Old Delhi Food Trail - A Photo Essay (Part I)

Every once in a while I have this urge to try the real street food of Delhi and that is when I make my trip to Chandni Chowk. Over my last few trips, many of my friends have joined me to walk through the always crowded by lanes of Chandni Chowk, Chawri bazaar and nearby areas to savor some of the tastiest food available. The choices on display blow your mind and it is impossible to miss the food stalls and little shops as they cater to a thronging crowd of hungry visitors daily.

These are some of the images that I captured in between digging into tasty chaat and searching for some legendary food outlets.

Chandni Chowk - the mere mention brings up memories of some tasty chaat vendors and the best chaat in Delhi.

Bishan Swaroop

Sultan Kulle Wala

Ashok Chat Corner

Not just chaat, the area is brimming with snacks and food from everywhere.

Bombay Sandwich in Delhi

Panna standing at Nai Sarak has some tasty Moth Kachori..try it if you havent till now.

Incase regular kachoris are what you crave then make way to Jung Bahadurs Kachori shop

And how can you be in Delhi and not try Matra Kulcha. 

And talking of Matra, Rameshji in Kinari Bazaar serves the best Matra Kulcha in town.

A trip to Chandni Chowk will be incomplete without a mention of Parathewalli Galli. The atmosphere and the crowd eating there at any time is to be seen even if oily fried parathas are not your choice of food.

And it is impossible to roam the area and not catch the countless hawkers selling nankhatai.

Going to the old Delhi area and not making a trip to Karim's is totally unpardonable, unless you are a vegetarian. Famed for its mutton preparations, the lamb Nihari and tandoori roti for breakfast are a must do, though they even serve it in evenings for a few hours.

M in front of Karims entrance - should I order the Nihari, Paya, Qorma or all three ?

The Tandoori Roti and Nihari are a perfect couple :). Try it at Karims or Al-Jawahar. Which one is better? Well, the jury has been undecided for all these years.

This happens to be the breakfast crowd at Shyam Sweets. Try out their Bedmi Pooris.

 Enough of oily and calorie filled food...try the fresh fruit instead.

There is also a lot to satisfy your sweet tooth

Rabarhi

And how can one forget Daulat ki Chaat. Only available for a few months of winter, I cant wait for it this year. Another few weeks to go I guess.

And the Khurchan at Hazarilal Jain...yum!

And the best way to finish off everything you ate is by way of a thick lassi at Amritsari Lassiwaale near Fatehpuri gate.

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Caramel Sauce

Oodles of caramel sauce drizzled over ice cream scoops or say cakes can make anybody's mouth water and crave for something sweet. Talk about making your own caramel sauce and a lot of people develop jitters considering it to be tedious, risky and working with thermometers. Well, its easy to make and only takes minutes to prepare and having a sweet, salty, buttery sauce to drizzle over your desserts is a must have in your cooking repertoire. Though it only requires minutes to prepare, those minutes are very crucial and demand your full attention while you are at it, so ensure all the ingredients are measured and within reach and anything that can take you away from the cooking range has been handled before you set out to make this sauce. The caramel sauce also stays well in  your refrigerator for upto 2 weeks, so its good to make yourself a jar that is within your reach when you are down and need a sugar kick or sweet therapy after a real hard day.

Coming to basics for this sauce, it is in simple terms a sauce made of melted sugar. Therefore it is essential to keep your focus while melting sugar. It goes from just right to a horrible mess in a matter of seconds. That is one of the reasons why I add little water to sugar. It sure makes it a little longer to melt and get the color, but makes the process a little easy to handle. A lot of people, and masters at doing this, usually prefer no addition of water (its called the dry method of making caramel sauce), but thats your call at how comfortable are you in doing this.

As I have said earlier, ensure all ingredients are close by at arms length to add into the sauce. Running around at the last minute will ensure you have a burnt sauce on your hands and some great deal of scrubbing to do on your pan.

Use a heavy bottomed pan, preferably with a light surface so that you can make out the color of the melted sugar. Also ensure the sides are a little high, as you do not want your sauce to spill onto your cooking range (more scrubbing) or on to yourself, especially when it foams.

Lastly, caramel is hot. Please ensure proper clothing and safety. Do not burn yourself while making it. There can be splashes while whisking so be careful. As it foams during addition of cream there can be some steam that will escape. Be careful.

 

Caramel Sauce

Ingredients:
Sugar, granulated - 210 gm.
Butter - 85 gm.
Sea Salt - 1 Tsp
Whipping cream - 120 ml.
Water - 1/4 Cup

Method:
1. Add the sugar along with the water to a heavy bottomed pan and heat on a moderate flame. As the sugar melts, whisk it around to ensure it browns evenly.

2. Once it is browned to an amber color (I prefer a little darker sauce, so I wait for a more dark amber), add in the butter and sea salt. Whisk well until the butter has melted.

