Daily Delhicacies – Page 22

Posted on December 23, 2014 December 23, 2014

CBTL: Making your Christmas Delicious

By Priyali Prakash

Christmas celebrations are on in full swing and restaurants are coming up with various novelties to make this occasion memorable for their customers. The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, a well known chain with multiple outlets across Delhi, has come up with a special limited edition holiday special menu that is available till 31st December and goes perfectly with the spirit of the festive season.

Plum Cake, the classic Christmas dish, is available during the celebration period here. It comes with a twist of a dominant cardamom flavour. If you like that, you will surely enjoy this cake.

Other Christmas delicacies here include the Yule Log cake, a delicious chocolate cake for all chocolate lovers and the Stollen Bread, which though comes topped with icing sugar, is a little sour in flavour.

Living up to the name of the place, CBTL has introduced new flavours in their coffee. Cinnamon mocha cappuccino and Spiced honey cappuccino come with a dusting of cinnamon powder with chocolate and honey respectively and, of course, strong coffee. All coffees at CBTL are conventionally served with brown sugar on the side and the tea comes with white sugar.

Apart from the Christmas menu, CBTL has also introduced new dishes in its regular menu which is a practice every six months. This time, the new dishes are quesadillas and wraps. The cheese and corn quesadillas have a lightly seasoned filling and are served with sour cream, pickled veggies and salsa on the side. The salsa is amazingly flavourful. The chicken wraps come with the same salsa and have a filling that tastes like any spicy Indian curry.

Other desserts introduced in the regular menu are baked mascarpone cheesecake that comes with cherry compote on the top and a bottom that isn’t quite crunchy for a regular cheesecake. The hazelnut mousse cake is a little on the dense side but is full of flavours.

Apart from the new introductions in the menu, CBTL has come up with gift hampers for sale and these are quite popular with the corporates. These hampers are priced at Rs. 450 plus taxes and CBTL offers discounts on bulk bookings. Hampers are available at all CBTL outlets across Delhi till the end of this month.

CBTL is putting up a good show to make the festive season delicious for its customers. Kudos to the team!

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

Posted on December 20, 2014

Yahya Tea Stall

Everyone always ignores the small tea stall on the side of the road or at the corner of a street. No one knows the history behind a small tea stall. Even Shah Rukh Khan’s father had a tea stall and served tea at a very well known drama company in Delhi, and if it was not for the star, we would probably never have known that such a tea stall existed.

WP_20141117_037 Likewise, there is an old tea stall in the lane of Gali Qasmijan, right at the entrance of Phatak Luharu in Ballimaran. This tea stall was started by the late Haji Mohammed Farooq in 1969, carried on by his son the late Mohammed Yahya. It has been forty-five years since the pouring and serving of tea has been going on here. Now, the grandchildren, Mr. Farhan and Mr. Faizan, who are reporters with a newspaper, are still taking care of their family business. Their father, the late Mohammed Yahya, also owned a dairy shop named after his wife, Sabra and a hotel where the tea famously known as “Haji ki Chai” was served. Since the grandchildren did not have the same aspirations as their father, they gave up the place for rent and but have still kept the touch and name of their father through the tea stall.

When I looked at the boys preparing the tea, I was completely amazed at how it was being prepared. It was nothing like the way we prepare it at home.

The tea leaves are boiled in water in an aluminum kettle for a long time and on the other side, the milk is kept boiling, letting it form a layer of cream, commonly known as malai. The first step is to put a spoonful of sugar, a teaspoon of milk and boiled tea, and a spoon of malai. It is then stirred well and served hot. If you desire for a strong cup of tea, they add a spoon of fresh tea leaves, while pouring the boiled tea, in the strainer to give it that dark look and a strong kick. Mostly it would look like filtered tea that is served at a fancy tea shop.

There is a lively history behind this tea stall. Believe it or not a hundred and fifty cups of tea were made and served at a time which impressed me so much since there are so many different steps to get a perfect cup of tea. It definitely did not taste like the regular tea that one drinks every morning.

Nearby the tea stall, there was once a college named Tibbia College which has been shifted to Karol Bagh. This college offers education in medicine, and therefore, numerous and frequent doctors, professors, and students would be attending this college. Now a morning without a tea would not be complete and Yahya Tea Stall completed the mornings of a lot of people in the college and around. Tibbia College ordered six hundred teas almost every day, and without fail they were served with the same quality and standard.

