28 mars 2024

Nairobi: Extravaganza in Kailash Parbat that could convert Kenyans to veganism

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I've never considered being a strict vegetarian. Yes, I do like salads, however when choosing a salad, I tend to choose ones that have shredded bacon, chicken, or tuna. You might thus imagine my suspicion when I entered a vegetarian eatery.

My attention was sparked when I learned that they had roughly six branches throughout the world. A vegetarian restaurant called Kailash Parbat, which was founded in India in 1952, has opened in Nairobi.

I located the ideal seat on the patio, but before I could place my order, I had to deal with a small issue: reading the menu. The Kenyan franchise owner is Monica Vaid.

She told me that Kenya's Kailash Parbat was the result of a longing for real Indian street cuisine as I slurped a mango-yoghurt beverage flavored with ground fennel seeds.

"There were just a few restaurants that could accommodate my vegetarian-leaning pescatarian diet. My family members eat meat, but since I quit eating meat when I was 11 years old, I prefer fish and eggs.

So, one day when I was hungry chaats, my husband took me to a restaurant where the selection was meh. This offered a chance, and the Kenyan franchise was established thanks to our affiliation with a Kailash Parbat brand descendent," the woman claims.

Finding the ideal location, however, was not that simple. It took a long time. The Kenyan franchise started off very immediately after they chose the current location. Monica believes the moment is right to introduce non-Indian groups to Indian cuisine and the advantages of a vegetarian diet, even though she still has many of her regular clients.

With a smile, she says, "We occasionally get people who come in, sit down, and ask if we may have chicken.

Although they have considered adding meat, Monica points out that it would need to be a different organism. However, they are eager to establish pop-ups in other parts of Nairobi in order to promote the chaat flavor.

Knowing what was on the menu, I decided to participate in the vegetarian extravaganza. Paneer (Indian cottage cheese) and mushrooms prepared in a tandoori clay pot served as an appetizer, and an amazing chaat plate of dahi wada, bhel puri, sev puri, and crispy corn basket was served as our meal's main course. Eating Indian cuisine by hand is ideal.

The puri balls served with spiced mint water and tamarind sauce and especially the Bombay version drenched in yoghurt won me over. They were stuffed with seasoned mashed potatoes.

The amounts of the dish were more generous than I had anticipated. My table had the appearance of a kingly display and a glutton's feast before I realized it.

Samosa Ragda is a spicy potato puff served with chickpea sauce, Chole Bhatura is fried fluffy bread served with hot chickpea masala and onions, and the Dosa pancake from South India was highly regarded for its beneficial effects on the gut.

Despite all, I hardly even touched the menu. Although Monica acknowledges that the local veggies are of a higher caliber, staples like watermelon seeds and tamarind are imported from India.

Additionally, they hire skilled cooks who have spent at least ten years working at the original Kailash Parbat and are familiar with the family recipes.

I can now envision myself choosing a vegetarian date over a nyama choma one, albeit it won't happen right away. This also dispels the misconception that "African vegan" is an oxymoron.

The Dosa, a common breakfast meal, is made with rice and lentils that have been soaked together over night, machine-pureed, and then topped with naturally fermented butter.

My spirit really lay down during the mains, when Dal Mahkni won me over. It was just delicious to stew a mixture of black urad (lentil) and rajma (red kidney peas) for an entire night before enhancing it with butter and cream.

The Paneer Tikaa Lababda, which had bits of barbecued paneer tikka floating in a distinctive tomato sauce, came a close second. There was an option of garlic to go with them. That eating experience was amazing.

All that and I barely scratched the menu with the soup section as well as the Bombay Nagri section (that is a food immersion through the various Mumbai street foods) and the Oriental Kitchen (that is Indo Chinese fusion kitchen) saved for my next visit.

To ensure that the coroner reported that it was death by food, nevertheless, I managed to stuff myself with Jamun E Jannat which is a Gulab Jamun (fried dough balls that are soaked in sweet, sticky sugar syrup) served with a base of rabri (sweet, condensed milk).

 

MamP's

© Photo Credits : Sassy Mama Singapore