A nice meal for a long journey.

indiaprof · Jan 20th, 2009, 10:17

We use tiffin carriers and thalis, too. They clean easily and they're light-weight. Also, we usually haul a little bar of Indian dish soap with us. When you leave, you can pack small, fragile or loose items in the tiffin carrier.

I'm not convinced, though, that railway platforms sell week-old samosas in India. Most of the railway platform food I've eaten was pretty fresh.

haydn · Jan 20th, 2009, 14:33

i'm with you on the tiffin totting train travels. got me a sturdy 2-stack for my trips. guarantees yummy food and gives me somewhere to store used clay chai cups safely, if i'm blessed enough to come across any. have an awesome 4 tiered tiffin too. truly a pagoda of pleasure! but hard to cycle with!! what in your humble opinions is the ideal? 2 or 4? or, just to be left-field, if you've tried it, how do you rate the 3-tiered tiffin? shantih.

Keshava · Jan 21st, 2009, 01:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by haydn

i'm with you on the tiffin totting train travels. got me a sturdy 2-stack for my trips. guarantees yummy food and gives me somewhere to store used clay chai cups safely, if i'm blessed enough to come across any. have an awesome 4 tiered tiffin too. truly a pagoda of pleasure! but hard to cycle with!! what in your humble opinions is the ideal? 2 or 4? or, just to be left-field, if you've tried it, how do you rate the 3-tiered tiffin? shantih.

3-tiers works for me. If I don't find enough supplementary food on the platforms along the way - I can make due for two day on what fits in 3-tiers. Oh yes . . . chai matkas (or chai kullars depending on where you are) make the tea taste worlds better. When we're in Delhi I buy a basket of 100 and ship them back with my business purchases. Indian customers at my music shop love being served hot chai in a kullar.

To India Prof I say; Don't take me so literally. There are in any case - exceptions to most any rule. I have found in the South that one can frequently get hot steaming fresh food at many stations. But the same is rarely so in the North. I used to occasionally risk the food served on the trains - but then one time in Rajasthan - I had the opportunity to walk through the kitchen car where the food was being prepared. All I can say is - you don't want to know.

:

haydn · Jan 22nd, 2009, 15:00

wow keshava! where does one buy 100 chai kullars in delhi? don't tell me you have to drink all that chai to get them, that would take...days!!
p.s. a tip for those with the indian chai virus, who don't want to go cold turkey while waiting for the next trip: i make a flask each day to take to work. one tea bag, 1 tsp homemade masala chai mix(cinnamon,powdered ginger,cardomom,white pepper,cloves in descending order), 1 or 2 tsp brown sugar, dash of milk. almost as good as train station chai by morning tea time! shantih

Keshava · Jan 22nd, 2009, 19:11

There's a wholesaler's market in E. Nizammudin near my friend Indepal's house that he takes me to. If you're a Vrindavan lover you can get them there too as many of the folks who make them live there. You can see them sitting out in front of their houses making them on the sidewalk and buy them for about Rs 1.50 each,

indiaprof · Jan 22nd, 2009, 19:35

Three-tiered tiffin, totally. I brought mine back to the States, and I use it for Indian and Thai take-out. The restaurants get really nostalgic when they see it, it's not so messy, and (this is the good part) I always get more food.

philip007 · Feb 25th, 2009, 17:36

Hi folks,

What is the difference between buying a tiffin box when in India or taking several tupperware boxes with you from home ?

May sound a silly question however I am new to this !!!

Cheers.

Philip

atala · Feb 25th, 2009, 18:01

The difference, as Keshava points out, is that with plastic the oily stuff is difficult to clean. The masala will actually colour the plastic; besides the plastic might undergo some chemical reaction that might affect the food. Especially plastic softeners are leaking into food and drink, a thing to consider also with bottled water. Metal pots are certainly safer and easier to use for food.

philip007 · Feb 26th, 2009, 12:56

atala

good point. I did intent to bring some tupperware with me however I will now think again. Are they available everywhere ?

Is hot food available throughout india to put into the tiffin boxes ?

Cheers

Philip

Ali-Monbeam · Feb 26th, 2009, 20:08

Most hotels will do you some food and restaurants too.
Or street food if you want to try it.

haydn · Mar 8th, 2009, 13:35

wow! i just saw the bentley (or ambassador?) of tiffins! on a program about india on the subject of food (fascinating! one potato farmer in the punjab thinks the land of the 5 rivers is going the way of rajasthan! the most popular variety of pizza is tandoori chicken!). it was being prepared by a jain woman in mumbai to give to a dabba wallah to take to her husband. i was just thinking that it was very delicate, when she slipped it into its thermos like stainless steel outer skin! thus keeping contents hot! pretty impressive... though a bit fancy for my needs.

bond007 · Mar 10th, 2009, 03:00

Ummm... all this talk of train food is making me hungry...

a) I carry those microwavable plastic containers which are also airtight. They don't spoil cos they are sturdy and they preserve the food longer too. Cleaning is always a problem though

b) Carry some pickle of your own... It doesn't spoil (except in metal containers) and it can add a lot of taste to your food(s)

c) Always prefer hot drinks to cold drinks... Heating is the enemy of most bacteria... The chances of falling sick with a cold drink are much much higher because the ice used at stations is not made of clean water and you never know how long that drink has been kept for...

