Chapter 3 : Bad day, good night.
Bad day, good night.
I was having one of those particularly bad, grumpy days - nothing was falling into place, I overslept and missed my morning swim session, overslept again and woke up late, my usual bus didn't turn up, waited for half hour for the next and reached the office an hour late, work wasn't feeling fun, cluelessness about the future, and so on. The only thing that gave me a minor respite was the lunch at office, where the 8-10 of us share whatever we get for the day and eat happily.
As I was slogging through the day, not particularly interested in anything, I thought, this is not done. I should save myself from this agony, I should seek solace; and for me, that usually means food. I should have a good dinner tonight, preferably Haleem, as the Ramzan season has started and the dish has become available all through the city. For those who do not know, Haleem is Hyderabadi varient of the Middle-Eastern dish Harees, where pounded wheat, lentils, spices, ghee, and meat (usually mutton, beef, or chicken) are slow cooked for over 8-9 hours to a paste consistency, garnished with a ghee-based gravy, cashew nuts, chopped coriander, caramelized onions, and a dash of lemon juice.
As I was contemplating on Haleem, I receive a call - it was Minu, my friend. She tells me that tonight the EFLU mess (English and Foreign Languages University, where I studied and now I live close by) serves biryani as month-end special and asked if I was interested. I was in a dilemma. The biryani we used to get in the mess was great. Biryani or haleem? I told Minu that I'll let her know by night.
As I was on my way back home (a little past 8 pm), Minu calls me and says the biryani is average tonight and that she can only get me in a little box. I always want more. I told her I'm choosing Haleem. Came home, took the bike, and rushed to Mukarram, Amberpet, one of my favourite beef joints in Hyderabad.
The place was full-up as I reached and hence, I opted takeaway. Ordered a plate (really, a box) of Beef Haleem (Rs. 100) and waited. The man sitting on top of the huge Haleem vessel took an empty box, filled it up with the gooey dish, passed it on, another person added the toppings (gravy, onions, and coriander leaves), a lemon wedge on the side, and I collected it. The kebab corner of the restaurant was right next to me and the smell coming from there was great. I couldn't resist the temptation, went ahead and ordered Boti Kebab, Sheekh Kebab, and a Rumali Roti. Ha, days of pure indulgence!
Cut to: Home
I settled down in front of the table, played a movie on the laptop, and was ready for dinner. I opened the Haleem box and took in the smell - caramelized onions in ghee, just wow! Took a lemon wedge, squeezed a bit of the juice into the haleem, mixed it, and had a spoonful. It was heaven! Love at first bite. Slow and steady, I finished the bowl-full and wiped the box clean.
Then came the kebabs and roti. The sheekh kebab was exceptionally good, boti kebab not so much, but I was still cast under the spell of the Haleem. People of Hyderabad, if you have a chance, go to Mukarram, Amberpet and try it before the Ramzan season gets over. Check 'Mukarram Hotel' and you shall find it.
After the main course, I sliced two mangoes and had them for dessert. Overall, a fabulous ending to a bad day. Food is the answer people, food is always the answer.
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Footnote: There was some Boti Kebab leftover, which I sliced into tiny pieces, fried again in some onion-masala gravy, and had with Roti for dinner, the next night. The kebab-curry really tasted good.
As I was contemplating on Haleem, I receive a call - it was Minu, my friend. She tells me that tonight the EFLU mess (English and Foreign Languages University, where I studied and now I live close by) serves biryani as month-end special and asked if I was interested. I was in a dilemma. The biryani we used to get in the mess was great. Biryani or haleem? I told Minu that I'll let her know by night.
As I was on my way back home (a little past 8 pm), Minu calls me and says the biryani is average tonight and that she can only get me in a little box. I always want more. I told her I'm choosing Haleem. Came home, took the bike, and rushed to Mukarram, Amberpet, one of my favourite beef joints in Hyderabad.
The place was full-up as I reached and hence, I opted takeaway. Ordered a plate (really, a box) of Beef Haleem (Rs. 100) and waited. The man sitting on top of the huge Haleem vessel took an empty box, filled it up with the gooey dish, passed it on, another person added the toppings (gravy, onions, and coriander leaves), a lemon wedge on the side, and I collected it. The kebab corner of the restaurant was right next to me and the smell coming from there was great. I couldn't resist the temptation, went ahead and ordered Boti Kebab, Sheekh Kebab, and a Rumali Roti. Ha, days of pure indulgence!
Cut to: Home
I settled down in front of the table, played a movie on the laptop, and was ready for dinner. I opened the Haleem box and took in the smell - caramelized onions in ghee, just wow! Took a lemon wedge, squeezed a bit of the juice into the haleem, mixed it, and had a spoonful. It was heaven! Love at first bite. Slow and steady, I finished the bowl-full and wiped the box clean.
---------------------------------------------------------
Footnote: There was some Boti Kebab leftover, which I sliced into tiny pieces, fried again in some onion-masala gravy, and had with Roti for dinner, the next night. The kebab-curry really tasted good.
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