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:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bikul-delhi/sets/

All pictures have been taken by Malavika Chatterjee and Radhapriya.