I am an unabashed fan of Delhi. But the parts of the city that I love the most are the ones described as old and new. Old Delhi is full of colour, and New Delhi — with its old monuments, sprawling complexes and majestic tree-lined roads — is a sight for sore eyes.
One such complex is the India International Centre. It's a beautiful building, with lovely green lawns, and has been hosting interesting cultural and academic programmes for decades. For the last few years it has added a new dimension to its schedule with a weeklong festival. And what's wonderful is that the event celebrates food.
This time the food fest seemed particularly good. The theme was forests, and the food section had imaginatively — though occasionally a bit tenuously — drawn up a list of cuisines related to the theme. On the first day it showcased the food of Bhutan, on the second day, the table boasted of something called Aranya bhoj — or the feast of the forest — and on the third day, there was Polish food, and so on.
I wanted to try out some of the dishes that figured on the Aranya bhoj menu. But I had a previous engagement and sorely missed the jungle maas, which was once cooked with game but is now obviously a goat meat curry, and the patorha, grilled arbi leaves with a filling, much loved in the Himalayan hill states.
I, however, had two great meals, at the Polish festival and a barbeque. I was wondering how the barbeque fitted into the forest slot, and then I reasoned to myself that everything that they served — from grilled pomfret to lamb chops and ham steaks — was cooked with ingredients that flourish when the forests thrive.
But let me not get into ecology at this moment, and focus instead on food. The pomfret was excellent, nicely browned, with just the right hot-and-sour sauce to go with it. The lamb chops on my table got mixed reviews; one friend found the meat too tough, and another found it tender. The Hawaiian ham steak served with a barbeque sauce was plump and juicy, and the sauce had a sweet taste that I enjoyed.
What I really liked was the creamed cabbage. I had, not unnaturally, given this a miss when I saw it on the buffet table, but was urged by a friend to try it out. I did — and found it superb. The cabbage had been shredded, lashed with cream and baked.
The Polish food I had the night before was excellent. I had a nice beetroot soup, and then a dish of Polish sausages with bread and butter — nice, but the sausages seemed more Indian than Polish — and dumplings stuffed with meat. Then I had some brined cabbage with meat and mushroom, which was great. I, however, thought the Polish goulash wasn't as good as the Hungarian goulash my friend Marie used to cook for us long years ago.
Then I had a dumpling stuffed with fruit — which was a part of the vegetarian fare, and not dessert as somebody thought — and ended my meal with a fluffy cheese cake. All in all, I had a great time.
IIC's festivals are a nice way of ushering in the change in season. You sit out, feel a bit cold, and raise a happy toast: Oh, to be in Delhi, now that autumn's here.
