My favourite thing to do in between meals
is to snack and somehow snacking is the unhealthiest form of eating, because
the things we choose to snack on normally come out from huge pans of hot oil.
The best snacks are greasy, salty and crunchy and the best way to get them
fresh and hot is either at our cafés or at the gaddos in Panjim. What I am
talking about are fresh pakodas or fritters that are fried fresh and served
piping hot. The most common and the most beloved are the mirchi, which is a big
long green chilli dipped in batter, or the khapan (if that’s how it’s spelt),
which is a thin slice of potato dipped in the same batter. The batter for all
pakodas remains the same – a perfect blend of gram flour, salt, caraway seeds
and baking powder – and some love put in by the person who stirs it all by hand
into the perfect consistency, resulting in light fluffy yet crunchy
deliciousness.
Another favourite on the streets is the
batata wada, and there is a huge hype over the Bombay batata wada, but I know
three places within a kilometre radius and all three make better wadas than any
I have ever tasted in Bombay. The biggest point of distinction is that we get
it freshly cooked and hot, and the bread is far superior to the ones the Goans
taught them to make. Khanda bhajji or onion pakodas are also, especially when
the batter is a little thin because then the onion gets nicely caramelised,
giving it that contrasting sweetness. My favourite place for theses crispy treats
is at the St Inez junction closely followed by the forever busy gaddo next to
the mall.
All over the world, fritters are a
favourite, and although vary in recipe, and terminology, are very similar. In
Japan, it is tempura and their light batter, made from a mix of flour, corn
flour and chilled iced water. They have a variety of foods dipped in it ranging
from vegetables to meats and sea food. The Jamaicans have a salt fish fritter
sold on the streets similar to the Portuguese Fofos de Bacalhau that is
available at every street café anywhere. The British have fish and chips sold
on the street, and as accompaniments they have fritters like pineapple, potato
and apple. The Americans love their fritters and they have a variety. In new
Orleans it’s the beignet serverd with generous quantities of powdered sugar, in
Maine they have crab fritters and they have restaurants that fritter fry
everything. They have one outrageous place that dips anything in batter and
deep fries it, including a slice if pizza or a bar of chocolate. In Spain and
Mexico it is churros dusted with sugar and cinnamon.
From the streets of Malaysia and Indonesia
to India to the Americas, everyone loves hot stuff that they can see being
cooked in front of them, and everybody loves to relish them right there in the
street. There might be many differences, but there is one thing that remains
the same no matter which part of the world you are in, and that is the piece of
newspaper that is used as a service container.
