City Food – Moradabadi Biryani, Around Town
Battle of the biryanis. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] They had it coming. Big powers squabble among themselves only to lose out to smaller ones. Take megacities like Delhi, Calcutta and Hyderabad. They are forever fighting over whose…
City Food – Fresh Fruit ‘Roller’ Ice-Cream, Mathura Road
Too much natural. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] A moderate crowd of idle pedestrians have gathered about the cart. Their faces are full of wonder. This so-called ice-cream is looking so different from the factory-manufactured nutty-buddy and chocolate-chip….
City Food – Spring Roll and Other Fries, Khandani Pakodawala
New in old. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Icons are in a shift. Delhi’s Central Vista is changing, and Delhi’s Khandani Pakodawala is changing too. This legendary place has been making a dozen different kinds of pakodas since…
City Food – Barfi with Mask, Dilshad Garden
Double bonus. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] No, you don’t commonly spot this delicacy on the streets. Certainly not with this combination—brown barfi with face masks. “I used to sell only barfi, and then the bimari arrived,” says…
City Food – Nafees Khan’s Sherbet Stall, Gali Suiwallan Street
A steady landmark. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] He’s here, still all smiles—or so it seems, for he’s in a mask. He has survived through the two surges of the coronavirus pandemic. He is the face of a…
City Food – Sattu Ghol, Turkman Gate
Summer’s landmark. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The Mughal-era Turkman Gate marks the border between New and Old Delhi. It’s been here for centuries; its stony ramparts a symbol of steadfastness in this world of constant shift. Now,…
City Food – Deepak Namkeen and Papad Store, Subzi Mandi, Gurgaon
The world of salty savouries. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] You might never know the names of all the birds, or all the flowers, or all the trees, or all the constellations in the sky. But to learn…
City Food – Kamruddin’s Chuski, South Delhi
Summer’s chiller. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Hot afternoon. Empty lane. Kamruddin enters. A young girl runs after his cart, asking the man for his signature treat, which she calls “baraf ka gola”—a ball of crushed ice on…
City Food – Raj Kumar’s Jal Jeera Drink, Sadar Bazar
Season’s flavour. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Everything changes. Winter too is changing to summer. But “the dukh (grief) inside you doesn’t dim, even though you start smiling again,” observes aloo tikki vendor Raj Kumar. His eldest son,…
City Food – Delhi-UP Border Cuisine, Anand Vihar
Food carts of diversity. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Borders tend to be formal, edgy places, which one is always a bit nervous to cross. So it’s a surprise to find such a cheery, festive place in the…
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