Gokarna travel guide

Fresh seafood

The Andaman Islands' oceanic bounty—Red Snapper, Barracuda, Giant Trevally and Rock Lobster from the Andaman Sea, landed daily at Port Blair's Aberdeen Bazaar fish market; restaurants at Havelock Island char-grill fish on the beach within hours of catching

Thali meals

The complete Indian meal ritual—multiple preparations in small bowls arranged on a large plate or banana leaf; eaten according to regional tradition with rice (South) or roti (North); the thali format existed for centuries and has never been improved upon for nutritional balance

Banana pancakes

Manali and Kasol's hippie café staple—thin banana-studded pancakes often with honey and lemon; adopted from the Southeast Asian banana pancake trail by backpackers; now an institution in any Indian mountain town with budget guesthouses; best at Old Manali's riverside cafés

Fresh coconut water

India's natural isotonic drink available for Rs 20-40 from coconut vendors with machetes on every coastal pavement; tender green coconuts from Kerala propped against motorbikes, the vendor machetes the top in seconds; unrefrigerated, directly tree-fresh at 35°C is somehow perfect

Fish curry rice

Goa's most democratic meal—a fresh fish curry cooked in a sauce of Goan red chili, coconut milk and kokum, served with mounds of boiled local red rice (ukda chawal); eaten by all Goans for lunch; the humble xitt codi at a beach-shack canteen is quintessential