3. Take the pan off the heat, and wait for 30 seconds. Add in the cream while whisking to incorporate the cream to the sauce. The sauce will foam up after addition of cream for a few seconds. It is normal. Continue to whisk until the sauce is smooth .

4. Allow to cool and transfer to a glass jar.
5. Store in the refrigerator and warm before serving.  

Serving Suggestions:
- Spoon it over Vanilla ice cream.
- Drizzle over brownies or chocolate cake.
- You can also dip your favorite fruit in it.
- Drizzled over pancakes
- Goes really well with Christmas pudding.
- I just eat a spoonful..it really tastes good by itself.

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Banana & Raisin Pancakes

There is a joy in cooking for kids. And the joy infact multiplies when you have kids cook alongwith you. The sheer enthusiasm in them to help out and contribute is infectious. It can range from something as menial as getting the utensils or sifting flour, they are up and about and for me personally cooking with my two boys is the biggest stressbuster. One of these Sundays, we decided to make banana & raisin pancakes and though I knew it would be an amazing Sunday, I'm sure the thought of 3 boys in the kitchen had already made my better half dismiss this as a day off and prepare for a day spent in cleaning the mess we would create. Yes, there was a mess, but most of it was on our clothes and our faces, with some flour flying around and the different syrups and sauces they wanted to pour on their pancakes in the end and some of those sauces finding their way to their aprons. Truthfully, we love to see the look on her face after we are finished. After all these years, she still hasn't figured out that boys will be boys no matter how old they get. 

Banana Pancakes
(Makes 10 pancakes)

Ingredients:
Bananas, mashed - 2
Bananas, cut into rounds - 2
Raisins,soaked - 1/2 Cup
All-Purpose Flour - 125 gms.
Eggs - 1
Milk - 245 gms.
Sugar - 15 gms
Baking Powder - 2 Tsp.
Salt - 1/4 Tsp.
Oil - 20 gms.

Method:
1. Combine all the dry ingredients (Flour, baking powder, salt, sugar) in a bowl.
2. In a separate bowl mix all wet ingredients except the bananas that have been cut into rounds.
3. Sift the dry mixture into the banana mixture and whisk lightly to form a batter. Add in the raisins and give it a light whisk to mix evenly.
4. Heat a lightly oil pan or griddle.
5. Pour a ladle of the batter onto the pan. Allow to cook on one side and then flip them over.
6. Cook on both sides till they are golden brown.
7. Serve hot with chopped bananas, whipped cream and maple syrup. (Or a combination of sauces, like chocolate sauce and strawberry sauce).

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Pesto Genovese

Its been a very long time since I posted on this blog and finally today I found the time to do so. I can tell you for one thing that it wasn't laziness and gastronomically speaking the time gone by has been my most active period when it comes to food and beverages. Even apart from food & beverages this has to be the most active time, period. After 16 long years in the corporate rat race, I decided to take a break and follow my dreams, mind you dreams, not just one dream and even though I thought I will take a nice month off and then get into the grind, it was not to be. Since then I have been working on various projects, two of which are starting a concept restaurant and consulting on a adventure resort for a close friend. There were several meetings with people, both for business and pleasure, and many meals in restaurants.

Infact it was on one such meeting at a friends residence that he showed me the basil that had grown on his farm and how he intended to make Pesto that day. Post making some pesto with him, I carried a pack of Basil leaves home with me to make some of my own. My better half loves Pesto and since she is extremely busy with her business, this being the peak season, this would have been a nice surprise. Though, various versions of Pesto exist, some that involve walnuts, sun dried tomatoes and believe me eggplants, the classic basil pesto has always had a special place in my heart (and stomach). A short detour to the grocery store fr some ingredients, and I was all set to make my own Pesto. 

Now there are few things that I always follow while making Pesto, and that because I'm a purist and like to do things the hard way. Believe me the result shows in the taste. For starters, I always blanch the basil leaves. Blanching the basil leaves gives the pesto a nice bright color and not too forget it reduces the natural bitterness that basil imparts to the pesto (And this is because I do not find young small basil leaves in India).Secondly, everyone that I have seen uses the food processor these days. I prefer using the good old mortar and pestle. It takes long that way, but somehow I love the pesto more. If you want more information on Pesto, its origins and variations wikipedia has a nice post on it.

Pesto Genovese

Ingredients:

Basil leaves, blanched in boiling water for 20 seconds and shocked in ice cold water - 3 Cups

Extra Virgin Olive Oil - 1/2 Cup

Parmesan, finely grated - 1/3 Cup

Pecorino, finely grated - 2 Tblsp

Pine Nuts - 1/4 Cup

Garlic, finely chopped - 2 Cloves

Sea Salt - To Taste

Method:

1. Add all the ingredients, except the seal salt and half the olive oil in the mortar and pound them to a smooth paste. Continue adding the olive oil during the pounding.

2. Season with sea salt. 

Serving suggestions - You can add it to Pasta, Minestrone, and potatoes while cooking. I love taking a nicely toasted bread slice and spreading pesto on it and adding some shredded chicken or assorted vegetables. 

