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May

15

The streets of Delhi …

May 15, 2007 |

indiapostcard.jpg with their tastes and aromas come alive in this postcard.

Our Postcards Series is about extending a handshake across cyberspace. Read about it here.

Please accord a warm welcome to our guest contributors. They will try to respond to comments and questions.

The narrow gauge “toy train” route to Darjeeling in the Himalayan foothills. Flickr Creative Commons.

Today’s postcard is from a gal who hosts caffeinated festivities bordering on the insane. :D
A Mad Tea Party is one heckuva party. Anita is a great storyteller. Each post is like an urban Malgudi Days that captures the rhythm of daily life, peppered with fond memories and assorted idiosyncracies. :) The recipe is somewhere in there and it’s usually stellar, but it’s the stories we’re addicted to.

Bee has followed her blog since her first post in August 2006. While we didn’t have a blog back then, it’s this post of hers that inspired this Postcard Series. Anita lives in Delhi, and works and teaches in the design field.

A DELHI SUMMER- on the street

The tree-lined streets of Delhi.

It is not easy to sum up an old city like Delhi, with all its layering, in one post. And I am not planning to attempt it.

In this city of 10 million people there is no getting away from the crowd. There are people everywhere, and they continue to pour in - from smaller cities and the villages. The biggest influx into Delhi was in 1947, during the Partition of the country, when many Hindus and Sikhs from West Punjab (now in Pakistan) sought refuge.

It is only natural that a city 3000 years old has imbibed influences from all over the world, and these are reflected in its culture - art and architecture, language, and of course, in its cuisine. The Persian influence is prominent in the Mughlai cuisine, though the Punjabi flavours predominate today. But whosoever came and settled here had to deal with the hot and dusty summers.

Not that that is an entirely bad thing. How else would the mango :) be so sweet? While the temperate world revels in its fall colours, we have a green green spring followed by the vibrant summer. The sun makes our greens shine, the reds brighter, and the yellows sunnier. Who can rival the Gulmohur (Delonix regia) or the Amaltas (Cassia fistula), when it comes to a show of colour?

So, this post is going to be about Dilli ki galiyan (the streets of Delhi) for the Postcard series for Bee. This post has been brewing for some time and some delicious flavours are going to dominate, while some have mellowed.

Come spring and the tamarinds lining Tilak Marg, that looked dead all winter, turn green overnight. The avenues in other parts of Lutyen’s Delhi are lined with evergreen Jamun trees. It is interesting that Lutyen chose these non-ornamental productive trees to line the streets. Contracts are given out each year for the fruits of the Jamun. At about the same time as the Jamuns ripen, there is the tart tiny Phalsa that makes an appearance.

So what if we don’t have blueberries! Or blackberries.
Mere pass phalsa hai ( with apologies to Salim Javed)! Already, our supplier-on-bike has started ringing the door bell to make an assured sale. Sprinkled with some spiced salt, it is a beloved munchy of many Dilliwalas. All these are sold on the streets, near busy shopping areas, and at bus stops.

Delhi is also famous for its own brand of street food. Some of this is prepared in the best known tradition of street food - deep fried. Here you have the samosa - a fried pastry filled with spiced mashed potatoes, and served with khatti-meethi imli chutney (sweet and sour tamarind chutney); the tikki - fried potato patties stuffed with a spiced mix of lentils, served with the aforementioned tamarind chutney;

the absolutely heavenly deep fried moong-dal pakodies made with a batter of moong and chana dal, and served with a hot green chutney and a garnish of grated mooli (radish) and mooli leaves. Gol-gappas and papri chaat you all know about already. If you don’t, write in - but really, are there people in this world who haven’t heard about the famous Dilli ki Chaat?

Before you go thinking that all Street Food here is deep fried, think again. For the health conscious we have the fruit seller who will cut and slice the fruit of choice - mangoes (but of course), pineapples, and the always-in-season banana. The banana is best packaged for the street since it requires no washing or slicing. The vendor will take out a slim peel, make an incision with a knife, and then use the same knife to get some chaat masala (spiced salt - in Indian, you are never separated from your spice) in, a squeeze of lemon, and you have your meal-on-the-go.

