City Food – Banoffee Pie, The Big Chill Café
The best pie. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] You can have the world’s best banoffee pie only in Delhi. And in Delhi you can have it only in the much-loved The Big Chill chain of cafes. And the…
City Food – Phirni, Around Town
Taste of Kashmir. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Many Kashmiris leave for Delhi during winters to escape the harsh cold in the valley. Between November and February, the relatively wealthy families hailing from Srinagar, Pahalgam and Anantnag stay…
City Food – Dussehra Dal, Vasundhara
Heralding the new season. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Every primary school essayist can tell you that the Hindu festival of Dussehra is observed in Delhi and in many parts of North India to mark the victory of…
City Food – Heera Lal’s Kulle Chaat, Chawri Bazaar
Invented delights. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] He picks up a whole boiled potato, scoops out most of its flesh with a knife and fills the ensuing void with delicious stuffing. Depending on your taste, he can substitute…
City Food – Delhi’s First World-Famous Cookbook, Madhur Jaffrey’s Invitation to Indian Cooking
Mostly The Subtle, Spicy Cooking of Delhi. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] On the cover, dressed in an aubergine and red Kanjeevaram silk sari with a golden border, Madhur Jaffrey looks squarely at the potential buyer, her slender…
City Food – Tabassum Gazi’s Cooking Class, Gali Pahari Wali
Pakistani cuisine and more. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The room is a humble private apartment, with a mattress on the floor, a small, flat-screen TV on the wall, and a refrigerator beside the door. Here the women…
City Food – Fruit Sandwich, Jain Coffee House
A Chawri exclusive. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The Jain Coffee House looks terribly modest. Yet it is an essential Old Delhi destination. Situated beside a granary in Old Delhi’s Chawri Bazar, it has been serving fruit sandwiches…
City Food – Cold Water Trolleys, Around Town
Summer special. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Rose petals, lemons, a sunflower and water — this glass is a dream. Selling cold drinking water for 1-2 rupees per glass, refrigerated water trolleys invade Delhi roads every summer. Some…
City Food – Shahi Tukra, Cool Point
A royal treat. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Topped with cream, nuts, dry fruits, candied cherries and silver foil, it is deadly delicious. Shahi tukra (the imperial piece) is a sort of bread pudding. You’ll see it in…
City Food – Nagori Poori-Sooji Halwa, Arihant Sweets
A traditional breakfast. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Made from sooji (semolina) and maida (white flour), the deep-fried nagori poori is so crisp and delicate that it shatters on touch. As part of a traditional Delhi breakfast, it…
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