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Channni Pishori Chicken

May 17, 2014

Channi Pishori Chicken

By Anubhav Sapra

 Continuing its endeavor of exploring the unexplored parts of Delhi’s streets, Delhi Food Walks (DFW)recently conducted a food walk in Vikaspuri, its third food walk in West Delhi after Tilak Nagar and Rajouri Garden. Most of the inhabitants of West Delhi are refugees who left Pakistan to settle down in India. The food, the names of the dishes and the cuisine are greatly influenced by this fact.

Of all the places that we visited in Vikaspuri during the food walk, my favorite was the famous Outer Ring Road wale Sardarji’s Channi Pishori Chicken. The place is owned by Daljeet Singh(cell 9810326023) and the address is Shop no. 29, J-Block, DDA Market, Vikaspuri. Daljeet, whose ancestors migrated from Peshawar in Pakistan, took over the shop in 2004 from his ailing father-in-law Channi and moved it to the DDA market from Outer Ring Road.

20140504_194901My foodie friend Kunal who is a resident of Vikaspuri recommended that I try their Tandoori Chicken. We ordered a plate with Roomali Roti. Served with nicely cut onion rings and green chutney, this was the best tandoori chicken I have ever had. The chicken was juicy and soft. I was intrigued to know what went into making this delectable dish –the preparation starts in the afternoon with the marination of the chicken with yogurt and spices; the chicken is then roasted to perfection and finally, the roasted chicken is garnished with mayonnaise, cream and spices. At Rs. 300 per plate, this dish is a must try’! The shop is open in the evening 5pm to 11pm.

Channi Pishori Chicken has given me a reason to plan another food walk in West Delhi to explore the unexplored.

 

 

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.
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18 Paranthewala- Paranthe hi Paranthe

May 10, 2014

18 Paranthe wala- Paranthe hi Paranthe

By Anubhav Sapra

When it comes to breakfast, many of us believe that there are not many good options or decent placesin South Delhi to go to. I believe 18 Paranthe wala has the potential to change that!

Located right outside Gate no.1, Green Park metro station, Yusuf Sarai, this small eatery is easy to spot as the name of the shop is written in large fonts- Paranthe hi Paranthe, 18 paranthe wala. The owner of the shop, Hiralal (cell: 9971232180) is an interesting person to interact with.On an astrologer’s advice, he has named his shop 18 paranthewala in order to bring fortunes!

20140501_095102This small eatery has approximately 39 varieties of paranthas. On Hiralal’s recommendation, I tried Aloo Payaz(Rs 20), Mix Veg( Rs 40), Chicken Parantha( Rs 70), Mutton Parantha( Rs 85) and Egg Parantha (Rs 30). The paranthas are neatly served in a paper plate with a dice of Amul Butter, a small cup of Mother Dairy yogurt and Nilon’s pickles. The paranthas were delicious and it was one wholesome meal I had!

To make chicken and mutton paranthas, Hiralal first crushes the raw chicken and mutton seekh kebabs, which he procures from INA market, and then blends it with onion and some masalas to make the filling. Soft inside and crisp outside, these paranthas were just delectable.

I wiped down the heavy breakfast with a hot cup of ginger tea and left with the thought of finding more breakfast options in South Delhi.

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.
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Chennai Hot Cafe

May 3, 2014

Chennai Hot Café- Drink More!

By Anubhav Sapra

Address: E-143, Shop no.4, Kamla Nagar

Contact: 9212407758

Last Sunday, my dear friend Hillary who hails from Manipur, invited us for Easter Celebrations followed by a food fest at Emanuel Baptist Church, Civil Lines. More than being a part of the celebrations, I was excited about tasting the flavors at the North East Food Festival and so I readily accepted the invitation!

After participating in the Church service (songs and sermon) with my sister, we headed to the Lawns to savor the delightful food. We tried Singju (Manipuri salad), sandwiches, and a nicely made Cranberry juice mixed with soda and lime.

20140420_190114A lover of South Indian Cuisine, my sister accompanied me to the Easter Celebrations only on the condition that we visit Chennai Hot Café in Kamla Nagar soon after.  The café is managed by Vipul and Kamal, residents of Kamla Nagar. The duo started the café three years back to serve affordable South Indian food to the student community of Kamla Nagar.

