Chandni Chowk in Photos

Some more photos from our walk through Chandni Chowk in April.

Betel leaves for paan

Costco-sized jars of pickle

busily stringing flowers on garlands

Fresh corn and  chickpeas, I got myself some
fresh chickpeas they're delicious!

namkeen - fried, crispy snacks in all shapes and sizes!

We didn't eat here...

These bizarre looking things are basically soy protein
wrapped around a stick. Tofu popsicles
Didn't try these either...

They take their kite flying very seriously
in these parts!

washing up, street style

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!





Eating My Way Through Chandni Chowk part 1

What better way to get back into the swing of life in Delhi than to wander around Chandni Chowk trying some of the goodies on offer in those crowded, narrow, dirty lanes?

And definitely the best and most fun way is to go with Himanshu Verma of the Red Earth Project. www.redearthindia.com

This wasn't your typical tour through Old Delhi's Chandni Chowk - we walked, ate, talked, ate, had a flower fight on bicycle rickshaws, then ate some more!

We met up at the far end of Chandni Chowk near the Fatehpuri mosque and headed straight to the Khari Baoli, the largest spice market in Asia. You know you're in the neighborhood when you start sneezing from all the spices in the air! Anything and everything including a lot of unidentifiable things are available here, it's fascinating!

Saltwallah - black salt and pink Himalaya salt
along with the normal white variety!
Don't know what the stuff that looks like
clods of dirt is...

Phoolwallah with his
genda phool

Himanshu is passionate about flowers and is fighting to keep Delhi's idiotic government from closing down the neighborhood flower markets (check out his website for more info) so he took us on a quick detour up a narrow flight of steep stairs to a small flower market completely hidden away from the craziness on the street below.

I generally prefer that the chef's feet
are more than 5 inches away from
my food ...

By then we were getting hungry so we went for stuffed naan at Kake di Hatti. We got paneer and potato. They're cooked in a tandoor oven and as it was about 100 degrees out I felt sorry for the poor guy who sits on top of the tandoor cooking these things all day long! They were pretty good although I thought there was too much raw ginger and they could have used some more seasoning - the flavoring was kind of bland except for the ginger.

... then I noticed the guy grinding
the spices in a hole in the sidewalk

Stay tuned for the chaat, kulfi, paranthas and more in part 2

From Blizzard to Bermuda

I returned to a winter wonderland with perfect snowman snow! We had a great time building snowmen, my niece & I built a snowman in a tree and Dad, brother-in-law, nephew and niece built a 9-foot snowman!

After a week back home I was off again, this time to beautiful Bermuda. The purpose of the trip was to check out prospective wedding locations but my wonderful, loving fiance suggested I invite my sisters along so I would have some company (since he was stuck back in India wrangling laborers). Since my sisters' (who are twins) were celebrating their 40th birthday in March I thought it would be a great occasion for an all-sisters' reunion / birthday celebration.

this is what happens when the kids
are left home with Dad for 5 days!

With the support of my awesome brother-in-laws who stepped up to the plate to take care of my 8 nieces & nephews (who are between 18 months and 11 years old) we met up in New Jersey picked up some bottles in duty free and were off!

Where are my kids again?

It was the first time the four of us were alone together without husbands or kids. Even though it wasn't quite warm enough yet to go swimming we had a great time on the sandy beaches of Bermuda. We stayed at the Elbow Beach Resort which is absolutely beautiful. It's right on the beach, set on parklike grounds and it would be the perfect wedding location!

The most memorable taste treat we discovered in Bermuda was the Dark 'n Stormy (which is not pictured here, this is a mojito in a to-go cup)

the best sisters in the world!

This is what we woke up to the day after we got back home...

Making Up For Lost Time and Low Cholesterol

Bangladesh to Bermuda via Chamonix and Lausanne - what a difference a month makes!

After being escorted to the Dhaka airport by the police in February and giving my digestive system some time to recover I was once again out of India, this time headed for snowy Alpine peaks.

It was great meeting up with family and friends in Chamonix but almost as good as seeing them was my first real non-Indian meal in months.

My cholesterol was feeling dangerously low so I opted for a croûte montagnarde with a crisp white wine from the Savoie. The combination of bread, cheese, wine and ham was just what I needed to hit the slopes the next day.

Even though everyone in the US was sick of shoveling, I was really missing the snow since I had spent Christmas in Delhi for the first (and last) time. Little did I know how much snow we would get back home in March!