Perfect Day in Old Delhi

 

Today we will travel from Bangalore to lanes of old delhi.  My speech today is dedicated to food and the famous spots in old Delhi combined with some fun activities in that area. 

One early Sunday morning we decide to visit the old delhi temples.  Wake up get ready and catch a metro to ISBT at 7:30 am.  Once you reach ISBT, take a rickshaw and reach Red Fort.  This is the side of the fort where the Prime minister addresses the nation on Independence Day.  Everyone knows this but not many people know that just across the red fort, there is red temple (laal mandir) which is one of the oldest Digambar Jain temples in delhi.  After paying your respects, you go to their bird hospital.  This temple also runs a huge 5 floor bird hospital where all sorts of birds across the area are brought over to be treated and released.  Once you get out of the Red temple, just next door is Gauri shankar temple.  Being a family where one spouse is a hindu and the other is a Jain, we visit both the temples.  This Gauri shankar temple has got a maratha history and a must visit when you are in the area.  Now that we have satisfied our souls, it is time to feed our bellies for breakfast.

Start walking towards town hall, on the way to town hall towards the left you will find paranthe wali gali where you get deep fried scrumptious paranthas.  You get vegetable fillings, fruit fillings along with sweet buttermilk or tea with banana chutney.  There are several shops here, but one thing is all the paranthas are all deep fried and little flaky bliss of heaven.  In winters you can also find vendors of Daulat ki chaat here. After breakfast, it is time to get some sweets packed for people at home and nearby with some relatives.  If it is rainy season, you can find excellent ghevar and malai ghevar. Other times this shop serves all desi ghee or clarified butter items.  Other things famous here is karachi halwa.  Once that is packed, it is time for your next stop. 

Now here are two options and those options depend on what you want to do – you can go towards khari baoli and get monthly groceries or you can go towards Kashmiri gate for auto parts items. 

Option #1 is Kashmiri gate in case you are in for getting some parts for your car or bike or scooty.  There is big market at Kashmiri gate for auto parts.  One eatery that is famous at Kashmiri gate is MLTR… michale likes to rock…. No no… makhan lal tikka ram famously known as MLTR.  There you can get the most amazing chole bhature.  They cook the chole blackened to perfection with fried potato, pickled carrots and onion.  After the paranthas and the sweets, only thing you can do is get this packed. 

Option #2 khari baoli is a wholesale place for all your monthly groceries.  As a teenager I used to be the porter for my dad every month and get all our groceries from shop #13 in khari baoli.  All shops are big and only few of them allow people like us who are taking quantities in the range or 1-5 kg.  After getting your groceries you start walking towards the bus station or the metro station and on the way there is a shop which sells the most tangy matra kulcha.  This matra is mixed with all the tangiest and sweetest chutneys along with tomatoes, onion, coriander and is eaten with plain or masala kulcha.  Again the only option at this point is to get this packed. 

Now at khaari baoli there is one famous shop – gianis.  You walk from shop #13 towards the bus stand or the auto stand and there at the corner is a shop this big.  Notice I am not even opening my hands fully.  That is how little this shop is.  Now there is icecream shop blue and red – gianis… it all started from this little shop serving rabri falooda with kulfi.  This rabri is the best ever melt in the mouth with dry fruits and falooda which you don’t event have to chew.  You put in your mouth and it just melts.  The moment you put one spoon in your mouth it is as if you are floating in a garden full of rabri with dry fruits and there are swings made of the faluda everywhere.  Come out ….. there are people behind you in the line. 

Now end of day, go back home, have the packed chola bhatura or matra kulcha with piping hot cup of strong ginger tea and hit the bed like a log.

Perfect day in old delhi.