Ravenous, I walked the hubbub of Bombay’s streets
Looking for a late night bite to eat
Sights, sounds, smells assaulting my senses
A throbbing indication of the city’s lures and romances
Through the smoke, I saw a shimmering light
For a hungry man, a wondrous sight
A streetside kebab vendor preparing his wares
Hoping the likes of me he could ensnare
Chicken, mutton, prawns and fish
Each, spiced and marinated to make a tasty dish
Drumsticks, wings, patties, chunks and mince
And body parts which would make you wince
Gurda, kapoora, khiri and bheja
Not for the squeamish, you need kaleja
With dahi and a hundred different masalas
Lovingly applied by the tandoor-wala
There was seekh, shami, silky reshmi, pasanda, pahari,
Chaapli, Afghani, malai, kakori, hariyali and spicy achari
Bhatti, tangdi, garlicky lasooni, gingery adraki, and Bihari
Sikandari, sutli, kalmi, kastoori methi and peppery kaali miri
Shikhampuri, tikka, chunks of burra, melt-in-the-mouth galouti
Angaarey, tundey, sholay, dora, smoked dhuandar and fiery red boti
Accompanied by chatpata chutney, pyaaz, lime and roti
My tummy was growling, taste buds were going naughty
Ajwaini, saunfiyan, badaami, kathi, hearty Patiala and Jalandhari
Banjara, Nargisi, patthar, chandni, paankhudi and makhmali
Meat met marinade for a burst of flavour
Every bite, a delicious bite to savour
Lahore & Amritsar, Lucknow & Hyderabad shared a platter
Complemented by chilled lemonade and friendly chatter
Mild Irani chelo and Turkish doner
Hung out together on a busy street corner
Then, as I stood there oglin’ and salivatin’
Realisation dawned, I’d turned vegetarian
My options were spinachy hara bhara or cheesy paneer
And so my appetite remained but I lost my good cheer
I stared at the aloo, broccoli, simla mirch and mushroom
The khoya khubani and coconut led my food lust to doom
Wilting like yesterday’s leftover mint & coriander
I walked on forlornly, chased by insatiable hunger
This one linked below will go well with the eats, I guarantee you that! Cheers!!
https://randomrantsruminationsramblings.wordpress.com/2019/06/10/water-of-life/
seekh = also called sheesh or shashlik, is meat cooked on a skewer
gurda = kidneys
kapoora = testicles
khiri = udders
bheja = brain
kaleja = liver
dahi = yoghurt
masalas = spices
tandoor-wala = the man tending to a traditional mud oven
achari = pickled
chaapli = beaten flat, like a slipper
malai = cream
hariyali = green
pahari = rustic, from the hills
bhatti = oven cooked
tangdi = whole leg of chicken, on-the-bone
sutli/dora = tied with a string
kastoori methi = fenugreek
kaali miri = black pepper
burra = typically, beef
angaarey/sholay = charred on a flame
boti = finger-sized
chatpata = spicy
pyaaz = onion
roti = chapati/naan
ajwaini = flavoured with caraway seed
saunfiyaan = fennel flavoured
badaami = almond flavoured
patthar = cooked on a hot stone
chandni = with edible silver foil
makhmali = velvety
hara bhara = stuffed greens, typically peas & spinach
aloo = potato
simla mirch = capsicum
khoya khubani = made of raw banana, curd & apricot
Wow – you are amazing – you gave me a mumbai food darshan – now I am hungry
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As am I, Shantanu 🙂
Guess you’ve got a wider variety available to you than I do! Many thanks for coming across!
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My absolute pleasure
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Lol Kunal! Now you have me salivating at 8.30 in the morning! 😋😂
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Hahaha, sorry about that! 🙂
Thanks for the read!
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Nah, don’t feel sorry about that! I will indulge the carnivore in me during lunch. 😀
You are welcome.
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Wonder what you’ll order 🙂
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Maybe Afghani chicken, to show neighbourly love! 😀
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🙂
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Whoa! What an amazing assortment of kebabs K.
You have company….. only the simple veggie delights for me.☺️
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Looking and thinking what if, isn’t a crime, is it R? 😉 I miss my meaty days!
Thanks a ton!
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Absolutely not! Any specific reason for turning vegetarian?
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I’ve written about it earlier, Radhika. A combination of ethical and hopefully, health, reasons.
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Oh…ok.👍
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Being a mumbaikar, I know exactly what you’re talking about! 😁
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Ah, I miss the Mohammedali Road Ramzan nightwalks…
Thanks, fellow city dweller!!