d) Same rule as above for food items... the more hot, the better... It is better to eat those oily puris on station that a stagnant samosa (because the puri is usually cooked in front of you in boiling oil)

e) Tiffin box is best for the first couple of meals only... Rice doesn't survive its freshness till next day

f) Aloo paratha (or any other kind of paratha) heated, packed in aluminium foils and kept in a casserole has lasted me for 24 hours... this is staple diet for me if i don't find anything...

g) Fruits are always easy to carry and don't spoil easily...

kartikp · Mar 15th, 2009, 20:35

though it's an old thread, I thought I would add some points to it.

Problem with sandwiches is that they go soggy after a while.
Problem with boiled eggs is that you have to be careful not to let them break.
Most restaurents will cook you a dry potato dish called "Aloo Jeera". You can have it with Puri. These two things while bieng slightly oily, lasts for awhile. It is best to wrap puris in a news paper so that the excess oil can be soaked by the paper.

Dry veg dishes will last you longer than meat. Packing kebabs from restaurant is not a good idea as kebabs would not taste nice and if not cooked fully, they will go off. Restaurants sometimes would not use fresh meat as well (Left over from previous day).

You can carry onions as whole and you can either cut them, or crush them with your palms. I personally like crushed onions, they taste better to me. Pickles are also a cheap and tasty option.

Most of the bottled drinks will be good to go in a train. Milk based products will go bad eventually. Try to avoid milk based drinks.

Indian food that deserves to be eaten while hot is "Bhajia/Pakoda".

Carry some good drinking water as most of the time you will get dubious drinking water from the vendors who come selling inside the compartment.

While traveling in north side, you will come across a lot of people selling "Bhel" or a mixture. It should not cost more than 20 rupees and it is spicy and simply fun to eat.

Wash hands. Drink water more than any fizzy drink.

atala · Mar 22nd, 2009, 19:35

Quote:

Originally Posted by atala

The masala will actually colour the plastic; besides the plastic might undergo some chemical reaction that might affect the food.

Indians sometimes use plastic bags to carry curries...

Quote:

Then there are the plastic bags, widely used to carry vegetables and other food stuffs, including milk and cheese. Ingredients of the colours used in these bags are generally lead and cadmium. When fatty food materials are packed inside, there is a chance of food absorbing the paint.

http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org .in/node/30304

Ali-Monbeam · Mar 22nd, 2009, 20:12

Having done my long journey, I found stuffed paratha, samosas and raita and chutneys were my faves. I got a tiffin from the market for about 400 rupees and used it for puting the food in.

Chai from the train vendors and some sweet things that looked like mini cornish pasties from a family on the train were really good.
I had bebinka with me which I shared with them too.
The family were amused to see a white family use the tiffin it was a great conversation starter.
We had small bottles on fresh water so we didnt have a big one open and could throw them away as they got empty which saved some space.

Feb 25th, 2009, 17:36	#37
philip007 Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Gold Coast Australia Posts: 150	tiffin or tupperware Hi folks, What is the difference between buying a tiffin box when in India or taking several tupperware boxes with you from home ? May sound a silly question however I am new to this !!! Cheers. Philip

Feb 26th, 2009, 20:08	#40
Ali-Monbeam Less of the 'Senior' member! Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Bradford Posts: 881	Most hotels will do you some food and restaurants too. Or street food if you want to try it. __________________ (~) <.....Place holder for a small animated cow.

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Jan 20th, 2009, 10:17	#31
indiaprof Account Closed Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: In the past, most of the time Posts: 820	We use tiffin carriers and thalis, too. They clean easily and they're light-weight. Also, we usually haul a little bar of Indian dish soap with us. When you leave, you can pack small, fragile or loose items in the tiffin carrier. I'm not convinced, though, that railway platforms sell week-old samosas in India. Most of the railway platform food I've eaten was pretty fresh.

Jan 20th, 2009, 14:33	#32
haydn yumm! Join Date: May 2007 Location: blue mountains Posts: 169	i'm with you on the tiffin totting train travels. got me a sturdy 2-stack for my trips. guarantees yummy food and gives me somewhere to store used clay chai cups safely, if i'm blessed enough to come across any. have an awesome 4 tiered tiffin too. truly a pagoda of pleasure! but hard to cycle with!! what in your humble opinions is the ideal? 2 or 4? or, just to be left-field, if you've tried it, how do you rate the 3-tiered tiffin? shantih.

