I miss Riyadh for so many things. During my 10 months stay in the capital, I came across people of countries like Bangladesh and Pakistan and a felt sense of brotherhood still remaining. Ironically it is more visible when we are in a different country.
Another thing which I miss is the food. Being a vegetarian and staying in Riyadh, is like being a teetotaler in GOA. ;). There were not many options for vegetarian food. Though you can get all the Indian items there and cook on your own, I really wanted to explore some of the foods which I never had heard about.
I had to sustain there for 10 months for which I learnt cooking (All vegetables and Indian spices are available there). I always preferred Roti and Dal in dinner (Gaining weight was also a concern .I gained 10 K.G.s in 3 months).There was a Pakistani Tandoor shop very near my hotel. It was run by 3 brothers who used to sell Tamees, a kind of Roti popular there.
Tamees is kind of wide flat bread (originated from Afghanistan), made with white flour (may contain some smashed beans), eaten mainly in breakfast and dinner.
Initially my reaction was: “This is such a big bread! How Can I even eat half of it?” . As a lot of time I had to spend for preparing Chapatis in my room, it seemed a better idea to buy a Tamees (which costs 1 SAR = 16 Rs) and save time. The first time when I tasted it, I found it so delicious, that I had it every other day in dinner and the later frequency changed to everyday. A single bread of Tamees is more than enough for a single person. I could never finish the whole portion, even when I was hungry. I had to throw some of it as the bread came very large.
The Pakistani shop, used to sell many varieties of it.
TIP: It should be eaten hot (within 10 mins of its preparation), to have the best of its taste.
My friends used to ask me how I could survive, in a place with so many non-veg options, being a vegetarian. I tell them "I had the most delicious Roti of my life. That's how I survived"
Another thing which I miss is the food. Being a vegetarian and staying in Riyadh, is like being a teetotaler in GOA. ;). There were not many options for vegetarian food. Though you can get all the Indian items there and cook on your own, I really wanted to explore some of the foods which I never had heard about.
I had to sustain there for 10 months for which I learnt cooking (All vegetables and Indian spices are available there). I always preferred Roti and Dal in dinner (Gaining weight was also a concern .I gained 10 K.G.s in 3 months).There was a Pakistani Tandoor shop very near my hotel. It was run by 3 brothers who used to sell Tamees, a kind of Roti popular there.
Tamees is kind of wide flat bread (originated from Afghanistan), made with white flour (may contain some smashed beans), eaten mainly in breakfast and dinner.
Initially my reaction was: “This is such a big bread! How Can I even eat half of it?” . As a lot of time I had to spend for preparing Chapatis in my room, it seemed a better idea to buy a Tamees (which costs 1 SAR = 16 Rs) and save time. The first time when I tasted it, I found it so delicious, that I had it every other day in dinner and the later frequency changed to everyday. A single bread of Tamees is more than enough for a single person. I could never finish the whole portion, even when I was hungry. I had to throw some of it as the bread came very large.
The Pakistani shop, used to sell many varieties of it.
- Regular Tamees (Made up of only flour)
- Biscuit Tamees (Tamees with some sugar and milk to make it crispy, mainly for breakfast)
- Ghee Tamees (Plain Tamees with ghee coating)
- Brown Tamees (Made with aata and whole grains)
- Cheese Tamees (My fav, Tamees, stuffed with cheese and it tasted heaven)
- Za'atar coated Tamees (Tamees with a coating of "herb and spice mixture", and its healthy too)
TIP: It should be eaten hot (within 10 mins of its preparation), to have the best of its taste.
My friends used to ask me how I could survive, in a place with so many non-veg options, being a vegetarian. I tell them "I had the most delicious Roti of my life. That's how I survived"
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