Daawat-e-Dilli

The city celebrates food, all year round. Party is a regular feature here, owing to its flavorsome foods. Here, through this piece of writing, I am partaking in the celebration of Delhi’s culinary fare. Welcome to this food extravaganza. It’s Daawat-e-Dilli!  

 

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Being a food enthusiast, I follow the mantra – “Eat, savor, crave for more, and repeat.” To add cherry to the cake, Delhi is my homeland that provides me immense opportunities to pamper my taste buds. No wonder, I have visited almost every nook and corner of this metropolis and have gorged upon famous delectable delicacies served here. Enjoying numerous culinary treats that fill this city with their aroma, I am familiar with cuisine variety, adding flavors around. My friends keep asking me about places to eat and I have been a food guide to them J

 

Here I am sharing my food fetish with you. Check out spicy street food, droolworthy desserts, favorites of Delhi-ites, and many more varieties that tickle your flavor tangs-

 

Delhi Street Food

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• Golgappas- Puffed, crunchy spheres, stuffed with spicy filling, and brimming with spice-infused flavored water, golgappas can be eaten endlessly. Some hotels also serve vodka filled golgappas. Quite a fusion!  I can’t resist quoting the already famous tagline here, “No one can eat just one”.
  


• Dilli Chat- An exceptional combination of potatoes, spices, and chutney; this is a mouthwatering delight.
  


• Chhole kulche/ bhature- Soft, crisp, puffed deep fried bread is served with delicious chickpeas, cooked in selective spices. Filling and delicious!
  


• Chinese comestibles- Hailing from the neighborhood, dimsums, thupka, chilli potato, noodles, Manchurian, and fried rice have become the order of the day. Hungry? Hit a stall nearby to satiate your hunger pangs with these tasty food items. 

 

 

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Delhi’s Favorites

 

• Rolls -Hungry but on your toes? Grab a roll. Bread stuffed with grilled chicken, minced meat, omelet, cottage cheese, veggies, and various food items and rolled, serves a delicious and filling pick on the go.
  


• Kebabs- Ah! Juicy, exotic flattened balls or rolled ones made of minced meat or veggies served with onion rings and chutney. Irresistible!

 

 

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• Paratha- Stuffed breads with potato, cottage cheese, cauliflower, egg, chillies, chicken and the list is endless. Think of a stuffing and it will be on your platter. Are you visiting Chandni Chowk? Don’t miss the Parathewali Gali to gobble these stuffed breads.
  


• Biryani- Who can resist the aroma and flavor of basmati rice cooked with handpicked spices, saffron and clarified butter to create a magical affair? Biryani is one such scrumptious dish that hails from the times of Mughals and has continued to tempt foodies for centuries. Vegetarian or non-vegetarian, this is a symbol of culinary craftsmanship of the Mughal chefs that is celebrated till date with enthusiasm. Truly drool worthy!

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Sweet Tidings

 

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• Rabdi- Here I fall short of words and go yum! Thick consistency of milk, sweetened with a generous dollop of dry fruits! Have a mouthful and be transported to flavor paradise.
  


• Jalebi- Concentric circles dipped in sugar syrup to soak it and savored hot! A superb breakfast!
  


• Kulfi- Sweet lollies blessed with flavors like pista and badam, and sprinkled with dry fruits. Licking a creamy, flavor enriched stick was never so pleasing.
  


• Gulab Jamun- Balls of cheese cottage, deep fried and soaked in sugar syrup can make everyone salivate! Team it with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream. Heaven!
  

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• Gajar Halwa- Carrot grated and cooked with clarified butter, sugar, milk and dry fruits. A blessing in disguise of a dessert. Two thumbs up!

 

If you have a sweet tooth, you would be craving for desserts after every meal. Fortunately, the city offers a wide menu of these sweet sinful savories!  

Culinary Fusions

 

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 Indian delights presented with a delicious twist from the West. Celebrate food fiesta with these fusions. By amalgamating traditional Indian flavors with that of the West, chefs treat you to a unique gourmet experience. An innovative initiative to food culture, these fusions spoil you for choices.    

Throughout my food tour in this city, I realized, being ‘India ka dil’, Delhi caters to palate of every Indian. Regional flavors like Bihari, Awadhi, South Indian, Konkani and the lavish Kashmiri Wazwan are sure to offer a whale of time to the epicureans.

 

 

 It is next to impossible to wrap up the fine dining of Delhi in a few words. The city also brings culinary fare from across the continents to your platter. It goes without saying that owing to desires of people to enjoy flavors from different parts of the planet, the city is home to various thematic, ethnic and specialty restaurants. Culinary offerings such as Japanese, Italian, American, Oriental, Pan-Asian, Thai, Mexican, French, Mediterranean and many more make you go slurp and savor. Already drooling? So am I. Signing off this time, so that I can visit more dining outlets of the city and return with more excerpts of revelation regarding tempting Delhi food. Stay tuned!