Posted on

Charan Kumar’s Punjabi Rasoi Tadka

Charan Kumar’s Punjabi Rasoi Tadka

By Anubhav Sapra

Who likes to queue up to pay bills? Long, sweaty lines, standing and waiting and doing nothing fruitful, none of us, right? But if surviving the long long lines do not prove a waste of time and get you to hog on some amazing food, wouldn’t you just love it? Charan Kumar’s Punjabi Rasoi Tadka is perhaps the reason owing to which people living in and around North Campus do not mind standing in the long queues in front of the TDPPL office.

20130903_132750

You will find Charan’s Punjabi Rasoi Tadka right outside the TPDDL office in Hudson Lane. Everyday at 9 am in the morning, a santro halts in front of the government building to satisfy hungry souls of office goers,students and shopkeepers in and around Hudson Lane. The food is mouth watering! The menu includes of Kadi Chawal,Rajma Chawal,Chole Chawal, everything at an affordable price of Rs 30 per plate. To enhance the taste, Raaita for Rs 10 is also served along. The mobile food service enjoys good popularity in the area, you could actually find people waiting for it to arrive and some getting the food packed for the rest of the day. Charan’s Rasoi seems to have a good understanding of its customers and apart from having arrangements for packing the food for an extra price of Rs.5, it also serves it in a very presentable way, teamed up salad and pickles.

copy

All the dishes which he offers are truly delicious.To maintain hygiene, the food is served in disposable aluminum foil tray.

The most popular dish in the menu is Rajma Chawal and owing to its popularity, it finishes up soon. So, if you reach the place post 12. There are hardly any chances that you’d get to gorge on it.

Make sure you visit the TPDDL office sharp at 9 and treat yourself with some amazing north Indian food, a perfect start to a long day at work or college.

Happy eating!

Edited by:Kanchan Bisht

 

 

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.
Posted on

Tikkas and Curries

                      Tikkas and Curries

‘Tikkas and Curries’ is a multi cuisine eating and a takeaway joint. Located in Guru Nanak market, one can easily spot it by their signature bright and sunny yellow arched canopy. It is not known to many that this amazing eatery is run by former Oberoi chef, Sandeep Kakkar who believes that food is the celebration of life and the real success gained as a chef is when people appreciate the food with complacency and smiles on their faces.

chicken matar bharta

They offer a plethora of delectable, lip smacking dishes ranging from Kebabs, Mutton and Chicken Curries, Tikkas, Biryani served with special mint chutney, veg and non-veg Thali, Chinese, Soya roganjosh, prawns, fish, Paneer and Chicken Rara and Indian desserts like Kesri Kheer and Phirni. Though it’s been 2 ½ years since this joint opened up, they already have their branches at Greater Kailash and Saket going great guns. It’s a small joint with an attached kitchen whereby you can see through the chefs always at work and preparing the much relished dishes emanating an aroma that’s surely to charge up your taste buds, sending you into a trance.

dahi methi gosht

Their speciality is Chicken, Paneer, Soya rara which is prepared with the main ingredient mashed in pure Desi Ghee and Chicken Mutter Bharta, very unique and original in taste and style. Other specialities including the Mushroom Kakori Malai made from button mushrooms and cheese, savory Chicken Afghani prepared in cashew nut paste, Punjabi Malai tikkas, soft and succulent which melt in your mouth at once and Dahi Methi Gosht are certainly going to leave you craving for more.

Staff is amicable and the service is very quick. They provide free home delivery service along with banquet facilities and also specialize in outdoor catering.

The price range is almost Rs 500 for two people.

The timings are from 12 noon till 3:30 pm and in the evening from 7pm to 11pm.

By Foodie Correspondent:Ritika Bali

 

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.
Posted on

Nagpal Chole Bhature

                                                                                                                8th October,2013

   Nagpal Chole Bhature

IMAG2894

 “… Yaar tune yahan ke chole-bhature nahi khaye? Sharam kar!

And with this, my friend greets me into the haven of all the ‘PG people’ in and around Amar colony. This was one place where the undying-Punjabi-love-for-choley bhature was conspicuous. Be it a south Indian girl standing at the counter and ordering two extra plates to take for her PG mates after having one whole herself, or be it my bong friend who did the awesome job of bringing me here, Nagpal chole fits all tastes and preferences very well.

