to our heart’s content – a well-filled stomach radiates happiness!

I still remember how delightfully flavorsome, tasty and nourishing every morsel was, and just thinking about the lip-smacking rustic chicken curry has made me so ravenously hungry that I am heading for one of those untried and “untasted” Dhabas in my vicinity to sample their wares.

If I don’t find it anywhere I’m going to try and make this rustic chicken curry at home. 

And if anyone in Vizag is reading this, do let us know whether the highway dhaba still exists or has it vanished. 



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.

Did you like this foodie memoir?
I am sure you will like the 27 fiction short stories from my recently published anthology of Short Fiction COCKTAIL 
To order your COCKTAIL please click any of the links below:
http://www.flipkart.com/cocktail-vikram-karve-short-stories-book-8191091844?affid=nme
http://www.indiaplaza.in/cocktail-vikram-karve/books/9788191091847.htm
http://www.apkpublishers.com/books/short-stories/cocktail-by-vikram-karve.html

COCKTAIL ebook
If you prefer reading ebooks on Kindle or your ebook reader, please order Cocktail E-book by clicking the links below:
AMAZON
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005MGERZ6
SMASHWORDS
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/87925

Foodie Book:  Appetite for a Stroll
If your are a Foodie you will like my book of Food Adventures APPETITE FOR A STROLL. Do order a copy from FLIPKART:
http://www.flipkart.com/appetite-stroll-vikram-karve/8190690094-gw23f9mr2o

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, ITBHU 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 almost 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.

Vikram Karve Academic and Creative Writing Journal: http://karvediat.blogspot.com
Professional Profile Vikram Karve: http://www.linkedin.com/in/karve
Vikram Karve Facebook Page:  https://www.facebook.com/vikramkarve
Vikram Karve Creative Writing Blog: http://vikramkarve.sulekha.com/blog/posts.htm
Email: vikramkarve@sify.com

© vikram karve., all rights reserved.

Travelling In Pune

TRAVELLING IN PUNE
By
VIKRAM KARVE




The best way to travel in Pune is to go nowhere. 


Just sit at home, watch the travel channel on cable TV, travel in your mind’s eye and enjoy yourself vicariously. 


That is if you are lucky to have electricity, and if there is no power supply due to load shedding or a routine maintenance shutdown you can do even more exciting things like meditation, playing patience, or doing nothing (doing nothing makes time pass slowly and prolongs life). 


And if you are a workaholic just stay put at your workplace. 


Sorry for digressing – this piece is about traveling in Pune. 


The roads are dug up, there are diversions, and there is traffic chaos, so think twice before taking out your car, especially during peak hours. 


A friend of mine started off towards my place near Wakad yesterday morning, got stuck in a massive traffic jam, tried to take a short cut, and got lost in the maze, like in the Bhool-Bhulaiya of Lucknow. 


Many a time I have had to drive cross-country, traversing unknown paths, taking adventurous short cuts, to reach the airport or station on time. 


If you’re dying for a drive, head for the nearest highway – it’s easier to get to Mumbai from Hinjewadi than to get to Kharadi, Kalyaninagar, Hadapsar, or Wanowrie. 


And if you are lucky enough to live in the heart of the city or camp, just take out your parasol, put on your walking shoes and walk. 


Walk, don’t drive, is the motto of the day in Pune. 


But if you have made the blunder of shifting to the suburbs, it’s best to go nowhere, and languish away. 


When I was a small boy (in the 1960’s and later in the 1970s too), we used to cycle all over Pune – but I dare not try it today, lest I land up in a Hospital with my bones broken or worse still in Vaikunth or Kailas crushed to pulp. 


There is just no place for the poor cyclist in the murderous traffic and what’s left of the roads. The only place you can cycle is on those cycle lanes on the BRTS Route on Satara Road.


And if you have a motorcycle, or scooter, and have the guts to negotiate through the chaotic traffic, best of luck! 


