Ask a Bengali his traditional food and he�d answer, without batting an eyelid, �Bhapa chingri, illish paturi, rui-kalia and roshogolla.� The same goes for a Rajasthani or a Keralite. But put forth the same question to a Delhi-ite and you�d see the conundrum in his eyes� �Err, butter �chikkan�, mutton korma, naan,Cholle Bhatture�� Somewhat unconvincing.No reason to blame Delhi-ites,there is so much of food in Delhi from�street food to�dhabas to�restaurants and high-end caf�s serving a variety of food .We will take you through the best one,heart of Delhi’s street food-OLD DELHI.
Kulle – Hira Lal chaat corner
Kulle is fruit chaat, alleged to have been invented in Delhi, and definitely the prettiest�and most nutritious�street food around. Fresh fruits and vegetables are hollowed out and topped with chickpeas, pomegranate seeds, lime juice, and chaat masala, a salty, tangy spice mix. We found ours at decades-old Hira Lal Chaat, a tiny streetside vendor on Chawri Bazar.
Video :�https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qP_mMzn6sdo
Instructions
Potatoes :
- Boil or roast the potatoes. Peel �and cut into two halves.
- Scoop the center and chop a little from the bottom so that the cup can stand. Sprinkle salt.
Cucumbers :
- Peel the cucumbers.
- Cut into 2 inch pieces. Scoop and sprinkle salt.
Filling :
For bananas, sweet potatoes, mangoes, apples and pineapples, use only pomegranate seeds for the filling. For tomatoes, cucumbers, oranges, potatoes and others, you can use the chickpeas or a mixture of chickpeas and pomegranate seeds.
Assembly :
- Fill the scooped out cups with the respective fillings.
- Sprinkle black salt and black chaat masala. Drizzle lemon juice over the kullas
- Be a little generous with the chaat masala, lemon juice and boora.
Daulat ki chaat
�Daulat ki chaat (meaning �snack of wealth�) or milk puff is probably Old Delhi�s most surprising street food. Anyone expecting the punchy, spicy flavours usually suggested by the word �chaat� will be disappointed. It looks like the soft meringue topped with a mawa base but the taste is altogether more ethereal, it melts instantly in on the tongue leaving behind a mild sensation of cream and sweetness. Being served since mughal’s era no one could tell for sure how and by whom it �was originated? The name of the dish is named based of the usage of expensive products and laborious preparation it required and making it only affordable by the well to do society of the time. In spite of being popular in the streets of old delhi, daulat ki chaat is yet to be discovered by most of the city and its people. One plate costs around Rs 30, served in leaf bowls (dona). This dish is only available during winter season, �starting around october till holi as with the increasing temperature it starts to collapse. The chaat is made in the winter nights (preferably at the full moon light) by whisking gallons of sweetened milk into foams for hours which is then leftout on grass to set by dawn dews (shabnam). Later they are served with a thick layer of khoya mixed with grates of dry fruits and finally garnished with karara or bhoora (refined sugar). Some vendors add saffron and silver plates to their extravagant creation. Nowadays, it is more likely to be whipped by machine and set in the cool of the refrigerator, taking almost 3 hours in the entireprocess of preparation.
Video :�https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qP_mMzn6sdo
Ram Ladoo
Contrary to what the name suggests Ram Ladoo is not a sweet but a spicy snack.The laddoos are golden balls of lentils which are light and fluffy, crunchy outside�and soft inside. They are served with a spicy, tangy green chutney and grated radish.
INGREDIENTS-
- Yellow lentils (moong daal)
- Bengal gram (chana daal)
- Green chilies
- Grated ginger
- Fresh coriander
- Red chili powder
- Asafoetida
- Cumin seeds
- Salt
PROCEDURE-
- Wash and soak both the lentils in enough water for� approx.4 hours.
- Drain the water, wash again and grind both the lentils with green chilies and asafoetida .(the mixture should be thick and slightly coarse,don�t make it very smooth)
- Take out the mixture in a bowl and beat well with a whisk to make it lighter and fluffy.
- To check-take a small bowl of water and drop� a small ball of batter in it,if it floats over the water then its ready to fry,if it sinks in the bottom then you need to beat it again till the drop floats on the water.
- When done add salt, cumin seeds and grated ginger, mix well
- Heat oil in a deep pan,wet your hands, take small portion of mixture in your hand and drop small size dumplings� in ht oil.
- Deep fry on medium heat till golden in colour and then drain on a paper napkin.
- Take them in a seving plate,press the nuggets slightly.
- Drizzle tamarind chutney and green chutney over them.
- Now add grated raddish over it ,squeeze lemon juice and sprinkle some chili powder and black salt.
Video :�https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qP_mMzn6sdo
And our awesome team. 😛
Delhi GCAs
- Eshita Goyal
- Garima Pandey
- Jeswin Joseph
- Amit Das
- Rajat Singh