The drive from Udaipur to Bijaypur was nothing if not interesting. En route, we visited Chittaugarh Fort, a huge fortification with a whole town within it. Built on a one hundred and fifty metre high plateau in the Aravalli Hills, it is in ruins but well-restored. The entrance is on the north west side and the road winds up through seven individually named gates, each with its own guardhouse. The first gate is known as Padal Pol (lowest gate) followed by Bhairav Pol (Bhairav being an attendant of the Goddess Durga), Hanuman Pol (this gate has a temple and a shrine dedicated to the Monkey God Hanuman), Ganesh Pol (for the Elephant God), Jorla Pol, Lakshman Pol and finally Ram Pol (Gate of the God Ram) which was built in AD 1459. The gateway located on the eastern side of the fort is known as Suraj Pol (Sun Gate).
Dirty Rice- is a traditional Cajun dish made from white rice cooked with small pieces of chicken liver or giblets, which give it a dark ("dirty") color and a mild but distinctive flavor. Similar to a pilaf, it also includes green bell pepper, celery and onion (the "holy trinity").You don�t have to be a culinary genius to prepare good Cajun/Creole dishes, but you do need the right ingredients. For those of you interested in crafting some Cajun concoctions of your own, check out Cajun Grocer online. Cajun Grocer offers a huge selection of all things Cajun, and you are sure to find everything you need to prepare the finest Cajun dishes.Understanding the Process- any true Cajun dish should not contain a lot of anything, except TLC. The biggest misconception about Cajun food is that it should be extremely spicy. Knowing the difference between �seasoned well� and �spicy� goes a long way with this style of cooking. Most dishes will start with the Trinity or a roux and can be tailored to fit anyone�s taste. The greatest thing about Cajun food is that it can be anything to anyone.To really help the bird out this winter you could string p some monkey nuts. Buy some peanuts in their shells and thread a sharp wool needle with a length of wool with a knot in the end of it. Push the needle through the middle of the peanut shell and out of the other side, it's a bit like threading beads. Thread on more monkey nuts in this way until the wool is almost full. Unthread the needle, make a loop in the wool that is left and tie a knot to keep the nuts and the loop in place. Use the loop to hang the nuts from the bird-table or tree.The palace of Kumbha and Padmini's Palace are but two of the beautifully carved edifices, which have been subject to restoration.Dinner was a quite spicy mutton curry for my husband and Malaysian noodles for me, incorporating chicken and prawns and a fearsome amount of chilli!Etouffee- in French, the word etouffee literally means "smothered," which is a good way to describe this Cajun dish, as it is basically smothered crawfish over rice. Unlike gumbo, which is made with a dark roux, etouffee is made from a lighter, spicier roux. A proper etouffee will be orange-colored, with a hint of brown. It should be spicy, as its main spice ingredient is cayenne pepper, and saucy enough to form a thick gravy for the rice. However, take note that it is not gumbo, and should not be served like soup. The gravy in etouffee is much thicker than the roux of a gumbo.Onwards from the fort and having travelled some distance on a very good road, our driver realised that he had missed our turning and wasted about an hour. Around we turned, eventually found the right turning then spent a further hour winding our way further and further uphill, until, if it weren't for the frequent signposts to our hotel, we would have assumed that we had gone wrong again.Lots f people help the birds by throwing out stale bread for them to eat. Although this does elevate the birds hunger, bread isn't a very nutritious food source.Okra- originally used as a thickening agent for gumbos, this fruit was a very frequently used ingredient in many dishes due to its wide availability in South Louisiana.File�- is a spice made from dried and ground sassafras leaves. It is used in the making of some types of gumbos and stews. It is sprinkled sparingly over gumbo as a seasoning and thickening agent, giving it a distinctive flavor and texture. Fil� was originally an okra substitute when okra was not in season.Zapp�s Potato Chips- Louisiana�s unofficial brand of potato chips. These potato chips are kettle cooked in peanut oil and are offered in a variety of true Cajun flavors such as Spicy Cajun Crawtators, Cajun Dill, and Sour Cream and Creole Onion.
Our next few days will be spent in Ranthambhore National Park, so I hope you'll be with us then to hear our experiences, both culinary and wildlife.
Author: Liz Canham
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