Otherwise try the PMT bus, or take an auto-rickshaw and tell me all about it!  


There are just too many people traveling all over Pune. 


I don’t know why they don’t build living accommodation for employees in the workplace – that should reduce at least half the traffic traveling to work and back, besides enhancing productivity. 


Just imagine traveling from, say, your home in Kalyaninagar, Kondhwa or Hadapsar all the way to the IT Park in Hinjewadi and back every day. 


What a waste to time, fuel, and emotional energy! 


I am fortunate. I have to go nowhere, so it is easy for me to follow my own dictum – The best way to travel in Pune is to go nowhere




VIKRAM KARVE

Copyright © Vikram Karve 2011

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.

Did you like this blog post?

I am sure you will like the 27 short stories from my recently published anthology of Short Fiction COCKTAIL
To order your COCKTAIL please click any of the links below:
http://www.flipkart.com/cocktail-vikram-karve-short-stories-book-8191091844?affid=nme
http://www.indiaplaza.in/cocktail-vikram-karve/books/9788191091847.htm
http://www.apkpublishers.com/books/short-stories/cocktail-by-vikram-karve.html

COCKTAIL ebook

If you prefer reading ebooks on Kindle or your ebook reader, please order Cocktail E-book by clicking the links below:
AMAZON
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005MGERZ6
SMASHWORDS
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/87925

Foodie Book:  Appetite for a Stroll
If your are a Foodie you will like my book of Food Adventures APPETITE FOR A STROLL. Do order a copy from FLIPKART:
http://www.flipkart.com/appetite-stroll-vikram-karve/8190690094-gw23f9mr2o

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, ITBHU 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 almost 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.

Vikram Karve Academic and Creative Writing Journal: http://karvediat.blogspot.com
Professional Profile Vikram Karve: http://www.linkedin.com/in/karve
Vikram Karve Facebook Page:  https://www.facebook.com/vikramkarve
Vikram Karve Creative Writing Blog: http://vikramkarve.sulekha.com/blog/posts.htm
Email: vikramkarve@sify.com      
vikramkarve@gmail.com

© vikram karve., all rights reserved.

CYCLE TOWN PUNE

I wrote a few articles on the Pune of Yesteryear for my column in an ezine called The Punekar. The latest piece was titled CYCLE TOWN PUNE harking back to memories of the 1960s and 1970s when Pune was known as the Cycle Capital of India. My article was edited a bit (probably to fit into the word length) to make it suitable for publication. Here is the full article for your perusal. That’s the beauty of blogging vis-à-vis publishing. You have total literary control and are not subject to the “scissors” of an editor. Of course, there has to be editorial control in a journal or magazine – it is their publication; whereas your blog is your very own literary legacy.

I am sure you will enjoy these reminiscences, and maybe this will tempt you to  hark back to your good old days too. Please do let me know if you liked this article – I look forward to your comments and feedback.

A PUNEKAR WALKS DOWN MEMORY LANE

Part 3

Cycle Town Pune

By

VIKRAM KARVE

When I was a small boy (in the 1960’s), and later in the 1970’s, we used to cycle all over Pune. Pune was a Cycle-Town and it was known as the Cycle Capital of India as Pune had the maximum number of cycles, but with the advent and proliferation of scooters, this honour was taken over by Delhi and Pune became the Scooter Capital of India.

Let’s hark back to the 1960s and talk about Cycle Town Pune. Those days 90% of the vehicles on the roads were Bicycles, a few Scooters zipping by, an Ambassador or Fiat Car once in a while, Auto-rickshaws were beginning to make their appearance, and a rare PMT Bus could be seen once in a while. If you do not believe me you just watch the scene in Sangam (1964) where Raj Kapoor can be seen merrily cycling down Jangli Maharaj Road (known as 80 Feet Road – then the widest road in Pune).

