I was skimming through some old photographs on my phone, around 10000 of them, all thanks to the cloud network and the fact that I have had an iPhone since its first generation. I couldn’t go through so many and proceeded to nearly delete everything I had as a memory from a decade ago. I also realized I am a bit of a hoarder, I mean, aren’t we all?
Ironically the picture I last came across to delete was one I had transferred / taken on the birth of my blog. Yes, today marks 11 years of me writing on the blog and I was about to delete all those pictures which have made me what I am today.
I went through them more carefully and singled out repeats, hazy ones, old ones and irrelevant ones. I had major throwbacks on the way I worked before and realized how so many people had influenced my thinking, writing, photography and skills along with technology as a crutch. I cleaned out the riff-raff and had a fresh new perspective of how to go about my future with food and writing. (trust me, take sometime out and do the ‘delete’ its almost therapeutic)
One major motivator was seeing all my travel content, especially the L.A. connect. I have been traveling to and fro this beautiful city for many years now and every single time it surprises me with its complexity, its community, its cosmopolitan nature and its vibrant F&B. I hear many tales from travelers and tourists about how L.A. is their glamour fixation, their oscillation from wearing bikinis at Newport beach on a Friday morning to furry coats in Big Bear mountain on Sunday evenings, but somehow still prefer the east coast.
Californias weather is almost perfect. It never gets too cold, it slows you down a bit so you can unwind (even when working), yes its sometimes unpredictable but manageable and its dry, clean and captures the seasons essence quite closely. The community (yes I have family there, my cousins, my LAFam and new and old friends over the years) which make it easier for me to like LA. But then again when I tear away from the melodrama which is Mumbai, this city feels like a welcome change, a breath of fresh air and a relatable atmosphere which makes everyone familiar and likable on first instance. It keeps making me come back again and again.
The moment I step into the city, flying in from my usual middle east sector. It makes me think are those 19+ hours of flying worth? I am an extremely crabby flyer as I cant sleep on flights and while I do enjoy the onboard F&B and the TV shows I still need my beauty sleep. The first few times I flew in with Dubai as a halt – with 3 hours of the first leg and then 16 onwards. That 16 gets to you like no one else’ business, and this is not counting the airport wait, the immigration, the layovers and the luggage carousel.
My last trip, I decided to travel in the opposite direction. I was told by many of my American friends that they usually take the Asia route. Hong Kong namely. I did a spot of research and realized that while the flying time was similar, the break between both journey legs made a little sense. Cathay Pacific flew this route and as I delved deeper it seemed to be a tad better with a similar layover time but a well divided leg. So the usual 3-16 was converted to a 5.5-13.5 hrs flying time and I felt a lot more mentally relieved with this arrangement. While the layover was around 3 hours (maybe taking into account delays stretching it to 4) having access to their business lounge (The Pier) was a welcome break where I could shower, relax with a cocktail and eat a hearty warm meal, relieving their mantra of having a #LifeWellTravelled.
Coming back to L.A., it does make me feel it’s worth all that flying time. I also do not like to travel to L.A. for short periods. The city not only has a fantastic art and cultural history, step into DTLA and you will see how exciting the scene is, but it also boasts of one of the finest dining experiences around the world.
It is a known fact that California (and its close proximity to Mexico) is the capital agro state of USA and the kind of produce one has access to is excellent. The burgeoning F&B culture hits home run with its extensive list of health-trend based outlets (vegan, gluten free, organic etc.), its palpable nightlife with bars and mixologist spinning heady tales and last but not the least ‘farmers markets’ which mushroom out in most cities within L.A.
Clean eating, great produce and mix of spaces which serve up every possible dining option the world has to offer makes L.A. almost like home in Mumbai. One thing I noticed is the focus of food on ethnic places. By ethnic, in local interpretations, includes dining establishments which cater to ethnic cuisines such as Mexican, Thai, Chinese, Japanese, Middle Eastern and even Indian. These spaces are so popular that you will find varied establishments from fine-dine to mom-pops operating out of everything from a small strip mall to food trucks to plush eateries in almost all neighborhoods.
The culture of food is so strong that one can find almost everything with a certain square radius of their city (although the traffic of LA rivals that of Mumbai). I have developed a particularly intense attraction towards Mexican food back in L.A. not only is it tasty but its one cuisine I am deprived back in Mumbai (again that is changing from certain hotspots in the city making waves such as Xico and other visiting chefs with their popups). While we do experiment with eating Mexican food out there a lot, stores like Superior make it easy to source the quintessential ingredients of this cuisine.
Mexican food has so many similarities with regards to ingredients and style (family!) to Indian food that it makes it extremely relatable. A few of my favorite places include tradition strong, Oaxacan cuisine focused Bizzara Capital (a fine little place about 3 miles from home) and new discoveries such as Tempo Urban Kitchen which serve modernistic avatars of Mexican food. All in all gives me an opportunity to learn and cook Mexican food very often.
One of the few dishes I have almost become an expert as is Guacamole. This delicious side is so versatile, one can almost eat it with anything. As a dip for chips, scooped into tacos and sometimes even spooned on breakfast eggs. While the basics consist of good meaty avocados mixed with onions, lime and cilantro. I make a version which highlights and enhances every aspect of this dish. I learnt many tips and tricks from locals there, such as Candy who helps as with the housekeeping (who insist on fire roasting certain ingredients to permeate smokiness) to my uncle who goes desi on it with a tadka of sorts (no, not mustard seeds and hing!). A culmination of all these elements and techniques makes for a truly great guacamole and I would urge you to try it should you get your hands on a really good avocado.
Nonchalant Guacamole
Ingredients
- 1 Large Haas Avocado or 2 Medium ones
- 1 small Cucumber (diced)
- I small Tomato (fire roasted* & diced)
- 1 small Red Onion (fire roasted* & finely chopped)
- 2 cloves Garlic (smashed)
- 1 Serrano or Green Chilli (fire roasted* & minced)
- 1 tsp Red Chili Flakes
- 1 tsp Cumin Powder
- 1 small Lemon (juiced)
- 1/4 bunch Cilantro / Coriander leaves (finely chopped)
- 2 tsp + 2 tbsp good Olive Oil
- Salt & Pepper to taste
Method
- * To fire roast any vegetable or fruit, pop the ingredient straight onto your gas flame or any open fire source and roast till charred lightly. Remove and lightly scrape off the charred bits and use as required.
- Dice and smoosh 1 avocado into a largish bowl.
- Add in a small finely chopped cucumber and one tomato.
- In a pan heat 2 tsp of olive oil and throw in 2-3 grated garlic, a spoon each of red chili flakes, red chili powder, cumin seed powder and salt.
- Quick stir and add in half a finely chopped red onion. Add a sprinkle of water at some point to stop the onion and spices from burning and stir around till browned.
- Once the entire water has evaporated spoon the hot mixture over the avocado. Mix, add half a lemon juice and check for seasoning.
- Work in some freshly chopped coriander and a drizzle of good olive oil. Let sit in refrigerator for at least two hours for the flavors to build and come together.
- Enjoy spooned/spread over anything your heart desires.. it’s that addictive.
Coincidentally it was Cinco De Mayo on the day we shot this dish. My cousin in L.A. has a fashion blog by the name of The Merchant Girl (where she writes about some seriously good deals on clothes and fashion insider tips) and while she got her latest #OOTD shot I was busy making this guacamole the star of the day.
