How to savor Old Delhi.

On a hazy winter afternoon, we set off for Chandni Chowk to get a taste of old Delhi.Chandni Chowk, which literally means moonlit square or market was built by Shah Jahan in the 17th century and was one of the grandest markets of India. Till this date, it retains its medieval charm and is one of India's largest wholesale markets.

We were very keen to try out the authentic cuisine available here so we made our way to the famous Karim's inside Chandni Chowk bang opposite the Jama Masjid.  Karim's is definitely a non vegetarian’s paradise and is renowned for it’s deliciously mouth watering melt-in-the-mouth kebabs.That also means that one would have to wait patiently for a place to sit. Karim's is always brimming with people but don't let that get you down.When we finally got a place to sit, we were famished and ordered more than what we could normally eat .The food was worth the wait and is certainly good enough to make anyone’s day.

We ordered:

                                                   Chicken Seekh Kabab(1 pc) RS 40 :

                                                  Chicken Burra (half plate) Rs 165 :

                                                 Mutton Korma(Half plate) Rs 150 :

                                                           and Sheermal Rs 50 : 

The Sheermal was something completely new for us. It's basically a thick parantha which is slightly sweet and quite moist. It was as big as the plate it was served in. 

Now even though we've had seekh kebabs many times, but the ones at Karim's just take the cuisine tasting hobby to a whole new level. One could tell that it was fresh and not pre-cooked, as we could bite into the tender meat without the slightest effort. It had the right amount of spice and salt, and was just the right consistency.

The chicken burra is something like tandoori chicken, on a whole new level. Slightly spicier, but yet so succulent, that we could have devoured the bones too. Needless to say, Karim's loves its mutton so the mutton korma was without a doubt, heavenly. What's even better is that Karim's doesn't charge exorbitantly and the food is really your money's worth.

Our next stop had to be the celebrated Gali Parathe Wali (Street of Fried Indian Bread) for which one can easily take a rickshaw from Jama Masjid. 40 Rupees and you are there.

Before entering the gali (street), a thele wala (man with a cart) was serving a food item that we had never seen before. It was called Daulat ki Chaat. Made completely out of milk and sugar, it was solidified, or more like whipped cream but not 

overwhelmingly  sweet. He served a scoop of this extraordinary chaat garnished with khoya crumbs.

Gali Parathe Wali has around three to four restaurants that serve paranthas .We went to Pt. Gaya Prasad Shiv Charan Parathewala's .One should be prepared to wait for their  table and also be aware that these restaurants are really tiny. Surprisingly the parathas served here aren't like the regular parathas that we generally have. They were more like stuffed fried bhatoore. They are served with three different kinds of vegetable dishes (quite spicy) and some pickle and chutney.

From the regular types of parathas like aloo(potato), methi(fenugreek) and dal(pulse) to the mind boggling bhindi(okra), karela(bitter gourd) and rabri(thick sweetened milk), we were spoilt for choices! At Rs 45 per paratha, parathewali gali is the place to have a feast of a kind!

 Almost unable to walk as we had eaten so much, we had one to make more stop at Chandni Chowk and that was Chaina Ram's for its famous Moong Dal Halwa. This halwa is essentially made with yellow dal (yellow pulse), milk, sugar and ghee (clarified butter). It's quite a heavy dessert and is generally made during the winter time to keep the body warm. We ordered a bowl of this lovely halwa for just Rs 40 and took our time savoring every spoon.

for more pictures, go to:
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All pictures have been taken by Malavika Chatterjee and Radhapriya.

JNU and Max Mueller Bhavan Canteen

JAWAHARLAL NEHRU UNIVERSITY (JNU)

Don't let the trees and thriving intellect of JNU deceive you into thinking of it as a dull, nerdy place. One of the most prestigious institutions of India, it is quietly and very slyly buzzing with activity. Upon entering the campus, one is greeted by humble red buildings neighboring a forest land. After almost a kilometer's walk and a brief stop for some chach at the mother dairy, one finds a small open restaurant, hiding among trees, called 24x7. As the name suggests, it is open 24x7, serving to anyone and everyone who comes in. You find students, varying from the ones looking for their coffee+smokes combination being fulfilled to people who are there to eat their hearts out. There is nothing that this "canteen'' doesn't serve and there is nothing that doesn't taste great. Nominally priced, this place has become an entity in itself, famous especially among the youth. The service is speedy and the atmosphere is very chilled out. If you pay close attention, you can eavesdrop into hearing some campus gossip and very polite remarks made about the teachers. Dogs are sleeping at your feet and don't worry, they won't ask for your food, they get plenty already !

MAX MUELLER BHAVAN

Max Muellar Bhavan is located on the Kasturba Gandhi Marg,New Delhi. A centre for learning german, it is a charming little campus with it's canteen called Cafe Goethe,is located right next to it's library and is a perfect place to enjoy a sumptuous meal in the winters. Open to all, the Max Muellar Canteen serves quality food at reasonable rates and has a variety of dishes, from pasta to parantha, they have it all. It is clean and well maintained and has a good service. The flavors are bound to impress you. One can also enjoy the playful company of the resident cats!

 

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Baolis of New Delhi

     For our first post we wanted to write about the Baolis of New Delhi, as they are relatively lesser known than the " more spoken about" monuments present here. A baoli or step well is a beautifully constructed water reservoir in which the water can be reached by a descending  set of stairs. These baolis can be multi-storied, with floors having arched entrances and pillared corridors.

       All forms of the step-well may be considered to be particular examples of the many types of storage and irrigation tanks that were developed in India ( mostly western India), mainly to cope with seasonal fluctuations in water availability. A basic difference between step-wells and tanks & wells was to make it easier for people to reach the ground water, and to maintain and manage the well. Baolis can be mainly found in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Delhi,  Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.

We visited three baolis in Delhi:

 The first was Ugrasen ki  Baoli, which is believed to be originally built by the legendary king Agrasen during the Mahabharata epic era and rebuilt in the 14th century by the Agrawal community, which traces it's origin to Maharaja Agrasen. It's located on the Hailey Road near Connaught Place, a short walk from Jantar Mantar in New Delhi. On entering the Baoli, one is shocked and awed by the grandness of the well. It's very

well hidden a midst a residential area and one can easily miss the narrow road leading to it.  It is a relatively simple structure, consisting of single flight of 103 steps that culminate in a now dry water tank.  The stone walls of the well are stark yet beautiful, forming a 60 x 15 meter rectangle made up of a series of superimposed arcades.

    Rajon ki Baoli built by Daulat Khan during the reign of Sikandar Lodi in 1516 is completely different from Ugrasen's baoli. It's located in the Meherauli Archaeological Park very close to Qutub Minar. It's wider, more squarish,  three storey well with a single flight of stairs leading to the now dry bottom. To the eastern side there is a small mosque with traces of a beautiful blue plaster.  Unlike other baolis, there is in fact a deep cylindrical well on the northern side of the baoli which is flanked by two staircases leading to the different stories of the baoli.

    Gandhak ki Baoli, which is very similar to Ugrasen ki Baoli, fortunately still has some water in it. It was built by the slave ruler Iltutmish in the 13th century, and was perhaps used by local residents of that time for sporting purposes like diving. It's named so as the water smelled of sulphur (gandhak). This baoli is just outside the Meherauli Archaeological Park and is still used by the locals, especially the kids, for bathing.

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Click on the above link to view some more pictures of this edition.

All pictures have been taken by Malavika Chatterjee and Radhapriya.