Coming back to the plaIMAG2892ce from where all the mesmerisation started, Nagpal choley was found in 1990 in the same Amar colony area where it is operational till now. In contrast to the current scenario, it was started with just one main dish which was the (evergreen) choley bhature. Looking back to those times this enticing plate consisting of a big bowl of choley with 2 huge bhaturas was merely priced at Rs. 8.

And this is where one of the in-charges there, Ramesh, says that ever since the time he has joined as a worker here, all he has been observing is the sheer increase in the customers as well the prices. With 2 years away from completing its 25th year of existence, Nagpal choley has been catering to the tastes of a huge chunk of people situated in Amar colony by serving them with a wide variety of the fried Punjabi flavour. Their dishes range from special Nagpal choley bhature, poori choley, rajma-rice, shahi paneer-rice, samosa with chutney and steaming kachoris.

IMAG2891

Undoubtedly, Nagpal choley has emerged as the most sought after food point in Amar colony due to their reasonable prices in terms of the quantity and quality they offer. The most famous choley bhature is priced at Rs. 55 for a full plate, Rs. 40 for a half plate and so on for every dish they offer. In all the ratings accordingly will be as follows:

TASTE                                9/10

AMBIENCE                        7/10

VALUE FOR MONEY         8/10

So the next time you’re around amar colony and wish to savour the dramatic-Punjabi- flavours, Nagpal choley surely possesses all the ‘must-haves’ to jerk your taste buds and brighten up your mood or day!

Cheers! Happy eating!

By Navani Satija,Foodie Correspondent,Delhi Food Walks

 

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.
Posted on

Changezi Chicken

DSC04787

SHAHI DASTARKHWAN

By Kashish Badar

Famous for its Mughlai and Tandoori dishes, CHICKEN CHANGEZI is a non vegetarian’s arcadia. Located on Netaji Subhash Marg, this small restaurant serves outstanding food. Though they don’t have much for vegetarians, but for the non veggies, this is shangri la!

I had heard a lot about the place, and the week before, I decided to visit the place for dinner. It is a small air conditioned restaurant which was established around 12 years back according to the owner, Mr. Mohd. Salman.

DSC04775

As the name of the restaurant suggests, the menu is chicken centric, with only a few other options, but that does not make it any less enticing.  We began with the Afghani Chicken which is chicken marinated in curd and other spices and then roasted. It is then put in gravy of cream and butter. This Afghani chicken is had with onions and coriander chutney. The chicken pieces were succulent and soft. They were properly marinated and the flavours had touched the core of the piece. I would give a 10/10 to this dish because of the tender and juicy chicken it had. The gravy was equally tasty and smooth. We had also ordered Butter Chicken which arrived soon with the rumali roti. The proportion of tomatoes, cream and spices was perfect in the dish, but the rumali roti was not such a hit. It was not very hot when served and it became rubbery and stretchy soon.  The butter chicken can be given 8/10.

DSC04778

And the showstopper of the evening was of course the most special dish of the restaurant; the Changezi Chicken. This is a great getaway from the usual chicken dishes. The grilled chicken pieces in the curry are first marinated DSC04780in lime juice and spices and then grilled. They are later served in gravy. Initially one might find it a little sour, but gradually your taste buds will love it. It’s garnished with freshly chopped coriander leaves and served hot with khamiri roti or plain naan. The dish has a little crunch in it and tanginess. It’s aptly spiced and served. The dish can easily score 8.5/10.

For the dessert we had zafrani kheer. It is basically the normal kheer to which zafran (saffron) is added. This adds further flavour, colour and fragrance to the sweet dish. It was served cold and tasted incredible. After all the spice, the little sugar made a perfect ending to the perfect dinner.

The service is really impressive in the eatery. Despite the renovation that is on in the place, the staff ensures proper check on the customer’s requirement and comfort.

DSC04781

For all those looking out for inexpensive and delicious non vegetarian food this weekend, do try out the place. Even a full plate of butter chicken will not cost more than 500 bucks. The place is great for family meals or an outing with friends. It’s comfortable (not luxurious) and gives you the feel of having good food in the heart of Delhi. After the feast, you can take a walk to the famous Jama Masjid to digest the scrumptious meal.

A meal for two would only cost around 400- 500 bucks. My personal recommendation would be the Afghani Chicken and certainly the Chicken Changezi!

