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MUZAFFARPUR VEG FOOD TOUR

 

In this special blog we bring you heartwarming accounts of a nostalgic gastronomic journey from the bustling lanes of Anubhav’s hometown Muzaffarpur in Bihar. Apart from being an important trade center of the state, Muzaffarpur is referred to as the ‘Land Of Shahi Litchi’ as it is the country’s leading producer of this deliciously succulent fruit. So brace yourself for an amazing lineup of street foods from some old and famous eateries that Anubhav had grown up eating. It was an utterly emotional experience for him to reconnect with his favourite vendors and dishes. So let’s get started. 

We began with a simple and filling nashta platter from Makhan Shah Halwai at Sonarpatti. It consisted of hot, fluffy puris, a no onion garlic aloo ki sabzi, malpua and jalebis. The highlight of this platter was the freshly made malpuas. Made with a batter of maida and sugar these disc shaped sweets were pure bliss. 

 

The next destination i.e Ram Bharan Aloo Kachalu Wale near Devi Mandir, was one of Anubhav’s childhood favourite stops that he frequented while returning from school. It was a ritual to relish the ghugni muri and aloo kachalu from this place along with the classmates. The former was a combination of puffed rice and black chick pea curry and the later was a zesty mix of boiled potatoes and spices. So during this visit, he went for these two dishes to refresh those memories. Everything, from the taste to the arrangement of things on the cart and the passionate warmth of Ram Bharan uncle was the same as it was years back. Anubhav was grateful to get this opportunity to express his thanks to him for the good times. 

After that super nostalgic encounter we relished some sev buniya and lavang lata from Hotel Bahadur at Kalyani Chowk. The lavanga lata is a khoya stuffed, deep fried pastry whose loose ends are sealed with a clove. The sticky coating of sugar syrup on the crisp exterior adds more fun to the sweet’s taste profile.

The next dish that impressed us was a well assembled Dahi puri from Chintu Dahi puri wale at Kalyani Chowk flyover. For all chaat lovers like us, these curd filled crisp puris are a perennial source of joy. 

We then came across a popular pav bhaji wale at Safi Saudi market. Along with the usual assortment of veggies, their version of this iconic street side dish from Mumbai had spinach and a distinct handmade spice mix in it that lent a unique flavour to the thick, buttery curry. 

From there we headed to Hari Ji Kachori Ghugni Stall at Suttapati. It was a delightful place full of yummy fried snacks. Our pick was a plate of choti kachori that was a combination of sattu stuffed kachori and ghugni. It was so delicious, especially the flavour of besan fried in mustard oil was a treat for the taste buds. Hari Ji’s eclectic range of fritters attracts a huge crowd. 

It was soon time for another round of sweet indulgence at two consecutive places Bharat Jalpan and Maharaj Dugdh Bhandar at Choti Sariyaganj Sutapatti. At the former place we tried rasmadhuri, balushahi and chena khajoor while at the later one we tried rasgulla, lal mohan and raskadam. In terms of great taste, the second place garners an extra admiration for serving optimally sweet treats in comparison to the first one. Anubhav has lots of yummy memories at Bharat Jalpan which he frequented with his parents during family shopping sprees. 

It was soon time to punctuate the gluttony with a paan and some jamun flavoured drink both of which are known to speed up the digestive process and cleanse the palate. We need to make room for a few more popular delicacies.

The next destination was Sundar Maharaj Pede wala at Suttapatti.This Rajasthani sweet and snack shop is popular for its pedas and different varieties of namkeens like dalmoth, mixture etc. We tried some dalmoth and peda. The soft and rich pedas made from freshly made khoya bearing a sweet fragrance of cardamom were quite irresistible. Their Dalmoth i.e., spicy and tangy fried channa dal mixed was a decent snack.

This was followed by a playful helping of aloo tikki ghugni chaat from Ma Bhawani Chaat Bhandar. This mix of crisp aloo tikki, ghugni, chutneys and spices was fun. 

Our penultimate destination was a Bindeswar Ji ki dukan at Purani Bazar Chowk. This humble pakoda and chup stall was situated close to the locality where Anubhav stayed with his family. It was an overwhelming experience for him to meet Bindeswar ji as it led to a flood of memories. He recounted some heartwarming recollections of the fried treats that he used to bing on from this place. A morsel of the crisp beguni stirred up more memories. 

The final destination of this close to heart food tour was Sindhi Sweet Shop. Here we tried the topi khaja which is a delicious multi layered, firm and glazed sweet treat. 

Thus comes to and end the walk down the memory lanes that is bustling with tales of tastes and flavours that had satiated Anubhav’s quest for food right from his childhood. Hope you enjoyed this recollection. 

