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DARBHAGA FOOD TOUR

 

Situated in the heart of Bihar’s Mithilanchal region, Darbhanga is one of the oldest and heritage rich cities of this north Indian state. Due to the presence of numerous architectural marvels and glorious heritage of arts and music, it is often referred to as the cultural capital of Bihar. This historical city whose prosperity was at the zenith during the rule of Raj Darbhanga, is also renowned for fishes, foxnut, paan and mangoes cultivation. We were there for a day to explore the most popular food. So let’s see what all we ate during this day long food tour. 

We began from Manoj tea stall opposite Bandhan bank. The reticent Manoj Ji had placed a big pot of ghugni on a small table outside the stall. It was served along with either littis or bhunja. We went for the bhunja ghugni combo. It was crisp, spicy, tangy and flavourful. This was followed by a delightful cup of special tea from the same place, which had a little coffee added to it. 

Piyaji Pakoda

Then we walked down the main road and reached Mirzapur to eat at Sardaar Pakodewala. Situated near Gurunanak Singh Sabha Gurdwara, this popular snack point actually doesn’t have a proper name. Here we met the affable and warm Gurmeet ji who spoke about their shop and their signature dish, the pyaji pakoda. It is a unique fritter made with one large onion that was first cut like a blooming lotus flower, then sprinkled with spices and double fried. They served it with chole and chutney. The sweetness and sharpness of the onion complemented the crisp, deep fried besan coating. 

Lassi

 

After that unique pakoda, we reached this amusing place outside of which it was written Hum Lassi Yahin Peete hain. The huge sofas placed inside made it appear like a furniture shop but the lassi counter outside affirmed its actual identity. Those sofas were the part of the fancy seating arrangements inside the shop. So we grabbed a glass of hand churned lassi and went inside to enjoy it slowly. It was rich, creamy and luscious. The topping grainy khoya added to it’s opulence. 

Fish Platter

 

Then we strolled down the adjacent vegetable market, the Kela mandi to reach Suraj Meat House This nondescript eatery is one of the city’s most popular non veg destinations. Darbhanga being a land of fishes, the menu here is dominated by fish dishes. Here we polished off some parboiled rice with rewa fry, sighi curry, jhinga masala and mutton curry. The food was mundane yet memorable. More than the affordable and delicious menu, it was Suraj Ji’s warm and hospitable persona that was a crowd puller.

As we headed further in search of more flavours, we spotted an old man selling Balushahi. This traditional sweet native to Runni Saiyadpur in Sitamarhi Bihar was a syrup laden, cooked ball of chena. Ram kishore Ji, the vendor procures it daily from the above mentioned place and sells it over here at Barabazar. 

Chote Samose

We then took a paan break and moved on to try small samosas from the famous Jagdish Samosewale near Poonam Cinema Hall. But since the place was closed, we had it from Ravi Kumar Samose Wala. The bite sized samosa served with kadhi and onions made for a hearty snack. Ravi ji was such a humble soul who spoke about his journey in brief. 

Sev Nimki

From there we reached station road to check out an old snack shop named Sri Chakradhari Bhojanalaya, whose dalmoth, sev and nimki were a favourite at Anubhav’ maternal grandparents house. But unfortunately we realized that its glory has drastically faded and now it is barely surviving with limited fares. 

Chena Jalebi

 

With a deep sense of longing we took an auto ride to our last destination Sweet Home Sweet shop Laheriasarai. At this Bengali shop we tried orange, raskadam and chhena jalebi. We also visited their sweet making facility. 

This was a gratifying tour where not only did we stuff ourselves with tasty food but also garnered some lovely inspirations from the vendors. 

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PATNA NON VEG FOOD TOUR

The Bihari cuisine has a rich and vibrant non-vegetarian traditions. So let’s take you on a mouthwatering journey featuring some popular non veg flavours from the bustling old streets of Patna, the capital city of Bihar. The locals here are very fond of fishes, chicken and mutton and the style in which they are prepared is very distinct due to the use of some set combinations of spices, that are mostly used in freshly grounded form. With numerous eateries selling tempting non veg delicacies, Patna is undoubtedly a haven for all non veg enthusiasts.

Here one gets to savour both traditional and fusion or innovative dishes, most of which are cooked in mustard oil. So let’s share with you, our gastronomic experience at some of the popular non veg joints that are known for deliciously affordable delicacies. In this quest we are joined by our host Mayank and a few of his friends, who are awesome foodie gang from this city. 

