I’m in New Delhi and ready to hit the streets with my camera, my wife, close friends, and embrace the chaos. Tonight we’re heading to Old Delhi where we’ll be eating some of the most difficult-to-find hole in the wall joints that exist. These are the places where it’s generational food guru’s who have perfected their craft. Whether that be chai, nihari (a sloow cooked mutton stew), or kebab’s, you will find something that suites your fancy.
This picture is nihari, which has been stewing for nearly 12 hours and is of the same bloodline from Shah Jahan’s royal Mughlai era. The very family that was once cooking for the royals constructing the famous Taj Mahal in the 1600’s are still the same bloodline cooking in some of these ares of Old Delhi today. Imagine that! Just insanely exciting to to be able to taste this aromatic flavor. It’s savory, with bone marrow that has seeped into the gravy, and it’s eaten with tandoori sheermal, which is a special bread that’s slapped on the side of a barrel-like Indian BBQ with coal at the bottom. Incredible!
We also thoroughly enjoyed buffalo biryani (boof, as it’s known in India) which was loaded with super tender pieces of buffalo, saffron rice, a billion different spices, and topped with chili pickle (mirchi achar). You need to really let yourself just dive in and let go of your preconceptions of being punched in the face. Be prepared if you’ve never experienced Indian achar. The best way I can describe it to you is that it’s similar to a Korean kimchi. It’s salty, spicy, and acidic. But like everything in India, it’s like an assault to your senses. Once you get used to it, it just becomes apart of cuisine.
We stopped at Akram Qureshi Foods and enjoyed some classic Mughlai Chicken Tikka with Romali Roti. I’ll have a video of this up and running within the coming weeks. Romali in Hindi means handkerchief. The reason why it’s called this is because it’s paper thin roti that’s been folded over. Honestly, it’s perfect for being able to soak up the butter-cream gravy that’s been poured over the tandoori chicken. The bread is just to die for!
As we finished our time in Old Delhi, we stopped for one last treat at a classic Indian mithai (sweets). For my Canadian friends out there, gulab jaman is like a Timbit. They are round, doughy, and cake-like. A gulab jaman is very similar in shape and texture. The only difference is, it is soaked in a rose syrpup that is sooo sweet, it nearly takes your breath. The special treat we had in Old Delhi was the dough and texture of a gulab jaman, but it was in the shape of a jalebi.
You need to seriously brave Old Delhi like you’re heading into battle. The crowds, heat, beggars, smalls, flies, and everything else in between come at you like a fiery Genghis Khan in all his form, and as long as you can courage the discomfort, you will find new life