The Chronicles of Chaat: Adventures in Allahabad

Napkin Chatter brings to you the first chapter of the Chronicles of Chaat! In three parts explore some of the most lip-smacking chaat from the streets of Allahabad.

Chaat literally means to lick (at least that's what Rocky and Mayur say) That sound your tongue makes when you've had that tangy spicy chatpata chaat – the automatic twang in your mouth when tongue and roof palate meet. I cannot imagine a more appropriate name for this genre of food. It is a well established fact that every city or region has its own unique chaat culture. Allahabadi chaat is in deed quite different from the stuff that is offered in Delhi or Bombay.

This journey has been possible solely due to the kindness of the Mimani Family. They are native residents of the city and know the food scene better than anyone. Probably because the love for food runs in the family. Mrs. Mimani's culinary skills and delicious food has always been a gravitating force that pulls me towards Allahabad, however, this series will bring to you something else I was introduced to by her son, my friend and fellow gourmand Raghav - chaat from the streets of Allahabad.

The city is full of iconic street food. I have probably just begun to scratch the surface. There is a list of places I am yet to visit including the famous Nirala ki Chaat. That is for the future, for now – here is the present...

Part I – The Holy Master of Chaat:Guruji

- Located in Colonel Ganj

Part II – Shiv Chaat Bhandaar (Shambu ki Chaat)

- Located in Harsh Vardhan Crossing

Part III – Tamatar Chaat @ SantoshChat Corner  

- Located in  George Town/Tagore Town

Tamatar chaat @ Santosh Chaat Corner

When I heard about tamatar chaat I assumed it to be sliced tomatoes topped with sev and bhel with a squeeze of lime and dash of chaat masala. It is what is called 'tomato slice' by some chaat vendors down south. I was very wrong. Tamatar chaat in Allahabad (it is probably endemic to Uttar Pradesh, I have not seen it easily available in Delhi or Bombay) is on a different plane.

Santosh Chaat Corner is a mobile chaat station. He does phulkis, tikkis and the usual set of dishes. The main attraction though is the tamatar chaat. The first time I had it packed in a silver foil tray. I was intrigued by what looked like variation of bhaji in pav-bhaji. I scooped up a bit with the spoon, and examined it closely trying to identify what goes into making this, but the fragrance and visual appeal made me abandon my pursuit and focus on eating it. It was a celebration in my mouth. Perfect temperature, soft buttery texture and that twang only the yummiest of chaat can give.

This being an entirely new chaat dish my curiosity didn't die down, and to quell that the Mimani family helped me engage with the man behind the dish – Mr. Santosh. With the able aid of Mr. Bunty the all-in-all domestic help I went to meet the creator of a splendid dish.

Mr. Santosh 

Mr. Santosh was was having a very busy evening and offered to pack me all the chaat i wanted but if you want to see the making from scratch you need to come early evening. That is exactly what I did the next day. Bunty and I went to Santosh Chaat Corner, I was very excited at the prospect of discovering the recipe and secretly hoped to replicate the same in lands where none have had this yummy chaat!

Jeera and Onions

The process starts with cleaning the tawa. Its wiped clean of all residue from making tikkis and fresh oil is poured. A handfull of jeera is tossed into the oil and while it sizzles, a cup or two of chopped onions is added. This is cooked until it turns brown.

Chaat Brothers - Santosh and Satish

Then add roughly chopped tomatoes. Satish (Santosh's brother) does the tomato chopping and he is fast, he hacked through about five kilos of tomatoes in 10 minutes. Sauté all of it - let it sweat and cook on the tawa. Once the tomatoes begin to soften, bring out the mashers! Squish and squash them tomatoes. It'll transform into a red juicy pulp.

Half cooked tikkis are then added to the beautiful crimson pulpy gravy. Then repeat mash cycle. As it gets thick and unwieldy, the tangy pani of the phulkis is added. Jal-jeera is a good substitute adds Santosh. Mix and Mash away!

The next phase is when all the flavouring ingredients are added. The spicy green chili chutney, red chilli flakes, jeera powder, chaat masala, and a lot of other masalas you will have no idea about! Top it up with some chopped coriander. Add more of the pani to get the right consistency, and continue mashing while it cooks. 

Once you get a thick creamy buttery texture and the mix begins to ever so slightly stick to the tawa it is ready! Now there are two variations. So this mix is transferred to a small bowl, while 70% of the remaining mix is again treated with some sweet imli chutney, to make a sweeter version of the chaat. So when people order, the dish is tweaked according to demand.

If you are eating on site, he scoops up a portion of the chaat onto a disposable bowl, adds a seasoning of dahi, coriander, and crushed puris. Ready to eat! This time it was fresh off the tawa, and I found the chaat to be a bit too hot to be enjoyed. So keep this in mind, tamatar chaat is best had packed, after a few minutes of cooling. Now, do not let it cool too much, it becomes too thick and the dish loses its zesty life. That sweet spot of perfect temperature you have to discover yourself!

