Nasty Bits??... This Way Please!!

Everyone draws a line somewhere when it comes to food. I mean, there are things you love to eat, then there are things you think are so-so, others you hate, and then others you can’t even imagine eating. Somewhere between the third and the fourth, you draw the line. Anthony Bourdain draws no line. And at the other end, there are strict vegetarians - the religious ones and the vegans/PETA activists. If Tony and the vegans were at the right and left ends of the spectrum respectively, then I’ve always been seen as a far right guy. I've been called Weirdo, Savage, The-Guy-Who-Eats-Goat-Balls, Potential Cannibal and god knows what else owing to some things I choose to eat. This post is to show that what I eat is in no way weird, and maybe shift some of the readers a bit to the right.
But first let me tell you that I do in fact, draw a line. I don’t think I can eat insects, I would not eat endangered animals, or a lot of things Anthony Bourdain or Andrew Zimmern eat on their shows. But, this side of the line, there are a few things I regard as delicacies. Allow me to explain in ascending order of apparent weirdness.

Whole Fish
I don’t know why people find this weird but they do. Maybe a lot of my friends have not grown up eating fish at home like I have. So it’s understandable that they get weirded out seeing me pop the eyeball into my mouth and eat the flesh around it as well. They don’t like the idea of me eating the roe sacs either. These are however, some of the best tasting parts in most fish and letting them go would be a sin!

Country Fowl (Desi Murgi)
Most people of my age group don’t even know what this tastes like. That's coz they've grown up eating the commercially produced broiler chickens. And they don’t feel sufficiently disgusted till I tell them about the bunch of unhatched eggs that is sometimes found inside the slaughtered chicken. But believe me, these unhatched eggs of various sizes are a delicacy when cooked along with the chicken in a curry. Broilers can’t hold a candle to this stuff!

Pork and pork products
For most Indians, pork brings with it images of dirty pigs roaming around in filth on the roadside. But pork comes second only to fish in my list of favorite meats and the list of amazing meat products that the pig has blessed us with makes me wonder - why all the hate? Ham, Salami, Bacon, Sausages...there you go...the four greatest meat products...all from one animal!

Offal
Now this is what disgusts people the most. For those of you who don’t know, offal is the name used for the internal organs of a butchered animal, often a goat. No, I did not grow up eating this stuff. But I acquired a taste for it and the credit goes to a no-frills roadside place in my lane that served lip-smackin good offal in fried and gravied form. I've eaten offal at quite a few places by now, but none can match the taste at Sadabhai's. Brain (Bheja), Liver (Kaleji), Kidneys (Gurda), Intestines (Vajri) and Testicles (Kapura) were on offer and I've spent many evenings sitting on a stool on the footpath dipping Pao into his brilliant Bheja Masala. That fact that this place packed up two years ago is a big personal loss and I'm compelled to share with you, his unique recipe of Bheja Masala.

Ingredients:
1 Goat Brain
1 Small Onion - Finely Chopped
1 Tomato - Finely Chopped
Ginger and Garlic Paste, 1 teaspoon
Turmeric powder, 1/2 teaspoon
Red Chili Powder, 1 teaspoon
Gram Masala Powder, 1 Teaspoon
Salt to Taste
Coriander Leaves
Paya Soup, 1 small cup (This is the secret ingredient)
Refined Oil

Preparation:
Heat Oil on a large frying pan and spread it across the pan. Place the whole brain in one corner of the pan and cover it with a large cup or plate. Now, fry the chopped onion on the same pan. After a minute or so, add the ginger-garlic paste and sauté for some more time. Add salt, turmeric powder, red chili powder and garam masala powder and sauté some more. Now add the chopped tomatoes. Divide the fried brain into medium-sized pieces with a spatula and mix it with the rest of the ingredients on the pan. Now add a few teaspoons of Paya Soup and cover with a cup or plate. Add a little more Paya Soup from the outside and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Now remove the cup and add the rest of the Paya Soup. Heat for a while and add the chopped coriander. Serve hot with bread (Pao) or Roomali Roti.

This recipe is just one example of how stuff you guys see as 'weird' can actually be a delicacy. Food of this kind is eaten and liked in every part of the world, whether it’s Europe, Asia or even the United States (sheep testicles are called 'Rocky Mountain Oysters' and relished in the Midwest). Watch any food-related show on TV and you'll find this to be true. So next time, do what scares you and try some of the food on this post. I'm sure it will change your opinion. And I'll end this post by quoting Andrew Zimmern from Bizarre Foods - "Remember, if it looks good, eat it!!”