Arun Shanbhag

You didn’t settle in for a nap, did ya? We are off to Salzburg for Sia who is hosting Street food Festivities!

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Certainly a very artistic city. You quickly realize everything here is named after its favorite son, Mozart: statues, banners, chocolates, t-shirts, buses and every lamp post! A stone’s throw from his birth place, we did find this eatery with nothing named mozart!

The seafood arrayed here was sufficient to make any fish lover (Konkani) giddy with joy. And trust the Austrians to present the fish, surgically clean. And before you start to curse me, we did not try any of this - see, we had just finished a beautiful austrian breakfast and were in no mood for seafood. But delicious no?

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Earlier you saw the Varaha Gudi (Varaha Mandap) from early in the reign of Pallava, Mahendra Varman (590-630 ce). In addition to other fabulous caves, he commissioned carvings into the side of mountains, combining creativity and artistic excellence.

In this Krishna Mandap, relief carvings in a cave-like slot cut in the mountain, pays tribute to Krishna lifting Mount Govardhan. The shallow cave is infused with warm light, bringing to life the villagers of Gokul huddled under the mountain.
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If these get you salivating, blame Sia who is hosting Street food Festivities!

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After psychedelic uttapams from Murugan Idli in Chennai, I’ll zip you around the globe to Alaska for some spicy Killer Shrimp.

Last year this week in Alaska, we marveled in awe at Glaciers, and ooohed and aaahed at antics of humpback whales and those colorful, darling puffins. En route in Anchorage, we snacked on these Killer Shrimp freshly prepared at an open air stall - the closest you’ll get to street food in the US.

A mother and daughter team fried giant shrimp in butter and a medley of spices.

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I am well-fed. Thanks to all foodies on my “Food to Live For” Blogroll (see sidebar), M is inspired to try various dishes. After adapting Sailu’s recipe for our Boston home, M made these delicious Phova poLo with our own onion chutney for brunch.

Phovu (beaten or flattened rice) is a staple of Konkanis and I have previously posted our traditional breakfast, Tambdo Phovu.

The poLo in this recipe reminded us of the konkani delicacy “surNoLi.” The surNoLi recipe is very similar to the poLo here, with the addition of soyi (grated coconut), the batter being fermented more and the poLo laid heavier (daaTh). In another variation, the batter is mixed with jaggery resulting in a sweet surNoLi.

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Mandapas or Cave shrines of Mamallapuram.

The Pallavas (6th - 9th century ce) were the first dynasty to rule over large tracts of present day Tamil Nadu. Their capital at Kanchipuram was at the cross-roads of the North-South trade in spices, gems and silks. Their thriving port at Mamallapuram was the export nexus for trade with the distant lands of Java, Sumatra and Cambodia. The prosperity of the Pallavas, permitted their artistically minded King, Mahendra Varman (571-630 ce) to be a patron of the arts, focusing on sculpture and replicating in stone, temples which were previously built in wood, brick and mortar. Their dynastic reign thus oversaw the initiation and development of temple architecture in South India. Their work influenced temples as far away as Ellora and across the bay in Cambodia.
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“Fast Food, Coz Enlightenment is Too Damn Slow!”

In Chennai, after our migraine inducing Saree Shopping binge, our driver recommend we try Mugugan Idli Shop. An interesting place. There was a long line and we had to wait about 30 minutes to get a table. But once inside, the service was very fast. Despite it being a Idli place, we all ended up ordering different types of dosas! In lieu of plates, servers bring banana leaves, which we wipe clean. Another serves several different types of chutneys on each leaf (plate). The dosas are actually brought on a tray and the server (with gloved hands) carefully places each dosa on our leaf.

M got this Onion Uttappa. I was like: I want that! :-E Mumbai-side, the onions are usually minced, here these round sliced onions give it an artistic touch!

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Following a newspaper tip:
The US Embassy has identified 13 days most likely to lead to flooding in Mumbai, during the monsoons.

This info is important for all Mumbaikars (not just US citizens), and the City Government should have been disseminating this info in the first place, rather than planning and sniping about a statue in the sea!

Excerpted from an email sent to registered US citizens. See the entire note from the Consulate here
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Kanchi is verily the City of Temples. Poems composed in the 2nd century ce refer to a shrine dedicated to the love goddess (Kamakshi - eyes of love). The current Kamakshi temple (Sri Kanchi Kamakshi Peetham Sri Kamakshi Ambal) was built by the Pallavas in the 8th century.
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After immersing ourselves in Shaiva philosophy at the Kapaleeshwara Temple in Chennai, we journeyed for darshan to the Vaikuntha Perumal Temple in Kanchipuram. This temple was commissioned by the Pallava King Nandivarman II and built circa 770 ce. Then Kanchipuram was the capital city of the Pallava dynasty and at the cross-roads of the North - South trade within India. Through their port city at Mammalapuram, trade and Indian civilization were spread across the bay into Thailand, Cambuja (Cambodia), Shrivijaya (Malaysia, Sumatra and Java) and present day Vietnam. The thriving Kanchipuram was also a seat of Sanskrit literature and Buddhist, Jaina, Vaishnava and Shaiva philosophies.
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Growing up, even a thimble full was a treat! It still is. A few years ago I found this in a desi store here, but worried how long the stock sat on the shelves. Now I get my stash from Mumbai on every visit.

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