The place is a must try for every non- vegetarian foodie!

You can contact Mr. Mohd. Salman for any further queries.

Mr. Mohd. Salman- 9312251239.

Address (Chicken Changezi)- 3614, Main Road, Darya Ganj.

Photo Credit- Piyush Nagpal

7th October,2013

 

 

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.
Posted on

Ranganathan

Delhi’s very own MADRAS CAFE

Five years ago a man named Ranganathan, arrived at New Delhi Railway station from Chennai holding his ten year old son’s hand and with dreams in his eyes. He wanted to start a small food joint in the capital to earn his livelihood.

With whatever savings he had and his culinary art of making delicious South Indian delicacies-dosa, idli and vadas he started his venture near GTB metro station as his main aim was to attract the college students who throng in and around North Campus. Assisted by little son, Ranga as he is fondly called he would get up early in the morning and start his preparation work. Around 12.30 pm, he would reach his venue with his paraphernalia and after the initial preparation like setting up of things like the dosa tava utensils, he would start doling out delicious dosas.

The aroma of fresh dosas being prepared, attracted a few passersby in the beginning and gradually through word of mouth Ranga’s business picked up. Today the small food joint is famous as “PURE MADRASI DOSA” stall. If anyone’s read “The Martyr’s Corner” Ranga’s story will remind you of the same. The must haves of this famous joint are the “Masala Dosas topped with cottage cheese”, the soft succulent vadas served with sambhar, coconut and gun-powder chutney. People from all walks of life throng the food joint and go back satisfied having tasted authentic South Indian delicacies at reasonable prices which suits every pocket.

This is the story of a man who has made big in a city like Delhi.His magical smile adds to the final touch to the whole experience and you come back again and again asking for more and more and more……

Foodie Correspondent-Surabhi Baksi

The location of the stall-near GTB METRO STATION
CONTACT NO-9044017319

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.
Posted on

Anna Cafe

Anna Cafe

Anna’s Cafe

Who knew that a tiny stall called Anna’s Cafe has been parked outside NIFT for 16 years? For 16 years Anna has been selling lip-smacking South India food at the most affordable prices ever. He has been saving us one hunger pang at a time.

For all the vegetarians this is a must try place and for all the ‘Tuesday’ believers like me this can be your ‘go to place’.

My personal favourite is The Vadas. No other place can balance the exterior crispiness and the inner softness of a Vada like Anna. I know it’s hard to believe considering it’s a small time ‘thela’ but that is the exciting aspect as well.

Unlike other dhabas or thelas, Anna doesn’t serve in recyclable plates (well you can ask for one if you want). Instead he serves the Vadas and the idlis in a bowl with a ‘topping’ of sambar and coconut chutney. The dosas are made right in front of you and served hot so that you can dive right in.

Although there isn’t much variety at Anna’s Cafe, there will always be one dish which shall become your personal favourite. To top it all you get to experience this for just Rs.30. Like I said he is a superhero.

If you want to be a part of this 16 year old legacy, head on over to NIFT near Hauz Khas market and Green Park Metro Station. Hope to see you folks soon!

Pramiti Sapru

Foodie Correspondent

P.S- You can always ask for extra coconut chutney. Anna never says no 😀

 

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.
Posted on

Depaul’s

Depauls

DEPAUL’S  COFFEE  AT  JANPATH

-by Shailaja Das

 

A trip to the Janpath market is incomplete without a stop at the famous Depaul’s for a bottle of cold coffee. Shopping at Janpath for cheap good quality products is an exhilarating but exhausting experience. It leaves you dehydrated and famished. But don’t you worry, Depaul’s is right there to your rescue. The outer part of the shop serves snacks and cold coffee while the inside of it caters to your hot cofee (which is as good as the cold coffee, if not better) and cosmetics needs

Depaul’s was established in the early 50s and is probably one of the oldest shops in the area. Over the years it has carved out for itself a niche in the hearts of those who have an eye for specialties. It often hosts reminiscent old timers who are either just stopping by or have brought their children, and even grandchildren, to taste the best cold coffee in the entire city. It’s not just the taste that is unique, it’s also the way it’s served to you. Depaul’s serves you the cold coffee in cute 200 ml bottles with a straw which give an entirely different feel to the whole experience.

