Saturday, November 22, 2008

5 must have foods in Delhi

What? Parantha
Where? Murthal: 35 kms away from Delhi
My personal favourites are Ahuja Number-1 or Gulshan dhaba on the highway itself. Devout fans of paranthas also swear by places such as IIT – Delhi flyover or, near Moolchand. I tell those poor souls that they haven’t tasted the paranthas at Murthal. Do not go to Gali Paranthe Wali at Chandni Chowk whatsoever, you will be in for a major disappointment. Except for the fact that those shops are ancient (established circa 1700) they have nothing to offer.

What? Samosa
Where? Panchkuian Road, near Connaught Place
This place is hidden behind Metro track and is losing its glory due to Metro work. In its golden period, this single shop was responsible for causing major traffic jam at Panchkuian Road. While you are eating samosa, you must also sample kachoudi and gulab jamun over there. The shop owner has also opened a shop at Netaji Subhash Place, Wazirpur.

What? Kulfi
Where? Roshan’s, Karol Bagh
Start eating the kulfi and you will be engulfed by chilly sweetness. People dare the hot Delhi weather and the horrifying traffic snarls to visit this shop. Tip: the shop is always crowded so grab a seat wherever you can, don’t bother if someone is already occupying a table – you will never be able to have complete table to yourself.

What? Tikki
Where? Bittoo Tikki Wala – Rani Bagh/Wazirpur
This guy is personification of rags to riches story. He (his tikkis) shone to fame when Delhi was gripped by adulterated oil mafia and Delhiites avoided eating out due to fear of dropsy. This guy, at that time, operated on a makeshift movable stall (we call it rehdi) and he hung a board on his stall saying “we make tikkis only out of desi ghee”. This assurance was enough to make the roadside food starved Delhiites queue up at his stall with their tongues hanging out. Within a period of 7 years this guy has moved from a makeshift stall to upmarket Netaji Subhash Place and has another shop in Rani Bagh.

What? Chaat
Where? UPSC building, near India Gate
Try the fruit chaat. The way he makes chaat is quite simple, yet the chaat should be tasted to believe, it’s like magic!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Great post! I loved the topic, being an ardent foodie. Some of the best foods in a city are often to be found in the inner lanes, gullies and less-known places. To really know a place, you must visit these and sample the fares, if not, then you can't claim to have known the place at all.