Street Style: Momos from Delhi

It rained last night. Finally, after a summer from one of Dante's circles of hell, the gods have been kind enough to let Hyderabad have an entire night of cooling rain. Although the cool is slowly vaporizing into a humidity, the first rains for this year will always remain a fond memory. For me, rains mean a hot cup of chai and reading a good book while it pours and thunders outside. In my childhood days, it would usually rain in the afternoon and almost immediately would be followed by a power cut. We would run around unplugging all the electrical equipments before running to the terrace and feeling the rain on your face. Then, of course I would find a secluded spot by the windows and read whichever book I was obsessed with at the time. As I got older juice or even bournvita turned into a nice cup of hot, brewed chai. 

Fast forward to the present. Once the rain was well underway and the chai was poured into the cup, hunger struck and with it cravings. Cold weather always reminds me of Momos with hot and sweet chilli sauce. And the best place to have them in India is on the streets of Delhi. And when Delhi is literally freezing around, all you need is a plate of momos, dip it in the chili sauce and let the warmth spread through your body. The momos themselves - soft wrapper which melts in your mouth giving way to lightly spiced cabbage or chicken filling - they hit your taste buds first before kicking chili around the back of your mouth. The first heat spreads though your throat, chest going all the up your nose which starts watering. And it makes you ecstatic. You move on to the next one and then the next until you realize that you have cleaned your plate. And your face is on fire. 

 That is where I have melded my childhood and the place where I am now. A hot cup of chai, a steaming plate of momos and the color burst of spicy sauce. From buttery softness to a punch of chili and finally the soothing touch of sweet. They form the perfect compliment to the storm outside. If you are in the vicinity of the capital, take a metro anywhere - Sarojini, Janpath, Hauz Khas, Karol Bagh, M Street - anywhere basically, you will see the vendor standing by the road. There will be steamers at the ready, sauce covered in plastic wrap and a stack of paper plates. Once you order your choice, the cook will open the lid, waving away the steam to reveal to white steaming pleated dough. He is generous - there will be at least six stacked on to the paper plate. He will then ladle the sauce around the momos and then hand you a hot plate. In the cold, with your collars turned up against the cold - the heat of the plate is calming. 

 Or you can sit at one of the stalls of Dilli Haat and order a couple of plates while you talk with your friends and upload pics into your Instagram account. Anywhere you go, you can be sure that you are going to have a plate of awesomeness. So if you live in Delhi, go have momos. If you are visiting Delhi, go have momos. Just plan a trip to Delhi anyway and go have momos. And if you feel inspired or nostalgic then come back and make a batch of your own. 

Street Smart: Aloo Tikki Chaat

I love standing by stalls - heat/rain - no barrier, just digging into whatever particular food that I was in the mood for that day. Panipuris, Chaat, Kachori Chaat, Pav Bhaji, Dahibara aludum, Vada pav, Dosa, Chuski, Momos, Chicken chops - there is nothing that you cannot find in the streets of India. You move from north to west to east and then down south - you will find variations of various food in its most deliciousness when you turn every corner. And you have your favorites in all those places. I mean you have to have jaleba from the corner of Chandni chowk[Delhi] when it is freshly fried and then dunked on to sugar syrup before being handed out to you. Or have Dahibara Aludum from Naya Sarak[Cuttack] and follow it up with ice golas to soothe your burning throat. And I could write entire posts on the multifarious street food from all corners of India.

 

 But, this is just the beginning. The paeans and odes to joy will follow in the wake of more blog posts. Bear with me when I do that. You know that I am justified. So coming back to this post - I am probably beginning with one of the easiest to make at home snacks or quick dish to served at a street food themed party. And it is delicious. And easy to make. Need I say more. The recipe for the matar curry is my beginning post for this blog. It is simple but remember - for this recipe you need to add one more whistle. This will give make your curry a more stewy version and perfect canvas to build your chat for the crowd. Check out the recipe at here.

 

Make your tikkis:
4 medium potatoes boiled
2tsp red chili powder
2tsp garam masala
2tsp cumin powder
salt
a handful of chopped coriander leaves
Oil for frying
Mash the potatoes. Add the rest of the ingredients. Mix everything together. Make small balls and then flatten it with your palms.
Heat oil in a frying pan. Fry tikkis till golden brown on both sides.

Assembling your Chaat:
Matar curry
Tikkis
3 medium onions sliced
2 lemon wedges
Coriander leaves chopped
Sev depending on how much you want[Haldiram's Aloo Bhujia is a good choice but check out your local shops for cool combinations]
Imli ki chutney
Put the curry at the bottom of the bowl. Add a tablespoon of chutney
Arrange the tikkis - maybe three to four per serving.
Put some onions on top.
Sprinkle lemon juice. Then sprinkle coriander leaves and sev.
Serve with bowls of lemon wedges, coriander leaves and sev for the guests to pile on when they want.

Kothu Parotta from Azad

For a foodie to be in India is one of the greatest delights. The spice, the diversity, the colors - everything is amazing. I mean at one particular time you can have spicy, tangy pani puris, steamed momos, kulchas with chana masala, aloo tikki chat, samosas with imli ka chutney, dosas with creamy chutney  and my mouth is watering at the thought of all of them on my table right now. The street food that us Indian have managed is simply mind blowing. As a seasoned street foodie in the sub continent I thought I had tried it all - from the northern capital of Delhi to the southern city of Chennai. That was of course before Trivandrum and Kothu Parotta.

The View from the Kovalam lighthouse, Kovalam Beach

Last week, I had a whirlwind tour of Kerala touching down in Trivandrum before finishing off with the great Mallu wedding up noth in Trisshur. The capital of Kerala has its own unique style of food from spicy chargrilled meats to pure veg lunches to very interesting ice-cream combinations. But, as my friend had put it, the best Mallu food is the one made by home cooks.
And indeed it is true. I have had the good fortune to dine with four great families with food that had been so different from what I have previously encountered. I mean chicken curry with idlis, idiappams[string hoppers] with egg curry in coconut milk, hot appam and stew, puttu and kadala curry, chicken roast, parippu - words never before heard and now words never to be forgotten. But, nothing the author sampled, came close to this particular street food.

 From the time the trip was conceptualized, the author's local friend Sulfia Santhosh talked up Azad and Kothu Parotta. You have to have kothu parotta, it is my favorited takeaway food of all times. And I was like really, really??!! The days in Trivandrum were spent visiting beaches, local sights and good home cooked food. But this particular food seemed more of a concept than a reality. And then on the last day, there it was on her plate for a late dinner. You know that scene in The Pink Panther where Clusseau has his epiphanic hamburger. The part where they is violin music and voices going hallelujah. For the author is was something like that. The Kothu Parotta is a mixture of chopped kerala parotta, scrambled eggs, spicy chicken curry, chillies, curry leaves. For me, it was a taste of Kerala in one big plate. And lots of servings. This particular plate is from Azad which is a local sight in itself in Trivandrum. Miss the sadya, miss the beef fry, miss the appam and stew but do not miss the Kothu Parotta from Azad. And have lots while you are at it. Because when you are miles away you will definitely crave the spice, the moorish parotta bits and the egg that gives an underlying texture and flavor.  If I were judging this it would be perfect ten - hell I'll break the rules and give it a 15 out of 10. It is that good.

Location: Azad Restaurant, Trivandrum [For directions, go here]
What to try: Kothu Parotta hands down.
Rating: 4.7/5