A friend of mine treated me to a moglai porota when I visited her Baghajatin house in south Calcutta last month. The porota was awesome, the alu curry superb. My friend thinks the khandani Mughal bawarchis of purani Dilli would be put to shame when it comes to the taste of the Baghajatin porota.

She was right. When I reached the famous paranthewali galli in old Delhi in February I looked for some competition to the Calcutta moglai. I found anything and everything from paneer to rabri being stuffed into the paranthas but nothing succeeded in satisfying my taste-buds. The large wall-mounted photographs of former Prime Ministers and Presidents, whom every second shop in the lane claims to have fed at least once, may add to the lane’s heritage value, but the menu is, at best, mediocre.

That doesn’t mean Delhi doesn’t have its treasures. I went on a hunt and found the following. The top five are:

Daulat ki Chaat

When I read about Daulat ki Chaat (picture below) in a blog on Delhi food, I was hell-bent on having it. I found it in the lane adjacent to the Old and Famous Jalebiwala, past the Sis Ganj Gurdwara in Chandni Chowk. The main ingredient is a bit of white foam, in the absence of a better word, prepared by churning milk for hours and then collecting the froth. A small helping of that froth topped with khoa kheer and kachchhi chini (unrefined sugar) dust can easily be declared a national heritage dessert.

P.S.: Daulat ki Chaat is only available in winter, between Diwali and Holi.

 

 

Kebabs

Go for the kebabs at the blink-and-you-miss eatery near a small mosque on Matia Mahal Street on your way to Chitli Qabar. These buffalo-meat kebabs are so soft that they have to be held together by tying a thread around, earning them the moniker dora or sutli kebab.

Shawarma

Calcuttans swear by their rolls — chicken, mutton, egg or combined. They will stop doing so once they have the shawarma rolls at Al Bake in New Friends’ Colony community centre. Served with a white sauce (a mix of butter, yoghurt and mayonnaise), this cousin of a chicken roll is an out-of-the-world experience.

Nihari and Khamiri Roti

Get up at the crack of dawn, transport yourself to the Ballimaran mohalla in old Delhi and look for Kallu’s Nihari stand. For late risers, Karim’s, near gate No. 1 of Jama Masjid, can be the best option. Cooked for over 12 hours in slow flame with lots of spices and goat leg-bones, nihari along with khameri roti is enough to get you charged for the day.

Raan, Kadhai gosht and sheermal

At Al Jawahar, next to Karim’s, you must have raan (goat leg) and sheermal (a sweet bread), along with mutton kadhai gosht. Top it up with firni or badam lassi. Royal is too weak a word for the feast.

if you are still hungry...

...you can try Tee Dee restaurant in Majnu Ka Tilla (north

Delhi). Beef Chilly Dry and Pork Phingsha scored well with me.

Save a morning for breakfast at Wenger’s in Connaught Place. Try the blueberry mousse (right).

A must-visit is Aslam’s chicken corner on Matia Mahal Street.

Join the queue for Rawalpindi ka chole bhature at Chache Di Hatti in Kamlanagar. Don’t miss a sip of banta, the Delhi version of spicy lemonade.

You get good Kashmiri food at Wazan in Chittaranjan Park (market No. 2). Try gushtaba and tabak maaz there.

A dinner at Big Chill Café in Khan Market can be a nice break from north Indian cuisine. Try the desserts, they are awesome.

Do you think Delhi food beats Calcutta’s hands down? Tell ttmetro@abpmail.com