India on My Platter Read Online Free Page B

had a great after-meal snack, thanked Neemaji for being a great host and quickly got myself a bottle of some fizzy drink as I stepped out because my tongue was burning like hell. That sauce was fiery!

D AY 7
    12 August / Dharamshala
    ’You tend to appreciate and value a lot more when the absence is felt…be it for a person, a place or an entity,’ is what my dear friend Anamika Singh truly believes in. She mostly speaks so for her hometown, which is Dharamshala, and now I understand her love for this place. She has played a major role in promoting teas from this region. Dharamshala has beautiful tea estates. Anamika is the founder of Anandini Himalaya Tea and the marketing director of Manjhee Valley Tea Estate. I had promised her that I would visit the tea estate whenever I get a chance to travel to this part of the country, and here I was, standing in her tea estate early morning, learning how to pick the best tea leaf—the dhai patta or two leaves and a bud—which makes the perfect tea.
    There were a lot of ladies in this gorgeous tea plantation carrying baskets strapped to their heads. They were all extremely sweet and a bit camera shy while they taught me how to pick the best leaves; they made it look so simple while I couldn’t even figure my way into the plantation as there were no set paths here. If you have a bucket list for travels, make sure you add a ‘tea plantation visit’ to it. Anamika is one of the most vibrant people I’ve met in my life and as camera savvy as her tea estate was. She hated the fact that many people, including the vendors, over brewed their tea. Anamika’s tip for a perfect cup of tea was to time the brewing of tea with precision, which is four minutes. It was a delight to see her personally brew some tea right there at the plantation. The procedure was fairly easy as this was a no sugar, no milk tea. This would not dilute the essence and flavours of her special handcrafted blend of one of the varieties of green tea with Himalayan tulsi (basil) and pomegranate flowers. You had to infuse the tea in hot water for four minutes and then fill all the cups halfway through first and then top them up. This was because the tea in the top half of the kettle was lighter than the bottom half. So to balance the flavour and depth of the tea in all the cups this procedure needed to be followed. After some Delhi-style gossip, overlooking the tea estate and sipping one of the lightest and most aromatic teas I’ve ever had, I gave Anamika a big hearty hug and left with some fond tea-time memories.
    D AY 8
    From Dharamshala, I now moved towards Andretta in Himachal Pradesh.

D AY 9
    14 August / Andretta
    Waking up today was a bit tough. After spending eight days with no real rest, I could now see how tough pulling off 100 continuous days would be. It all sounded very romantic and adventurous while it was being planned; well, till now, it had been a super trip, so I wasn’t complaining, though the bum did hurt a little bit. My journey had brought me from Punjab to the state of Himachal Pradesh, a land which people called Dev Bhoomi or the ‘Abode of the Gods.’ The art, beauty and taste of this place inspired me to explore its culture and tradition.
    Andretta, a small village, is close to Palampur, whose serenity has inspired many artists from all over India, for generations. Everybody knows about Shimla, Mussoorie, and Nainital, but Andretta is the village where art is born and the valleys here take your breath away.
    We were going to visit a very famous art studio here, and meet the manager of Andretta Pottery and Craft Society. People from all over the world came here to learn pottery and take short and long courses for the same. Being a chef, it excited me because it was something that needed similar kind of attention to detail that we gave to food; so it was a combination of great craftsmanship and creativity. Why shouldn’t I also give it a try was the question, which was quickly answered by