Neilisland 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

Bengali fish curry

Bengal's everyday masterpiece—ilish (hilsa) macher jhol with mustard seeds and green chili, chingri malai curry in coconut milk, or bhetki in mustard sauce; the fish determines the preparation, the mustard oil is always there; eating ilish in monsoon Kolkata is a sensory ritual

Coconut-based dishes

Kerala's culinary identity—over 80% of Kerala cooking uses fresh or dried coconut in some form; coconut oil for frying, coconut milk for curries, grated coconut for chutneys; the region's specific coconut variety has a fragrance unlike any imported coconut

Lobster

India's least-known seafood luxury—the Andaman spiny lobster, Kerala red lobster and Lakshadweep rock lobster are available at source for a fraction of import prices; grilled simply at Havelock Island's beach shacks or cooked in coconut masala at Kovalam's restaurants

Fresh vegetables

India's extraordinary agricultural diversity producing specific seasonal vegetables by region—gongura leaves in Andhra, elephant foot yam in Kerala, gandhari chili in Meghalaya, water hyacinth in Manipur; buying seasonal local vegetables at regional markets is one of India's great pleasures