Chaat Masala (Spiced Salt)

Ummm. You could always ask him to mix all the fruit for a delicious spicy no-fat fruit chaat, served in a bowl made from the dried leaves of the Dhak (Flame of the Forest). Bio-degradable. Let’s talk carbon emissions, greenhouse gases per capita.

There is street food and then there is chaat. And the best and most authentic Dilli ki chaat is to be had on the streets of Old Delhi or Shahjahanabad, its original name. I thought I’ll take you on a trip through the quaint labyrinth of these streets where the different Katras (neighbourhood units) specialize in different products, and offer everything under the sun, from spices to grain, from jewelery to electronics. Lutyen’s New Delhi with its colonial bungalows and tree lined lush avenues is in total contrast to this. But sanity prevailed and I remembered that only mad dogs and English men :) go out in the mid-day sun. Another time !!

But I will tell you about an easy-breezy quick healthy chaat you can make at home. I first had this chaat many summers ago while condition-mapping old monuments of Delhi for INTACH as a student trainee. There is no corner of Delhi that my friend, Prati and I, did not get to see. Every obscure monument, every grave stone, we’ve seen it. One day she suggested we have the chaat from the guy on the street with the shining brass handi balanced on a khomcha.

I gave her an incredulous look, “That grade of street food? Are you crazy?” The heat had definitely gotten to her. But she convinced me that I had missed out on a very edible street-side item. Well, you probably also know how chatora we Dilliwalas are. So there I was watching the guy mix the boiled “chole” with some chopped onions and tomatoes (”OMG, Prati, look, he didn’t even wash the onion or the tomato!” ), a dash of this, and a pinch of that. “Kitna taez, madam?” (How spicy, ma’am?) he asked, before adjusting the heat to my taste. “Ekdum teekha,” (Very hot!) pat came my reply.

And I was hooked. Every day that summer, through the long training period, we had one dona for afternoon snack.

Those are not really chole (chickpeas). They are matar (peas) which cost a fourth of chickpeas! That’s how the matarwala sells it with two small thin kulchas for Rs 8. If you want just the matar, that will be all of Rs 5! I cannot believe that it is still possible to get any kind of snack in Delhi for that ludicrous amount leave alone something so tasty! And guilt-free to boot.

Here’s to street food.

MATARIEN (Spicy yellow pea salsa/chaat)

Serves 4

2 C matar (dry yellow peas)

onions, chopped fine

tomatoes, chopped fine

cucumbers, chopped into small cubes (optional)

green chillies, minced

coriander, chopped fine

chaat masala (black-kind preferred)

red chilli (cayenne pepper) powder

thinned tamarind juice (soak tamarind in hot water, mash, and extract the juice)

lemons

green chillies to serve on the side

2 pkg kulchas (such as Harvest brand), or bread of choice

Soak peas for 2-3 hours, and pressure cook till soft. Use just enough water so that there is not much liquid left after cooking; about 4 1/2 cups should be enough. The degree of softness is up to you; traditionally they are very soft, almost mushy. Prepare all the other ingredients. The amount of all these fresh ingredients is entirely up to you. I like to add chopped cucumbers, but it is not traditional.

Just before serving, take the peas and their liquid in a mixing bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients. Mix and adjust the spicing and the sourness; you should be able to taste the lemon. The tamarind juice provides additional moisture besides adding to the tang.

Serve on its own, or with pan-toasted kulchas, with additional wedges of lemon, and green chillies if desired. It would make a great dip with pita wedges too!

Somini Sengupta’s Delhi Street Foods
Amardeep’s Thalia Chaat
Delhi’s Street Food in Peril!
Map of 19 C Shahjahanabad (Old Delhi)
View of 19 C Shahjahanabad (Old Delhi)

**This post was written for Jugalbandi. Text and pictures of Delhi and Dilli Chaat from A Mad Tea Party.

Sky touching land….. land touching water. Lake Umiam, Meghalaya. Click here to see the mansion nestled in the hills. From Flickr Creative Commons.

Woman in the Window (Rajashtan, India). Picture from Flickr Creative Commons.

Vegetable vendor. Picture from Flickr Creative Commons

“Why didn’t you tell me that chaat was so spicy?”
Anger - depicted by a Bharatanatyam dancer. Flickr Creative Commons

India @ TrekEarth
Steve Evans’s India Flickr Stream
Indian Sculpture
Konark Sun Temple at Flickr.

