Eating in Chandni Chowk part 2

After the stuffed naan we made our way back towards the Fatehpuri mosque to get the best lassi I have ever had. I've been to the Amritsari lassiwallah before so I knew exactly which one I wanted ... mango. Thick, creamy, tangy sweetness with a layer of malai on top. Creamy goodness in a glass!



papri chaat, not the most appetizing
dish in the world

From there we took a long stroll on a dusty street lined with vendors of every kind of metal household kitchen utensil imaginable and some kitewallahs. We eventually ended up in front of Ashok Chaat Bhandar. We lined up for "Delhi's Best" golgappas, papri chaat and dahi bhalla. I have to say I'm not the biggest fan of Delhi-style chaat, it's very goopy. I've had it many times now and it just doesn't do it for me. The golgappas were OK but I've since had the most amazing pani puris in Bombay and will leave my discussion of them for a later post.

Watch out for splinters!

Just like a sorbet or granite is served between courses, our next stop was for ice cream where we finally found a place to sit down in the kulfiwallah's shop. Mango was the group favorite and the masala sprinkled on top was something tasty I've never tried before. The pomegranate sorbet-style kulfi was my favorite and was really refreshing after 3 hours walking in 100 degree heat in the dusty lanes of Chandni Chowk. Check out the spoons - slats of wood!

By this time we were too bloated to waddle to the next stop so we loaded our lazy selves onto bicycle rickshaws and paid the poor guy about a dollar to pedal us there. En route we had a flower fight, throwing marigolds at each other and showering people on the streets with petals as we passed by. You won't get that on anyone else's tour!!

3 people plus the driver per bike
what a load!

We unloaded ourselves in Kinari Bazaar which is the shiny-ribbon and gaudy-trim market. One of the most famous food places of Delhi is near here - the Paranthe Wali Gali. Although not one of us was the least bit hungry by this point, there is no way you can say you've done a food walk in Chandni Chowk without stopping here so we did what any self-respecting food lover would do - try 5 different kinds of stuffed and fried paranthas! Karela parantha was my favorite and I was most surprised by the papad parantha.

Just at down the lane from the Paranthe Wali Gali is Delhi's Old and Famous Jalebiwala and that is where we called it a night. We tried some of these sweet sweet treats but since I don't think these are the best in town I'll save my jalebi post for later too!