For a couple of days, the tea stall had been shut down but by popular demand of the people living there and expressing their love for the tea and the family, the stall was back with a bang, serving tea with as much as dedication as it did when it first started.

The grandchildren besides being modernized and familiar with the media profession did not leave their ancestral house and believed that living there would keep the culture and history of the place alive. Surprisingly, the haveli that they reside in was once the haveli of Ghalib Mirza’s second wife. It definitely must be exciting to live in a house with intricate Mughal style designed pillars, doors, windows, and houses. Farhan Yahya said that the love and the respect of the people could not make him leave the place where he spent his childhood.

A must visit if you want to have a perfectly made hot cup of tea.

Anubhav Sapra

http://www.delhifoodwalks.com

Posted on December 15, 2014

Shahjahanabad ki Sair

By Anubhav Sapra

I met Osama Jalali, the famous food critic, a few days back in the alleys of Chitli Qabar, where he shared about the Shahjahanabad ki Sair Food Festival at Ssence, The Suryaa Hotel, from the 19^th of December to the 21^st of December.

There are many reasons to go to Shahjahanabad ki Sair at Suryaa Hotel, the first being that the food is cooked by Nazish Jalali, mother of Osama Jalali, who hails from Rampur and knows all the ins and outs of Rampur and Old Delhi cuisines. Secondly, Osama Jalali, who himself was born in Old Delhi, has curated the food festival. Thirdly, the spices and ingredients have been picked straight from Old Delhi; fourthly, to interact with Nazish Jalali and Osama Jalali, to understand the food preparations; fifthly, the food is served in copper utensils, which has its own charm of the old city. Sixthly, not much oil and ghee has been used in the cooking, keeping in mind the clientele of the hotel. Seventhly, the sair (literally, the journey, of Old Delhi food) can be enjoyed at one place in the cold winter of Delhi. Lastly, the best food cooked in the world is always by mothers in the home kitchen and has to be exceptionally good.

The sair at Shahjahanabad started with chicken seekh kebab and kache keeme ke kebab. In the main course, I was served aloo gosht, chicken korma, saag kofta, mutton nahari, hari mirch ka keema, and mutton biryani. All of them were excellent in taste, especially hari mirch ka keema, which has a nice flavour of green chillis but can be handled easily even if one does not like the spicy food preparations. The mutton biryani is cooked in the dum style and served with red chillis chutney. Most of the biryani sellers in Old Delhi use a special kind of rice called “sella” (par boiled) rice. I have seen the most famous biryani seller in Haveli Azam Khan draining out the excess water from the rice on a piece of cloth. That shows the rice will always retain its shape even if it is over cooked and water can be added if it is undercooked. The art of cooking biryani is in basmati rice, neither overcooked nor undercooked. Nazish has done justice to the biryani by retaining the shape, texture, flavours of the spices and tenderness of the meat.

I rounded off my meal with Zarda, sweet flavourful rice with khoya, raisins, cashews, cherries and ghee. Throughout the sair, I never felt like I was sitting in a fine dining, high end place, as the interaction with Osama Jalali about the bawarchis, khansamas, and the food revolved around Shahjahanabad.

The menu works on a rotational basis with different kebabs and curries every day. So, if you want to get the feel of the home cooked style food of Shahjahanabad, visit Suryaa hotel before the 21^st of December between 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. The price per person is Rs. 1950 for the entire buffet.

Anubhav Sapra

http://www.delhifoodwalks.com

Posted on December 12, 2014

Manzoor Hotel

As I strolled around the streets of Ballimaran, relishing the delicious taste of Habshi Halwa, I came across an old restaurant by the name Manzoor Hotel, giving us the feel of a dhabha. This hotel was established by a man named Zahoor Ahmed, who like us fancied about food to such an extreme that he made it his passion to start his own hotel sixty-seven years back. He was a cook by profession before, and his love for food made him start his own little restaurant which is very famous in Ballimaran.

The initial years of Manzoor Hotel saw them serving only nahari, nali and bheja (all buff dishes), but in the last ten years, there has been an assortment in the menu by including chicken, fish, and vegetarian options as well.

The Hotel has opened a branch in the same lane, in fact very much opposite to the main restaurant, serving a range of delectable and appetizing lunch and dinner to the people around.

