Chomping past Chandni Chowk has always been in my wishlist. So, when we were invited by India City Walks (ICW) to experience one of their food walks, I jumped at the opportunity. My colleague Mr. Somesh seemed equally excited (He has contributed the images in this blog). Shravan, from ICW, met us at Red fort parking, introduced us to Hitesh – our walk leader. Quite ironic for such a slender guy to lead a food walk. I have a good metabolism he said!
He briefly took us through the history of different dynasties of Shahjanabad and it’s influences on what we know as Old Delhi’s Cuisine or “Purani Dilli ka Khana’” in present day. A timeline of the transition of vegetarian to non-vegetarian and vice versa. How the original minced meat filling recipe is today our loved samosa. The change in food culture as the dynasties of Delhi changed hands with time. From the days of the Hindu Rajput rulers who were primarily vegetarian – the Tomar and Chauhan dynasties that flourished during 9th across 12th centuries; onto the changeover to Islamic rulers and the introduction of non-vegetarian cuisine – the initial days of Ghori dynasty onto forming the Mamluk (slave) dynasty in the 13th century and finally to the Mughals from Central Asia who nearly ruled India for 300 years.
As we progressed, Bela Banker our client from Swain Destinations, USA who joined us on the walk couldn’t stop herself from cleaning Hitesh’s glasses!! So that kind of broke the ice.
The Vegetarian Trail
We hopped onto an electric rikshaw from our rendezvous point near Red Fort parking, and headed towards Dariba Kalan for the Famous Samosa and Jalebi (a coil of refined flour batter fried and steeped in sugar syrup). Presented with two options for Samosas, we chose to taste both – the regular aaloo (potato) samosa and matar (green peas) samosa. We unanimously decided that the latter is a better pick! Jalebi was crisp, fluffy and hot.. not too sweet..
Next was walking past the bright and colourful Kinari Bazaar (also known as Wedding lane – hub for shopping for festivities and weddings) to arrive at the Paranthewali Gali. It’s was comfortable to get to sit for a while on this walking exploration. Choosing from 28 unique types of Parantha! (Indian flat bread with variety of stuffing) I wonder if someone ever ordered one with a bitter gourd filling! In an entirely personal opinion, I felt Paranthewali Gali may be a little of a hype. But from a westerners point of view it sure is exciting – just to be able to have a chomp in Chandni Chowk is quite an adventure in itself.
For Dahi Bhalla (green bean paste added with spices, deep fried to make croquets, garnished with dahi (yogurt) and spices), we go to Chandni Chowk Road. The road in under reconstruction now. This store was on the other side – one could imagine how that makes crossing the road an adventure for many people. And the vendor apparently earns a hundred thousand rupees a per day..
As we venture towards our next stop, the lane gets narrower in Gali Bhojpura where we have Kachori (round piece of deep fried Indian bread stuffed with spiced lentils or onions), at an interesting little stop in a narrow corner. Kachori with aaloo sabji (potato curry). Let me warn you, this is not for everyone – the potato curry was burning hot and spicy. But, what was heartening to see is the owner of this shop taking the initiative to educate the locals on cleanliness, safety, hygiene etc. using a PA system to make announcements. Anyways, with our mouths on fire after the Kachori and Potato Curry, we couldn’t let go of the idea of some lemonade to cool off our stomachs.
The vegetarian trail ends with Giani’s Rabri Faluda (vermicelli noodles served with a traditional milk based sweet) in Chandni Chowk. It is a bit of a walk but it isn’t bad. With all the taste palates confused, wrapping it up with some assured sweetness is a good idea. So we walk to pamper ourselves at Giani’s oldest outlet.
Sneak peek – Non vegetarian trail
Our stomachs are already full after tasting these vegetarian delights, but we wanted to have a glimpse of the Non-Vegetarian trail. This is a long ride to reach Urdu Bazaar (near Jama Masjid). Our E-rickshaw now rides through the shoe market, crossing the lane of wedding cards and passing through the narrow alleys.
In Urdu Bazaar, I understood how difficult it is to avoid Qureshi’s, in this haven of non-vegetarian food. Et voila! We have chicken and mutton kababs drowned in butter! Moderately spiced – delicious! We end our adventure with Sahi Tukra – a very balanced sweet dish that is served warm. Perfect for a winter evening.
The walk
Old Delhi has such a charm to it, it is difficult to express in words. It is chaos but with an order to it. You only have to find it. The smaller lanes are fun to wander around, because the hawkers would not bother you. Quite so, no body actually bothers anybody! Everyone is there for a purpose, and they are focussed on that.
While I have to go back to check the non-vegetarian trail, I think, doing it as a standalone would be all about food! A combination of both should be aimed for. Alternatively, a walk in these smaller lanes with food as an optional element would be nice. There is so much to experience and learn in these lanes – travellers should be keep their eyes and ears open, to ensure they don’t miss out on anything.
The walk leader
Hitesh has done a fair job here. He is articulate and tries to connect. His history is strong and has tried his best to connect stories of how the outlets we visited. Most shops in Old Delhi are run by the same family for generations. He had attempted well to introduce different elements of food to us and keep us engaged during the walk, despite the usual hue and cry of Old Delhi. I can imagine, it is a challenge to navigate through the crowd, coordinating with the team of vendors, making small talk with the participants, arranging hop on hop off transportation and still keep it relevant and interesting – all at the same time.
Take away
In my earlier visits to Old Delhi, I had only scratched the surface – walking through the main roads and only venturing into the wider lanes. This walk was a good introduction to the spirit of Old Delhi and has given the four of us the confidence to revisit the place. In the coming times, the lanes would become more familiar, and time would not be a restraining factor to explore more. I am looking forward to the next opportunity I get, to take another walk, learn more about other little known fun facts of Old Delhi.
