Chandni Chowk, one of the oldest historic streets in Delhi (the capital of India), is well known for its crowded market, snaking alleys and smart bargains. The place has a perennial festive atmosphere and is a definite stop for tourists. Chandni Chowk is an enormous area, packed with all sorts of shops, bazaars, people of all kinds. The main street offers all kinds of shops, and it overflows with all kinds of traffic. But you can also dive into the alleys that branch off on all sides. Wherever you go, it bustles, boils, is full of sounds and smells, in one word: it is exciting!
“Jalebi Wala” Shop was established in 1940 and since then it has become one of the most famous street food shop in Delhi. It sells only aloo-tikki and dahi bhalle on the ground floor.
The dish lived up to its reputation and best ingredient in dahi bhalla was saunth (tamarind chutney), tangy and slightly sweet.
No trip to Chandni Chowk is complete without a visit to the ghantewala hAHalwai.Check out the above Video!!!!!!!
More than two hundred years old, the Ghantewala is a landmark in itself. The shop has always prided itself for the quality of the sweets available, the one most in demand being Sohanhalwa, made from dry fruits, sprouts and sugar. ‘Ghanta’ in Hindi means a huge bell. Legend goes that when the royal procession used to move down the road, the emperor would stop and be offered the delicacies from the sweet shop. The emperor’s elephant would also be offered sweets. In a short time the animal came to know the shop so well that, procession or no procession, it would refuse to pass through the road and shake its head until the compulsory offering of sweets was made! The bells hanging from the elephant’s neck would tinkle melodiously in the process, and from there the shop acquired its name. An interesting fact- at present the shop is owned by the 11th generation! I ordered some of Ghantewala’s famous Sohan Halwa to take home as I was too full to taste any over there. The culinary cruise down Chandni Chowk is not for those who are calorie conscious because almost everything is fried in ghee. But the food is made hygienically and is worth the discomfort of the chaotic streets and non-existent parking and is a definite change from the run of the mill Chinese or American fast food dining experiences one is exposed to in the rest of Delhi. The food tastes heavenly and takes one back into bygone eras…………………….
In theheart ofold Delhi's commercial hub, Chandni Chowk, lays a historicallandmarkIt houses descendants of the royal chefs of yore who make Paranthas that taste heavenly. So much so, that the Parantha is perhaps the only food in the world to have an entire street named after it! The first impression of the gali is that of a bustling narrow by lane, crowds walking, bikes, cyclists' driving past, people browsing through the sari and jewellery shops! But as one strolls deeper into the street there begins an irresistible tingling sensation in the nostrils. And one looks around sniffing the air for more of it and then you know for sure that you're inthe rightplace.Sizzling hotparanthas are being fried here! Each day the dexterous hands of these chefs toss out the most amazing concoctions of a parantha.since the time of the Mughals - the "Paranthe wali Gali." A very famous street, "Paranthe wali Gali" (‘gali' means street that
Plain paranthas, salted or sweet paranthas, dal (pulses) ka parantha, gobhi ka parantha (mincedcauliflower), radish parantha, pudina parantha (mint), popadom parantha, cashew nut parantha - the variety is endless. You name it and they have it! All one is required to do is to knead some dough into small balls,rollit on a wooden base, add fillings ranging fromcottage cheese, potatoes sprinkled with chopped ginger,and exoticIndian spices, fry it in ghee or butter and viola, it's the perfect recipe for a lip-smacking parantha.
At the moment there are about 40 varieties of paranthas and these chefs plan to add another 50 varieties in the coming years. The Paranthe wali gali caters only for the pure vegetarian - even no onion and no garlic!
What's different about the paranthas of Chandini Chowk is that they are fried in a kadhai, which is a griddle of sorts but very deep almost like an iron bowl. So the paranthas are doused in ghee or butter. The more oil used for frying the parantha the tastier it gets. It definitely is a satiating experience.
Earlier in the 1980s the gali had thirteen eateries cooking these sumptuous paranthas. But as more and more families are diversifying into other business ventures, only three families of Chandini Chowk are left in the field of parantha-making. It is their sixth generation that has taken on the endeavor to preserve the gali's name and offer the flavor of the past to the present. sells ‘paranthas' - an Indian food delicacy, sort of chapatti) has seen almost three passed centuries.
