India

When I travel to a new region, I’ve realized the meal I’m often most interested in is breakfast. One reason is that most restaurant experiences at home are dinners– it’s rare to go out to eat and see what people make for breakfast. Fortunately, in many places around the world even modest hotels serve a breakfast buffet, so it’s easy to see and try a wide range of dishes. I was in India for the first time recently (maybe I’ll post a few food highlights later), and one of my favorite breakfasts was milagu pongal– a savory, soft rice porridge where the main flavors seemed to be ghee, cashews, black peppercorns, and lots and lots of fresh green curry leaves. I ate various versions of it– some white in color, some more yellow (whether from the addition of a yellow-colored dal, turmeric, or something else), and served with either coconut chutney, sambal, or a light yellow potato curry (aloo bhaji). Sadly, I may have only taken this one blurry phone photo of pongal (at the top of the plate)… ...