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Travel and food are two of my favourite things. While on one hand I’m excited to explore new places and landscapes, the chance to try out local cuisines indulges my senses on the other. Luckily, A’s travel quirks match with mine and we bring along loads of memories and souvenirs from every place we visit. It’s been a while since I’ve written a delicious foodie post and our recent trip to Madhya Pradesh was as good an excuse as any to make you crave and salivate along too.
From amazing jungle safaris at Kanha and Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserves to an evening boat ride at Bhedaghat, witnessing the grandeur of Dhuandhar Falls and the beautiful Narmada Aarti at Jabalpur, there’s a lot to share and tuck away to relive these moments years later. Let’s limit this post to the ever-increasing foodie images bank on the blog though, shall we? The others shall follow soon.
I don’t know when holding a cup of chai and taking a picture with different backgrounds transformed from a fun thing I tried to habit. From Marine Drive to our local Udupi centre or Varanasi to Gujarat my love for chai knows no bounds and I’ve loved and clicked them all. This one at Bhedaghat offers a lovely view of the Narmada River. The setting sun provided a naturally vibrant glow and balanced all hues beautifully. This looks peaceful but make no mistake I cleverly avoided the numerous boats in the water as well as the hordes of people queuing up for boating.
Accompanying the chai were these hot out of the kadhai yummy moong dal pakodas prepared fresh on our special request. Instead of the usual pudina chutney they were served with a thin tomato gravy and super spicy chillies. They burned our mouths and brought tears to our eyes but the pakodas were worth it.
How can one visit Madhya Pradesh and not dig into some chaat? A’s cravings were so intense that he could put a pregnant woman to shame! Our local driver in Jabalpur suggested Madhu Kalash and we couldn’t be happier to heed his suggestion. What set it apart was the dry masala powder garnish on top. Every bite soothed our hearts and tastebuds and took us to foodie heaven. I wish they had boiled potato-sprouts filling for pani puri though. Ragda doesn’t cut the deal for me, that’s only for Mumbai.
Both A and I were visiting Dhuandhar Falls for the second time and were getting fondly nostalgic. It had rained a while ago and the road lined with shops on either side was muddy and slippery. While I was walking slowly and dodging people from bumping into me he was busy checking out the small nibbles on display. ‘Ber’ (Indian jujube), dried and salted ones, were a wonderful part of our childhood. He instantly bought some and downed a few even as I was clicking the picture. Can’t blame him though, I loved them too.
The huge breakfast spread at our hotel was such a fulfilling sight that we lost half our appetite just by looking at it. Paneer, onion and alu parathas, puri bhaji, idli sambar, masala dosa and of course as much chai as we wanted to go with it. Our foodie heart nudged our unrelenting tummies to pamper themselves but they desperately prayed for a timeout. It was so hearty and filling that we had to take a mid-morning nap and skipped lunch too.
Suffice to say that, like on most family vacations, all my diet and healthy eating sermons to myself went flying out the window. That’s fine though. Sharing is caring and I know how much my participation means to them. Nothing an extra run or fasting can’t fix. Agree?
This post is a part of Blogchatter Half Marathon
This post is a part of ‘Real and Rhythm Blog Hop’ hosted by Manali Desai and Sukaina Majeed under #EveryConversationMatters blog hop series”
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Some delicious savouries here. When I travel, I’d love to try out the foods of the place. Some haven’t been quite palatable. But most were. Thanks for bringing some memories back here.
I don’t travel much but I enjoy reading or watching travel tales. Lovely photos, interesting experiences. And, food of course. This one is a delicious post. :))
I totally relate because whenever I travel, I always check for two things: the food and the shopping. On a recent birthday gift trip to Pondicherry I swapped the usual coffee and idli vibe and instead indulged in French cuisine and a variety of rum (yes, adulting fully embraced!). Your descriptions of the local eats in Madhya Pradesh were vivid and made me nostalgic for that thrill of discovering tastes in new places. and Yes travel isn’t just about the sight, it’s also about the flavours and finds that stay with you.
Thanks for sharing these delicious memories; I can practically taste them through your words.
The blog is making my mouth water and what you said about chai is so true. Sometimes when its a hectic month or two where I couldn’t travel I tell my dad let’s go on a walk then one hour down the line we find a tapri have cutting chai and click pics!
From all the above, I think I would have masala dosa to give company. Hahahaha! We should meet soon and see what we can enjoy together.
I love moong dal pakoras, definitely worth the cheat treat along with loads of chai. Much as I would like to devour on trips, I am now unable to eat a lot. Your trip sounds like a dream.
Your post made my mouth water! I love moong dal pakodis, and from your pic, the ones you had were absolutely amazing.
I too love exploring new places with food, but now due to my sensitive NRI stomach I have to be very careful about what I eat and where.
Yummy post! From the chai to the chaat, you had my complete attention and support. We ought to be grateful for food that fuel our body, but more to those which tantalise our taste-buds, tempt the palate, and completely ravish our senses!
Your food photos are making me hungry! I love that you can have fun while on vacation with food but also know when to stop and focus on health. That’s brilliant 😀
What a delightful read! You whisked me straight to Madhya Pradesh with that perfect blend of chai-in-hand moments, sizzling pakodas, and irresistible chaat adventures. Your knack for tying food to travel memories is such a joy — I could almost feel the sunset at Bhedaghat and taste that fiery gravy with the pakodas.
Such a warm, flavour-packed post!
I believe if you are exploring a new place, without tasting its street food you can’t feel the place and the local people. Loved reading your post as always, through your words I get to visit new places and know more about diverse food. Also, loved the photos you have shared here.
You food pics made my mouth water – moong dal pakodas and chaat! Food tourism is quite popular nowadays and your post could easily tempt people to visit MP just to satisfy their taste buds. But then, what is life without delicious food, right?
Food & travel , what an attractive combo ! And I must appreciate those close ups that you have taken of the mouth watering delicacies. When I try to visit a new place , I try to taste the local delicacies too.
The description is just as enticing as the images. One look at those pakodas and my mouth started watering! It’s like I can taste them just from reading the post.
The foodie in me absolutely loved your post. I too am a sucker for tea; give me tea anywhere anytime.
The foodie in me loved reading your post. It was a delight. I too am a chai person through and through.
That chai capture is so good and after the kulhad wali chai , came the pakoras with that tamatar ka rassa , so good! Ever wondered why the simple paratha or maggi tastes so much better when we are travelling?
Like you click chai in various backgrounds, one of my very close friends clicks her glares in different backgrounds. Agree with you when you say, when traveling eat local. 💯
I have had the opportunity to live in MP for few years when i was in school and the place is amazing. The marble rocks at Dhuandhar is a sight to behold. The food is absolutely lip-smacking. I enjoyed reading your post as it brought back some memories of my own!
It is joy of merging travel with food, highlighting the simple pleasure of first-class combo of tea with spicy pakodas near the Narmada River. It’s a deliciously tempting read and I agree to the cheat day for the food when it comes to travel.
That’s such a delicious post. As a foodie and I completely loved reading your experience.
I love green chutney but the red chutney cant be missed. When traveling,food is a definite of that place. Lovely experience this must have been.