snacks – Delhi Food Walks

RAM G SNACKS CORNER

By Prakriti Bhat

Who can forget Akshay Kumar and Juhi Chawla in colour coordinated night suits, gyrating to:

“Jab tak rahega Samose me Aalu

Tera rahunga, O meri Shaalu”

Samosa, the crowning glory of street food has come a long way from the simple Aalu (potato) fillings. And Ram G Snacks Corner in Moti Nagar proves exactly this point. With over 9 types of Samosas on their menu, this place is surely a haven for Samosa lovers. From Pastas to Chowmein as fillings, each Samosa is unique and delicious. I wonder what Akshay Kumar has to say to this.

Ram G Corner is a tiny shop near Milan Cinema in Moti Nagar. They have been serving in this area for about 5 and a half years and changed shops twice since then. Their unique concept and consistency garnered a lot of attention and popularity. This led them to open another branch in Netaji Subhash Place which has been running successfully for a year or two. The nearest metro station would be Moti Nagar or Kirti Nagar on the blue line. From Milan cinema, it’s a 2 minute drive.

The shop, going by the menu, serves 9 types of Samosas. Aalu Samosa, Malai Paneer Samosa, Paneer and Pyaz Samosa, Chilli Paneer Samosa, Tandoori Paneer Samosa, Macaroni Samosa, Pizza Samosa, Veg Keema Samosa and Chowmein Samosa. I asked the vendor to pack all the available Samosas except Aalu. Pizza and Tandoori Paneer Samosas were unavailable at that time. So he added an Egg Bhurji Samosa to my order. My favourite was the Macaroni Samosa. The pasta was made in Indian style and was well spiced and tangy. The next best was Chowmein Samosa. A product of Indo Chinese fusion, this one had your regular street Chowmein stuffed inside the Samosa; spicy, savory and exceptionally well made.

Among the Paneer variants, Malai Paneer Samosa was a clear winner. The mixture was creamy and extremely delectable. Chilli Paneer Samosa wasn’t very spicy but more towards the tangy side of your palate. Paneer and Pyaaz Samosa was made with crumbled paneer spiced with turmeric that lent it a yellow color. Veg Keema Samosa was prepared with Soya granules cooked in, perhaps, Soy Sauce. Lastly, the Egg Bhurji Samosa consisted of a filling of Egg Bhurji and onions. However, it was very bland.

Except the Egg Bhurji one, each Samosa is gigantic and very crispy. I got the Samosas packed and even after 20 minutes, they remained crispy. That speaks volumes about its quality. The prices are very reasonable. There may be no seating arrangement or tables outside the shop but do not let that deter you from making a visit to this hidden gem.

Cost for two- Rs. 60-70

Anubhav Sapra

Anubhav Sapra is an avid foodie! He is a Founder but proudly calls himself a Foodie-in-chief at Delhi Food Walks. He is also a street-food and Indian regional cuisine connoisseur and loves to write about street-food.

http://www.delhifoodwalks.com

Guess what Old Delhi is back with?

By Anubhav Sapra

I am delighted to announce that Babu Ram and his family members are back from the villages of Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh to the by-lanes of Old Delhi- Sitaram Bazar. Guess what he is back with? He is back with the ‘Daulat ki Chaat’, a delicacy of winter. It seems winters are just here!

I spotted Babu Lal, a Daulat ki chaat hawker, at the Chhata Shah ji lane, near Barsha bulla chowk where the famous lotan Chole Kulche sells his scrumptious meal. Till 10 am, you can find Babu Lal at Chhata Shah ji, and from 11 am to 7 pm at Maliwara in Chandni Chowk.

Pamela Timms in her book ‘Korma, Kheer and Kismet’ has beautifully summarized this winter delight. She mentioned,

“Daulat ki chaat (meaning ‘snack of wealth’) is probably Old Delhi’s most surprising street food. Anyone expecting the punchy, spicy flavours usually suggested by the word ‘chaat’ will be disappointed. It resembles uncooked meringue and the taste is shocking in its subtlety, more molecular gastronomy than raunchy street food, a light foam that disappears instantly on the tongue, leaving behind the merest hint of sweetness, cream, saffron, sugar and nuts; tantalizing, almost not there. I’ve often wondered if daulat ki chaat is a preview of what might be on the menu should we make it as far as the pearly gates. The means by which a pail of milk is transformed into the food of the gods, though, is the stuff of Old Delhi legend rather than of the food lab. First, so the story goes, milk and cream have to be whisked by hand before dawn ( preferably under the light of a full moon) in to a delicate froth, then left out on grass to set by the ‘tears of shabnam’ (morning dew) – but not too many, nor too few. At daybreak, the surface of the froth is touched with saffron and silver leaf and served with nuts and bura (unrefined sugar). Daulat ki chaat is only made in the coolest months because at the first ray of sunshine, it starts to collapse. It doesn’t travel well either- to enjoy this very local specialty, a winter pilgrimage to the shady gullies of Old Delhi has to be made.”(p. 147-148)

A dona of Daulat ki chaat costs Rs 40. Babu Ram’s family members (kinari bazaar- Khemchand, Gali Paranthe Wali- Rakesh, Dariba Kalan- Babu Ram and Maliwara- Babu Lal) are there in the alleys of Old Delhi with their khomchas selling Daulat ki Chaat. The winter delight is available until Holi. So, it is the time for a winter pilgrimage, in the words of Pamela Timms, to the gullies of Old Delhi to savour the delicate dessert.

Reference: Timms, P. (2014). Korma, Kheer and Kismet. New Delhi: Aleph

Anubhav Sapra

http://www.delhifoodwalks.com