Manzoor Hotel is now managed by Zahoor Ahmed’s two sons, Saim and Sarim. Sarim has been helping his father and elder brother in the business for the past three years. The restaurant is famously known for all its dishes which are served with khamiri roti, which is made with white flour mixed with yeast and baking soda.

During the day, you will get a wide variety of dishes to choose from, which include: buff korma, chhole keema, bheja, dal fry, egg curry, chicken stew, aloo matar paneer, chicken keema, fish curry, chicken kofta, chicken korma, and chicken rizala (cooked in milk and cream). These are mouth-watering and exquisite dishes that one can order and treat and savor their palate with piquancy, all ranging from Rs. 25 to Rs. 40 per quarter plate. You can easily have a meal within Rs.250.

In the evenings, they serve the most famous dish – nahari, nali, and bheja which can be mixed and fried together in Amul butter on demand. The shop timings are from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Located at the entrance of Gali Qasim Jan, opposite Hamdard Gali, Manzoor hotel is a must-visit place for nahari, nali and bheja.

Anubhav Sapra

http://www.delhifoodwalks.com

Posted on December 10, 2014 December 10, 2014

SBARRO

By Nikita Saxena

Nestled cosily in a warm corner of N Block, Connaught Place, Sbarro is set to delight all kinds of pizza lovers alike with its varied, sumptuous menu of pizzas, other Italian dishes and desserts. I recently had the opportunity to visit its most recent outlet in the National Capital Region of Delhi, and was warmly given a tour of the place by Jayant, Sbarro’s manager of marketing of the North and East regions of the country. Sbarro currently has one more outlet in HUDA City Centre, Gurgaon, which opened on the 4^th of October this same year.

Sbarro dates back to as far as 1956, beginning as the brainchild of Italian immigrants Genarro and Carmela Sbarro, who journeyed from Naples, Italy to New York, U.S.A. The two established their first Italian restaurant, “Salumeria”, in the locale of Brooklyn. Now, Sbarro, currently headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, is one of the leading international pizza quick serving restaurants, with a thousand outlets worldwide in more than thirty-four countries. In India, Sbarro is franchised by Jyoti International Foods Private Limited, which is headed by Mr. Akhil Puri.

I soon sat down with Rahul Gladwin Massey, the head chef, who wasted no time in giving me the veritable walkthrough through the elaborate menu, and little unknown interesting facts that are otherwise unknown to most. The menu, which like in all other Sbarro branches all over the world, follows 60% of the original menu with a few modifications made in order to suit the Indian palate. Such modifications include inclusion of ethnic flavours, such as tandoori and tikka, and the replacement of beef and pork by chicken in most pizza variants, the exception being pepperoni pizza. Rahul also told me that Sbarro believes that an excellent pizza must always be served fresh and piping hot, and then explained all the rigorous rules they followed to maintain this standard.

Fresh dough is made every day in the store, adhering to the strict guidelines of shelf life, as well as fresh sauce, which is manufactured from imported tomatoes. A major distinguishing feature that sets Sbarro apart is their use of 100% dairy cheese, which leads their products to have a lesser shelf life, but more flavour, as opposed to other pizza chains that use 40% dairy cheese with a mix of other chemical and cooking substitutes. The menu at this outlet has a huge range of pizza slices, with nine New York style pizzas (thin-crusted, but sturdy enough to hold its toppings; a novel way to eat it is by folding it from the middle) that Sbarro is known to specialize in, four pan pizzas (thicker crusts with more bread to appeal to the Indian user), two Chicago deep dish pizzas, eight pastas (which use both spaghetti and penne), three amazing desserts and a plethora of hot and cold beverages to deliciously wrap it up.

The white pizza is an absolute must-have for the cheese lover, with ricotta and mozzarella cheese lavishly spread over a thin crust, and no tomato sauce base, making it a novel one-of-a-kind eating experience. As someone who does not have a natural affinity towards pineapple, the ham and pineapple pizza completely won me over with its perfect blend of minutely diced pineapple and ham pieces wrapped in oodles of melting cheese. A similarly themed offering to watch out for is the cheese pizza, which includes Sbarro’s signature tomato sauce blend.

