Vishalla – Gujarati Goodies Galore

For those who miss home made food while away from home, I have discovered a fantastic rustic spot but one has to travel to Ahmedabad to enjoy it. I visited Vishalla with friends Harsha Bhatkal, Vinayak Gawande and Gopi Kukde and we were delighted by the charming splendour of rustic Gujarat brought alive there.

Each guest is welcomed with a spray of fragrant gulabjal and a rose bud. While waiting for your turn, which is unavoidable more often than not as the dining hall of Vishalla always has a full house, you can visit the snack stalls, slurp on freshly extracted sugarcane juice or buy home made snacks to carry back home. A better idea is to browse through the display in the unique utensils’ museum, which has an array of antique cooking vessels treasured by owner Surendra Patel.

Anyway, let’s talk about the food because the list is so long. We were there for dinner and completely unprepared for the quantities and variety paraded before us. A typical Gujarati meal has rotli, vegetables, dal or kadhi, rice, papad, pickle, salad, something savoury (more often than not deep-fried!) called farsaan and something sweet called mishthaan all on one platter.

One sits cross-legged on a comfortable mat and is served in a leaf plate placed on six-inch high tables, which are actually wooden planks elevated on bricks. Traditionally dressed waiters recite the specialities of the day.

The meal begins with wholesome starters like a variety of salads, farsans, chaas, papads etc. Hot poories, rotlis, theplas and bajra rotla with an earthenware pot of butter come next. And then the flow begins with servings of (my favourite) batata nu shaak (potato bhaji), potatoes cut into thin slices and tempered with mustard seeds, curry leaves, turmeric and generous amounts of oil; seasonal green vegetables tindola nu shaak and leela vatana; raitu of grated cucumber in sweet thick yogurt; the popular ‘khatti meethi’ kadhi made using buttermilk and jaggery and tempered with desi ghee, cloves and cumin seeds.

The secret of the deep flavours is that the kadhi is boiled only for the time it takes for the thickening agent (gram flour) to cook fully. The sourness mingles with the sweetness and this is an excellent accompaniment to the steaming hot, slightly mushy moong dal khichdi with a generous pouring of melted pure ghee on top. Any formal Gujarati meal will have some fried snacks. We were served tikkis stuffed with coconut and coriander leaves and the lightest dhokla this side of the world. A variety of mishtaan were served: a piece of crispy gur papdi (melt-in-the-mouth barfi made with whole-wheat flour, ghee and jaggery flavoured with cardamom), a delicate square of fluffy khopra paak, hot jalebis fried in pure ghee. As all this was on the thali the task was to simply start enjoying the fare. The service is continuous and one can eat as if there is no tomorrow. Once the thali is removed you’ll be served with ice cream! Just desserts to a simply superb meal, which at Rs 188 a head, is worth it.

A few unique points: Vishalla has its own solar generators. Lighting is by lanterns and the kitchens do not have deep freezers so one knows that the produce used is freshest of the fresh. That explains the ‘ghar ka khana’ taste! The earthenware pots are indigenously produced: there is a craftsman with the potter’s wheel who is always busy. The crockery (leaf plates) and cutlery (wooden spoons a la ice cream spoons) are disposable. The hygiene levels maintained will do any home proud. Vishalla can take some ‘stars’ of good commendation from me.