As I said, in those days, Pune was a cycle town. You just picked up your bicycle and went wherever you wanted to. Today, I dare not try to cycle on the roads of Pune, unless I want to land up in a hospital with my bones broken or worse still in the morgue with my body crushed to pulp. There is just no place for the poor cyclist in the murderous traffic. In fact, the only place you can cycle are on the cycle-lanes on those small stretches of the BRTS routes which thankfully have still not been encroached upon (of course, even here you risk being knocked down by a motorcyclist) or you can pedal away on those obscure cycle-tracks which take you nowhere.

Now-a-days, for most young Punekars, cycling is a hobby, a sport, a recreation, a “passion”, an “environment friendly” thing to do; those days cycling was the primary means of transportation. That’s why today you have all types of fancy bikes (which cost the roof) which people want to show off as “status symbols” whenever they get off their expensive limousines and take a rare bike ride wearing funny outfits and contraptions like gloves, helmets et al. There are Terrain Bikes, Sports Bikes, BMX Bikes, Racing Bikes, all sorts of hybrid combinations, which look good but are most uncomfortable to ride. The other day I took a long ride on a youngster’s MTB and got such a pain in the you know where that I thought I had got hernia.

In my younger days, it was not snob appeal but utility value that governed the design of bicycles. The predominant cycle those days was what is called the “Roadster” in bicycle parlance. The Roadster was a utility bicycle designed for practical transportation unlike the fancy bikes of today primarily designed for recreation and showing-off. The Roadster was designed for Occupational Commuting and was designed to give you a comfortable ride. As I said, those days you didn’t bike to burn calories, you cycled to get from one place to another. Of course, fitness was a by-product, as in my college days I used to cycle about 20 Kilometres every day breathing fresh unpolluted air and this was healthy exercise. We cycled in our normal clothes and not in “biking wear” and that’s why the Roadster had proper mud guards and chain guards to keep it clean. In addition to comfort, the qualities we looked for were sturdiness, durability and endurance – a cycle was a permanent long term acquisition, not a “use and throw” item. Well, today you may not find the humble Roadster displayed along with those fancy bikes in one of those high-falutin Cycle Malls in Pune but have a look on the roads and you will see that the redoubtable Roadster is still going strong and if you care to go to the mofussil you will see that this humble bike is still the predominant mode of transportation. And if you go down to the cycle marts in Budhwar Peth you will see that these unpretentious bikes are still selling in plenty.

There were no “kiddie or children’s bikes” to pamper us, and we learnt how to cycle the hard way on the hardy adult roadster bikes which entailed many falls and bruises, including one on my forehead, the scar of which is prominently visible even today. I learnt how to cycle when I was seven or eight but I got my first cycle in 1968, on my 12^th Birthday. Till then I used to hire a bike on an hourly basis from one of the many “Cycle Marts” that adorned almost every street corner of Pune or manage a ride my uncle’s cycle whenever he was not using it.

The moment it was announced that I would be getting a bike as a birthday gift, I was very excited, and my friends and I started our market survey. Which cycle did I want? There were so many brands to choose from. At the top end was the matchless Humber the prized crème de la crème brand from Raleigh Cycles. The Humber Men’s Roadster had a unique double-fork, a duplex fork design which had two tubes for absorbing shocks better, and a frictionless chain for a smooth ride, owing to which this bike gave you the ultimate in riding comfort. Now my Dad had given me a budget of Rs. 200 and the Humber which cost around 400 bucks was out of the question, as were other premium bikes like Raleigh, Rudge, Buke and BSA. So I had to choose from Hercules, Phillips, Hind Superb, Hero, Eastern Star, Avon or Atlas. At first I wanted to buy a Phillips Cycle which looked very handsome and had embossed on its badge its famous motto: “Renowned the World Over”. But the dealer insisted that I try the latest model of Atlas (which he claimed was sturdy, comfortable, had the best bearings, long lasting, economical and ideal for a student like me) so I took a “test ride” and acquired an Atlas Cycle for the princely sum of a hundred and eight rupees (yes, Rs. 180 only). I fitted my bike with a dynamo and light (for night riding), a bell, a carrier and a sleek stand, and as I rode my brand new shining black Atlas cycle I felt on top of the world.