The mushroom olive pizza is yet another specialty one can find only at Sbarro, with cheesy slices decked heavily only with the aforementioned toppings, for the more exotic and variant pizza eater. According to Rahul, the pepperoni pizza has been a hit with the other NCR outlet as well. Other thin crust pizzas (starting from Rs. 49 onwards a slice) include chicken tikka, which has a classic Mughlai twist to it, supreme, spicy paneer, and vegetable supreme.

The four pan pizzas include veggie delight, paneer supreme, super supreme, and sausage jalapeno. But what really will make you have a wholesome, stuffed-to-the-brim meal, is the new variety of stuffed pizzas Sbarro has introduced here (priced at Rs. 179 a slice, and Rs.1199 a whole pan), which includes vegetable extravaganza, paneer makhani, sausage & pepperoni, and garden style. I had the chicken makhani stuffed pizza, and needless to say, I was blown away by the seamless blend of popular Indian curry flavours and Italian herbs and spices.

Next came the breads, which are bound to fill you right up and leave you rubbing your belly in satisfaction. The garlic bread (priced at Rs. 59) was freshly baked with a light garnishing of finely chopped garlic pieces on the top. Apart from this, I had the sausage & cheese stromboli (priced at Rs. 149), which are pieces of bread stuffed liberally with cheese and in this case, a non-vegetarian filling of chicken sausage pieces. This was followed by a quick tasting of the wide array of Sbarro’s pastas (priced at Rs. 159, and Rs. 179) which are traditionally served with a piece of garlic bread. The saucy sausage pasta was a brilliant gastronomic experience, with light, natural tomato flavours that will make your taste buds reach cloud nine with its sausage pieces of chicken ham dipped in tangy red spaghetti. I also had the arrabiata pasta, which in a surprising but flavourful take, had pieces of corn within the whole dish. Among the white sauce types of pastas, the alfredo parmesan was a wonderful pick, with liberal amounts of dairy cheese and mushrooms that will knock one right off their seats.

Among the beverages, I tasted both the orange and cucumber lemonades (both priced at Rs. 50), each with a refreshing and unique flavour of its own, with the former having a tangy, tantalizing, and sweet taste to it, and the latter having an offbeat, relaxed taste, which would prove to be a hit in the harsh Delhi summer months. The dessert menu was otherworldly, with three dishes to satisfy your sweet tooth. The New York cheesecake was firm, filling, and made with Philadelphia cream cheese. The frosted carrot cake was something to be truly relished, consisting of a soft pastry with a hint of cinnamon and a sizeable frosting of cream cheese. The fudge nut brownies were served hot, and with a dash of hot chocolate sauce, and melted right in the mouth.

Apart from the food, the other best parts of eating at Sbarro were its ambience and its open air kitchen in full view of every customer. With a minimalist theme in black, red, green, and white colours, Sbarro has a setting that will not bear down on you, but only serve to give you the Italian rustic feeling when you sit down to eat. Another bonus point to this outlet was its fire safety standardizations, with many extinguishers and pipelines located at different strategic points in the restaurant area, which is exceptional to find in a restaurant.

Sbarro plans to expand to home delivery soon, as it is expecting a huge turnout in its Connaught Place outlet, as it is in a prime location in the heart of the city. However, I highly recommend everyone to visit Sbarro soon, and have an unforgettable time eating out your favourite Italian dishes.

Anubhav Sapra

http://www.delhifoodwalks.com

Posted on December 9, 2014

Dunkin’ Donuts

At Dunkin’ Donuts, Wicked is the New Awesome

By Priyali Prakash

Come 10^th of December and the CP outlet of much loved Dunkin’ Donuts will throw open its doors to customers with an all new revamped menu and renovated decor at their store. Most of the redesigning has been done keeping in mind the ‘young evolved consumer with the mental age of around 25’. DD attempts to reflect the struggles, complexes, comforts and celebrations of today’s youth in its food and does that quite successfully to an extent!

The classic donuts get a twist this season and come with unusual flavours like chilli guava and peppermint. The chilli guava flavour, named ‘It’s a mistake’, doesn’t seem to be much of a mistake but a tasteful invention. A white chocolate layer with red guava compote and sprinkled with red chilli flakes that leave an aftertaste seems to be a weird combination but it is a must try! We can place our bets on it becoming the hot favourite of the town in a few days!

While DD has always been famous for its burgers, they now have the ‘Naughty Lucy Burger’ for us with white cheddar cheese oozing out from its patty and the ‘Tough Guy Burger’ that comes with the chewy Bagel bread, hint of kasundi mustard, veggies, chicken salami and patty.