Mr. Bunty

Santosh and team were kind enough to share the recipe, probably with the sheer confidence that replicating this in any home is close to impossible. That however should be no reason for you to not try! Go ahead and experiment, create your own tamatar chaat, and if you succeed feed the ones craving for it, and if you fail, pack your bags and head to Allahabad.  

Fresh tamatar chaat

Shambu ki Chaat

Shiv Chaat Bhandaar a.k.a Shambu ki Chaat is immensely popular in Allahabad, the evening crowds make this fact apparent. Having devoured chaat made by Shambu I know the reason behind this popularity. Simply put, this place serves some of the best chaat I have ever had in my life, and I have had A LOT of chaat.

The super hits here are the phulkis and aloo tikkis. The dahi bhallas are great too. Lets get down to the details.

Mashed peas filling

The phulkis served here are filled with the usual mashed peas and paani. What makes the phulkis here stand out is the sheer freshness of the ingredients. The fresh, crisp puris are generously filled with the mashed matar and dunked into paani. 

phulki - warm crisp puri with cool and spicy pani

The blend of warm puri and matar with the cool and spicy pani crumbling and tumbling inside your mouth treating it to some of the most exciting flavours! Upon instructions from Madam Mimani, the matar filling was tweaked and spiced up a bit – and it went from 'awesome' to 'oh-my-god insanely awesome'. It is quite amazing how a pinch of certain masalas can change your entire experience.

Aloo Tikki

One might say that aloo tikkis are Shambu's hot favourite. He personally makes them, and its an experience in itself to watch him work. He picks up a pair of tikkis from the tawa just as they are ready, drops onto the green leaf-made serving plate. With a gentle push he flattens and ruptures the surface of the tikkis and begins the process of adding the various chutneys and masalas. It is hard to keep track, there is so much that is being added, and so quickly. 

Shambu creating his masterpiece 

He doesn't lift his head up, all the time singularly focussed on his creation. He adds the green mint chutney, a dash of various spicy masalas, a hint of sweet imli chutney, topped with some dahi, chopped coriander and fried shredded potato. I eagerly cut into the hot tikki and not wanting to burn my tongue blew into the steaming piece of tikki. Satisfied that it would not scald my tongue, I sent them to tikkis into the munching machine! 

While enjoying every molecule of the dish I realised that the seemingly random addition of masalas and chutneys are in fact not random at all. Each of those in specific quantities result in a precise flavour on your palate. Shambu is an expert declared my taste buds.

Dahi Bhalla

When you are all fired up from the fiery chaat, you must then take something to cool off. That is where the dahi bhallas come in. Bhallas are essentially small fluffy fried lentil nuggets soaked in a bit of water. The bhallas are then taken, the water squeezed out and then topped with dahi and a small sprinkling of chutneys and masalas! The dahi is mildy sweet, thick and creamy. Its a light and delicious snack that contrasts the heat of other chaat dishes.

Munna, Shambu's son. 

Shiv Chaat Bhandaar is an establishment that gets all of this perfect. I asked Shambu's son Munna, how do they do it? What is the magic? He laughed and gave me the answer that is common to all creators of lipsmackin' food – anything made with love and dedication works magic. If it were not for the amazing chaat, what would he be doing I asked him, “sarkari naukri” (government job) he said and burst out laughing. Though I am quite certain that no sarkari job can keep you away from the yummiest chaat in town!

The Holy Master of Chaat: Guruji

Every city has a legendary icon that must be remembered for all eternity. In the city of Allahabad, I think it is Guruji. THE master of chaat.

He learnt the trade from his father, and has been serving chaat for the lucky residents of Allahabad since 1945. Yes, you read that right, 1945! Even before India got its independence!

Guruji

Guruji is special not just because he's probably the oldest living chaat vendor in this country, but because he serves a special three-course phulkis. Now, lets get some terminology clear. Phulkis is the term used in Allahabad for pani puris, and I will stick to that. As I discovered, phulkis are different from phuchkas, that is different from golgappas, that is different from pani puris! Napkin Chatter promises to do a full length feature of the national variants of tangy spicy pani filled in crisp tiny pooris!

Enough of lessons, back to the three course phulkis. First course, the puri is stuffed with seasoned matar or mashed peas (this is the regular filling for phulkis across Allahabad) and dipped into nice tangy spicy pani. The pani is at room temperature, not iced like it is in most parts of Delhi. Second course, the puri is stuffed with garam(warm) sagoda ka pani. If you're wondering what on earth is sagoda keep reading this post. Third course, the puri is stuffed with potato that is seasoned with green chilli and mint paste then topped with some sweet imli (tamarind) chutney before being dipped into the khatta (tangy) pani.

