Chandni Chowk - A taste of Purani Dilli (Old Delhi)

3 days into my stay and I was struggling to find a reason to venture all the way to one of my favourite places in Delhi but I finally had one when my Maami (aunt) said she needed some things for the wedding which would easily be found in Old Delhi.

So after a long ride in the metro, we were in Chandni Chowk (one of the oldest areas of Delhi). My cousins and I decided to go to Jama Masjid (India's largest mosque built by Shah Jahan - same person who built the Taj) because we figured that would be the best place to eat some nice mughalai food and do the wedding shopping.

We spent almost 2 hours shopping and admiring the historic masjid before our stomachs demanded we have lunch. The shop keeper guided us through the gulleys (paths) of Chandni Chowk to this small biryani joint called Taufeeq Biryani. For 30 Rs (approx 60c) my cousins and I had a full plate to share. I wouldn't recommend these unknown (Lo key) biryani places because while they taste much better than the biryani you get at all Indian restaurants outside of India, the quality of meat is sometimes questionable. But for 60c who is complaining?!

We then went to Jawahar Hotel, one the oldest restaurants in Purani Dilli (next to Karim's). We ordered mutton qourma, chicken biryani and tandoori chicken with Romali roti (roti so thin that it is nearly transparent). The biryani wasn't bad but there was nothing too special about it. The qourma was rich in flavour, spice and had well cooked meat. The tandoori chicken was slightly dry but tasted delicious with the Romali. If you are near Jama Masjid then I would recommend Jawahar hotel over Karims (which I am not a fan after having average food there in the last few years).

Despite being full from lunch, I made my cousins join me in enjoying some fresh Paranthe (layered and shallow fried roti) from the famous "Paranthe wali galli" (street of paranthas). The main restaurant of PwG had a large range of paranthas to choose from but because we were already full we decided to share a muli (radish) and rabri (sweet and thickened milk) paranthas. The paranthas were served on a thali with 5-6 different chutneys and sabzis (vege curries). The chutneys included a tangy banana one which went surprisingly well with both the savoury muli parantha and the sweet rabri one. The paranthas themselves were awesome! Highly recommend this place (even if it's not in the way).

Before getting on the metro back to CP, we stopped to have mitthai at a small sweet shop located at the entrance of Paranthe wali galli. The gulab jamuns, Ras mallai and rasgulla were as sweet and delicious as they sound.

Those who have issues with hygiene and personal space may not enjoy what Chandni Chowk has to offer but those who are looking to experience rich history, flavour and excitement must visit the cultural capital of the capital city.

See you next time after my cousin's wedding!

above: exploring chandni chowk by cycle rickshaw

bottom: Built by Shah Jahan (same as Taj), Jama Masjid is India's largest mosque

above: chicken biryani, mutton quorma and tandoori chicken with romali roti from Jawahar Hotel

below: muli parantha, rabri parantha on a thali of sabzis and chutneys

above: amazing mitthai near paranthe wali galli - Ras mallai, rasgulla, gulab jamun

Return to the motherland

When I started this blog last year I didn't think I would be needing to post in it too often. I thought it would be once every few years (on the rare visit to India) and people wouldn't have to see my obsession with food on their news feed. In July, however, I found out that my cousin from Dubai was getting married in India this December which meant I would be going there for a third time in three years! I'm not complaining though.

So brace yourselves for a series of posts on food from Delhi, Patna, Chennai, Pondicherry,  Hyderabad, Mumbai and maybe more.

Will look forward to hearing your feedback on my style of writing or even just your opinion of the food I post about.

3 weeks. 6+ cities. 1 family wedding (with a mini family reunion). Many memories to be made and an unlimited number of flavours, smells and experiences to be shared (as much as my stomach can handle).

Get ready for another Taste of the Motherland.

I'm going home!

Ram Asrey Mithai and Shree Lassi

I'm here in Lucknow, a.k.a "The city of Nawabs", a.k.a "The Constantinople of the East" and after visiting Chota Imambara (picture 1), the majestic shrine of the 3rd Nawab of Avadh, I set out to find some of Lucknow's famous and unique mithais (sweets / desserts).  

Mithai plays an extremely important role in Indian culture and the cuisine - every birthday, every wedding, every new job, every new child, every celebration is incomplete without a pack of rich, colourful and sugary goodness. Every region of India have their own special mithai which they are known for. Today, however, I got to try some mithai you don't find in every sweet shop.  

Ram Asrey Mithai (Hazratganj, Lucknow) - "Khushiyon ki mithai"

Category: Desserts/Sweets
Nostril Flaring (Hygiene issues): None
Personal Rating: 3/5 overall, 5/5 character/originality   

Ram Asrey is a sweet shop which has been operating since the 1800s and is one of Lucknow's most popular. It was a very professional sweet shop with the necessary measures in place to keep the food free of contamination (e.g. all food covered, use of gloves etc). However, at 3pm it seemed as if they did not have a very comprehensive range of sweets. It could be that many products sold out during the day. Nevertheless, the ones which were available proved to be a unique range which I had not seen before.  

Malai Paan
Yes, your eyes are not playing tricks on you.  Picture 2 shows Ram Asrey's signiture product - Malai Paan. Malai is tickened (solidified) milk when it is boiled for a long period of time. Inside the malai "leaf" was a mixture of nuts and syrup. It was an interesting mithai and surprisingly tasty.

Santra ke Halwa
Picture 3 shows you another special preparation which I had never seen before. A halwa (cooked and mashed sweet) made from Orange (santra) peel. Similar to orange marmalade (but far thicker and more rich due to the ghee), this is quite unusual as Indian mithai are generally not made from fruit. If kept cool it would be somewhat refreshing on warm days.    

Lal Peda
Peda is a popular and common mithai originating from this state of Uttar Pradesh (according to locals and Wikipedia) - usually bright yellow (from kesar i.e. saffron) or creamy milk. Picture 4, however, shows Ram Asrey's lal (Red) peda which is slightly more coarse and not as creamy as its yellow and white siblings. I personally prefer the kesar peda, however those who like mithai which are not too sweet wil enjoy the lal peda.  

Overall, Ram Asrey has a range of mithai which may not be found in most sweet shops. On their gift packaging it has their slogan - Khushiyon ki mithai (Desserts of/for Happiness). Quite appropriate because these unique mithais seem to make you smile as you know you're having something special.  

Shree Lassi

Category: Drink 
Nostril Flaring: None identified
Personal Rating: #1 Lassi  

My cousin took me to this place to have "one of the best lassi's in town" and I was not disappointed. Lassi, for those who don't know, is basically a yoghurt-based milkshake which comes in sweet and savoury versions. While there are different flavours,  my favourite is a plain sweet one. Picture 5 shows  what I received - a full glass of delicious and refreshing lassi with some pieces of malai on top. Instead of a straw, the shop keeper gave me a spoon so I could finish the malai. Im no lassi expert, but this was definitely the best one I've had.  

I also had their Gulab Jamun and it was equally as spectacular. Those who know my taste will agree that I am particularly critical of Gulab Jamuns as they are my favourite mithai. I take my Gulab Jamuns seriously.  Unfortunately, I was too caught up in the moment and was unable to take a picture of it.  

Shree Lassi is a local favourite which you must try when visiting Lucknow.  

Hope you enjoyed this introduction to Lucknowi cuisine. Next time I'll be telling you about what Lucknow is really famous for. Let me know your thoughts or if you have any questions so far. Until next time...