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32 Comments so far

  1. musical on May 15, 2007 8:15 pm

    I heard phalsa and jamun!! Anita, Bee and Jai…..at this hour of the day, it made me smile and cry at the same time…..Yes, mere pass phalsa hai! khatta meetha, nothing in the world beats this berry!

    Can’t thank you all enough…..

  2. musical on May 15, 2007 8:22 pm

    Oh and as i get back from my hyper-emotional state, i see the moong wade with mooli! we used to call it khatte wale laddos in Punjab, they were served soaked (for long) in laal chutney with mooli. That laal chutney was nimbu/imli paani, ratanjot, maval and grated moolis! Absolutely delicious :)

    and the done wale matar kulche, aur patte as wel used to call it while in College :-D outside the campus, there used to a rehdi wala bhai selling these :) and then there used to be this omnipresent fruit-chaat, weith fruits done on the tawa, with all different spices and chutneys :)

    Hot summers are fine, so long as there are magoes and lychees to enjoy, besides the phalsa and jamun, ofcourse :-D

    i can go on and on…..

    i will sum it up with WOW!

    hugs,
    musical.

  3. Manisha on May 15, 2007 8:30 pm

    Jamun, yes! But never had this phalsa thing. Is there another name for it?

    Anita, this is a great post on Delhi. I literally walked the streets with you! Is the party here this week then?

  4. roopa on May 15, 2007 8:38 pm

    wonderfull post! oh the photos made me really nostalgic, those khatta meeta, the vege vendor … it is just an excellent post!

  5. Anita on May 15, 2007 8:57 pm

    Ah the phalsa (Grewia asiatica)- is native to India! Oh the joys of the Delhi summer (made more intense by the power cuts) :) You have your berries…Wait till the small ber (bora) come (very soon) - I’ll make all of you miss home even more! :evil:

  6. Anjali on May 15, 2007 8:58 pm

    Anita lovely post. Is phalsa called Karvanda in marathi? I tried to google but not sure. Your matarien is yummy it is sold as ragda in Mumbai. The pictures are amazing!

    Thank you J & B

  7. Anita on May 15, 2007 9:00 pm

    She needn’t get so angry - she could have told me - “teekha cum!”

    That veggie picture is great! I see the bhavnagri mirchi too! But that will have to wait till it is winter again. :wistful:

  8. sra on May 15, 2007 9:03 pm

    Nice spread once again!

  9. Reena on May 15, 2007 9:24 pm

    Aah Delhi! Nostalgia. Thanks guys for this series. Jamun, one thing I can never find here. :(

    Btw isn’t blackberry our Mulberry (Shahatoot in Hindi)?

  10. viji on May 15, 2007 9:37 pm

    colourful and wonderful post. The photos are so good. GReat info. Tks Bee. Viji

  11. Anita on May 15, 2007 10:14 pm

    Anjali: Phalsa is totally different from Karvanda, which, in Hindi is Caronda (natal plum).

    And blackberry is not mulberry, Reena.

    And B and J: you read my first post!! Someone other than TH read my first post! :)

  12. pelicano on May 15, 2007 10:17 pm

    Isn’t this a violation of copyright? I’m going straight to DH with this… :-)

    Beautiful post you two- the photo of Lake Umiam is…br-..go-..tr-…..beyond words! Anita’s stuff is good too. ;-)

  13. Sreelu on May 15, 2007 11:01 pm

    wow mouth water pic of chaat, I love the melons that they sell in delhi, it has very unique flavor unlike the melons found here. I think they are call karbooj or tharbooj not sure of the same

  14. sia on May 16, 2007 1:05 am

    WHAT A LOVELY POST!!!! ah!! i envy anita for enjoying all dust, heat and mangoes in delhi ;) waiting for the day when i go back to india for good and eat all chats, summer fruits and shop like crazy in every galli ;)
    beautiful pictures…loved each and every one. the picture of toy train route to Darjeeling made me make up my mind to travel in that train before i say good bye to this world (oh!!! there is pleanty of time for that;)

  15. Nupur on May 16, 2007 4:04 am

    Here’s to street food indeed! Cheers! What a delicious delicious post.

