The World of Flavors : My Favorite Food
Comfort Food, Junk Food, Special Local Flavors, Sweets…
Spice Up Your Life
“31 States, 1618 Languages, 6400 Castes, 6 Religion, 6 Ethnic Groups, 29 Major festivals and 1 Country! A proud Indian”
The above could be a great message to share with friends and well wishers for any festival/celebration in India. We do celebrate a lot in India, and food becomes the integral part of those celebration.
I constant used to hear the phrase “Do you eat to live or live to eat” from the food police around us – the people who are particular about food as well as those socialist types who abhor any kind of celebration of enjoyment in life. Well the answer I have for them is that probably we live to eat – and I personally believe in experimenting with the taste buds, within the dietary restriction that I follow being a vegetarian more by choice than by any religious or caste based compulsion.
One of the most hilarious jokes of 2012 was around the disgraced holy man Nirmal Baba who used to suggest eating of, distribution of simple food items as a part of worshiping the god. Even though the scam that he is running to cheat people is repulsive, I kind of love the idea of worshiping by eating sundry items.
It’s about those memorable snacks/meals/street food/junk food etc. from early childhood till now, always in the company of friends, relatives or family, as I hate to eat alone, I relish those memories, of the food and experience and would love to relive them again and again. It could be on a go at the Streets or at the road side Dhaaba or at Dine-in Restaurants, what matters the most is the taste, the quality of food, and the memories associated with them.
So here are some memories categories into comfort food in and around Delhi, the food that I got to taste in the nooks & corners of India as well as whatever little opportunity I got to get a taste of the world outside India.
The Comfort Food : Maggi, Parantha, Golgappa and much more…..
- Can have it anytime, anywhere….
Golgappas @ Gole Market in front of Bengali Bakery shop
- The pakore wala at Sarojini Nagar serves the best Kamal Kakdi (Lotus Stem) Pakoras I have ever tasted.
- Hands down winner in the category of Kachori-sabzi is the one served in the Dariba Kalan market at Chandani Chowk, Delhi.
- The aloo-takki and bhalla-papri of the guy near SBI at Chandani chowk gives a really good fight to the papri-chaat/ bhalla-papri served near the UPSC (near India Gate), Shahjahan Road, Delhi.
- Childhood memories consist of regular the famous Desi Ghee ki Jalebi… which was a must-buy any time one of our family member used to go to Chandani Chowk for shopping or for any other work. The shop is still there near Dariba Kalan. I still love to have Jalebi with a glass of warm milk
- There are some food items that we eat on some rare occasions but can never forget the taste, that special feeling or flavor is hard to recreate in any other setting, it has to be in the specific environment, with some special friends…
Cutting chai (half cup tea) near Shivaji Stadium or by the road side vendor near the Chanakya Hotel, Patna, Bihar
Samosa with Chhole at Birla Mandir
Bread-Pakora/Samosa with sabzi at Delhi Gate, Delhi
South Indian Thaali at Udupi, Munirka, Delhi
Karachi Halwa from the China Ram Sindhi Confectioners, Chandani Chowk (https://plus.google.com/112546100845063437946/about?gl=in&hl=en)
- One of the favorite place for us friends to meet & eat Indian Mughalai food used to be at Kafila, Karol Bagh, Delhi but the restaurant there is closed now
South Indian Delight – Sarvana Bhavan, Janpath, New Delhi
Best Meals around India and outside…
- Nothing beats the home-cooked food, prepared with love and its the emotions that do the trick to make it most memorable, more than any special ingredients.
- The normal Urad Ki Daal and Chawal transforms into the greatest delicacy for me, cant forget the one I had sitting under the clear blue sky, cooked on or before before the wedding day in the open fields of our village. This meal is special because the male member prepare it and the woman for a change, take a break and enjoy eating rather than cooking.
Kathiawadi Thaali at Ahmadabad
Pastry at the Bakery in McLeod Ganj main market, Dharmshala, Himachal Pradesh
Hot Cappa Coffee – Indian Coffee House, Near T Nagar, Chennai
Crispy Dosa at Murugan’s – Chennai
A simple Veg meal at Punnuswami – Chennai : For non-veg delight this restaurant is the best in Chennai…
Andhra Thali at Bheema’s : Bangalore
MTR : The place hasn’t changed in more than 100 years…
Lemonade at Bheem Taal, Nainital, Uttarakhand – Nectar of pahari Nimbus
Santushthi – Delicious Kathiawadi Thali in Rajkot, Gujarat
The very best of Indian Street food – Banarasi chaat at Kashi chaat bhandar, Varanasi
Great pasta at Pizzaria, Varanasi (Near the Assi Ghat)
Claimed to be the 2nd best pizza place in the world! Pizzaria at Assi Ghat, Varanasi. The Italian has left the place but the taste is still very much there.
The best apple pie I ever had, Pizzaria near Assi Ghat, Varanasi
The traditional oven at Pizzaria, Varanasi
A bit too buttery but it was just divine to have such a tasty paneer in Chapra while we were starving…
Best meal we had in Bihar, Zaika @ Chapara…
Punabi Delight – Makke ki roti and sarson ka saag : The Haveli near Jalandhar
Italian punjabi style : Pasta in white sauce with Paneer…
Italian Punjabi style : pizza with pineapple, pyaz and yes paneer…
Pal Dhaaba in the City Beautiful, Chandigarh, Punjab
Oh what a Daal it was! Tastiest Daal Tadka I ever had. Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh
There is nothing better than a Meal at Hill View, Dhaulachina in between Almora and Pithoragarh
Kiyani Bakery at Pune have got the amazing Shrew-berry biscuits
Always crowded with customers, the stuff gets over very quickly – Kiyani Bakery at Pune
Custard Apple Milkshake – It was truly yum at Cream Corner, MG Road, Pune
Pao Bhaaji at Shiv Sagar, Pune
Maxican meal at La Cocina, Downtown Chicago, USA (http://lacocinamexicangrillchicago.com/)
Bakery items from the shop next to the pharmacy at Dongdaemun Gate (Great Eastern Gate), Dong Dae Moon market, Seoul (http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g294197-d554533-r3910648-Dongdaemun_Gate_Great_Eastern_Gate-Seoul.html)
Street Food at Dong Dae Moon Market
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Nice post.
I have been to one of best restaurant in Delhi which is Udupi Krishna Restaurant, i had really quality food their. There i came to know the test of Delhi foods.