Head start to my journey

The summer was at its peak. I was enjoying my weekend just sitting leisurely at home when my cousin called up. She coaxed me to reach metro station of Chandi Chowk and meet her there. Her idea was to go for Delhi Sightseeing today and also enjoy the richness of aromatic street food of Old Delhi. We had heard a lot from our parents about the traditional foods and cuisine served at every nook and corner of Old Delhi that has been preserved for years by our ancestors. I readily agreed and headed to Chandi Chowk. From there we took a cycle rickshaw and started our hunt for some famous food outlets and real street food.

The Famous Outlets

• Chaat at Chaandi Chowk

When we reached the bylanes of old Delhi, we couldn’t  miss the famous chaat bhandars like Lala Babu Chaat Bhandar which serves Golgappe with Jaljeera, Ghobi matar ke samose, Dahi Bhalla, Matar paneer ki tikki. I chose to have yummy golgappas; their crushing sound in my mouth was like a bustling cracker .Another one is Shree Balaji Chaat Bhandar which serves Khasta Papdi Chaat with kachaalu chutney. One more significant shop is Bishan Swaroop Chaat Shop which serves Aaloo Chaat, Aaloo ke kulle and fruit chaat. Jugal Kishore Ramjee Lal’s fruit chaat is another tasty affair.

• The street of Paranthas

Another bylane in Chandni Chowk was Galli Paranthe Wali.

I could see so many usual and unusual varieties of mouth-watering paranthas being served there. Stuffings were  of  Aaloo(potato), ghobi (Cauliflower), Bhindi(Ladyfinger), Matar(peas), Mooli (Radish) , Gaajar(Carrot) , mix veg, Kaju,  Rabri,  Paneer,  Banana, and Khurchan. Pickle, mint chutney and Lassi was also being served along with paranthas. Malai Lassi was served in earthen pots called Kullhads. I tasted one Mix Veg parantha with Lassi. My cousin liked Khurchan parantha. We asked the vendor-What is Khurchan? He told us that the stuff that remains after reducing milk on boiling is khurchan. It was really a sinful experience when we didn’t want to count number of calories it had.

• What else to offer

On reaching Fatehpur Mosque, We found Gyani Di Hatti that serves delicious fruit shakes, Icecream shakes and Sundaes. We had Rabri Faluda which is an instant hit with everyone.

Lanes near Jama Masjid, an old 17^th century mosque are full of non vegetarian variety of food. Matia Mahal lane offers fresh fish, mutton kabab, Shammi kabab and Shahjahani korma. It is a heaven for all nonvegetarians.

• Delicacies

Siyaram Nanumal Kulfiwale near Ajmeri Gate serves Kulfi in so many flavours-Kesar, pista, rose, kewra, banana, mango and pomegranate. We chose to have kesar kulfi-it had an heavenly taste! A very old and famous sweet shop called Ghantewala offers Sohan Halwa, Sohan Papri, Pista Samosa and Badam Burfi. The essence of Karachi Halwa can be experienced here. Chaina Ram’s famous karachi halwa can be ordered online also. People order halwa in kilos and get it packed in tins to carry. We tasted a piece of karachi halwa-its so different than other sweets with a delectable taste.