Deliciously Delhi

FV #37,
English food -- really !!
My opinion French food is great, and we Indians exagerate about our food.

stuka: Punjabi cuisine is sophisticated?

[Do you also put Thums Up in black label scotch? Hahaha!!]

I don`t, because I don`t drink...scotch. But, honest, if orange juice can be added to vodka, what`s the problem? Anyway, most alcohol is karva, and drinking overly-sweet sherry is so declasse. Btw, I do add Thums Up to vanilla ice-cream and pour dal over meetha chawal :)

Agree with you about Bade Miyan`s standards now...

Jang:

China Garden is quite the pits (unless you like aloo-bhindi with ajinomoto), but Kamling is really good. Ling`s Pavilion is a bit too pricey (hello, where are those who talk of Rs. 80 cups of coffee?). Golden Dragon has pretty much retained a certain standard, but it is at the Taj. China Gate in Bandra does have some nice stuff and Sampan at Holiday Inn has a superb fish in black bean sauce and their toffee dessert is simply great.

And what did you mean by little hole Thai places in bandra? They are pretty decent....Thai Palate, Thai Ban, Thai Connection...

Ras:

You asked about kakori kebabs. They were invented by the master chefs of the ageing nawabs so that the toothless lords did not have to worry about chewing. They must turn out just right...hollow cylinders, they truly melt in the mouth. The consistency has got to be smooth, any unseemly shreds and it is a disaster. The trick is in the marination. This is true sophisticated cuisine and am afraid the better ones would be available at the slightly high-end restaurants. I know Dum Pukht was excellent, so is Copper Chimney (with surly waiters).

- - -

Mumbai does have some interesting Parsi food (though I agree that Pune is better on this count...). Britannia still rules, so do A-1 near Grant Road station and Paradise. Jimmy Boy`s has a proper `Lagan-nu-bhonu` (wedding) spread, and you can eat it without making a disaster of your life or participating in anyone else`s disaster!

Parsi patra ni macchee, berry pulao, dhansak (this has to be really good) and lagan nu custard (a bit eggy), downed with Duke`s Raspberry (this is the only fizzy drink I dig) is so heavenly...

- - -

And who said Indian non-veg food is nothing great? Gosh, the variety we have! From Kashmiri flavours to robust Punjabi to UP to Bengali to the West Coast to S. Indian (Chettinad and Keralite) to the N.East, each region is so different.

Same goes for vegetarian...except that Muslims and Parsis are pretty bad at it. The miyans terat all vegggies like meat and dunk them in masalas and the parsis find the easy way out and add eggs to everything.

- - -

And yes, I must say that the frontier-type cuisine in Pakistan is incomparable; they also treat meat with more respect than Indians, a bit far too much respect, which is why it is rarely well-done. (I had to send back my order at Bundu Khan`s twice; I should have just told them I was toothless royalty...)

- - -

Am I the only one who likes English food???? Is it wrong?

Subroto: Can`t you talk about anything else but food? ;)

eating like a crow ..........

......... first and foremost i have to go on record once again and say that i am against all this cross-border footsie between pakis and horrible hindoos of dubious origin ......... look, if your relatives were foolish enough to stay behind in 47 instead of following musharraf, then they deserve to eat nihari made out of chicken feet and fish marrow ......... i know some indians like stuka and dost have also crossed over to god`s side of the border to eat kebabs and drink lassi, but two wrongs don`t make a right ..............untill and unless the kashmir issue is resolved all good pakis should refrain from cozying up to banias, khatris, arains, rajputs and other assorted lower caste people even if some of them are their relatives ..........

......... having said that, indian cuisine, wheter northern or southern, is simply horrible - regardless of what you call the dish it all tastes the same ........... chicken tikka with shan masala is not a whole lot different than seekh kebab with shan masala ............ mutter keema is the same as aloo keema and anyone who says that they can tell the difference betwwen bombay biryani and sindhi buryani is either a big fat lier or on shan`s payroll ............ if you blindfold an unsuspecting white man and feed him ten different dishes from palak paneer to bihari kebabs, the reaction will be the same - teary eyes, profuse sweating followed by violent cursing and retching ......... and don`t tell me, ``but we don`t use shan masala``........ anyone who says that is a lier and a hypocrite - everyone, including jehangir the kebab-maker on kashmir road, phaja the paye-maker in heera mandi, the fish-maker at mozang and my sister the home-maker in islamabad uses shan`s masalas ........... and even if they use natioinal or some other brand from the wrong side of the border, it doesn`t matter - it all tastes the same ........... there is no such thing as indian cuisine............ in the end it all the same - something fried, grilled, boiled or roasted with the same old masala by shan or others of his ilk ..........

......... i will take real food like cassoulet au confit and goose foie gras followed by compote de pommes - beats the heck out of sticky gulab jamuns or whatever it is that passes for desert in delhi .......

........ and please, no snide comments about crows and storks ........... there is no need to eat like a crow simply because you look like one !