3 Course Phulkis

Guruji still serves each phulki to each customer himself. At the second course, he warns each of them “garam hai” (its hot, don’t burn your tongue!) The commitment and dedication shown to his craft is incredible.

Sagoda

Sagoda is a kind of pakoda in some insanely yummy gravy/pani. I am saying pakoda because it resembles one but it tasted far more flavourful than any deep-fried-gram-flour entity I have had! This is drenched in a tangy and spicy gravy of sorts. Its thicker than paani used for phulkis and thinner than a subzi gravy. Served in a khullad (clay cup), it is as appealing in appearance as it is in taste. My first taste of sagoda has found a special place on my 'memory palate' (à la Sherlock's memory palace!)

Khasta

While we were chatting with him, he whipped up a serving of Khasta for us to sample. Its a variation of a kachori. Smaller and denser with more filling. He crushes a pair, tops it up with yummy chutneys, dahi and fresh boondi! Its nothing like I have ever had before, simply delicious.

The establishment is entirely family run. While on the face of it, apart from guruji only the son is seen making tikkis and dahi bhalla, right from peeling potatoes and making the various chutneys other members of the family are involved. In a way, you can sense that love and bonding in the near flawless flavours that are you are introduced to by Guruji. Come here by late afternoon, because by evening the cauldrons are nearly empty.

What makes this experience even more awesome is the ridiculously cheap prices at which Guruji serves these heavenly chaats. I asked him how does manage to price his chaat so cheap, and he said “it is what is it”. Though he laments that when he started out, he could serve 8 puris for one paise and now can only afford to serve 4 puris at Rs. 5. I still think its a fantastic deal, in the year, 2014, if you get chaat that tastes this good at Rs. 5 you are blessed.

I have been blessed by the Guruji. I'd recommend you set out on a chaat pilgrimage and pay your respects to the holy master.

Skewers of Joy @ Naresh Paneer Tikka

It is such an unassuming place, in clichéd terms can it can be described as a ‘hole in the wall’. Naresh Paneer Tikka is located in Paharganj, about a 10 minute walk from the RK Ashram Metro station. I discovered the place during an aimless exploration, crudely put – I was loafing around. Paharganj market is popular for cheap hippie stuff, and hopefully, after this discovery, for Naresh Paneer Tikka! 

It has a limited menu, and serves only vegetarian tikkas. Yes, you read that right. This sounds disappointing to a lot of non-vegetarians but those who aren’t complete a-holes will accept that vegetarian options are not so bad. When you have tried the tikkas here, you will know why. [I understand they are no comparison. So let us just not compare at all!]

The display unit with marinated tikkas stacked up is the most appealing sight, second only to the lineup of skewers on the grill. When you see them all together, you get confused what to order because you want everything. But since I was alone on all three visits, I had to limit my order to not come across as bakasura and frighten others around.

In the bustling market, the noise and the chaos do not add to the most exquisite dining experience. But that’s not why I was there, so I just order my paneer tikka and wait. In all honesty, I didn’t really have much expectations, just seemed like the average paneer tikka store. I have never been more wrong. 

I watched keenly as the marinated skewer holding pieces of paneer, capsicum, tomatoes and onions travelled from the display stack to the grill.  The coal was flaming at one end, and simmering in the other, and the farthest end was the cooling deck. The loaded skewer starts its journey in the flames. Blasts of heat and light char the tikkas and dress them with beautiful colours of black and gold while they are intermittently brushed with butter. As my eyes followed the attentively rotated skewers moving to the simmering coal I fell in love with the fragrance and colours that trapped me in a trance that singularly focused on the emerging tikka. Once off the grill, the glistening tikka does not go straight to the plate. Naresh slides the cooked pieces of paneer off into a bowl, tosses it with a dash of masala and a generous helping of butter. After the little dance, they are sent to the plate, a splash of fresh cream is added and the tikkas are served with sliced onions and mint yoghurt chutney.

                                              

                                              

The first bite of the tender paneer tikka burst into a million amazing flavours in my mouth. The twang of the marinade and masala, the creamy soft texture of the paneer, and the smooth saltiness of the butter combined to create the most wonderful sensations in my mouth. I was stunned for a while. What just happened? I was sent to heaven and still reeling under its magic, with every bite the world outside around me shut down. It was a perfect romance - tikka and me. Eternal bliss.

But like Axl Rose wisely said, “... nothing lasts forever... ”. The most heavenly paneer tikka was over. My heart was insatiable but my stomach said, that’s enough for today. I licked the disposable plate clean (especially the mind-blasting awesome mint yoghurt chutney) and promised to return, with a larger appetite.

On my second and third visit I tried the malai chaap, the haryali paneer tikka roll and the mushroom tikka. The malai chaap was so good that I had it packed for a friend, who gobbled it up in no time and shared the same celestial bliss I experienced! 