DD has also come up with something amazing for the Indian palate- the much adored masala cha in the iced tea version! Yes, they have on their menu, the ‘Spiked Iced Tea’ which is infused with cloves, cinnamon, star anise and cardamom and tastes fabulous. It is definitely a must have for all tea lovers. Meanwhile, the iced green tea is a bit of a letdown and classic lemon iced tea is just regular, with perhaps a stronger hint of actual ‘tea’ in it.

DD also brings to us the ‘Wicked Wrap’ which, mind you, is very, very hot. It comes with spicy chicken, veggies, jalapenos and surprisingly, nachos inside it. It also has a green mango relish which tastes perfect to Indians of course, but overall the wrap may seem a bit dry. They also have the ‘Not-so-Wicked’ wrap which is for the faint-hearted (read: cannot stand chillies).

When talking of Dunkin Donuts, how can we leave coffee behind! The new ‘Dunkaccino’ the cold coffee at DD, comes with Jamaican rum flavouring and almonds. It is a decent tasting coffee while many people might not appreciate almonds in it. The ‘Stirr’accino’, a new invention by the DD chefs, is a true coffee lover’s delight. It is strong and aromatic, and the coffee comes with suspended layers of Dunkin Original and Dunkin Espresso which looks s beautiful as it tastes.

All in all, the revamped menu at Dunkin Donuts is a must try! And hey, did you hear about the early bird freebies you can get if you visit the CP store early morning on 13^th of this month? There’s a lot on stake, make sure you get your share of gifts!

Anubhav Sapra

http://www.delhifoodwalks.com

Posted on December 7, 2014 December 7, 2014

Chacha Di Hatti

By Simran kaur Kainth

Jpeg What could be better than eating spicy Punjabi chhole bhature for breakfast on Sunday? Most houses in Model Town enjoy this delicious breakfast freshly prepared by Chacha Di Hatti. Located in Model Town Main Market, Chacha Di Hatti serves the most delicious and unmatched chhole bhature. Once you visit this place, your hunt for the best chhole bhature in North Delhi will come to an end.

This place gets very crowded in the morning, especially on the weekends. As the stall opens in the early hours of the morning, one can notice a huge queue of foodies quickly grabbing their portions of these yummy chhole bhature, before the stock finishes for the day. Nominally priced at Rs. 40 per plate, Chacha Di Hatti serves huge, non-greasy bhature with superbly spiced pindi chhole cooked to perfection. Sizzling golden spongy bhaturas are freshly prepared right in front of your eyes, and this makes the dish seem even more irresistible; surely one cannot wait to dig into his or her plate. The chhole are soaked and boiled overnight, moreover, the addition of Chacha Di Hatti’s signature secret spices redefine the quality of chhole and make it more appetizing. Not only this, the amount of dedication and love that goes in its preparation is worth a hearty amount of applause, and has fetched Chacha Di Hatti an unbeatable reputation in the area.

IMG_20141203_231755 The imli chutney and the onion salad served with pickled green chillies is the show stealer on the plate. Chacha Di Hatti has been serving the locals for more than a decade. However, it was shut down for a short period of time for some undisclosed reasons. But it made a successful comeback with more variety to spice up the morning breakfast of the localities. Now, it also serves paneer bhatura for Rs. 50, and chhole kulche garnished with thinly sliced onions and fresh coriander.

So, whenever your belly craves for tasty bhaturas, Chacha Di Hatti can be a safe bet.

Anubhav Sapra

http://www.delhifoodwalks.com

Posted on November 30, 2014 December 7, 2015

Asli Habshi Halwa

By Anubhav Sapra

I came across something very interesting when I recently roamed around in the streets of Ballimaran. The entrance of Punjabi Phatak in Ballimaran greeted me with a sweetmeat, “Asli habshi halwa”. This sweet is made up with many nutritious ingredients put together such as milk, desi ghee, cashew, nuts, almonds, clove, kewda, wheat flour, and only during winters, saffron. It is recommended in the cold weather as it is a good source of energy and gives strength to our body to prevent weakness.

The name in itself is very intriguing, which got me thinking why a sweet should be named “habshi”. Habshi is the Urdu word for the colour black and also a name commonly used by many Delhiites for people of African descent because of their color and strength. Isn’t that a bit harsh?