This Atlas Cycle rendered yeoman’s service (like I said I cycled about 20 kilometers every day) and accompanied me all over on my cycling trips, including one touring Bihar where we just carried our cycles in the second class train compartment, got down wherever we wanted and cycled away for our sightseeing and caught a train again at the nearest station. No one dared to ask any questions because we were “students”.

I used my rugged Atlas Cycle for over fifteen years and it was still going strong when I gave it away to a needy student (this redoubtable bike was fully  operational when I last saw it in the year 1998). Soon I bought a brand new Hero Cycle for around three hundred bucks which I used for cycling all around town whenever I came to Pune on my weekend trips or holidays from Mumbai where my ship was based. Though I had a scooter by then which I used for “family” outings, I still rode my bike for my solitary travels in Pune. Unfortunately my newly acquired wife refused to ride double-seat with me (à la Dev Anand and Mumtaz in Tere Mere Sapne) though she rode a ladies cycle herself in college. By the way, riding double-seat and without a light at night were traffic offences and if caught the cops deflated your tyres as punishment. There was cycle-stands all over, in cinemas, at railway stations, and till the 1980s, the bicycle was still the most popular mode of transportation in Pune since distances were not that much and then the traffic was not that heavy. But by now, scooters were slowly taking over as people were increasingly in a hurry to get wherever they wanted to go.

I quit cycling in Pune sometime in the end 1980s. The traffic situation in Pune had become quite bad, heavy vehicles, buses, cars and scooters ruled the roost, and after a few close shaves in the dangerous traffic, my wife prohibited me from cycling on the streets of Pune.

Cycling kept me healthy. Those days, as I cycled to college or work, the physical effort while cycling helped remove my stress, unlike driving a car or scooter in the chaotic traffic of Pune which drives you crazy. Almost everyone cycled to school and college, and to work and back, all the way from the heart of Pune City even to far-off places like the factories in Khadki and beyond. Cycling was a healthy affordable way of commuting.

I have decided to relive those good old days. So I am going to get myself a cycle – yes, a old-style standard roadster bike – maybe I’ll try a Hercules this time. Only thing is that I will have to find a road to cycle on, besides the BRTS track nearby.

Sometimes as I watch the serpentine evening traffic moving at snail’s pace from Hinjewadi to Wakad, I wonder how different things would have been if everyone rode bicycles to work like in yesteryear Pune.

VIKRAM KARVE

Copyright © Vikram Karve 2011
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.

Did you like this article?

I am sure you will like the stories in my recently published book COCKTAIL comprising twenty seven short stories about relationships. To know more please click the links below:

Do try out this delicious, heady and exciting COCKTAIL

http://www.flipkart.com/cocktail-vikram-karve-short-stories-book-8191091844?affid=nme

http://www.indiaplaza.in/cocktail-vikram-karve/books/9788191091847.htm

http://www.apkpublishers.com/books/short-stories/cocktail-by-vikram-karve.html

Cheers

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, ITBHU 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 he is currently working on his novel. An avid blogger, he has written a number of fiction short stories and creative non-fiction articles in magazines and journals for many years before the advent of blogging. Vikram has taught at a University as a Professor for almost 14 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. 

Vikram Karve Academic and Creative Writing Journal: http://karvediat.blogspot.com

Professional Profile Vikram Karve: http://www.linkedin.com/in/karve

Vikram Karve Facebook Page:  https://www.facebook.com/vikramkarve

Vikram Karve Creative Writing Blog: http://vikramkarve.sulekha.com/blog/posts.htm

Email: vikramkarve@sify.com          

vikramkarve@gmail.com 

© vikram karve., all rights reserved.