Vegetarian food bloggers and brothers Sukrit Jain and Kashish Jain of The Great Indian Foodie are in celebratory mode this month. They touched on a few new milestones such as crossing 500K followers on Facebook, 326K on Instagram and 562,725 followers on YouTube. Sukrit says,
"In 2016, when I was in my second year of college, I decided to become financially independent. We have always been foodies and wanted to use this passion to earn money. It turned out to be our Ikigai. Our family and college outings were great opportunities to click photos and videos of our favourite dishes. We started our blog in January 2016," he says.
The numbers started getting larger than pasta in a boiling pot and there was no looking back. From being invited to food tasting sessions to getting big brands on board - Pizza Hut, Domino's, Taj Mahal Tea House to name a few - they are riding the foodie wave. "To those who always ask if food blogging ever pays, well, we bought a new car with the money we made from it," he says.
Some of their memorable experiences? Fire daal pakwaan of Indore where they put fire in your dal; Kulhad walla pizza where they use a clay cup to make pizza in Vadodara; the neighbouring Tamtamchaatwala; Modiji’s favourite fruit chaat etc. Here are five unique food twists they have enjoyed so far.
Basket Chaat
Where: Royal Cafe, Hazrathganj, Lucknow
Highpoint: Hardyal Maurya, the owner of Royal Cafe, pioneered the Basket Chaat concept in the 1960s. It is a potato basket made of grated potato, deep-fried in oil in a mould to resemble a tokri (basket). He then adds at least 20 different spices and flavours from bhuna hua salt (fried salt) to boiled chana, to dahi bhalla to papdi and pomegranate and everything in between. The result is a mushy concoction that gets a generous drizzle of thick, sweetened curd. The spoonful of after-meal chyawanprash ensures no one ends up with tummy trouble.
Cost: Rs 200
Best time/season to eat it: Throughout the year
Pav Bhaji Zinker
Where: Prankster, Chandigarh
Highlight: Every dish here is a prank, leaving you in splits as if you are a banana. The Pav Bhaji Zinker, for example, is the best seller. It’s a mini burger that looks like pav bhaji but tastes like a burger. Go figure! The finger food is served in a Rubik's Cube of which one of the four is empty. It’s here you get a taste of Chef Harangad Singh’s sense of humour.
Cost: Rs 235
Best time/season to eat: Throughout the year
Tandoor Maggi Noodles Pro Max
Where: Jaripatka Market, Nagpur
Highlight: Cooked Maggi noodles are poured into a red hot earthen cup (khullad) that has been kept in the tandoor for an hour. When the wet noodles come in contact with the tandoor heated cup, they are allowed to sizzle for two minutes before being served. The tandoor taste and aroma make the Maggi distinctly different plates of instant noodles.
Cost: Rs 120
Best time/season to eat: Monsoon
Flying Joshi Dahi Bada
Where: Sarafa Market, Indore
Highpoint: It's called the 'flying dahi vada of Indore' as the owner Joshiji makes the plate of vada and dahi launch into the air to land perfectly in his hand before he hands it over to the customer. Visitors stop by to witness how Joshiji can manage to hurl the plate up in the air with the vada and the dahi intact.
Cost: Rs 50 per plate
Best time/season to eat: Summer
Chocolate Banana Dosa
Where: Angel Dosa Corner, Khopat, Thane
Highlight: A great example of fusion food, this dosa is made using regular dosa batter smeared with cheese, Nutella and three mashed bananas. After bunging in more grated cheese and chocolate chips, the dosa is ready. Then more cheese on top with a dressing of chocolate sauce. South Indians call it The Chocolate Banana Dosa blasphemy, while others take it in the spirit of experimentation.
Cost: Rs 200
Best time/season to eat: Throughout the year