FOOD + RECIPES
LOVE AT FIRST BITE
Believe it our not, the first time we tried Indian food was at a chic little restaurant in Munich, Germany with my husband's Oma. Her husband worked for Pan Am back in the day and they traveled the world in style on the benefits of the airline. They actually visited India in the '50s and we have a couple of super classy black and white photos of his Opa in front of the Taj Mahal. Anyway, the point is, the food. The food was incredible and it honestly made us literally hungry for more! After that trip we searched for Indian restaurants in our area, starting talking to the people who owned them, and our love for the food, language and culture had begun. What kinds of food can you expect to find in India? What should you do in hopes you'll be able to avoid 'Delhi belly' during your stay? Read on to find out!
Water Safety....
We all know water is essential to life, but when drinking the water leaves you feeling like you want to... well, die from "Delhi Belly" (food poisoning), finding clean water is crucial to surviving your trip to India without incident. Some blogs have said that "most" tap water in India is unsafe to drink. If you decide to risk it to find out, that's totally up you. We, however, prefer the assumption that, NO tap water is safe to drink as a foreigner. But don't worry, bottled water and RO (reverse osmosis) water is readily found everywhere. Restaurants may offer 'treated' water, but unless it's specifically RO, bottled water is definitely the safest. Also, don't forget - ICE IS WATER! We were doing totally fine this year until we ordered ice coffee from our favorite, clean and trusted restaurant. We let our guard down once, and seriously regretted it! (Yes, that picture of the ice coffee on the left is what got us!)
When visiting homes of local people, we find that carrying our own bottles of water and keeping them in our hands makes it much easier to decline offered glasses of water. We just say, "Oh thank you so much, but don't worry, we have our own." It can be uncomfortable to say no, since the hospitality is absolutely part of the culture, but if it's the first time meeting someone, we personally feel even more uncomfortable asking where the water came from. Unless you see it poured from a newly opened bottle or know that it's RO, you'll regret being so nice in that one fleeting moment. Instead, we make a big fuss over any other little snacks put out and definitely accept any offers of chai or the occasional soda.
Many have heard and retold horror stories of foreigners finding water bottles in India that were refilled with tap water, so since our first trip in 2014, we've been extremely vigilant in checking the seals. In all this time we've found 2 bottles that had a slight twist in the cap and seal. We did buy different bottles in both instances, but we were not convinced they were actually refilled bottles. Yes, we still check, but we wouldn't consider it a huge problem as others may have let on, or perhaps was more of an issue some time ago.
Food Safety....
The first thing to keep in mind about food safety in India is that in a lot cases, the food itself is not the problem. More often than not, the water the food has been in contact with or washed in causes the upset. So as a general rule, cooked hot foods, peeled raw vegetables and fruits with a thick skin that have to be peeled are safe. The safest of these 3 will always be the cooked option.
Secondly, food that has not been stored properly or has sat out longer than 2 hours, is also at risk of getting you sick. This applies to any food in any country, but with so many street vendors and shops competing for business in India, restaurant owners can't afford to waste product. So even though a neatly piled stack of already prepared samosas may look and be super tasty, if they haven't sold since morning, and they are getting reheated (or not heated at all) around 4pm...you may be inviting all sorts of unwanted bacteria into your gut.
A third thing to keep in mind when eating out is the plate the food is served on. We haven't personally found this to be an issue, but friends traveling through heard this tip from another friend and it does make sense: If the plate is washed with tap water and is still wet, that water could contaminate the safe food. This would be a lot more common at street vendors where the turnover is very quick and the same water may be used all day. Our friend's solution at this particular street vendor was to not eat the bottom portion of dosa touching the plate. We have gone there more than a dozen times and have always eaten everything off of the plate without consequence, but we do feel it's worth mentioning. So go ahead and indulge in the street food, just make sure it's been cooked fresh, is still hot and not served on a wet plate!
Cooking
at Home
The picture to the left was taken outside of our apartment and is usually how we get our fruit and veg. There are a few simple solutions to make sure your food and cooking supplies are hygienic and safe. Our favorite method for everything is white vinegar. We love that it's cheap and easy to find within the country. Other friends bring liquid grapefruit seed extract and plain vodka will also work to kill bacteria in the same manner.
Fruit & Veg
Vinegar Process
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Thoroughly scrub produce under running sink water or in bowl with RO/drinking water. Use a dedicated clean sponge or cloth to remove excess dirt.
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Soak produce in bowl of vinegar water for 2 minutes. Ratio: 1 part white vinegar to 3 parts RO or bottled drinking water.
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Wipe produce with clean cloth.
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Allow produce to air dry before storing.
