Delicacies from an old, winding street

Referred to as the walled city, Old Delhi is a food connoisseur's delight. At one time chock-a-block with mansions of nobles, today all that remains are reminders of the old grandeur. Some havelis exist but the splendour is missing. Nevertheless, despite being overcrowded and dilapidated, the place remains the heart of Delhi.

The best-known address of Old Delhi is Chandni Chowk. Adjacent to the gigantic Red Fort, it has always been known as the hub and centre of social and cultural life.

More than three centuries after its birth, jostling crowds now choke the open spaces of yore. The place that once had princes and princesses riding has numerous tourist, cyclists, rickshaws, cars and school vans struggling to make their way in and out of the winding alleys.

Chandni Chowk came up as a fancy market during Mogul emperor Shah Jahan's reign. Today it is one of the busiest prospering trading centres, because of the numerous retail and wholesale markets in the vicinity.

Set amid sundry shops of garments, shoes and other knick-knacks on every street, one finds the food outlets, as eating is serious business here.

Chandni Chowk is a foodie's source of pleasure. If food is your weakness, you will need ample time to relish the numerous mouth-watering vegetarian and non-vegetarian cuisines. Try not to be selective, as that might narrow your expanse of joyous eating.

Tourists do have their Delhi belly experiences but the Delhiite has seldom fallen sick even after enjoying several meals here.

Some of the best food is found in nondescript corners, away from the glitz of hotels and restaurants. Frequented by all strata of society, the major draws are Ghantewala's jalebi, Natraj's dahi bhalla, Gyani's rabdi faluda, Gopal's japani samosa and namkeen, and Noori's masale (spices). The spicy chaat at the kiosks is matchless.

Among several popular lanes, you can smell your way to the Paranthe Wali Gali. Hot paranthas [an Indian flat-bread], spicy chutney and a whole lot of history take over as one walks through the gali (lane) near Gurudwara Sisganj Sahib.

For six generations, families have been serving paranthas in this area. It all began with the aroma arising from the shop. At Gaya Prasad, the first establishment named after the owner, the aroma was such that it enticed people to simply move in that direction. Once there, no one could resist the temptation of consuming the mouth-watering delicacies.

And that is how the parantha network originated at an unknown lane in the Dariba Khurd area in 1882.

Its popularity spread so rapidly in the entire lane that almost all the shops that opened in the vicinity were parantha-related. Overnight there were nine shops doing parantha business. So popular did the concept become that in 1900, people popularly knew the L-shaped lane as Paranthe Wali Gali.

An owner, Rajiv Sharma, says: "For five generations our family has been in the business. I belong to the fifth." Sharma is the great-great grandson of Pandit Gaya Prasad. The family now owns two parantha shops in the area. While one is now called Gaya Prasad Shiv Charan, the other reads Pt Babu Ram Devi Dayal.

Framed pictures of former prime ministers Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Lal Bahadur Shastri, along with that of the owners, adorn the walls of the shop.

"At one time even the maharaja of Patiala used to visit our shop. There are numerous stories that I get to hear from my father," Sharma said.

He fondly talks about former Indian prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. "My father would often tell me about Vajpayee's fondness for food, especially paranthas and sweets. As minister for foreign affairs, he visited us a number of times."

Such was the clout of the Sharmas that they were often called to Lal Bahadur Shastri's residence to make paranthas for the family.

But times have changed. And business is not that hot any more — the bigwigs rarely visit the place. It is more so because of the traffic and security reasons. Traffic being a big hindrance in Chandni Chowk, the narrow lane is accessible only on two-wheelers or on foot.

"Although New Delhi's population has reached more than 19 million this year, compared to 400,000 a century ago, business is not very brisk," complains Nooruddin, a 75-year-old regular at another parantha shop. "I have been witness to those times when we had to wait outside the shops, especially during lunch and dinner rush hours."

Although advised by his doctor to avoid fried food, Nooruddin cannot resist the temptation of having his favourite aloo parantha.