Jan 22nd, 2009, 15:00	#34
haydn yumm! Join Date: May 2007 Location: blue mountains Posts: 169	wow keshava! where does one buy 100 chai kullars in delhi? don't tell me you have to drink all that chai to get them, that would take...days!! p.s. a tip for those with the indian chai virus, who don't want to go cold turkey while waiting for the next trip: i make a flask each day to take to work. one tea bag, 1 tsp homemade masala chai mix(cinnamon,powdered ginger,cardomom,white pepper,cloves in descending order), 1 or 2 tsp brown sugar, dash of milk. almost as good as train station chai by morning tea time! shantih

Jan 22nd, 2009, 19:11	#35
Keshava Pahari-Wallah Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Noo Yawk Posts: 338	There's a wholesaler's market in E. Nizammudin near my friend Indepal's house that he takes me to. If you're a Vrindavan lover you can get them there too as many of the folks who make them live there. You can see them sitting out in front of their houses making them on the sidewalk and buy them for about Rs 1.50 each,

Jan 22nd, 2009, 19:35	#36
indiaprof Account Closed Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: In the past, most of the time Posts: 820	Three-tiered tiffin, totally. I brought mine back to the States, and I use it for Indian and Thai take-out. The restaurants get really nostalgic when they see it, it's not so messy, and (this is the good part) I always get more food.

Feb 25th, 2009, 18:01	#38
atala 8 years in India Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Switzerland Posts: 978	The difference, as Keshava points out, is that with plastic the oily stuff is difficult to clean. The masala will actually colour the plastic; besides the plastic might undergo some chemical reaction that might affect the food. Especially plastic softeners are leaking into food and drink, a thing to consider also with bottled water. Metal pots are certainly safer and easier to use for food.

Feb 26th, 2009, 12:56	#39
philip007 Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Gold Coast Australia Posts: 150	atala good point. I did intent to bring some tupperware with me however I will now think again. Are they available everywhere ? Is hot food available throughout india to put into the tiffin boxes ? Cheers Philip

Mar 8th, 2009, 13:35	#41
haydn yumm! Join Date: May 2007 Location: blue mountains Posts: 169	wow! i just saw the bentley (or ambassador?) of tiffins! on a program about india on the subject of food (fascinating! one potato farmer in the punjab thinks the land of the 5 rivers is going the way of rajasthan! the most popular variety of pizza is tandoori chicken!). it was being prepared by a jain woman in mumbai to give to a dabba wallah to take to her husband. i was just thinking that it was very delicate, when she slipped it into its thermos like stainless steel outer skin! thus keeping contents hot! pretty impressive... though a bit fancy for my needs.

Mar 10th, 2009, 03:00	#42
bond007 Alien from India Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Delhi/US Posts: 251	Ummm... all this talk of train food is making me hungry... a) I carry those microwavable plastic containers which are also airtight. They don't spoil cos they are sturdy and they preserve the food longer too. Cleaning is always a problem though b) Carry some pickle of your own... It doesn't spoil (except in metal containers) and it can add a lot of taste to your food(s) c) Always prefer hot drinks to cold drinks... Heating is the enemy of most bacteria... The chances of falling sick with a cold drink are much much higher because the ice used at stations is not made of clean water and you never know how long that drink has been kept for... d) Same rule as above for food items... the more hot, the better... It is better to eat those oily puris on station that a stagnant samosa (because the puri is usually cooked in front of you in boiling oil) e) Tiffin box is best for the first couple of meals only... Rice doesn't survive its freshness till next day f) Aloo paratha (or any other kind of paratha) heated, packed in aluminium foils and kept in a casserole has lasted me for 24 hours... this is staple diet for me if i don't find anything... g) Fruits are always easy to carry and don't spoil easily...

Mar 15th, 2009, 20:35	#43
kartikp Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: UAE Posts: 51	though it's an old thread, I thought I would add some points to it. Problem with sandwiches is that they go soggy after a while. Problem with boiled eggs is that you have to be careful not to let them break. Most restaurents will cook you a dry potato dish called "Aloo Jeera". You can have it with Puri. These two things while bieng slightly oily, lasts for awhile. It is best to wrap puris in a news paper so that the excess oil can be soaked by the paper. Dry veg dishes will last you longer than meat. Packing kebabs from restaurant is not a good idea as kebabs would not taste nice and if not cooked fully, they will go off. Restaurants sometimes would not use fresh meat as well (Left over from previous day). You can carry onions as whole and you can either cut them, or crush them with your palms. I personally like crushed onions, they taste better to me. Pickles are also a cheap and tasty option. Most of the bottled drinks will be good to go in a train. Milk based products will go bad eventually. Try to avoid milk based drinks. Indian food that deserves to be eaten while hot is "Bhajia/Pakoda". Carry some good drinking water as most of the time you will get dubious drinking water from the vendors who come selling inside the compartment. While traveling in north side, you will come across a lot of people selling "Bhel" or a mixture. It should not cost more than 20 rupees and it is spicy and simply fun to eat. Wash hands. Drink water more than any fizzy drink.

Mar 22nd, 2009, 20:12	#45
Ali-Monbeam Less of the 'Senior' member! Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Bradford Posts: 881	Having done my long journey, I found stuffed paratha, samosas and raita and chutneys were my faves. I got a tiffin from the market for about 400 rupees and used it for puting the food in. Chai from the train vendors and some sweet things that looked like mini cornish pasties from a family on the train were really good. I had bebinka with me which I shared with them too. The family were amused to see a white family use the tiffin it was a great conversation starter. We had small bottles on fresh water so we didnt have a big one open and could throw them away as they got empty which saved some space.