  16. Asha on May 16, 2007 5:06 am

    You know about ‘Malgudi days”? I love those books.
    Great pics,loved it and loved the subtitle for the last picture!;D
    You have a great sense of humor Bee:))

  17. sandeepa on May 16, 2007 5:34 am

    Loved those pics, very summery and somehow reminds me of summer hols.
    Thanks Anita for the bautiful write up.
    Bee, the last subtitle :D

  18. indosungod on May 16, 2007 6:15 am

    Bee lovely lovely writeup. You brought Delhi before my eyes! Lucky Anita eh? Heat or Dust Home is the Best.

  19. Sharmi on May 16, 2007 6:22 am

    Bee, I have always loved your postcard series. this is one of the most awesome posts. Loved those pics, the writeup, the recipe, the samosa stalls, oh how very marvelous!!

  20. jai bee on May 16, 2007 6:33 am

    i agree. anita’s posts are always a treat, but this is one of her best. now i have to convince her to go to the famous bengali sweet shop (i forget the name) and to paratha galli. :-D

    - b.

  21. Deepa on May 16, 2007 7:06 am

    great bee …I have been to delhi a couple of times..I have been in Lucknow for close to 7 years…I really love delhi…Shopping and Eating Chat ..wow!!!reminds me of all that …Nice write up and als the recipe ..thks for sharing

  22. richa on May 16, 2007 8:00 am

    you are absolutely right @ the black chaat masala, makes a world of difference :)
    those belan are so pretty :) lovely post

  23. Anita on May 16, 2007 10:44 am

    I’ll go to the bengali sweet shop any day (if you’re talking about Annapoorna, then I was there this week - yum mishti doi), but paranthe wali gali - those are deep fried paranthas, and not half as good as home made ones!

    You will sponsor the trip?

    but they have unique flavours like dry fruit paratha, don’t they? yeah, i’ll pay you with produce from my garden. we are poor farmers, y’know. :-D

  24. Latha on May 16, 2007 12:29 pm

    Wonderful post Bee! Hats off Anitha! You have made so nostalgic with all the talk about the wonderful gulmohar trees, the chaat and history!

  25. mandira on May 16, 2007 12:52 pm

    this is more than I can handle, jamun, phalsa, streets of delhi and the gulmohur all in one post. I miss it now…What a great write up too Anitha. Thanks for the series Bee.
    I used to love annapurna ( I lived close and would drop by every so often) What’s happened to the restaurant inside the Indian Oil building Anita? They had wonderful Chettinad chicken and appams.

  26. Trupti on May 16, 2007 2:38 pm

    What a great postcard….I have never had “Falsa”…pray tell, what does it taste like? I asked Kartik too and he didn’t know….Bad bunch of Gujjus that we are.

    Bee, I saw a comment on Manipuri Blogs you had made…..have you checked out:

    http://mingudam.wordpress.com/

    trupti

  27. Cynthia on May 17, 2007 7:14 am

    Oh my goodness, Bee, Jai & Anita - I am now back to reality, sorta. That was some trip. And the pictures… One of the things I love about reading is being tranported and this post had me travelling. Beautiful, beautiful and so enlightening and wanting for more. Words fail me so all I can say is THANK YOU! I am now heading over to Anita’s place, blogrolling her so that I can take these wonderful trips. Sigh (good sigh) :)

  28. nandita on May 17, 2007 8:19 am

    You may say I am partial, but this is your best guest post so far. Though I was in Delhi this month, it was too short and too full a trip to take advantage of Anita’s hospitality or her in n out knowledge of the cityscape…but this post made up for the loss to some extent!
    Love you for this A!

  29. Anita on May 17, 2007 7:02 pm

    Delhi was not an easy city to love or live with (I am talking from my experience). The years apart have played tricks with my memory, and triggered by this post, I want some Dilli-action now!

  30. Srivalli on June 23, 2007 1:01 am

    Your sense of humour rocks Bee…I just loved the last photo on the jib on spice…

    srivalli
    http://www.cooking4allseasons.blogspot.com

  31. Khajur-Imli Chutney » jugalbandi on August 26, 2007 9:19 pm

    […] particular sweet-tangy dip is popular in northern and western India, with chaat, samosas and a variety of savoury […]

  32. Anonymous on February 6, 2008 2:42 pm

    :yes:

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