bedmi poori – Delhi Food Walks

Posted on March 12, 2016 March 17, 2016

Poori Sabzi at Rewari Wale and Jindal Refreshment Corner

Once upon a time, my friend, Ayush, and I met for a get together. Being great foodies, the discussion soon swung to the direction of food. Starting from Fateh ki Kachori in Civil Lines (that Ayush is quite fond of), we discussed food items with enthusiasm. Then slowly we moved to the quintessential breakfast dishes- poori and bhatura, whereupon he mentioned a poori shop in Shakti Nagar, that makes kofte, but only on Sundays. As the clouds gathered in the sky last Sunday, I gave him a call and in a few minutes, we were inside the shop savouring the pooris.

The name of the shop is Rewari Wale ki Poori Sabzi. Located in Shakti Nagar, it is quite accessible- if you are coming from Roop Nagar, take the first right turn towards Gurudwara Nanak Sahib. After taking the right turn, take the first left turn; keep walking straight and the shop Rewari Lal will be on the left side. The complete address is 24/27, Shakti Nagar, Delhi- 07 ( Mobile- 9999935023). A big cauldron of oil where Halwais are frying the pooris can be spotted easily.

The pooris at Rewari Wale, were simply made of maida. The sabzi was mix of chole, aloo and methi ki chutney. A spoon of dahi is added over it to mellow down the spices, giving it a tangy taste. Gopal Sweets in Kamla Nagar also do the same. What sets it apart from other poori sabzi walas of delhi are the aloo besan ke kofte. The small balls similar to the size of badi are made only on Sundays. Being a bit spicy, it served as the perfect combination with the poori.

The shop was started 50 years back, by Sees Ram Saini, and is presently managed by father-son, Dharam Singh Saini and Vikram Saini. The shop is open till 3 pm and a plate of poori sabzi is priced at Rs 40. Very close to poori sabzi shop, the Sainis own another shop, which is famous for its khoya burfi and gajar pak.

Ayush also introduced me to another popular breakfast joint- Jindal Refreshment Corner, on roshanara road. The shop is right opposite Kunji Lal Jagdish Prasad shop, and is famous for pure milk and lassi. The address is 8438, Roshanara Road, Delhi-07 (Mobile. 9953901089). Jindal refreshment corner is owned by Brajesh Jindal, Kunji Lal’s brother. Established 40 years ago, they specialize in bedmi poori and kachoris.

Unfortunately, by the time we reached Kunji Lal, the lassis were over. The small size bedmi poori is priced at Rs 20 a plate. I found the sabzi to be better than what we get in other places. The sabzi is, again, a mix of aloo, chole, methi ki chutney, kachalu, and kofta, which keeps changing everyday- palak, urad dal, mooli. The distinctive strong taste of heeng in the sabzi makes it simply delicious.

In the evening, they make samosas. Remembering the old days, Ayush recited the story of how he used to eat Jindal’s samosas on his way back home from school days, not in plates but straight from his hands. Long live his love for kachoris and samosas!

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 March 9, 2016 March 3, 2016

KedarNath Halwai

BEDMI PURI

The smell of a unique kind of spicy gravy coupled with the sizzling sound of hot ghee in the kadhai holds a special allure for the morning walkers of the old Delhi area. Desirous of satiating the hunger of their stomachs after the tiring walk, with traditional breakfast dishes offered by one of the oldest eateries in the area, the walkers rest their exhausted bodies on the lone wooden bench that lies outside the shop. The puri is made of a special dough which is constituted by a combination of udad daal and coarse wheat flour. It is double fried in a huge kadhai in pure ghee, till it turns a delicious shade of golden-brown. The puris are crisp because of the coarse wheat flour in the dough and the double-frying. They are served with piping hot bedmi which is a traditional gravy with potato pieces in it. The gravy is cooked with the boiled potato pieces till it enshrouds them with a balanced mix of spices which may lean a bit towards too hot for those who are unused to the Indian taste-palette. A green chutney made of methi and pudina is also served along with the bedmi and puri. Its subtle flavour perfectly complements the crisp and coarse texture of the puri and the strong taste of the bedmi.

The dish has pleased the taste buds of the residents of Old Delhi for many decades. It forms a regular part of the Sunday breakfast for a large number of families in the area. It is regarded as one of the consistently well-liked traditional dishes for those who have managed to keep away from salads and fruits as breakfast options on weekends. They instead, treat themselves to extraordinarily fulfilling breakfasts from some of the oldest kitchens in Chandi Chowk that have somehow survived the surge of modern chains of eateries.

The Kedar Nath Premchand Halwai in 13 Kinari Bazaar, Parathe Wali Gali, boasts of serving the best bedmi-puri in Chandni Chowk. It was established in 1958 by Sri Kedar Nath who had migrated from Haryana. It is currently managed by his son, Vinod Kumar. The owners claim to use nothing but pure ghee for the preparation of their foodstuffs and the shop is renowned for its breakfast food and snacks like nagori-halwa, trikoni mathri, sev-boondi and khoi peda. The shop remains open from 8 a.m. to 9p.m. on all days.

Anubhav Sapra

http://www.delhifoodwalks.com

Posted on May 31, 2015 June 7, 2015

Sardar ji ke Poori choley

By Anubhav Sapra

Despite the proximity of Daryaganj to Chawri Bazar and Chandni Chowk, the way food is prepared in these areas differ. While the food is mildly spiced in Daryaganj, in Delhi 6 it is hot and high on spices. Delhi Food Walks conducted its Sunday breakfast walks in these three places, and the highlight of the one at Daryaganj was Sardar ji’s Chole poori.

