City Food – Homemade Mango Ice Cream, Gharib Nawaz Guest House
A chilling cordiality. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] This is one of the most sublimely authentic ice creams to be had in Delhi. The unnamed stall at the entrance of Gharib Nawaz Guest House in the Walled City’s…
City Food – Paratha, Around Town
Best at any hour. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] There is one thing paratha enthusiasts will agree upon — the wheat flour disks fried on a shallow pan have unlimited versions. At its simplest, a paratha is crisp…
City Food – Julia Child Makes Tomato Pappu in Dwarka
The great chef’s life in Delhi. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] Meet the Julia Child of Dwarka, an expansive settlement of residential apartments, bleak-looking malls and many many metro stations. In her 30s, Ruchira Hoon lives with her…
City Food – Paneer Dosa, Naivedyam
Delhi’s dosa. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Delhi has not succeeded in corrupting the dosa, the south Indian pan-fried dish of urad dal and rice batter. The classical masala dosa – so pervasive across the country that it…
City Food – Buffalo Legs, Chitli Qabar Bazaar
Winter warmer. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The alleys of Old Delhi’s Chitli Qabar bazaar throw up incredibly kaleidoscopic sights in winter mornings. There are hawkers selling, among other things, buffalo legs, or paya. Stacked in straw baskets,…
City Food – Aloo Chaat, Around Town
Beyond the french fries. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Delhi’s roadside version of French fries is not eaten with the fingers. Cut into cubes and fried to a crisp, the potatoes in the aloo chaat come coated with…
City Food – Mutton Burra, Jama Masjid’s Karim
Carnivore’s lust. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Probably the most iconic and long-lasting (and clichéd) culinary landmark of Delhi is Karim’s restaurant, originally set up in the Walled City, but now with several franchises all over. The most…
City Food – Rajma-Kadhi-Chhole Chawal, Around Town
The office meal. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] One of the joys of becoming an adult and having a day job is that your mother no longer controls your lunch menu. The food that she would make on…
City Food – Yellow Dal, Karim’s
Simple but complicated. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] It is startling to discover that the capital’s most delicious yellow dal is to be found at Karim’s, the Mughlai eatery famous for its non-vegetarian biryanis, kebabs and kormas. The…
City Food – Motichoor Laddu, Ghantewala Halwai
Food for the gods. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] It is the sweet of the gods. On Tuesdays, Hindus offer Hanuman boondi laddu, made of deep-fried besan balls held together with flavoured sugar syrup. The pot-bellied Ganesha, the…
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