PM Narendra Modi hosts Gujarati style dinner for his Japanese counterpart

NEW DELHI: A mouthwatering Gujarati vegetarian platter cooked to spicy perfection and served in shiny copperware was presented to Japanese PM and his wife as PM Narendra Modi on Wednesday night hosted the visitors for dinner at Ahmedabad's famous Agashiye terrace restaurant.

The restaurant, known for its splendid view and kosher Gujarati cuisine, prepared a vegetarian thali for the special guests. The spread included more than 30 items. Melt-in-the-mouth khaman dhoklas, raspatra and gota fritters, mushy rice khichdi, saucy kadhi, a bitter gourd and onion sabji called bharela karela-dungri, and flatbreads such as bhakri, rotla and roti, besides the deep-fried puri.

These were be accompanied by curries such as sev-tomato, mixed-vegetable undhiyu, a garlicky potato dish called lasaniya bateta, and an assortment of dals, yoghurt raita and srikhand besides cool masala butter milk. For dessert, ghee-roasted gram flour sweet mohanthal, halwa and juicy jalebi were on the menu.

The restaurant had two government-appointed chefs from the respective countries to supervise what was cooking.

‘Agashiye’ in Gujarati means on the terrace. This stunning Gujarati Thali restaurant from the House of Mangaldas heritage hotel is spread over two huge terraces interconnected by a smaller one that houses a wooden cottage. Agashiye is an iconic restaurant in Ahmedabad. It celebrates Gujarati food and Agashiye is ranked as one of the top restaurants in Ahmedabad.

The menu changes daily at Agashiye. The food is usually served in a kansa thali and the meal generally starts with a choice of Indian breads and ends with rice. Located in the city’s old eastern suburbs, Agashiye overlooks the Sidi Saiyyed mosque, famous for its intricate jali or stone lattice work.

Lunch on Thursday will be a vegetarian fare too. The two leaders will have bilateral talks at Mahatma Mandir, a convention centre designed around Gandhian philosophy.

Gujarat Chief minister Vijay Rupani will host a banquet for the two prime ministers on Thursday night before Abe departs for Tokyo around 930 PM.