Also Ras, Sadia Dehlvi was the first person in India to receive a talaq or divorce electronically (or so she claimed). But the divorce was by mutual consent and hubby was from Pakistan. She is a writer and a big favourite of Kushwant Singh.

Gurujee actually we had some really good beef curry at my boarding school in Pune and shortage was never a problem. I hear the school still carries on with the smae proud tradition. And all college students in Delhi really knew those delicious one rupee kebabs they were eating were really buffallo in origin. And strangely once upon a time the only place to get good pork was from Aligarh Dairy.

Good writeup on Avadhi food ->
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2003/20030713/spectrum/main2.htm
And a column by one of my favourite cartoonist -> http://www.indiatoday.com/webexclusive/columns/ravi/20000602.html

Aur aap bhi kya yaad karogay
2 cups minced mutton/lamb
1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
2 tsp salt
¼ tsp powdered black pepper
2 tbsp chopped green coriander
chopped green chillies to taste
2 tbsp chopped raw papaya
4 cloves
1 black cardamom – seeds
1/8 tsp powdered cinnamon
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 blade mace
¼ tsp grated nutmeg
2 cups onions - sliced thin, and browned crisp in ½ cup ghee
¼ cup bhuna chana - powdered
1 egg
ghee for brushing
some chaat masala - onion rings and lemon wedges for garnish

Mix all ingredients except ghee and garnishes to marinate for about 4 hours, then grind to form a smooth, thick paste.

Knead this mixture well and mix in the roasted gram and the egg.

Cover and refrigerate for another hour.

About 25 minutes before serving, shape the meat around the skewers and place the kababs on to a grill over a drip tray, or in a pre-heated oven (also on a drip tray).

If cooking them over a charcoal grill, you will have to keep rotating them so that they brown and cook evenly. They should take 15-20 minutes to cook.

Brush with ghee and cook another 2 minutes. Serve garnished with chaat masala onions and the lemon and serve with green chutney.

Regards,
#26

#32 HP, I agree, but I find his one liners in response to romair quite funny at times.

#31
Good Catch Ali,

You forgot to mention that despite his H1B visa status, the US government accorded him TOP LEVEL security clearance because he had already killed his parents to complete the Security clearance form. Unfortunately, this creature does not know the form number for security clearance.
I have known some braggarts; but bragging on an anonymous forum! Give me a break!

#30 by Ras
CHOWK Editors,
Could we finally read what friend
arjun_m is trying to write on this issue?

Ras Sahib, let me summarize it for you..... this is what friend arjun_m has been tryin to write:

- Indian IT exports are 3.2 trillion dollars, compared with 3.2 million dollars from Pakistan.
- Nadeem Azeemji is the richest Indian, worth 137 billion dollars, more than the GDP of Pakistan.
- They are teaching Java programming language to pre-K students in Hyderabad, and html is being taught while babies are still in the womb...... compared with the madrassa education that pakistanis like you have received.
- Finally, he tells us that he was born in the USA but brought up and educated in India..... and is a key mover and shaker in the Indian American lobbying circles...... and is frustrated that chowkies find his quest for his H1B visa extension funny.

so there!

oops! he also calls us Pakistanis jehadis, terrorists and pukis and thinks all of us belong in Guantanamo bay. Thank Goodness I remembered.... lest you remained deprived of your friend`s writings.

CHOWK Editors,
Could we finally read what friend
arjun_m is trying to write on this issue?

# 26: The Kakori Kabab’s sound interesting. Any details?

#20 Hi Farzana. Too bad that I did not have time for Parathaywali Gulli
this time around. I was offered the Shahi Tukra’s but was already too
Nehari full at the time and opted for Haldiram’s later. The Kheer Benazir
we all know is not named after BB but when writing as often as I do, some
strange ideas do crop up like your Pervez Paan.

# 19 Patwari: Lahore is certainly cleaner

# 17 Dilli is like Lahore but with Daru

# 16 HP: I must say, all that was missing was the Pakistani Flag there.
But I must try and understand the sensitive nature of the label…
I will disagree with you on Lahore food. It is amazingly good.

# #15 temporal: You go to Dilli for Pizza?

#14 Stuka: Food is great on BOTH sides of the border…

# 13 & # 12 kaurasach: Eat in Lahore and Bhangra will follow..

#11 Ansari: It is nice to go vegetarian once in a while. The wedding in Aligarh
that I attended had separate Veggi and Non-Veggi food sections.

# 9 & #10 arjun_m: What was that again?

# 8 Amit: One can only agree with you here..

# 7 GuruJee: They do eat a lot of Paneer in India but my lactose intolerance
remains a problem.

# 6 nazarhayatkhan : maybe Lahore food can be reviewed next week?

#5 Ansari: I have been eating at that place (Riaz Masjid or Ghaffar’s) since I was a kid.
Our house was just a stone’s throw from Delhi Saudagaran. My family
Is not all from Delhi but most of my neighbors in Karachi were Dilli Walas.

#4 stuka: Who is Sadia Dehlavi?

