Good Eats Part I: North India Round-up

Some of you have expressed surprise that, given the number of meals lovingly photographed by Zach and given the amount of time Heather spends talking about, reading about, and cooking Asian food, we haven't devoted any blog space to it. Well, let the feast begin! We've been travelling in one of the world's best places to eat and it has been glorious. Below, a round up of some of our foodie highlights so far. We included links to websites and address information whenever possible so that any of you heading to the Subcontinent soon can chew the same path across the nation. (Note: Sometimes we didn't agree. What? Married people don't agree?!)

Best Breakfast:
Chole Batura at Hotel Kabli, Delhi. The hotel serves food from a local restaurant to your room, allowing you to eat your Chole the way it was meant to be eaten... in your underwear!

Best Bread:
Hers: Afghani Naan straight from the oven in the Jangpura Bazaar, Delhi
His: Aloo paratha we made during cooking lesson with Meenu at Queen's Cafe, Udaipur. (Side note: Queen's Cafe other food is also insanely delicious. Don't miss the pumpkin curry with coconut/mint spice mix.)

Making chapati with Meenu's daughter 

Best Bang For Your $1.80:
All-you-can-eat thali at Natraj, Udaipur. It included eleven seperate and permanently refillable items: dal, potato, two curries, curd, chutney, sliced onions, papad, chapati, rice, mango pickle and chili sauce. Galub jamun for desert.

Thali at Natraj

Best chai:
The pot Himat cooked up for us under a tree in the desert outside of Jaislamer. And made with fresh sheep's milk, so Zach could drink it!

A nice spot for chai

Best Dosa:
Special Dosa, filled with dried fruit, nuts and coconut flakes at Ayyar's, Varanasi. This hole in the wall place was opened by the current owner's grandfather.

One of the owners of Ayyar's with a portrait of his grandfather

Best Snack: 
Hers: Mango ice pop (available pretty much everywhere)
His: Samosa (or three) at Madhur Milan, Varanasi

Best Extremely Local Food:
Hers: Ker Sangri, a desert bean served up at Desert Boy's Dhani in Jaisalmer

His: Mirchi bada, a hot pepper stuffed with potatoes and onions and then fried like a samosa, at Shahi's Somasas in Jodphur (Nai Sarak, left side just before main gate to Sardar Market).

Best dessert:
Hers: Khir, a milk and rice pudding at Crystal, a wonderful Punjabi spot across the street from Chowpatty Beach, Mumbai.
His: Grandma's homemade milk candy at Vijay and Sonam's house in Agra

Heather's Overall Favorite: 
Bhaghain Barta, a wickedly delicious egglant dish that has the deep smoky flavor of roasted eggplant with the brightness of tomato and heat of curry spices. Also at Crystal, Mumbai.

Zach's Overall Favorite: 
Vegetable pulao, eaten with dinner our first night in Delhi at Hotel Kabli. Objectively speaking, it may not be the best best thing we've eaten, but at the time it was the best Indian dish I'd ever had. We've tried many pulaos since then, and none compare.

If any of you have great India eats -- from favorite dishes to hole-in-the-wall restaurants (especially in Kerala where we're headed next) -- please comment!