"What I have relished since childhood cannot be foregone easily. And then, how many more years are left to live anyway?" he reasons.

Another outlet, Jai Hind Parantha Bhandar, belongs to late Shiv Kumar Dikshit. Six generations of this family have been in the parantha business, which is now being looked after by Gaurav.

He not only works towards making his clients comfortable but also provides a helping hand to his workers when required. Does he like eating what they serve? I asked him. "Paranthas are my weakness," he said promptly.

"The entire pure-vegetarian meal is minus onion and garlic," Gaurav said. Though a lot has changed over the years, what is cool is the aroma of the parantha, which still remains the same.

"That's because we use desi ghee [clarified butter]," he claimed. "Even after more than a century, the tradition of using desi ghee has not changed."

What has changed are the vast options. In the beginning there were only four types of paranthas — aloo, dal, besan and plain, costing a paise each. But now there are 20 varieties, introduced in the past 20 to 25 years, with the price ranging from Rs30 to Rs45 (Dh3 to Dh4) for each.

The varieties now include stuffings of potato, tomato, cauliflower, paneer, rabri, papad, peas, radish, ladies' finger, carrot, fenugreek, sugar and banana. The parantha is served on a thali with subzi [vegetable], achar [pickle] and kele ki sonth [a sweet, red sauce with sliced banana pieces] and mint sauce. The feast is incomplete without a glass of lassi [skimmed milk] — sweet or salty.

From the point of view of those preferring the clean and hygienic environs, the place could certainly be disappointing, as all cooking takes place in the open.

The tawa used by the paranthewallas look like a shallow kadhai (pan) weighing almost 20 kilograms. It is strong enough to be able to withstand fire for many hours a day. The shops open from 8 in the morning till 11 at night, and each has about half a dozen people working.

During mealtimes there is sometimes no respite for the workers. One after another foodies trickle in. And the owners go about the business seriously, occasionally glancing and wishing known faces going past their shops.

There is an interesting way in which they attract customers. A person stands outside the shop and invites visitors to have a go at the hot, stuffed paranthas. Needless to mention, resistance after that is weak!

Service at these joints is instant. No sooner have you made yourself comfortable on the wooden bench, than the thali (the stainless-steel plate) with subzi, achar and chutney arrives — it barely takes a couple of minutes. Over the years, the terracotta kulhar (mug) of lassi has given way to large stainless-steel glasses.

The clientele includes regulars who have been frequenting the parantha shops for many years. Many who prefer to savour paranthas for lunch include sari shoppers. A number of sari shops have come up in the area.

Since business is not as flourishing as before, some of the owners opted for greener pastures — selling saris. And in some cases children have moved out of the family business to start afresh.

The paranthewallas feel it was due to a change in eating-out trends. People these days prefer fancy eating places, and with decor and ambience taking precedence over food, the new generation ventures out to other restaurants.

Not sure whether the next generation will continue selling paranthas, an owner said: "The food business will continue. And even if we open a fast-food restaurant, parantha will always remain a speciality. For even in the present times of inflated prices, what one can't forego is food. And paranthas are available 365 days a year!"

The popularity of paranthas may have gone down in this diet-conscious age but Gaurav has no plans of closing down the shop or venture into some other business. "It's a family tradition and I would like it to continue for many more generations," he said.

How long the parantha survives in the gali only time will tell. What remains at present are only four shops selling this delicacy. And the aroma emanating from the place is an experience of a lifetime.

The Bollywood connect

Though many people know that Hindi film actor Akshay Kumar belongs to Chandni Chowk, the lesser-known fact is that his house is in the Paranthe Wali Gali. Though owned by others now, the house is an attraction for many who live in Chandni Chowk, or those who visit the Paranthe Wali Gali. Shopkeepers have prominently put up the actor's photographs in their premises. A trader claimed they were still friends of the star and that the actor makes it a point to meet them on his visits. It is said that Kumar visits the Chandni Chowk house before the release of his films and makes sure that he pays his respects at the Gurudwara Sisganj in the area.

Nilima Pathak is a journalist based in New Delhi.