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I am always left speechless after reading your post,so……no comments!
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Thanks, dad! The next one is on Whiskies 🙂
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I am already drunk!!!
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Enjoyed reading!!! You are amazing with writing about food — and yet, oh yet, hungry still?
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Thanks, KP! Always hungry, old habits die hard!!
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he!he! 🙂
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hahaha, dikra tu toh mast non-vegeterian dishes just kept pouring from your poem, Kunal but I liked the best when you turned into a vegeterian. Badhi maja phoos thai gayi. Hahahaha too good, you made me laugh. For sure waiting for Whisky. ne pachi kiskhi.
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Thanks, Kamal! I could imagine having the regular meat pieces and kheema, but the bheja-kaleja days are for sure gone. Cheers!
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Yes so true those were the days. Though in Parsi houses this is the food almost everyday from morning to evening. Welcome K.
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But your kababs with dhansak are fried, no?
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Yes but we put mutton in our dhansak that is the real way of making parsi dhansak.
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Yeah, I know that! 🙂
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Yes.
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Food and poetry! Sizzling words!! 👏🏼👏🏼
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Hahaha, thank you!!
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Wow wow wow…. your delicious words make the stomach growl!!! The ending is very healthy, though a tad sad after all that window shopping! 😉😂
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🙂 Mere hisse ka tum kha lo! Thanks, my friend, kabab Mubarak!
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Hahaha….hisse to sabko apna hi milta hai…aapne shayad apna kabab kota pura kar liya hai…par aapke saath baithke palak saag bhi chalega! 😉
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Now that sounds good, V! With nice, thick lassi!
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Super! 👍👍👍
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Kunal, do you remember our midnight sojourn to khau Gali badhe miyan for the meaty treats during our college days? Some where in colaba. These verses bring back that memory. Please Keep posting . Love your work.
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Of course, I do, Bob! Etched on my brain! But I can’t eat like I used to 😦
Thanks, buddy!!
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This is foodgasm ! Super one ! Am salivating and I just already had dinner ! To have read this on the night before Eid , feels like I missed out on the Iftaar treats this year . Thank you for this vicarious tour and my sympathies to your tummy for missing out on these ! I hope your ghaas poos is doing you good .
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🙂 Thanks, P! I’m getting along..cheated with some chicken today 🙂
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Hahahah ! That’s my kinda person ! I don’t know how you guys do it !
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It’s tough, my friend, believe me it’s tough.
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Sorry if it’s too intrusive , but is this transformation a forced choice or just ?
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Nope! So I’ve been thinking about it and then I was stuck behind this chicken truck – y’know the ones they use to transport them, with cages and all – at a traffic light and I couldn’t look the birds in the eye. That was the trigger. I’m like 90% there, there are days when I fall back and there are days I travel, so…
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Oh , I see . I understand . I hope you can continue in that direction then . It’s noble . Bless you .
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[…] Make sure you read the previous one on Kebabs –https://randomrantsruminationsramblings.wordpress.com/2019/06/03/skewered/ […]
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Whoaaaaaaaaa! Pretty sure I haven’t read something like this before!
This blew my mind!
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Hahaha, I’ll take that as a compliment 😉
(didn’t you just read the one on whisky before this???)
Thanks!!!
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I did but my brain popped out there, your vocabulary got it 😛
Yes, it indeed was a compliment! 😁
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Just reading the list kinda made me feel queasy!
Witty and well done (the poem…not the menu.)
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Thanks, Sarah! To be honest, I do miss kebabs, believe me they’re tasty!
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That was a wonderful tour of food
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Thank you & burp, to you! For me, it was visual, I’m still hungry 🙂
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Can imagine it
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I’d rather have a drink 😜
https://randomrantsruminationsramblings.wordpress.com/2019/06/10/water-of-life/
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Oh my!
You have perfectly marinated the taste of entire sub continent in one scrumptious post.
Maja Agaya 🤩🤩
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Had fun writing it, too! Thanks, Hammad!
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Woaaaaaah this was the entire food scene of Bombay in a glimpse! You are so good with this, Kunal! *_*
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Thanks…thought you might like it! Have a good one, Shereen!
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You are an amazing writer! Every piece I read is a well-crafted masterpiece. Thank you for following ThusNSuch.
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I’m humbled and grateful! Many thanks, E!
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[…] Skewered […]
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Reblogged this on random rants ruminations ramblings.
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my my, i got hungrier and hungrier as i read it, this has to be the most mouth watering post in the history of wordpress.
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Lol, thanks!
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