I've been in India for a little over a week. I still know and understand very little, but I'm starting to get a better sense of things — at least things in my small corner of Mumbai.
On reflection, the most important discovery of this past week was ras malai, which was given to me as a snack during a journey to Navi Mumbai to finalize my dog Myron's paperwork with the Indian government. The paperwork was uneventful, the ras malai on an empty stomach after a long afternoon was revelatory.
It's like a creamy, custard-y cheese cake without a crust. Might have been my empty stomach, or the fact that it was totally unexpected, but sipping the cardamom milk and biting into the spongy cheese dumplings filled me with a culinary joy that one rarely feels after turning 30.
The best part is, I'm not even sure if the one I had was very good. My pet expediter bought it from a roadside shop. I sipped the lukewarm milk out of a plastic takeaway container that had been taped shut for easier transportation.
Loved every part of it. 10 out of 10 points, can't wait to have it again.