"Food Path: Cuisine along the Grand Trunk Road from Kabul to Kolkata

Look! Brahmins and chamaars, bankers and tinkers, barbers and banias, pilgrims and potters - all the world going and coming. It is to me as a river from which I am withdrawn like a log after flood. And truly the Grand Trunk Road is a wonderful spectacle. Rudyard Kipling in "Kim" >

Reading the book, "Food Path: Cusine along the Grand Trunk Road from Kabul to Kolkata" by Pushpesh Pant transports you to an exotic place. It is a colorful, beautiful book - full of pictures. As the title implies,the Grand Trunk Road starts at Kabul in Afghanistan; crosses Pakistan; and goes through most of northern India almost all the way to Bangladesh. According to the book, the man behind its construction was Sher Shah Suri. He usurped Humayun, the son of Babur (founder of the Mughal dynasty 1483-1530). To supply all the travelers, of course, there are places to eat all along the Grand Trunk Road. The book takes us along for the ride and we get recipes at every stop. I was so excited that I cooked the very first recipe out of Kabul, as follows:>

Chppal Kebab >

Beef, minced (keema) 1 kg/22lb Eggs 2-3 Coriander (dhaniya)seeds, coarsely ground 3 tsp/6 gm Pomegranate seeds (anaar dana), coarsely ground 2 tsp/6 gm Dry red chilis (sookhi lal mirch), coarsely ground 3 tsp/6 gm Salt 1 tsp/3 gm Onion, finely chopped 2 cups/250 gm/9 oz Tomatoes 2-3 Green chillies, finely chopped 2-3 Cornflower 2-3 tbsp/20-30 gm Vegetable oil for frying 1 cup/250 ml/8 fl oz

Make scrambled eggs with 2 eggs and slightly beat the other one. Keep aside.

To make scrambled eggs, heat 1 tsp oil in a pan; add 2 whisked eggs and stir lightly for a minute. Remove and use as required.

Mix all the ingredients together (except oil) including the eggs.

Divide the mixture equally into 10-12 portions and shape them into flat round kebabs. Heat the oil in large frying pan; fry the kebabs, a few at a time, on medium heat. Cook until both sides are browned. Remove and drain the excess oil on absorbent paper towels. Serve with mint chutney.

My evaluation: Well, these don't look as good as they tasted. They are too lumpy! I think that I "chopped" instead of "minced." I have had these before and they were smoother. In Florida, we had an Afghan family down the street and they made kabob feasts for us sometimes. Mine did not look like theirs! Having said that, these tasted great! The scrambled egg and pomegranate seem like odd ingredients to use with hamburger, but they really worked. This (pictured) was my dad's plate and he ate these and then all the broken ones. Also, I served mine with yogurt instead of chutney, because that is what I had on hand. >

After leaving Kabul (and finishing our kebabs), the book takes us through the Kyber Pass and into Pakistan - first stop, Peshawar. "Peshawar is the quintessential frontier outpost - landing stage and watering hole for caravans for centuries." pp. 22 >

We travel through Pakistan and come to Ralwalpindi. "This was the city that Alexander the Great passed through on his way to the Indian heartland." pp. 30 Here the book shares recipes for Roasted Leg of Lamb and Spicy Lamb Chops. In traveling along the Grand Trunk Road, we witness a unique phenomenon, Pakistani Truck Art. The book has cute little pictures of bright, colorful Pakistani Truck Art scattered among the text.

We travel through Lahore and cross the border into India. First stop, Amistar, for Chicken Cubes Flavored with Fresh Fenugreek. "Amritsar, the city, literally translated as a pool of nectar, derives its name from the sacred tank that surrounds the beautifully serene Golden Temple - the holiest shrine for the Sikhs." pp. 54

(As an aside: The Golden Temple - focus here on the reflection in the pool - reminds me of something from Salman Rushdie's "The Enchantress of Florence." Here is the quote, "... the glowing lake below the palace-city looked like a sea of molten gold…" I am a huge Rushdie fan because I think that his books are like fairy tales for grown-ups. It is no surprise that he is from this exotic locale.) >

The "Food Path" book continues on; taking us through all of northern India, all the way to the Bangledeshi border. We sample Spicy Quail, Dal, Paneer, and many other

dishes. There is not space here to explore all of India! But, this book really is an exotic escape! I recommend it.

I am linking this article through "Weekend Cooking" at Bethfishreads (push button in my right hand column(!)) and with "Cookbook Sunday," at Couscous and Consciousness! The http://couscous-consciousness.blogspot.com/