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GWALIOR FOOD TOUR

 

The city of Gwalior holds a supreme prestige for its wondrous cultural heritage. Undoubtedly it is one of the gems of Madhya Pradesh. The town is eponymously known as Gwalior after the saint Gwalipa, who was able to heal a deadly disease of Suraj Sen, founder of the city. Beside the significant historical legacy, the city also offers eclectic street food options to the locals and visitors. We were in the city to explore its street food tradition through such iconic eateries which rules the heart of the locals with their amazing fares. According to us the best way to do so is to walk down the vibrant and glorious streets of this cultural gem for as you keep walking, you keep exploring. The street food scene here is overflowing with the sight, aroma and taste of kachoris, ladoos, jalebis, bedai, poha, imartis, sev etc. So let’s start with our food trail at Gwalior with our foodie host Shikha who took us to the most famed eateries across the city.

 

Bedai

Our first stop was the city’s most favourite ladoo and kachori shop, the Bahadura sweets. Contrary to its majestic sounding name, this place was a small and unassuming eatery situated in a Haveli like structure. Their ladoos are so phenomenal that one of its illustrious patrons was Sri. Atal Bihari Vajpayee, ex Prime Minister of our country. We tried their kachori and ladoo, whose reputation has traveled far and beyond. The Moong dal stuffed kachoris were very impressive but it was the fresh desi ghee ladoos that swooned us with their soft, luscious and moist texture. This place is worth all its reputation.

Next we went to Chote Lal shop that is known for its Bedai and Imartis. Bedai are firm and crisp, Moong dal mixture stuffed puris that is eaten with a spicy potato gravy and chutney. The bedai here like its Agra counterpart was quite appetizing but it was the Imarti that was the star. The distinctly fresh flavour of urad dal that comes through the ghee infused syrup fountain makes it irresistible.

Poha

 

From there we went to Ma Pitambara Poha Centre to savour another staple breakfast dish of this place i.e the Poha. The crowd over there was a tell tale sign of the popularity of this humble flattened rice based dish and the place as well. The inherent lightness that shines through the medley of taste and texture derived from the different elements makes its a go to breakfast delicacy.

 

After the breakfast tour we reached Dana Oli, a street line with  Halwai or sweet shops. This place is the epicenter of fresh savoury and sweet snacks that reaches the locals. Our first destination here was the Gyana Halwai. We had come to try their famous kalakand and hence we were lucky because we got to taste some Mango kalakand from the fresh batch that had just been prepared. It’s easily a must try dessert if you are visiting this place during the mango seasons.

The second destination at Dana Oli was Agarwal sweets where we ate the delightful Sev Boondi  and Philori. In case of the former the fresh Sev was the hero. The later one was another popular snacks made from moong dal that was a bit spicy yet tasty.

Next stop was Bansal Petha Bhandar where you will find an eclectic variety of this tasty ash gourd based delicacy. Here we tasted the Paan gilori petha that clearly has a very strong flavour of betel leaves and gulkand. We also visited their factory to learn about the preparation of this very intriguing sweets. The process of making it was really tedious but the end product is amazing.

Choti Kachori

After gorging on the delectable breakfast delicacies all through the day, it was time to check out the evening time treats on the streets. We arrived at Sai Chaat to have the appetising Choti Kachoris. Essentially it was a mini version of the Moong Dal Kachoris that we have had at Bahadura Sweets. Hot and fresh bite size Kachoris were served with green and sweet chutney. The interesting thing about the eating experience here was the Donna or the leaf bowls in which the Kachoris were served. It tasted much better in those leaf bowls.

Continuing with our sweet overdose we came across Ishwar Kulfi Bandar, a famous Kulfi shop. Its rich Rabri Kulfi flavoured with rose and kewra was refreshingly yummy.

Karela

Next was the turn for some playful treats at Sahi Chat bhandar. So we are enormously impressed to try the urad dal golgappa and the exciting karela. The later one is essentially a crisp savoury snacks that resembles the bitter gourd in shape. It is served as a chaat with curd, chutneys and spices. The delicious contrast of taste and texture made it an impressive option that should be explored by every chat enthusiast.

For dinner we went to the Rajasthani Bhojnalaya for having their immensely popular Dal bati churma Thali comprising of Bati, Dal, Gatte ki Sabzi, Kadhi, Potato masala, Churma ladoo and garlic Chutney. The owner was such an amazing host that he himself served us and guided us with the right way to have the delicacy. His warmth and hospitality just took the culinary experience to a different realm. 

Balusahi

 

 

Our penultimate stop was Baba Gafoor ka Dargah. In the month of July there is a festivity at this holy place and it’s during this time only, that perhaps the country’s largest Balusahi is prepared as an offering to the saint. Each Balusahi was around a kilo in weight. We saw its preparation and also tasted it.

We ended our tour with a tasty Paan from Pardesi Paan Shop. This post meal treat served as a palate cleanser and a digestive stimulant.  The food journey at Gwalior was very exciting and we convey our heartfelt thanks to Shikha for assisting us in the exploration.