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GAYA FOOD TOUR

 

The ancient holy city of Gaya in Bihar, referred to as the land of enlightenment and salvation, is a sacred place for Hindu, Buddhist and Jain devotees alike. Mostly frequented by a large number of tourists and pilgrims, Bihar’s second largest city, boasts of a vibrant street food scenario dominated by traditional fares that are loved by the locals too. So let’s take you on an immersive food tour of Gaya. 

Mahabodhi Temple

 

Before starting with our eating spree we first visited the Mahabodhi Temple at Bodh Gaya, one of the major Buddhist worship sites in the world. This UNESCO World Heritage site is the place where Lord Buddha had attained Enlightenment. The sprawling premises were full of monks and devotees from different parts of the world who have arrived here to seek divine blessings.

Rice Noodles

On emerging from the temple complex, we noticed a few food stalls and vendors, primarily selling Tibetan fares. Here we bought some fresh phaley bread from one of the numerous ladies selling it on the roadside, headed to Three Dolma Noodles Shop and ordered some hearty rice noodles. It was fun eating the noodles in the company of a group of monks visiting from Southern India. The phaley bread went well with tea and as well as the rice noodles soup broth. 

Bihari Thali

Soon we then set out for Gaya and on reaching there we first offered our prayers at the famous Vishnupada temple and then began our food tour. The first stop was Rajasthani Bhojnalaya on South Church Road. As the name suggests their menu was a mix of popular Rajasthani and Bihari fares. Their no onion garlic Bihari thali containing rice, karela aloo fry, aloo rajma, dal, kadhi pakoda, spinach moong, dahi, matar paneer, makhuni etc. impressed us with its homely taste and affordability. Of these, the ghee smeared makhuni i.e sattu stuffed baked flatbread was brilliant. 

Paneer Palak Chaat

The second destination was Kesari Chaat, a family run chat centre at Dr. Haridas Chatterjee Road, Durga Bari. Their spicy, tangy and flavourful palak paneer chaat is the talk of the town. It is a well balanced pot pourri of paneer pakoda, palak sooji pakoda, chole, curd and chutneys, sev etc. This was followed by an equally brilliant aloo malpua, a syrup lagen dessert made with potatoes. 

 

While heading to the next stop, we stopped by an open tea stall at Tower Chowk and energized ourselves with a cup of spiced lemon tea. 

Imarti

Next was the turn of a humongous imarti from Sri Ganinnath Imarti Bhandar, KP Road, Chowk which is probably the best imarti shop in the city. The deliciously crisp, syrup laden ornate orangish loop is made with urad dal based batter. They make them of different weights. Ours one weighed half a kilo in weight which is equivalent to seventeen smaller imartis. The combined aroma of ghee, urad dal and sugar syrup was just divine. 

 

We then took a paan break at Mathura Paan shop at KP Chowk Road. The classic Maghai Paan cleansed our palate and primed it for more food. Here we got a crash course on different varieties of suparis like the dry ones, soaked ones, nirmali, processed and roasted ones. 

Tilkut

Finally was the turn of Gaya’s most renowned, winter special sweet called Tilkut which is made with just sugar and sesame seeds. The preparation entails a lot of muscle work and is quite elaborate. At Jauhar Ji’s shop Ramna road we got the opportunity to witness the complex and laborious process of making these Tilkuts. It is fascinating to see so many people engaged in this elaborate task. We loved the pleasantly sweet and nutty taste of this firm Tilkuts. They were so amazing that we even got some of them packed. 

 

As the food tour kept extending with local inputs, we took another tea break at Mahasay tea stall at Tekari Road to energise ourselves for the upcoming stops. The amusing thing we noted here was the measuring cup that was used to measure out the tea. Locally called napna, it was essentially a bigger measuring cup that was dented from different sides in order to hold the stipulated amount of tea. 

Aloo Kachalu

This was followed by a lip smacking serving of aloo kachalu from Bablu Ji aloo Kachalu wale. It was a spicy and tangy mix of boiled potatoes that has been mixed with some spices that served in a leaf plate. It is one of those quick and pocket friendly snacks that Anubhav grew up eating. Bablu Ji’s wisdom with spices and the other ingredients he deals with is so strong that when Anubhav found the thing spicy, he whipped up a solution with some spices and tamarind flavoured water and added it to the mixture and it’s spiciness vanished. While walking ahead we came across nimkis being fried fresh, hence we pop some to see how it tasted. 

