In the quest for anda masala

I know of few Times employees who really relish the canteen food at The Times of India Building, opposite CST, Mumbai. For most, it's the privilege of having the least expensive seven-course meal in Mumbai, that makes for a reason enough to swallow the vegetables in oil that pass of for korma or the 'Chinese' that tastes more of soda than ajinomoto. At Rs 2 a plate, you can't get a better meal anywhere in India! That's what ex-TOI employees complain about when they have to shell out Rs 20 for a not-so-different meal. That's why employees of the Thane, Vashi, Andheri and Parel offices of TOI crib so much about the canteen or the lack of it on the work premises.

What really made me wait for dinner in the canteen after a hectic day at Mumbai Mirror, was the anda masala (a nearly-dry preparation of a boiled eggs spiced up in a very thick red sauce). I can already imagine Joy smirking while reading this and Vishwas muttering, "Tu aur tera anda masala," but I still relish the memory of digging into just that while Vishwas and Joy would grumble about no paneer in the shahi paneer. I left Mirror, my home and Mumbai and with it the taste of the anda masala....

However, yesterday, as we drove around the streets of Vadodara, I spotted the Maji Sevak Omlettewala. I wondered if he would have anda masala. I decided to stop by and ask. The man was perplexed. "You mean boil tikka?" I looked at Rachit, who asked for a "chilli boil". I wondered if a chilli boil would be the same as anda masala. Rachit said it could come close to my description. However, his favourite chilli boil place run by some Sajid had disappeared. I looked at the menu of egg preparations the vendor-boy handed to me. No chilli boil there. So I ordered the boil tikka. What I got was the egg version of chicken tikka masala with two burger buns. And that cost me a whopping Rs 50!

While the boil tikka was good it wasn't the anda masala I wanted. An earlier trip to the Egg Zone restaurant had also ended up in such a failure. Yes, there are lots of eggs and omelette vendors (called lariwalas) in Vadodara, but I am still to find someone who can cook me some anda masala, TOI style.