Firoz Ahmed, the proud owner of the shop, shared the journey of the sweetmeat since the time of undivided India. The original shop of habshi halwa was in Chandni Chowk, located somewhere in between Kucha Rehman and Kucha Ustad Daag. Abdul Khaliq was the owner of the shop, famously known as Ghantaghar Habshi Halwa Wale. During the Partition, Abdul Khaliq migrated to Pakistan, leaving his shop in the hands of his workers.

After the Partition, Firoz’s father started with a small granary shop, and sold paan and bidi to earn a living. He met a worker from Abdul Khaliq Habshi Halwa Wale and learned the art of making habshi halwa from him. The recipes were passed down from that worker of Abdul Khaliq’s shop to Haneef to Firoz and till date, Firoz Ahmed makes this delicacy at his home.

The shop is now looked after by his son, Firoz Ahmed in Punjabi Phatak, Ballimaran. Mohammed Hanif’s brothers have also continued the business of selling habshi halwa but have opened their own stores named after their brother, namely, Hanif Dairy in Gali Qasimjan, near Hamdard Dawakhana, which has been doing brisk business there for more than ten years now. A few shops after that, I found another shop selling the same sweet by the name Ahmed Dairy, which was started by Taqi Ahmed. To differentiate from the others and retain the original identity of Abdul Khaliq’s shop, a picture of Ghanta Ghar (the clock tower in Town Hall) is printed on the box of Firoz Ahmed’s Habshi Halwa.

Habshi halwa is one of Old Delhi’s famous delicacies and is rich in flavour and aroma. It takes nine hours to cook this sweet and it is sold throughout the year, but mostly in the winters from October to March. It is priced at Rs. 430 per kilogram. The shelf life of the sweetmeat is one month. It may become dry after one month but the taste remains the same.

Ghanta Ghar Wala supplies this halwa all around India, mostly to Kanpur and abroad in Pakistan. During the month of December season, they offer yellow carrot halwa which is supposed to be eaten cold and is made without ghee. I found this extremely new and fascinating. I am eagerly waiting for the December to savour this carrot halwa. I wonder how it will taste – halwa without ghee and served cold.

If you have a sweet tooth and ever find yourself in Old Delhi, you must visit these shops located at the following addresses and try the extremely famous and delicious habshi halwa:

1. Ghanta Ghar Wala – 1368, Punjabi Phatak, Ballimaran.

2. Hanif Dairy – 1532, Gali Qasimjan, Near Hamdard Dawakhana, Lal Kuan.

3. Ahmed Dairy – 1538, Gali Qasimjan, Lal Kuan.

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Anubhav Sapra

http://www.delhifoodwalks.com

Posted on November 26, 2014 November 26, 2014

Trishul Chaat Bhandar

By Anubhav Sapra

Chhole have distinct taste at each chhole kulche joint. At one end of this spectrum, Lotan’s Chhole Kulche at Chhata Shahji in Old Delhi adds red chilies to make it spicy and hot, while at the another end there are a few eateries like Pancham Chhole Kulche, near Filimistan, Rohtak Road that makes a nice mixture of saunth or meethi chutney with khatti chutney in chhole to give it a distinct flavour.

I have never liked onion and tomato in my dona of chhole. I believe that chhole has its own unique taste which is lost once onion and tomato are added to it. In Kamla Nagar, near Chhota Golchakkar, Post Office Waali Gali, a small shop named Trishul Chat Bhandar, sells one of the best matra kachoris and matra kulchas in North Delhi without onion and tomato. The address is 121-D, Kamla Nagar. The shop is open from 12 noon to 4 p.m.

A plate of chhole kulche and matra kachori costs Rs. 25 each. As suggested by the owner of the shop, I first had chhole kulche and then matra kachori. I was intrigued by his suggestion and asked him the reason behind having chhole kulche first and matra kachori next. He candidly replied that khatti-meethi chutney is added in matra kachori, and its taste can be relished only if one has it right after the light masalas of chhole kulche.