The Meal Spread At Daniyawan Restaurant

So our first stop was Daniyawan Restaurant at Gola Road, Near St. Karen school which is known for its fish based delicacies. It is named after a small block in the Patna district that is popular for the small scale fish farms and rustic fish preparations. We ordered an elaborate spread from the extensive menu full of traditional dishes. It included fried fish starters,  rice, rotis, three different kinds of fish curries, quail and chicken meat curry. The food was outstanding and so was the hospitality and the ambience. Fresh fishes used in cooking lent an extra edge to the culinary experience over here. It’s fascinating to get such amazing menu for such decent pricing. 

 

After that soul satisfying meal, the genial owner of the place took us to Chaurasia Paan Bhandar on Gola road for some refreshing Maghai paan. The special paan got us ready for more food. 

 

From there we went to Blue Moon Rolls at Dheeraj Complex near Boring Road because their Patna style egg rolls are very famous. We truly wanted to check what was so unique about it that most of the roll centers in Delhi have the same name. This humble wrap made of paratha, onion, few spices, chilli sauce and ketchup was so hearty and comforting.

Chusa Litti From Devilal Ji’s Shop

Our next destination was Devilal Ji’s chicken litti shop near Tempo stand, Kankarbagh. The swarm of people at the eatery jostling with each other to get their order, just blew our minds. It was the tell tale sign of its popularity. We squeezed some conversation with the super busy Devilalji before polishing off a plateful of scrumptious chuza litti. It is an innovative combo of littis and robust flavourful chicken curry. Every bite was a divine experience. 

Mahngu Hotel’s Bihari Kebab

 

The last destination of this food tour which was clearly an exercise of gluttony was the century old, iconic Manghu hotel Machua toli. We were there to try the unique Bihari Kabab, Keema goli and mutton curry. The Bihari Kabab was indeed a prized revelation. The no frills, unique cooking technique and the century old expertise resulted in a humble looking delicacy that amazes you with its flavours and textures. 

We witnessed the folding of the marinated meat strips onto the skewers which then was grilled under an expert watch. Grilling it was no cakewalk and it involved deep wisdom about the temperature of the flame and it’s effect. Furthermore the soft and meaty mutton keema goli that had sattu in it and the traditional thick and rich mutton curry were equally delectable. Just like the locals, we tried all of them with murmura or puffed rice. They were so good that their cogent memories still makes us salivate. 

We ended the food tour with a paan that is believed to aid digestion and after all that heavy protein rich stuff that we had savoured in this gratifying exploration we truly needed some help for digestion. We thank Mayank for acquainting us with the phenomenal mustard dominant non veg delicacies in Patna. Till next time keep walking and keep exploring.

 

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Baldev Dhaba

Keema Mutton at Baldev Dhaba

By Anubhav Sapra

Where – GTB Nagar Bus Depot

Sweden se aaya mera dost! My foodie friend, who is also a neighbor, runs an Indian food truck in Sweden. Ever year, around Diwali, he visits his family in Delhi. However, more than this, I believe his visit is more about experimenting at newly opened eateries and catching up with the old ones. The other day, we met and discussed the food in Delhi at great length. After a brief question-answer session, he took me to ‘Baldev Dhaba’ at GTB Nagar Bus Depot.

The place is rustic. The dhaba is on the pavement. At one end, stands Baldev and his brother Kishan with a big Patila of keema mutton and at the other, are the benches. It was great to see the hungry souls, majority being bus and auto drivers, sitting and screaming with rejoice, for a plate of keema mutton and tandoori rotis. This place made me recall another eatery that used to be in Ghanta Ghar by the name of ‘Moti Dhaba’ where we used to devour keema gravy with innumerable rotis. Unfortunately, Moti Dhaba is closed but Baldev is running in full force.

The dhaba was started in 1960 by Late Narayan Das Sachdeva and later his two sons Baldev and Kishan took over it and introduced the most popular dish, ‘Keema Mutton’ in 1974.

IMG_20151106_140413The keema mutton is priced at Rs 140- 2 pieces of mutton in a small plate are served with rotis. After gobbling up over 10 rotis, all we had to pay was a meager Rs. 30. Over a plate of mutton, Baldev sprinkles some homemade garam masala and serves it straight to the soul with crispy tandoori rotis. Even though the gravy appears to be very spicy, being bright red in color, the spices were just right. The red colour is just a result of the tomatoes used to make this flavourful dish. The minced mutton gravy with pieces of mutton on bones was excellent.

Baldev dhaba also has vegetarian dishes- chana dal, matar paneer, kadi, rajma – all priced at Rs 20 for half a plate and the rotis are Rs 3 per piece.

I mopped the plate filled with gravy and came home satisfied discussing with my foodie friend about the myriad of new options in the food market. In the coming days, I am sure we are going to explore more! And eat even more!

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.