RE: PUBLIC DAY THE SURTI WAY.
Today is a rare, manic Monday that will turn out to be a day of lazy languor. Reason enough, for us Surtis to hit the streets and celebrate the extended weekend. Roadside food stalls will have another busy, public day.
Slum dog Millionaire might have made slumming fashionable now, but we Surtis have been known to relish holiday meals at hole in the wall joints since ages, where man and mangy dog both get food. Fine dining in Surti streets has got nothing to do with fancy crockery, cutlery or for that matter even a table. Surtis, rich and poor have common roadside food joints where a plastic stool or chatai mat is good enough to sit down and enjoy a meal.
High on the hogger’s hitlist is the long running Khaudra Gulli; with its mouth-watering green garlic egg receipes that now has new introductions like ‘egg ravaiya ‘to be relished with khichdi and Australian egg fry that’s a cheesy number. Further down the lane, the crispy nylon dosas are much in demand. Also, Chindian [Chinese-Indian] cuisine and a variation in sandwiches and bhaji pav, Bombay style with a side order of veg.Pulao are popular with the vegetarians.
Of late, there are new tasty trails that set ablaze the streets of Surat by the evening and offer tongue teasers along with live cooking. These are in the sub urban Piplod area.
Parantha Gulli-Lest you think of Delhi -6, Chandni Chowk, let me tell you this one is right here, in the service lane by the Rajhans theatre at the Surat Dumas road. What began as a single cart for alternative cuisine now is a full fledged street full of carts that prepare stuffed paranthas in as many as 55 flavours such as Aloo, Gobi, Pyaaz, Muli, Paneer,Mutter,Palak and permutations and combinations of the same .Lusciously cooked in butter and served with curds, chutney and pickles.
Non-veg Gulli-Not to be mistaken with profane bad words, mind you. It’s opposite the school for the physically challenged at Umra.A diner’s delight for Surtis who relish succulent preparations like jumbo prawns, sweet water shrimps, desi dara and minty pomphrets. Alongside are available tandoori platters of tikkas and kebabs in reshmi, lasooni, lucknavi flavours also, chicken lollypops, butter, kadai and banjara chicken with rotis and naans from the tandoor.
The love of Surtis for lahri food has now made a lot of grade 1 restaurants in town open road side kiosks .With a fair priced veg and non veg menu ,one at Chowpatty sells minimeals from Burgers to Biryani.This brilliant marketing strategy to cater to need of foodies provides brisk business on weekdays as well as holidays.Ghodod road too, now has a newly opened roadside food court that offers pizzas, pastas ,Rajwadi khichdi ,chat and bhel .The kiosks within these are a street branch of well known restaurants around town .
The meltdown might stop Surtis from their impulsive expenditures but when it comes to food, Surtis are compulsive spenders on palate pleasures. So ‘bon-appétit ‘ to you fellow Surti, as you hit the street for your tasty treat this evening because whether it’s a religious or National holiday, we celebrate them all the public way.
TAPI TOWN TATTLE-What are the Americans calling their 44th first gentleman? President Hopebama.