It is deliberate move on the part of the restaurant to have a limited number of dishes so as to maintain the quality of their food. The absence of desserts in their menu was the only downside as I was expecting to savor some South Indian sweet dishes like Payasam and Kesari bath.

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My sister and I had Rawa Dosa, Masala Dosa and Uthapam all of which were excellent in taste and are a ‘must try’.

They have an interesting drink, the Neer More (spiced buttermilk), which is a summer drink quite popular in Tamil Nadu and the rest of South India. A bit different from the regular Chaash available in Delhi, it has coriander leaves, curry leaves, chilli and asafoetida as its ingredients. It was quite refreshing and undoubtedly, it is going to be my favorite drink this summer. Amazing dosas and a refreshing Neer More, need I say 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.
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Crazy Bruno

Happiness is.. good food at your doorstep

By Shreya Chowdhury

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Hungry at night and too busy and lazy to venture out at that hour, a cute ‘crazy’ pup named Bruno has the answer. Crazy Bruno is a food manufacturing unit with an elaborate home delivery network which prepares exotic food and arranges home delivery from 7pm to 4am anywhere in South Delhi. Currently based near New Friends Colony, they are the new DONs of home delivery in town, with zomato rating them 3.5 in just one and a half months of their inception. Owners Abhishek, Hemant, Ashish, Akhil and Omaid have achieved a miniscule part of their dream of developing an elaborate food preparation station and providing an efficient, fast and effective  delivery mechanism, mixing their love for food with business.

The most popular items looks to be their mouth-watering chicken manchurian combo and  tandoori momos. Their noodles have a very  homely taste which is a very pleasant and welcome change from the types one would see in restaurants and food joints. The manchurian, though a little tangy, tastes pretty good. The chilli paneer is definitely a winner! The paneer is soft and tender, with a slightly spicy gravy which is delicious. Imagine getting hot steamy chicken  momos with  spicy chutney delivered right at your doorsteps! What more could a momo fan ask for? The tandoori momos are indeed, a treat to savour and a delight to the taste buds, with the Tibetan momos given a interesting Punjabi twist. Their Indian menu is quite a killer too. The paneer tikka salad has good flavour, but the butter chicken is simply a bomb! Succulent chicken with thick creamy tomato gravy is, in one word, heaven! However, their star is definitely their burgers! Soft buns with a tasty proportion of patty and a generous helping of cheese and mayonnaise are a fabulous combination. These burgers are prepared with an exciting  new recipe.

Crazy Bruno has also started a little experiment called Deal of the Night (DON), where they give special offers, discounts, a variety of items, and a whole lot of other exciting features. They also cater to Birthdays and House Parties. For good quality food without having to burn a hole in the pocket, Crazy Bruno is just a call away. In this tech-savvy world, they even take orders on WhatsApp. With Crazy Bruno in town, happiness is good, exciting, exotic and mouth-watering food delivered at your doorstep!

website:-www.crazybruno.in

phone number:- +91- 9899011399

 

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.
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THE DELHI STREET FOOD FEST

THE DELHI STREET FOOD FEST

(Not just another fest)

-Navani Satija

So, the winter chill is on and along with it is ‘the random-thought-gush’. And during this time came the most awaited Saturday. Be it, while brushing in the morning to the talks at the breakfast table or from spending the not-so-fun travelling time in the metro to the boring afternoon coaching session, I spent my entire day thinking about the delicacies across the states in India. Finally came the moment when I was about to have the experience of my lifetime. Yes! It was the much talked about Delhi Street Food Festival held at the Jawahar Lal Nehru Stadium. The most amazing part of it was to witness different cuisines spread all over India unite together in one arena just to serve the foodie-delhites whole heartedly.

IMG_0280This food fest saw not just the delhites but even a lot of tourists throng into the arena to relish the various tastes across India. Another best part of this whole festival was the pricing of the stuff offered by the 50+ stalls set up there.

I decided to take two rounds of the whole fest- first being the photo-walk to capture this unique experience, while checking out what was best to try and the second being the eating part which was totally worth it. So, I started off with the MAWA KI KACHORI available at the initial stalls, which was a cold sweet version of any regular kachori you would have had till date, only difference being that it was dipped in sugar syrup. It was the very first time I had a sweet kachori and it half lived up to all the excitement.