Anarsa

Our penultimate stop was Jai Shree Ram Tilkut Bhandaar, near Panch Mukhi Mahadev Mandir. We were there to try a very special Bihari sweet called Anarsa. These ghee fried rice flour based deep fried dough balls fresh out of the kadhai were so delicious. Their kala jamun and samosas caught our attention so we tried them as well. The former is a dark brown coloured deep fried sweet made of khoya whole the later one is the ubiquitous potato stuffed pastry. 

Aloo Dum Chaat

The final destination of this immersive food tour, that spanned for the whole day was Srimani Prasad Chaat Wale in Dhamitola. Both the dish and the vendor selling it were quite fascinating. The robust aloo dum chaat was a potpourri of nearly 4 to 5 curries, chutneys and small snacks. Srimani ji was super amusing too. 

We wrapped up this surfeit food tour that acquainted us with so many wonderful flavours contained in the lanes of Gaya.

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PATNA CITY FOOD WALK

 

 

Patna City is a small neighbourhood in the capital that is full of stories from the past. It is the birthplace of Guru Gobind Singh Ji, the tenth guru of the Sikhs. Moreover it is home to one of the most sacred gurudwaras in the country named Patna Sahib Gurudwara or Takht Harmandir Sahib and so it is of great significance to the Sikh community. During our Bihar Food Journey, we had stopped by at this place for a brief food exploration to discover it’s prominent and popular flavours. Let’s tell you what all did we tried.

 

Before starting our food tour, we visited the holy and peaceful precinct of Patna Sahib gurudwara to seek the divine blessing. After offering our prayers we headed to the langar hall where preparation for the daily community meal was underway. A team of assigned cooks and volunteers who are devotees themselves were engrossed in different tasks like cutting of vegetables, making rotis, washing and arranging the utensils etc. This voluntary service carried out in any sphere, with deep devotion for the guru and love for the brethren is called seva. Here we first partook the kada prasad and then relished the humble yet delicious meal of dal and roti at the langar hall. This eating service is open to all irrespective of religion, caste or any background. The common rule is that one needs to sit down on the floor in rows with all other devotees and eat the meal. It was quite a surreal experience.

 

We hit the street to try the stuffs that defines the food scene of this place. First we got some kachori and ghugni from Nandu Lal kachori shop in Sabzi Bazar Chowk. The combination of crisp, small-sized sattu stuffed kachoris with an equally amazing kala chana sabzi, locally called ghugni was brilliant. This shop has been around for 100 years. No wonder their deep fried treats is phenomenal. Apart from the taste what’s laudable is the pricing which is quite reasonable. We also tried some crisp fritters made with khesari dal. The kick of garlic and chilli made them a fun treat.  

 

While heading to our next destination we took a short tea break. The tea at this tiny makeshift stall was very impressive. 

 

After that energy shot we arrived at Manish Kumar Aloo Puri wale opposite the Marwari school to have aloo puri with aloo dum. Yes this again is a much loved street food in the locality. The sight of the crisp and puffy aloo stuffed puris served with a ladle of aloo dum made us restless. As we got our plate, from the very first morsel we realised why this place is such a hit with the locals especially for breakfast.

 

This thumbs up combo was followed by a crisp and juicy Imarti from Vinod ji Imarti wale at Gulzari Bagh. This traditional sweet is an ornate loop of deep fried urad dal batter that is filled with thick sugar syrup. Urad dal adds more a body to the taste and texture of these Imartis. If you ever feel like trying it, always go for the fresh and hot Imartis. 

As we walked ahead we came across a Lathkto seller in Sabzi Bazar. These are jaggery coated deep fried sweet treats made with maida. They were firm yet somewhat addictive because you can never go wrong with stuffs that is fried, sweet and has maida. The cart also had few other traditional treats made with jaggery and puffed or flattened rice. 

We then tried some ubiquitous samosa from the renowned Tandon Ji Ke Samose shop in Sabzi bazar. The taste was much familiar to the ones that are available in Bengal. Along with a great crust it had a humble yet lip smacking potato filling, it had a distinct charm of its own due to the Panch Phoran or five spice mix based flavouring. 

Our penultimate eating destination was  Suraj and Mahadev Gupta Sweets in Kachori Gali. It is an old sweet shop that is known for its pure milk and ghee based sweets. Our pick from the wide variety of traditional sweets included dahi, khurchan, peda and gajar burfi. Among them the khurchan was a simply a piece of art. It was a stack of pure malai layers that were lined with bhura and cardamom powder. The sweet and rich taste elated the milk lover in us. The peda and gajar burfi too were quite good. 

Finally we ended the food tour with some ber which is a highly nutritious tropical fruit native to this state. The food journey in these sleepy and holy lanes of Patna city stirred up some divine emotions that we carried back with us. 

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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.