Udaipur, India. Our long car ride of yesterday finally ended at a rather imposing resort overlooking the city. This place is quite amazing, but then, we’ve already had a few amazing hotel stays.
Our suite seems to be halfway up a mountain, and the picture window in front of the bed does offer panoramic views. Very nice indeed, along with a private balcony.
This one had an added kick. When I woke up this morning feeling like my cold and distress in other parts of my body could not be ignored any longer, this hotel had a doctor in my room within 20 minutes, along with his assistant.
He was awfully cute and seemed to know exactly what to do for me. He prescribed five drugs, and they were delivered from the hospital in another 30 minutes. Where on earth do you get that kind of medical attention – for a grand total of $29? Unbelievable.
Now, if only all these meds would kick in, I will get to see this famous city tomorrow.
Cross your fingers!
While I was basically comatose today, Don lounged by the pool, went to gym, swam a bit and had a spa treatment. He’s trying to maintain some of the effects of that one-week Ayurvedic rejuvenation treatment.
Cross your fingers on that one, too.
Don’s Food Corner
I’m the only one eating today, although Jo was able to consume two pieces of white toast. (Yea!)
Keeping with my goal of trying as many regional dishes as I can as we move throughout India, I found something on the hotel menu that was mentioned in a guidebook as something not to be missed – Govind gatta curry. Described as “steamed dumplings made from chickpea flour cooked in a spiced yogurt sauce.” An accompanying photo of the dish sold me on trying it. It’s actually considered a side dish, but I knew I would be eating this alone and ordered it as a single complete meal.
What arrived, however, bore no resemblance to the guidebook photo, which seemed to show fluffy dumplings in a light, creamy-looking sauce. Instead, a darkly rich curry sauce contained several rather hard cylindrical “dumplings” that gave the dish a hearty appearance rather than the delicate one seen in the guidebook photo. It was delicious. Nicely spiced. Interesting texture. But not what I was expecting.
I took to the internet and discovered that there are about as many different recipes for the dish as there are entries that promise to provide the “authentic” recipe for Govind gatta curry. Many of the recipes describe making a tube out of a chickpea dough and then cutting the tube into separate cylindrical pieces – which sort of matched what I got. Other recipes show the “dumplings” filled with cheese and rolled into balls. Some of the recipes feature a sauce that uses lots of yoghurt; others have no yoghurt in them at all.
So, I don’t know where I am with this supposed classic of the region’s cuisine. I guess it’s a little like the sambar dish in the south that is the central feature of every breakfast paper-thin pancake dosa meal where there were no two versions of the lentil/curry sambar that were exactly the same. I’ve kind of backed off from sambar and dosa as we’ve moved north. I’ve had some pretty nasty-tasting sambar and that’s not something you want to face first thing in the morning.
I’m not sure I’ll have another opportunity to compare another version of Govin gatta curry. I have a long list of other specialty dishes in this region that need to be sampled. Sometimes you just have to move on.
Ah! Love the house calls. Not that I look forward to getting sick but it’s always nice to have a doctor come to you rather than you going to see one and wait long time post you your actual appointment. Hope you are feeling better already and will be out and about in Udaipur by tomorrow.
Poor baby. Get well soon. Maybe another visit from the cute doctor will do the trick.