Next, to prove all the false allegations wrong that I don’t opt for spicy food ever, I went in for the spicy VEGETARIAN PANEER KATHI ROLL. It was this plate loaded with hot, strikingly orange, big chunks of soya and paneer balls served with rumaali roti. Extremely hot, just to accompany the cold chill around, it was extremely spicy and full of countless masalas (trust me!).

Moving on ahead, I spotted the word ‘Punjab’ which rekindled my inherent Punjabi soul craving for SARSON KA SAAG AUR MAKKI KI ROTI. (And no prizes for guessing!) It had to be there. But, honestly I’d never thought that I’d be having the best sarson ka saag till date. Along with this they even offered a big chunk of pure white butter and gur (jaggery) which was customary. The team handling the stall were these people who’d come from Patiala and owned a well known dhaba there and since they were Punjabis, they seemed to be up for a chat anytime.

Similarly, there were various other stalls representing other states. For example, there was the Rajasthani stall that I went to and tried their MIRCHI BADA and PYAAZ KACHORI. Now, this was surely one place that you couldn’t afford to miss. The mirchi bada was like a huge chunk of hot fiery green chilly fried with around dozen masalas. It was totally worth trying if you could bear spicy. Nonetheless, the pyaaz kachori was stuffed with lots of onion and other condiments freshly dripped in oil.

Finally, as I walked further I had arrived at the stalls that offered hot fresh jalebis and gulab jaamuns. Needless to say, these were the Punjabi-dominated stalls. Here you’d find people across all ages completely entranced in all the sweetness.

And after all that I’ve tried to express about this matchless experience, there still remains some part which is inexplicable. So, I’d let it be unexplained for this would hold its true essence.

Wishing that everyone gets such opportunities to eat their heart out!

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.
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Dilli ke Pakwan Festival

Dilli ke Pakwan Festival

By Prerna Sinha

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This street food festival organized by the Delhi Tourism from 23 – 29 Dec’13 was an experience, back to back stalls for kilometers, and free entry, what else does a foodie need?

The fest, organized at Baba Khadak Singh marg appeared so colourful and happy, visited by thousands of people from all walks of life- children, students, professionals and elders, everyone turned up to satiate their taste buds. Stalls serving street food had decked up the whole area- Rajasthani, Punjabi, Bihari, Mughlai, South Indian, you name it and you could savor on it.

1510924_577606015656617_1758581090_nSweet, Spicy or sour every delicacy was yummy, carrying the traditional touch from its area of origin, be it Changezi Chicken, Daulati Chaat or Moong dal kepakore. Menu from different stalls covered wide range of food from the states. Stalls from Rajasthan tempted people into trying Daal bhaati choorma, moong dal ke pakode, pyaazkikachori, kesariyajalebi. The stalls serving fish and Changezi chicken were some of the most popular ones since the non vegetarian food stalls were lesser in number than vegetarian food.
Typical street food from Delhi included scrumptious chhole bhature, mashhooor cheele, tikki chaat, soya chaap and bread pakore. The variety of food presented from different parts of the country was incredible.

1512740_577601462323739_1995800184_nA very successful fest, gave Delhiites the reason to come out of home and taste the traditional food from across the country at one place. People also looked at this as an opportunity to spend time with family, friends, away from the monotony of life and thoroughly enjoyed it, with bright sun!

We look forward to more fests of the kind in future.

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.
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Street Food Festival

Street Food Festival-2013

A joke that has been doing the rounds recently is that, the 3rd National Street Food Festival organised by The National Association of Street Vendors of India (NASVI) in Delhi was a bigger hit than Dhoom 3! Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium was declared HOUSEFUL.

The three day event which began on 20th December and lasted till the 22nd of December, witnessed a footfall of almost 18,000 people. The catchphrase of the gastronomic affair was ‘Swad hai, Romanch hai, Street Foods ki Baat hi kuch aur hai’.

Street food vendors from all across India had come to participate and flaunt their regional speciality. The event was organised by NASVI in order to promote, professionalise and brand street foods. It was also aimed at influencing the policy makers in order to transform the usually ignored genre into a secure zone.

