EBURY PRESS
Random House Publishers India Private Limited, 7th Floor, Infinity Tower C, DLF Cyber City, Gurgaon 122 002, Haryana, India
Random House Group Limited, 20 Vauxhall Bridge Road, London SW1V 2SA, United Kingdom
Published by Random House India in 2014
www.randomhouse.co.in
Copyright Rocky Singh and Mayur Sharma 2014
This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publishers prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
ISBN: 978-8-184-00151-8
This digital edition published in 2014.
e-ISBN: 978-8-184-00642-1
To every Indian that works to put food on the tablethe farmer,
the truck driver, the rickshaw puller, the dhaba owner, the cook, the waiter, the roadside vendor, the grandmother, the mother, and maybe even an odd father or two. The beloved fans, or hompers as they call themselves, whose love is the toast in every jam weve ever been in.
Thank you all! For eating with us, for sharing our journey, for making us feel welcome, for singing with us, for dancing with abandon, and above all, for always, always sharing your passion and your food.
Also by the same authors
Highway on my Plate
Based on the television show Highway on my Plate researched and directed by Small Screen for NDTV Good Times.
Acknowledgements
Why travel? Why leave the familiar comforts of your home and kitchen to wander the world? For us, the answer has always been obvious. we travel to discover ourselves, the world around us, and of course the whole wide world of food that awaits the curious palate. This book continues where Book 1 left off as we carry on celebrating the wonder that is Indian food.
A labour of love is never complete without deep bows of appreciation and hugs of gratitude to everyone that made it possible. So here goes:
First and foremost, thank you to the three people without whom the TV show and hence, the books would never have happened. Thank you, Milan Moudgill, Abhinandan Niku Sekhri, and Monica Narula.
A big thank you to our parents, wives, and children for stepping up and never letting us feel a gap in our lives, a hole in our bellies or emptiness in our souls. No matter where the journey takes us we know we always have you to come home to.
To NDTV Good Times, our thanks to the Food Team, without whom the show would not happen. Some have come, some have gone and some remain but our partnership gets stronger with each year. Thank you for continuing to believe. A big thank you to Apollo is a must here for 7 years of faith and support.
The Small Screen team: Abhinandan (Niku) Sekhri, Mallika Menon, Subodh, Shanu, Saqibthanks for travelling the highways and sharing the love. A big thank you to the editing teamBishu, Rizwan, Sameer and Deshraj, Jitendar, Vishal V, your toil is long and often unrecognized but never by us. We know how good you make us look
Ajay Arya, Divakar Chopra, Karan, Vaidyanathan, and other members of the crew who manage to get the craziest shots and capture the hardest sounds while still having a great time. The evening reviews are always a blast. Thank you all for going every mile with us and then some more.
Gurveen Chadha, our editor supreme, gets a deep bow for her unremitting efforts to get the book done on time, her endless patience with hectic schedules and enviable professionalism in every interaction. Thanks in advance to the rest of the Random House team who, we are sure, will pull all plugs to make sure Highway on my Plate II is an even bigger runaway success.
Above all, we would like to thank friendship. You can face the world when someone has your back through thick and thin, through good times and bad, through seasons of plenty and lean times. A friend is a treasure that will help you go through life with a smile on your lips. A good friend will be your unflinching support, your punching bag, your supporter, your admirer, your critic, your grounding, your partner in crime, your alibi for murder...okay, you get the picture. Above all, when you hit your shin on a restaurant table and fall to the ground in pain, a friend will loom over you and laugh till he has tears in his eyes. Thank you, friend, for sharing this great love of India and all that she has to offer.
How to use this book
Open the book, and:
- Pick a state. All states have been organized alphabetically.
- Open the first page and, ta daa! Theres a map before every section.
- Orient yourself and move on to the town closest to you. Towns have also been organized alphabetically.
- Under every town are the most famous street foods in or around it.
- The first paragraph is a bit about the dhaba. We also have something on the side, a bit of juicy tidbit about the state to bite on.
- Interpreting the Stars:
15-20 Eat here only if you really need to and yes there are times like that
21-25 A ho-hum meal and experience
26-30 Youll walk away satisfied but wont necessarily rave about it to the world
31-34 Now were eating! Coming back again for sure and bringing our friends, too
35+ If you eat here then life is beautiful... the sun will shine, birds will sing, and the world will be a better place. Travel here if you have and dive in!
Budgets come and go, the monsoon can be late and food prices can yo-yo like a pendulum so we have gone with APPROXIMATE pricing just to give you an idea of what youll spend. Prices are per head so if youre 2, then double it and if youre a bunch of people then just have fun.
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