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Peach Gazpacho

The summers have been here for a while in Delhi, and what a summer it has been this time. Personally, I hate summers, I'm talking about Delhi Summers (yes the Indian summer that everyone overseas talks about). It's hot, as in burning hot and when it rains occasionally, it also gets humid. You get irritable, sick and hate everything outdoors. Eating suffers the most as all the good old dishes , especially the fried ones go out of bounds. You need something which is fresh, refreshing and cold. This is where cold soups come in really handy. Nothing like a nice bowl of cold soup on a really hot day. Gazpacho seems to be a favorite and popular cold soup and coupled with some of the great summer fruits, it just goes to another level. Last week, after days of battling the summer heat, I did just that. 

Gazpacho is a clever combination of the vibrant salad that provides all the nutrients and the much needed energy boost and a cold drink that quenches your thirst ...no wonder some also call it a "liquid salad". Now the very mention of Gazpacho brings tomatoes to one's mind but, unknown to many, this Andalusian dish did not consist of tomatoes originally. It's origins are steeped in mystery and throughout Spain there are numerous variations of the Gazpacho, some which are not even liquid. Some say the Gazpacho is derived from the Arabic word meaning "soaked bread", while some argue that it is derived from the pre-roman word "caspa" meaning "residue" or the Hebrew word "gazaz" meaning "break into pieces". No matter what the origins, one thing is clear -they all reference to bread being an essential ingredient to the gazpacho and that too a soaked bread (soaked in oil and/or vinegar). This dish originally a poor man's food has over the centuries gained much more prominence in the repertoire of master chefs, who have transformed this into an irresistible dish and I added my own touch last week.

Peach Gazpacho
(Serves 6)
 
Peaches, peeled, pitted and cut into chunks-6
Cucumber, washed, peeled and seeded - 1
Yellow Bell Pepper, cored and chopped - 1
Garlic, minced - 1 Clove
Bread slices, cut into strips - 2
Vinegar - 3 Tblsp ( Use champagne or sherry vinegar or a fruity ones..I used Cider vinegar)
Olive Oil - 4 Tblsp
Water - 1/2 Cup
Sea Salt - To Taste
Black Pepper - 2 Tsp

For the Garnish:
Red Bell Pepper, cut into small cubes - 1
Yellow Bell Pepper, cut into small cubes - 1
Cucumber, peeled, seeded and cut into small cubes -1/2
Cilantro, finely chopped - 2 Tblsp

Method:
1. Soak the bread pieces in 2 Tblsp of vinegar and 2 Tblsp of Olive oil. Keep for atleast an hour.
2. Pulse together the soaked bread slices with all the other ingredients except the garnish vegetables until a pureed consistency is achieved. Add more water if necessary (Note: the consistency of the soup should not be liquidy but little coarser)
3. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Chill for an hour.
5. Serve cold garnished with a teaspoon of the diced garnish vegetables added in the center and a drizzle of olive oil.

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Apricot Chutney

Every year I wait for the short window of time when fresh juicy apricots start appearing on fruit stalls, and when they arrive I pick up as many as I can like a greedy kid wanting them all to himself. The season for fresh apricots is so short that you blink and you've missed it and then you wait for another year. Some may argue on why worry when the dried varieties are there in stores all year around, but my friend, a fresh juicy apricot is a thing of joy and the dried variety will always remain a distant cousin. The variety of dishes both sweet and savory that you can do with Apricots are endless and no matter what you try, I can vouch that you will not be disappointed.

The summers are here and so are the Apricots. I have already made a few trips to my fruit and vegetable vendor to pick up this juicy fruit and turn it mouth watering delicacies. This time, I bring you a simple recipe for an Indian Chutney (Relish) made with Apricots. I must warn you though, that this is only the beginning, very soon you will see more posts, but till then try this chutney out and till my next post enjoy the fruit as is. 

Apricot Chutney

(Serves 8)

Ingredients:

Fresh Apricots, skinned, pitted and quartered - 200 gms

(To skin apricots, heat water in a large bottomed pan and drop in the apricots, as the water start to boil. Count till 7 and remove and put in an ice bath. The skin will peel easily now.) 

Onion, finely chopped - 1

Olive Oil - 2 Tblsp

Sugar, granulated - 57 gm

Honey - 58 gm

Raisins - 1/4 Cup

Cider Vinegar - 1/4 Cup

Red Chili Powder - 1 Tsp.

Method:

1. Heat olive oil in a large saucepan.

2. Add onions and saute till they turn translucent (4-5 minutes on low flame).

3. Add in the apricots and mix well. Cook for a minute.

4. Add in the granulated sugar and mix well. Cook for a couple of minutes.

5. Add in the honey and cider vinegar. Mix well.

6. Add in the raisins and red chili powder. Cook over medium heat for 20 minutes stirring, until the relish has thickened.

7. Take off flame and allow to cool.

8. Serve at room temperature or store in an air tight container ( in the refrigerator). It will stay for almost a week.

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