Mongol Rally 2011

In July 2011 I went on a journey of a lifetime, driving from England to Mongolia. The whole trip took 6 weeks driving through Europe, Turkey, Iran, The Stans, Russia and Mongolia. It was truly a great adventure and a culinary experience. We wanted to cook as many meals as we could on our stove but also enjoy local specialities! And boy did we eat some amazing food. Here are a few delights that we sampled/made along the route…

P&O Ferries - Cornish Pasty

We started the rally at Goodwood race track and travelled along the coast to get the ferry from Dover to France. I wanted my last meal to be truly a British affair so ordered a Cornish Pasty and pint of Bass. It was incredible, didn’t touch the sides. A good consistency and ratio of meat and veg. Surprising from a Ferry meal. Washing it down with a Bass and watching the white cliffs disappear in the distance made it all that bit better and the rally becoming a reality, thinking when will be the next time I’m back in England.

7/10

Belgium - Bacon and Egg sandwich

After waking on a piece of roadside turf  somewhere in Belgium, we cracked open the gas stove and cooked up some breakfast. Mother being the good lady she is, sent us packing with a dozen eggs from her chickens (my mates are my witness that these are the best eggs known to mankind), so bacon was in order and there we had our first Bacon and Egg sandwich. It was a beauty! crispy, smoked bacon a perfectly cooked fried egg (no hard yolk here) and a smothering of bbq sauce on a good rye bread. Sunshine in a bun

8.5/10

Hungary - Hungarian Goulash 

We had been driving in the rain all morning and needed a fix, it was all motorway driving at this point so we struggled to find much and rocked up to the next service station with a food sign. This place was hidden around the back, it was a massive building. We walked up the marble staircase into an unexpectedly plush linen topped dining room, feeling totally out of place we decided to sit outside. We were the only people here and were totally sketched out by the incredible ‘roadside services’. Being in Hungary I had to have the Goulash, having never tried it before, not really knowing what it was the name had kinda put me off. I couldn’t of been gladder, it was the perfect dish for the day; meat, vegetables and beans in a rich, spiced soup with a big dollop of yogurt in it! We left feeling triumphant, surprised by the roadside quality and shocked by it’s comparison to their equivalents back home. 

9/10

Turkey - Lamb kebab

Turkey here we come! I thought of the TWE crew whilst eating this bad boy. Again another roadside service station but this time in the middle of Turkey. The location was high up in the mountains and they had outside seating looking over the valley. It was here we had our Lamb kebabs. Previously we were in Istanbul which I heard is the best place to get a kebab but I was utterly disappointed with the overpriced piece of shit I got so was very happy to see this plate of food arrive. It tasted as good as it looked, perfectly cooked, tender, well marinated meat with a real hot chilli, moist seasoned rice and fresh salad. My Turkish kebab experience was fully restored.

9/10

Iran - Fried Chicken

We entered Iran just in time for Ramadan… great! This meant most of the nation would only be eating between dawn and dusk, and a serious lack of available restaurants. Travellers and Pilgrims are thankfully exempt from this rule, and being that we were on a culinary pilgrimage, we relaxed ourselves into Iranian life. 

We filled up with Diesel and met a chap who spoke fairly good English. He excitedly invited us to lunch at his father’s restaurant. We were delighted to find out it was a fried chicken joint, that’s fried chicken and only fried chicken! As our starving white asses entered the hall, heads turned and speech stopped. We couldn’t let this distract us from our feed though. There are about 6 of these fine establishments in Iran and all owned by the family. 

The bird arrived with a plate of rice, bread and special homemade juicy pomegranate sauce. I had no idea what Iranian cuisine was and was surprised to get fried chicken. It was the most supreme I have been lucky enough to eat, I can’t put into words how good it was, he wouldn’t tell the recipe unfortunately but I don’t think I would give a stranger my family’s secret recipe. The place was rammed so I thought it would be good but no idea it would be this good! We left with a complimentary pot of the sauce and were told to keep our wads of inflated cash in our pockets.

10/10 

Iran - Chicken and rice

We took a little detour to see Masouleh in the mountains. The family we stayed with the night before said how great it was and not to be missed. We were very hungry (and sweaty) and luckily met an Iranian family who’s  daughter spoke very good English. They were on holiday from the South so were able to eat. Most of the restaurants were closed but they knew one that was open, they weren’t able to eat with us but helped us with our order. They had fried chicken on the menu, so I was in! But unfortunately the description was lost in translation and there was nothing fried about this chuck. It was however very good but nothing too special, the chicken was a bit dry and the sauce was bland but the rice was incredible, it was covered with dried cranberries and pomegranate.

6/10

Mongolia

The Mongolians eat what they have, which for the most part is Yak, Mutton and more Yak. And the most basic way to cook this is to boil it. Being a baron landscape, there is a serious lack of vegetables. To a Western palette this was harsh, unappealing and so pungent in smell it was enough to put a weak man off eating for life. Between the towns (which were around 300 miles apart, over rough terrain) there was nowhere to eat but the Ambulance (Our trusty steed). Luckily we had a vast amount of supplies left so we mostly cooked ourselves. Not being ones to reject the local cuisine entirely, we instead indulged ourselves in the vodka that flows like water, chased down with a copious amount of crunchy Gerkins. Yummmmm.

What we learnt
– Iran homes best kebabs and fried chicken 
– Gherkins and Melon are perfect chasers for Vodka
– Always have Tabasco/ or hot sauce close to hand
– Its beneficial to accept food from strangers
– Too much meat and no veg is not good for your bowels.

Big Al and the Smoke me a kipper crew. 

10/10