The entry fee was merely Rs.30 and totally, worth it all. Stalls from Chandigarh, U.P., Bihar, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Assam and host state Delhi were seen. The fest had something for everybody. The ones having a sweet tooth indulged themselves in desserts like jalebi- rabri and kulfi, while the hard core vegetarians found sarsoon ka saag with makke ki roti to their delight. There were ample options even for the non-vegetarians; there were seekh kababs, chicken tikka, mutton and chicken korma, biryani, fish tikka and so much more. The list can go on.

The first stall that caught my eye was of Bihar. Their speciality ‘littli chokha’ was a popular demand. Litti, a small naan- like thing is made with flour and a ‘sattu’ stuffing and is served with potato curry or a non-veg curry.

Chicken tikka rolls from the Mughlai Cuisine stall were next on my plate. Amazingly soft and perfectly barbecued tikkas tasted heavenly with the green chutney and lemon. The roll was worth Rs. 80/-

The Tamil Nadu stall had Tamarind Rice, Pyaaz pakodas and puddu to offer. I tried the puddus which were cute rice balls. Made of rice, peas, chopped onions and green coriander, they were served with green chutney and sadly, were not so tasty as they looked.

The famous Mysore Pak from Mysore was also a hit with the people.

I then jumped to the Punjab Stall which offered amazing chicken and sarsoon ka saag. It was served traditionally with makke ki roti.

The aloo bada at the Chandigarh Stall was also popular among the visitors. It was a different kind of bread roll, one can say, without the bread of course. The stuffing was similar, that of mashed potatoes and tasted similar too.

The jalebi rabri was the best one I have ever had. The jalebis were crispy, aptly sweetened and tasted very delicious with the creamy rabri.

The Lucknow stall also had interesting dishes on its menu. It had Mughlai Biryani and Boti Kabab for all. The Biryani was amazing. The rice was soft, pleasant and nicely coloured.
Street food is a carrier of culture and heritage and festivals like these help us revive this truth.

My experience at the fest was wonderful. There was so much to explore, so many foodies to meet, so much love to share!

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.
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GIANI’S

 

GIANI’S

ADDRESS: Church Mission Road, FatehPuri, Delhi- 110006

CONTACT NO: 9210318644

For all the figure conscious people, let me tell you Old Delhi is not the place for you. Why so? Let me tell you!

An abode of the heavenly gods of taste, delicacy and food!This is what Old Delhi is all about.Simply after every 5-6 shops in the area, you will find an eating joint. Your shopping can never be complete without munching some or the other street food here. You will walk for a metre or two and you will find chaat- waalas, kachoris, jalebis and so much more all around the place.

Chandni Chowk shopping area is one such place where you can’t help but dig in some great food. From sweets to snack, it has it all. Giani’s food corner is a small eatery en route Fatehpuri. One has to turn right from the T-point at Shahi Majid, Fatehpuri. This outlet is the original Giani’s and it has many branches all across Delhi. Giani’s originally started as an ice cream corner, but now they have extended their menu to Chole Bhature, Chole Chawal, Lassi and a few more things. Not a very long menu to choose from though, but whatever the joint offers, it is worth it.

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The most popular thing offered her is the rabri falooda, which is actually vermicelli floating in rabri and a lot of crushed ice in a large glass.

I started my meal with a plate of lip-smacking chole bhature and with a glass of lassi. The bhature were crispy outside and soft inside. They were stuffed with little paneer(cheese) and that certainly added to the taste. The chole were not very good, they were a little undercooked. Lassi was served in a kulad, i.e. a container made of mud. The lassiwas outstanding, with the thick layer of cream on it and the smooth texture. It was cold with the perfect amount of sweetness.

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For those who have a sweet tooth, there is more that Giani’s offer. You can choose to have ice cream or Rabri Falooda or both for that matter! I preferred the much talked about rabri falooda, which was nothing less than heavenly. They give a big glass full of rabri. Rabri “is a sweet, condensed milk based dish made by boiling the milk on low heat for a long time until it becomes dense and changes its colour to pinkish. Sugar, spices and nuts are added to it to give it flavour. It is chilled and served as dessert”.

The prices, like most restaurants in Old Delhi are economical. The chole bhature cost around Rs. 60 per plate, the lassi is around Rs.30 and the rabri falooda cost nearly Rs.60. A nice and filling meal for two can be had within Rs.400.