I was surprised to know that they have been making this delicious dish for the past seventy-two years and currently, it is the fourth generation, and that they still use the same recipe. It was started by Ramful who used to roam around the lanes of Kamla Nagar to sell chhole kulche on a khomcha. After the death of Ramful, Tula Ram bought a cart and started selling the chhole kulche near Kamla Nagar Post Office. And the third generation, Krishan Lal, who is the current owner of the shop, bought this small shop eight years back, calls it “Almirah” because of its small size. It is indeed a small shop of literally the size of a cupboard and I love the way they have arranged everything from masalas to the stove there. From khomcha to a cart to an almirah, the place and those who made this delicacy have changed, but the recipe is still the same. The home made masalas- which are mixture of dhaniya, jeera, amchur, peeli mirch, long, elaichi dana, and chaat masala are used in making a dona of chhole. A helping of chhole is mixed with masalas, saunth, green chutney, roasted jeera, ginger, and coriander to be served with butter kulche. On other hand, Pawan, the son of Krishan Lal, generously makes a good layer of matra on a crispy kachori and tops it with ginger, coriander, and khatti amchur chutney. The crunchy kachori with soft matra over it with lime juice, khatti-meethi chutney makes it a perfect dish to savour.

All I can say, it is a taste of the divine!

Anubhav Sapra

http://www.delhifoodwalks.com

Posted on November 15, 2014

Monkey Bar

By Anubhav Sapra

I still remember an article titled “The Year That Was” written by Rahul Verma in The Hindu, the only food writer in India whom I follow religiously, and who mentioned in his last article of 2013 about his most memorable meals of the year. One of them was in Monkey Bar.

Indeed, it turned out to be one of my most memorable meals of 2014. Monkey Bar. or Mobar, a gastropub, opened their second branch in Connaught Place this year, located at 3, Connaught Circus, Connaught Lane, above Uttam Sarees shop.

The dishes have been curated by one of India’s most promising young chef and entrepreneur. Manu Chandra. I had no doubt about the food as I had read extensive reviews before visiting the Mobar.

Ankit, a trained chef and the restaurant manager at Monkey Bar CP, introduced the dishes one by one to me comprehensively. With deep research about the nearby restaurants and bars in Connaught Place, these fusions have been curated to suit the palate of every customer. On Ankit’s recommendation, I started with ricotta and paneer kebab, served with grilled pav and tomato kalonji chutney. Next was keema bao, a freshly steamed bao of rice, stuffed with spicy minced mutton and served with rich mutton broth in a small glass topped with coriander. The keema bao broth is perfect for Delhi winters. I can imagine myself having mutton broth on the terrace of Mobar to keep myself warm, when the temperature will dip further in the coming winter months. Dabeli, a Gujarati snack is served with tamarind and masala flavoured potato in fresh pav coated with sev, heeng peanuts, pomegranate, fig, tamarind, and garlic chutney. The two starters, which I am sure would be loved by Delhiites are chilli cheese dragons – spring rolls filled with cream cheese and mozzarella, green chilli, capsicum, coriander, onion and served with roasted garlic chilli dip; and butterfly chicken, which consists of sweet, spicy, crispy bits of chicken tossed with sesame, chilli, honey and peppers, stuffed in Mobar’s signature butterfly shells.

In the main course, I had Chandra Ji’s mutton curry. This dish is named after the chef’s father, Mr. Chandra. The succulent lamb is cooked with khada masala, curd, butter, and served with steamed rice topped with caramelized onions. This was my kind of mutton, which I normally cook at my home with raw spices. The aroma of the spices is intact and can be felt while eating. The most interesting dish I had at Mobar was butter chicken khichdi. It sounds really unusual to mix khichdi with butter chicken, and the dish while being offbeat, was truly delectable. The softness of creamy moong dal khichdi with succulent pieces of chicken served with “khichdi ke paanch yaar” – ghee, papad, dahi, salad and achaar, was a great gastronomical experience. I added a spoon of ghee, crushed papad, mixed dahi, and salad to make a perfect mix of khichdi and butter chicken. It was indeed divine.

I was also served patra ni machi, a classic Parsi dish with a Bengali twist, basa topped with green chutney and kashundi, steamed in banana leaves, and served with steamed rice. However, it was too salty for me.

I ended my journey with filter coffee panna cotta, cardamom and milk cake crumble with salted caramel sauce and coffee ice cream. I am sure this would have been inspired from the next door restaurant, Sarvanaa Bhavan’s filter coffee.

As the year 2014 is coming to an end next month, I am already eagerly waiting for Rahul Verma’s list of memorable food trips of 2014, so that I can relish throughout the year.

Anubhav Sapra

http://www.delhifoodwalks.com