IMG-20130831-WA0004

Their most popular cold coffee flavour is the hazelnut and is priced at a modest price of forty rupees for a bottle. In fact, their USP is “accessibility” – all their cold coffees and snacks are priced between 30-45 rupees. The complete menu has various items like burgers, sandwiches, rolls, salads and momos, besides few delicious flavours of cold coffee of course. A must try is the newly introduced grilled sandwich. Couple it with any cold coffee of your choice and make yourself a very economic and scrumptious meal. Enjoy your post shopping lunch!

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.
Posted on

Ever heard of a Gajar Parantha?

Ever heard of a Gajar Parantha?

By Kashish Badar

Paranthewaligali

It’s a rare site to see a woman managing a restaurant in Old Delhi, but I was lucky enough to witness it myself. Owning one of the most famous shops in Paranthe Wali Gali, Mrs. Sakun Sharma is a middle aged woman handling Babu Ram Devi Dayal Paranthe Wale.

Set amidst the hustling and bustling locality of Chandni Chowk, Paranthe Wali Gali, as the name suggests, is a hub for parantha (Indian flatbread) lovers. There are almost ten shops in the street which specialise in different types of paranthas. Out of these shops, almost half are owned by Mrs. Sharma’s extended family’s members. Not all of these shops serve paranthas though; one of them is a sweets shop having khurchan,lassi (churned curd) and other sweets on their menu.

The shop was established in 1889 according to the board outside, but Mrs. Sharma claims that it is much older than that. The shop belongs to her in-laws and she is the sixth generation handling this work. She feels proud to tell me that!

I had gone there with family, so we ordered a variety of paranthas ranging from the plain parantha to the mixed vegetable parantha.  The shop has a large variety to offer. Banana parantha, lemon parantha, parat parantha, bhindi parantha, kaju parantha,karela parantha and so much more. You just have to name it and they have it. We ordered a paneer parantha and badaam parantha to start with. While two men prepared them for us, one boy served us thalis each. The thali had aloo subzi, sitaphal subzi, aloo matar, pickle and saunth in it. The saunth had slices of banana floating in it. We were served the paranthas a little later. Let me tell you a very interesting thing about these flatbreads. Unlike the usual paranthas which are pan fried on a tava, these paranthas are deep fried in a pan of hot ghee/ oil.

We were served the badaam parantha first which had a filling of chopped almonds, salt and red chilli flakes. It tasted fine with the sweet saunth. But the different elements in the parantha could have blended together better. After the badaam parantha, we had the parat parantha (layered parantha). It had thin layers of wheat inside which could be separated easily. This looked interesting to me. Though it did not have any stuffing, but it tasted well with the rabri that we had ordered. We also had a mixed vegetable parantha. It had chopped cauliflower, chillies, potato and a few other vegetables in the stuffing. Our paneer parantha and plain parantha were served soon. These paranthas tasted well with the aloo subzi (dry) and the pickle. There’s one more thing that always manages to add flavour to the north Indian cuisine and that is lassi.  We north Indians just love this combination of paranthas and lassi.

Aloo parantha was last on our plate and I liked it second to the paneer parantha. The other paranthas had too much salt in them. Though the paranthas were golden brown and crisp but the stuffing in most of them was not up to my expectations. The subzis provided along the paranthas were fine but nothing exceptional, but I really liked the paneer parantha and parat parantha with the rabri. I would certainly recommend you to try it.

I would rate the badaam parantha 5/10, the paneer parantha 7/10, aloo parantha 7/10 and the mixed vegetable parantha would only get 4/10 due to the salt.

The paranthas  cost between Rs. 30- Rs. 60. So it is not an expensive deal. You can try out the other stuffings and probably ask the man who prepares them to add salt according to your taste.

A meal for two can be had within Rs. 200 – Rs. 300 very easily. Mrs. Sakun Sharma also told me that all her paranthas are equally popular.

From my personal experience, I would say that Paranthe Wali Gali  is slightly over rated. The variety they offer is the only attractive factor, but the taste and quality can certainly be made better. I think they can expand the variety by introducing non vegetarian paranthas. This will be a great addition on their menu.

With all the popularity and fame that Paranthe Wali Gali enjoys, it is worth a visit for all those who don’t hesitate in experimenting with their food.

And yes! Don’t dare to ask the recipe of your favourite parantha from Mrs.Sakun Sharma because she is quite secretive about it. She will look at you and say “Kuch cheezein bataane ke liye nahi hoti!”