The shop was started by late Nand Singh ji and is currently being run by his son Kuku Singh. Originally from Rawalpindi, the family migrated to Delhi after the partition and shifted the shop to the current address on Ansari Road, Daryaganj, twelve years back. One can identify the shop by the board outside which reads, “Jeha Caterers” however the shop is well – known as Sardar ji ke poori choley ki dukan in Daryaganj.

At Sardarji’s shop, the menu changes as the day progresses. It starts with Poori Sabzi, offers rajma and kadi chawal in the afternoon and in the evening serves traditional snacks such as – samosa, kachori and jalebi.

This famous Sardar ji’s shop is proud of serving Punjabi poori. It is different from the regular Bedmi poori available in other places in Old Delhi. The dough of Bedmi poori, is made up of wheat and is coarse in texture. Whereas, the dough of Sardar ji’s punjabi poori is a mixture of wheat flour, white flour, ghee and salt. It is stuffed with urad dal ki pitthi (paste of yellow lentils), saunf (fennel seeds), jeera (cumin seeds), red chilies and the hing ka paani (asafetida water) and is deep fried in oil. The mixture of all the spices especially hing leaves the poori light and crisp and does not have any after effects like heart burn.

The aloo chole sabzi is mild in spices without onion, garlic and tomatoes. The sabzi is cooked in curd with masalas. The gravy of the sabzi is thick in texture and simply outstanding in taste : not too spicy, not too bland.

A plate of poori sabzi is accompanied with sitaphal ka achar (pumpkin pickles), sliced onions and methi ki chutney (fenugreek chutney). In winters, the pickles served are of gobhi and gajar (cauliflower and carrots). The pickles are also mild and light flavoured.

Apart from Poori choley, Sardarji’s shop also offers sweet malai lassi which is served in a kulhad and besan ke laddu. You can wash down the Poori choley with these if you find it spicy.

Cost of one plate Poori choley : Rs 30

Contact number of the shop owner : 9717031008

Anubhav Sapra

http://www.delhifoodwalks.com

Posted on August 10, 2013 March 20, 2015

OLD DELHI- A FOODIE’S HEAVEN

It’s not just about the crowded narrow lanes, the old havelis, nor the Red Fort, but it is so much more than all this. Old Delhi appeals many not only because of the above stated reasons among others, but because of the old world charm it still manages to hold. Purani Dilli is like a crowd-puller which calls people even from far off places. It is a hub of so many cultures, traditions, cuisines and has something for each one.

It is most famous for its street food and welcomes everyone who wants to taste the traditional Indian food in desi style! Where else will it be considered a disgrace to have Pani Puri with mineral water and in an air- conditioned restaurant but in Old Delhi? It knows that Pani Puri tastes the best on roadside!

One of the best things about Old Delhi is its flavour. If you really want to taste was an actual plate of Dahi Bhalla or sewaiyyon ka halwa tastes like, Purani Dilli is the place. It has handled the flavours very well and still manages to keep them intact in the dish. I recommend you treat your taste buds here at least once! There is a lot that Old Delhi offers.

After one hectic day, even I set out to satisfy my hunger along with a friend of mine who had never been to the ever glorified Chandni Chowk. We preferred to stroll in the lanes so we could explore more and after quiet a long walk, we landed ourselves in one of the most popular restaurants in Old Delhi, Shiv Mishthan Bhandar. If you go from Red Fort towards Fatehpuri, it’s located in the end at the right side, near Bikanerwala. We went through the menu after being warmly welcomed by the owner, Raja Bhai. Since he told us that Bedmi Puri is the most popular dish, we ordered the same. We also ordered Chole Bhature. The service was pretty good and the food was served hot and in very little time.

Hungry as we always are, we smacked the food. Honestly speaking, the puri was a hit. It was hot, crispy and perfectly fried. This hearty dish is fried puffed bread with a mix of lentils and spices. Urad Dal is the main addition to the puri which also makes the texture a little granulated. It is crispier than the normal puri. Some people also add ‘hing’ to the puri for flavour. The red chilli added to the pitthi of Urad dal makes the puri spicy. I would give 8/10 to the puri but only 6/10 to the subzi, since it wasn’t that scrumptious. Salt was in excess in the subzi and it was not even prepared very well. Overall I would rate the dish at 7/10.

After finishing the puri subzi, we dipped our fingers in the chole bhature, which was a better option than the puri subzi, simply because both the bhature and the chole were perfectly made. The bhature were golden brown and and the chole were aptly spiced. The mango pickle with the chole was a great addition. Chole Bhature would get 8/10 from me.

After the enjoyable lunch, we ordered imartis. They are quite similar to jalebis but not totally. Imarti is made from a variety of urad flour and deep fried in a circular shape. Saffron is also added for colour and afterwards it is dipped in sugar syrup. They are usually yellow- orange in colour due to the saffron.

Perfectly crisp and sweetened imartis put an end to our foodelicious journey.

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Shiv Mishthan offers a fairly large variety of Indian snacks and dishes at quite reasonable prices. The owner, Raja Bhai told us that they cater around 500 people daily and Bedmi Puri is a favourite with all. Hope you grab of the same too!

Meal for two- Rs. 150-200

For further information you can contact

Raja Bhai- 8376825232

Address- 375, Kucha Ghasi Ram, Chandni Chowk, Delhi- 110006.

By Kashish (Foodie Correspondent)

Photo Credit- Piyush Nagpal

Anubhav Sapra

http://www.delhifoodwalks.com