The ambience is not very luxuriant, but a decent one. It can get a 7/10. The chole bhature would certainly get a 7.Lassi was 10/10 for me. The creamy texture is still there in my mouth. And the rabri falooda of course, it would score an 8.5 on my scorecard.

The overall experience was good, but I would highly recommend the rabri falooda for all the sweet lovers.

Happy eating!

 

Foodie Correspondent:Kashish Badar

Photo Credit:PiyushNagpal

 

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.
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Lala ji’s poori and sabzi

Lala ji’s poori and sabzi

By Anubhav Sapra

Recently the statements by Congress MP Raseed Masood and spokesperson Raj Babbar about the availability of food between Rs. 5-12 made headlines everywhere, from national dailies to news channels. Like all others, I also  found it very hard to believe the claim and decided to check it for myself.

I tried to explore every nook and corner of the famous streets of Purani Dilli, starting from Bara Dari, Ballimaran, Matia Mahal, Lal kuan, Sardar Swarup Chowk, Khari baoli to Chandni Chowk including many kuchas and galis to find out a place where one can have a wholesome meal at Rs 5.

Nothing seemed to put an end to my search. However, on my way to Fathepuri Masjid, I located a small shop at Sardar Swarup Chowk, ‘Lala ji Poori Sabzi Wale’.The shop was crowded, a large number of people were queuing up with money in their hands to grab a plate of Lala ji’s poori and sabzi.

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Here you can get three poori(s) with aloo and chana sabzi for Rs10. The poori(s) are crisp and deep fried in the oil and sabzi is equally good with just the right amount of spices added to it.

I couldn’t help but feel amazed at the simplicity of the place, the warm hospitality, the hurrying customers, the delicious food and the astonishingly low price. Bhai Waah!
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.
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SPEEDY CHOW AND ROLLMAAL

MUST TRY: SPEEDY CHOW AND ROLLMAAL

By Sanskriti Nagar

My association with Speedy Chow and Rollmaal did not just begin on the 11th of October when they invited us for their food reviewing but quite before that, since the time their names caught my attention when said on the radio stations. I am sure you would have heard them too and surely would have spent a second at their exclusivity. But they certainly had much more than just exclusivity; they have a purpose, an aim. Let me just brief you through my two experiences. Our first visit was to Speedy Chow, where they presented us with pan-Asian delicacies.

khow suey veg

Being a vegetarian by choice, I’ll be providing insights into the vegetarian platter. In starters we were served Tom Yum vegetable soup and Raw Papaya Salad. Whereas the soup had nicely prepared fresh vegetables, the stealer was Raw Papaya Salad, done in an innovative way; raw flavors and perfect crispness it will surely kick start your appetite. Next we were served with Vegetable Momos platter which had two variants of each style and instantly, Chilli cottage cheese momos became my favorite of all of them. Vegetable noodles and Vegetable fried rice were also done nicely, each prepared to suit the taste buds of the masses. Another favourite of mine from Speedy Chow is the vegetable Khow Suey which will surely make your mouth water merely by its aromas. Don’t miss out on the desserts too, the lava cake is as perfect as it can be and the caramel cake is delicious too.

Speedy Chow was an attempt to serve food to match the lifestyle of today’s generations, serving food for the fast life. Thus, it is most popularly known to deliver food as its name, before you realize, your doorbell rings with hot, appetizing food. Other elements you can’t ignore are the peppy indoors and affordable price ranges. Overall, if you want delicious food at your doorstep when the midnight hunger attacks, speedy chow is the place to contact.

paneer tikka roll

The next great experience was at Rollmaal. Rollmaal promises to give you not just a food experience but also an overall feeling. The ambience just made my day, specially the music and the service of the staff. It is done so perfectly that you feel as if you have entered into a different world of the Rollmallistan. Rollmaal serves in two ways, either you can order from the rolls on the menus or you can get your own roll prepared. I would personally not recommend just one of the various rolls with their more interesting stuffing’s but all, as they are all done with not just lot of innovation but have added a bit of their heart too. My personal favorite from Rollmaal became the Rollmaal Desi mix and Veg Achaari Roll, both of which were rich with flavors and their very original twists. In all, Rollmaal is definitely a must visit again spot for me.

 

 

 

 

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.