Photo Credit- Piyush Nagpal

 

 

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.
Posted on

Bombay ‘ishtyle’ Chaat

Bhelpuri

Bombay ‘ishtyle’ Chaat

By Navani Satija, Delhi food walks

SO, now if I go around asking most of my fellow DU-ites about where do they head for a daily ‘let’s-have-a-snack’ break? It is most obvious that that I’d be greeted with peevish faces (primarily because of their slog routine!). But, when it comes to the all girls’ college with the most gorgeous crowd across DU, all the cheerless faces disappear. And here’s where the most loved BOMBAY BHEL PURI right outside Lady Shri Ram College For Women comes into the picture.

On being told that something would be published about his daily job, its back bone, the proud owner Shri Yaad Ram instantly said he’s been running this food point (portable that too!) from 11.00 am- 5.00 pm every day for the past 25 years and is still going strong. That’s not just it; this irresistible range of chaats can also be savoured at Central Market, Lajpat Nagar after 6.00 pm every day.

Unlike other chaat walas, Yaad Ram Ji has kept his menu short and sweet (rather tangy) limiting it to only three dishes that he offers. Undoubtedly, all three are ‘must haves’. Starting with the first one, his speciality among the three and most popular among the Elsa crowd is the BOMBAY BHEL PURI. It is an extreme blend of chutneys along with generous use of onion and coriander which make it look and taste like a Bhel puri in actuality.

Next is the Elsa crowd’s second most favourite; the SEV PURI. This too is a sweet-savoury combo with lots of onion & sev (which is the prime characteristic of Sev puri). And the last but not the least, is the Jhal moori. Less popular among the Elsa chaat aficionados but never the less, it’s definitely worth a try. It’s a dry combo of puffed rice, peanuts, etc. as against the other two items. Here, Yaad ram ji adds that the “2 teaspoons of touch of oil enhances its flavour, but, the health conscious LSR girls avoid it.”

Very reasonably priced at Rs. 20 per item, it will make you forget the lavish gourmet, you spend your bucks on. So, take out time from your slog schedule and head for a “let’s-have-a-snack” break to jerk your taste buds.

Cheers! Happy eating!

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.
Posted on

WHEN THE TONGUES ROLL-UP

1234991_528825600524716_1762212427_n (1)

While Lucky Bhaiyya is busy chopping onions and preparing chicken pieces in an erudite manner, his brother Amit gets the sauces and ingredients out on the stand for the evening proceedings. Located in National Park, Lajpat Nagar IV, the hub of happening college students,Yummy Snacks rules the tastebuds of many. People start pouring in the minute the counter opens at 5:00pm, keeping the brothers busy till 10:30. The customers visiting reaches a whopping 100, everyday. Not even a minute to spare, working meticulously, preparing a plethora of food items like Chicken/Egg/Noodle rolls, Tawa Kebabs, Keema-Chicken-Seekh and Salami burgers, Chicken salaami for non vegetarians and Paneer-Noodle Roll, Veg. momos and Tawa Soya Chap for vegetarians. With their amazing synchronization, they have been successful in pleasing their customers with their ambrosial and efficient service since six years. While one kneads the maida dough for rolls and cuts veggies for the filling, the other quickly takes the orders and deep fries the contents.

971961_528825777191365_1617707698_n (1)The delectable Chicken roll is a favourite of many. Egg rolled maida paratha which sizzles on the huge tawa, ready to embrace the orange coloured, juicy, soft chicken and caramelized onion, is basted with mayonnaise and fiery red chilly chutney. The sweet and spicy flavors of the chutney provided with all rolls and momos, meet your tongue with a bang. Expenditure on any food item is very light on the pocket. They do not provide any home delivery service, nevertheless, customers from both near and far off places horde around their small counter, ready to wait up till half an hour after placing the orders without any cribbing. A Chicken/Paneer roll and a full plate of momos along with other rolls and tawa items would cost somewhere around 50 bucks each, depending on the selection of the ingredients.

So, whenever one has had a hectic day, is sick of PG aunty’s unpleasant servings or is brooding over some life’s drama, this is a place where you can hang out with friends and feel much better without a doubt! ‘Cuz sometimes happiness lies in small and savory packages!

Foodie Correspondent:Ritika Bali

 

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.