#3 Amrita: I agree

#2 Veeresh: Maybe it is time to get back to kababs.
I did pass the Jalebi Wala but stuck to eating Bengali sweets.
I did not notice the marriage brass bands because there were
too many marriages going on in Delhi at the time (all busy?)
and did go to Aligarh, Agra and Jaipur. Will write what I can
without violating my visa restrictions…. I want to visit India again
for 300 reasons all related to me.

#1 rkhan: I could not resist. Burns Road is still the place for me….

Ras Sahib says

``No beef was served even in the Muslim households visited, and obviously not in the restaurants outside.``

``The taste of “Shabbarati’s Nihari” is comparable to the best that old Karachi and Lahore have to offer on a good day.``

Can someone notice the contradiction here? Did someone catch Ras Bhai pulling a fast one on us?

Nihari is made with beef shank (which is the lower part of Holy Cow`s leg).... Nihari made with anything else is blasphemy pure and simple. I wonder what Haji Shabbarati made his nihari with... chicken shank I guess!! What other blasphemies are being committed by this fake Hadji? I hope he is not selling paya made with duck feet! If this Hadji ever sets foot in Pakistan, lets try him under section 295-C...... OK?

Now bhai sahib, what kind of tourist would want to eat a Pakistani dish like Nihari in India? haiN? Bhai, in India, you should savor the wide variety of Injun vegetarian delicacies like aloo-gobhi, gobhi-aloo, kaddu-baingun, baingun-kaddu, and so many more.

#21 by stuka on February 18, 2005 12:43pm PT

You`re eating at the wrogn places...
Try Peshawari and Bukhara grill...

amrita:

yes wenger`s

made fresh, personal size and steamin....mmmmm

A foodie article and my claims not not interacting here get thrown out of the window. Especially with these Bambaiyas claiming a cosmo variety (visit Pune and see where the better Irani joints are). Actually that was true till maybe even 10 years ago but saddi Dilli has changed quite a bit since then.
The Karim at Jama Masjid is the original. Many years ago when I was chota sa baccha my dad posted in Red Fort, so I had fond memories of kebabs from Karims. The Nizamuddin one only makes it more accessible for those who rather not drive into Old Delhi (traffic hazards not any other reason). But the traffic in that area is a better controlled now than it used to be. Chandi Chowk ki Parathewali gali deserves a look in as well as the book stores there. The chaat variety in CC is unmatched (which reminds me - UPSE ka Chaat wala apparently still does roaring business except he now comes in a Mercedes).
Chandi Chowk say yaad aaya did you go to Chor Bizzare for Kashmiri food (maybe Wazwaan in Def Col).

``Nathu`s at Bengali market`` indeed. For many Nathu`s at Bengali market is an imposter, a newbie (thos its been around for ages now). The Bengal Sweet House being the original which now, horrors, sells ``Vage`` pizza. Vaise sweets ki baat hai then a trip to the sweet house at Sundar Nagar rates a mention. Actually there a number of them all over the city to give names would reveal my gluttony.

And the option is not just restricted to the 5 stars. The Lucknowi food at Al Kauser mmm think Kakori Kababs and as mentioned previously the resturants at Pandara Lane (Pindi, Gulatis). And I can`t reemeber the name of the original that started it all by the refugee from Pakistan (darn the original is at Daryaganj).

Dosas are now a North Indian dish. Malabar Cafe for wonderful spicy southern chicken with appams. Visit Dilli Haat to savour food from different states. Try the Rajasthani kadhi chawal. Actually have anada parathas at night from the roadside vendor under the moolchand flyover. Eat fried fish with grated mooli from any roadside vendor and do not miss the kulcha channa from the roadside vendors too. Actually some of the best food comes from the street vendors, hygiene be damned. I had all the gol gappas and papri chaat and nothing happened. Mexican/Thai/Chinese/Japanese etc etc sab milta hai and as I have to write my script this term paper will have to wait.

sutka .. china garden sucks.. lings pavillion the place (actually i hate chinese food pretty much anywhere in india)

stuka on kababs i agree. i prefer mahim dargah for kabab (shashliks marinated in papya jiuce) or foras road for mughlai. dilli is overall provincial in the sense of lack of veriety. also in the older times, dilli did not have any ``real`` upmarket restaurants..all they had were hotel restaurants (liek dum-pukht etc). us mumbaiyas found it very provincial. hopefully things have changed. offocourse in mumbai we have great views from sea-lounge..

other thing in dilli is that say you meet an old friend and want to get a cold beer (or 2 or 3), masala papad over a pack of wills navy-cut, you would have to think of where to go, whereas in mumbai you would need to walk for about 3 minutes at most.

mumbai also lacks those tibetan dhabas .. but then mumbai does not get compared to Lahore ;-)

I`ve eaten excellent food in Manali (HP). Karahi chicken and paneer. One of the best ever Chicken I ate in my life is at the Queen`s palace (now a restaurant) in Mandi (HP). It was EXCELLENT!