Equipment
Unless you have already learned how to cook Indian food from a native, the kitchen items you find in the market or the apartment you are renting might be quite different from what you are used to. In every kitchen you'll find a pressure cooker, rolling pins and pans for roti making, and mortar and pestle for spice crushing. Pots are definitely more common to find than pans, and they usually do not have handles. A pair of metal tongs are used to move and steady these pots without handles and it certainly takes some practice to get proficient at gripping them. Had we thought a little more about it, we would have brought a few "western style" pots and pans instead of donating them before we left. Fortunately, we were able to find a nice set at our local food and home store, but we paid American prices for them since they are rare for the locals to buy. Even though cooking utensils, plates, cups and mugs are inexpensive, we were happy we packed some of our own to get our kitchen started. Being here long term, it also made our new empty apartment feel a bit more like home and didn't take up too much space in our luggage.
Another thing to keep in mind is that you most likely will not have an oven. Toasters and toaster ovens are available in the nicer local shops. Drip coffee makers can also be found but a local shop may only have one to choose from. We opt to bring high quality instant coffees since they are easy to pack, are useful while traveling throughout the country and require nothing more than hot water. If you are thinking of bringing any electric cooking items from home, please keep in mind the voltage issue. The standard voltage is 220 so you will blow up motors or maybe start fires if you aren't careful. Reliable converters can be expensive and may not be the best to use on a regular basis. Amazon.in is a great option for buying needed cooking equipment. It's not as extensive as Amazon.com but it has a lot of good options and is just as reliable. Just expect to pay the same as you would back home for cooking equipment or other items that aren't readily found or used within India on a regular basis.
Cleaning Up
For our plates, pots, pans, cups and utensils we initially wash everything with just the regular sink water. Jodhpur's city water is considered good, so sometimes that's actually all we do and we have never been sick from our own cooking or washing. In the past, we had a second step of rinsing everything in vinegar water again. More recently, we learned the Kerala RTO's method of sanitizing so we changed our system up a bit. We simply fill a large bucket with piping hot water and soak all the freshly washed items in it for a few minutes. After starting this method we had to invest 80 INR in a pair of kitchen gloves so we don't burn ourselves, but we love how fast and shiny everything dries. The hot water might seem like a no brainer, but a lot of Indian kitchens do not have a hot water tap. We have to fill our bucket in one of the bathrooms that has a hot water heater. However you choose to wash up, and especially if you are in an area with a lot of sand or pollution, remember to store your dry items properly so that daily 'dust' does not build up. If you do not have closed cabinets, a simple clean towel can be used as a cover.
Recipes....
Whether or not you like to cook at home, after a couple of weeks or months of similar local food choices, you may find yourself going out of your way to make something that is more familiar. You will be remiss to assume, however, that you will be able to find all of the same ingredients you can get at home. You are probably familiar with the disclaimer at this point that you'll find more variety and selection in the big cities, but even so, here are a few of our favorite go-to recipes that are easy to make with the most readily available local ingredients and help mix up the local culinary experience. They really are nothing extravagant, but if you're anything like us, we hate having to think about what to make to for dinner and sometimes we just need a little reminder about what to put together. Hover over the photo for our write up, and click the photo for the full recipe. If you are wondering how we get the parmesan or cheddar cheese for some of them, check out the links below in the box 'Our Food Essentials.'
Indian Food....
India's food is as varied as its languages and every region has its own tasty specialities. Since we have yet to visit every state, here's a comprehensive list we found describing the food in each of the 29 states of India. 29 DISHES
There is no doubt that loving Indian food is going to be a bonus when traveling to India. But it usually doesn't take long before you are craving some tastes from home and unfortunately, the proverbial table does not turn so easily. In most Western cultures, we are exposed to an exhaustive variety of cultural cuisines: Italian, French, Greek, Spanish, Indian, Puerto Rican, Thai, Mexican, Ethiopian, German, Mediterranean...you name it! In India, there's, well, Indian food. Truth be told, more and more 'International' restaurants are popping up here and there, and some of them are really quite spot on. But don't expect all to provide the same quality and purity of taste since the dishes are not being made by someone from that culture. It would be like asking us to make Indian food for a native Indian. It will never ever tase as good as theirs! So don't be surprised if your french fries come with some extra spices or your pizza tastes a little...tangy.
Last, but certainly not least, is the subject of meat. If meat will be part of your diet in India, and you plan to cook it at home, you will want to ask a trusted local friend where you can find products that are bled properly. You may also want to inquire at local restaurants if the area you are in is known for strangling or drowning the animals before preparation. It may not be a problem at all, but keep in mind that local religion and customs still may dictate how these procedures are handled. If you are used to eating meat at home but opt to be veg only in India, (or like us, our first landlord did not allow us to cook meat in the apartment, which can be common in Jain or strict Hindu households) it is good to think of other ways you will compensate for your daily protein intake.
Our Food
Essentials!
While we really can find everything we need in India, these few food items go a long way to make life here feel a bit more like home for us.
And let's be honest, we have to have our coffee!
(Bullet points are links.)
Beef Jerky
Protein Bars
Black Bean Soup Mix
Tuna Packets
Chicken Packets
Pretzels
Twizzlers