The hariyali paneer tikka roll was fantastic. Soft romali roti holding softer tender pieces of paneer. The romali takes away any sharpness of the masala you might feel, and tames the butter on the tikka. I highly recommend taking a romali roti with the tikkas or having it as a roll in case you find the tikkas standalone a bit too rich or overpowering. Or you could just ask him to go easy on the butter.

The weakest bit was however, the mushroom tikka. This was much to my dismay. I love mushrooms, and was hoping to get high on these tikkas. Sadly though, it paled in comparison to the other items on the menu. The reason I guess probably had to do with the size of the mushroom, they were quite large and the marinade and flavouring didn’t quite reach the inner portions very well. Maybe choosing a skewer with smaller mushrooms and wrapping it with romali roti will solve the problem.

On the menu, there are two types of paneer tikka – special masala and haryali, and two types of chaap – special masala and malai. A masala soya bean tikka, and finally a mushroom tikka. That’s it. Each of these are priced at a measly Rs. 60/- (It’s a steal!!!) You can add a romali roti at Rs. 5, he will also wrap your tikka order into a roll at the same price.

                                                    

Late evenings can get crowded. So be prepared to wait, but not too long though. If you like, there is coke and other soft drinks available to finish off your meal. Go in a group or have some company that can eat well, you get to experiment and try different tikkas and above all – share the joy!

Mr. Naresh, the boss, himself is very involved in preparation and serving the customers. He’s is ably assisted by a great team. My interactions have been mainly with Mr. Mohit and Mr. Rohan, apart from Mr. Naresh himself.  They not only deftly handle the grill, but also the crowds. A very cordial team who I must thank for cooperating and helping with the photo-op!

Now I guess I’ve got you drooling. Clean up and be on your way to Paharganj!

Naresh Paneer Tikka open 5pm – 11pm!

Happy Hogging :D

For The Love of Cheese!

Cheese Chaplin is the crystallization of Mr. Vikas’s love for cheese. It is not your run-of-the-mill restaurant. You are in the lab of a culinary genius whose sole obsession is cheese.

I was introduced to Cheese Chaplin by a fellow cheese lover (FCL) who vouched for the amazing pizzas and the only place she preferred red sauce pasta (No, she has not had the good fortune of sampling my awesome red sauce pasta). 

We found our way after asking around a bit. The easiest way to locate the place on this street (Old M.B Road, Lado Sarai) is to look for a neem tree opposite the HFDC Bank ATM, and there you will see the unassuming white board announcing - “Cheese Chaplin”. Take the flight of stairs down and enter cheese-land!

I was introduced to Mr. Vikas, the owner and as I looked around, I realized this was going to be the beginning of a very long friendship. You’re flanked by shelves holding an enormous variety of cheese, a lot of which are manufactured by Dairy Kraft, the parent company run by Mr. Vikas himself. There is Edam, Gouda, Mascarpone, Bocconcini... Smoked, flavored with garlic...  Okay, I will stop and contain my excitement. You get the picture. One shelf is full of cookbooks mainly dealing with Italian cooking and cheese cakes. There is also great stock of pastas, olive oils, olives, capers, and all that you would need for an Italian cooking soiree. (Napkin Chatter will host one soon!)

While our eyes were scanning through every inch of the display refrigerators and our mouths’ started salivating, Mr. Vikas promptly served us a portion of Tiramisu. There was total silence, broken only by the occasional “mmmm”... “aahh”. It was a beautifully dressed, tiny little cup layered with mascarpone, and coffee soaked ladyfinger (if you think its bhindi/okra, you need an education. Like I did in my younger days). Then it was over. As the empty cup stared right back at me, I drifted back to reality, only to enter the next paradise.

A savory dish to balance the sweet. What Mr. Vikas calls a ‘cheese boat’, is a filo pastry puff snuggly housing a family of cheese and olives, sprinkled with oregano, roofed with a cherry tomato and a basil leaf. The light and crunchy pastry sheets, giving way to the salty cheese and tangy olive and tomato, and the fresh basil joining in with the oregano treated my palate to one of the best experiences it has had in Delhi.

We then sampled a baked cheese cake, with a slice of freeze dried fruit. With that smooth, light texture, and not too sweet a crust this happens to one of the better baked cheese cakes I have had around Delhi and Bangalore. A bite of the freeze dried fruit gives the slight tartness to eliminate any possibility of monotony that a not-so-big-fan (me) of baked cheese cake might have.

Following that, comes the unique cream cheese blended chocolate brownie topped with a raspberry. I know, your face just contorted to that befuddled look – cream cheese + brownie? Well, the story goes that, apparently Mr. Vikas likes adding cheese to everything(like duh!); he thought of adding cream cheese to the brownie dough; yes, he made a face too, but being the experimental genius he is, he went ahead and conducted the experiment. Oh boy, I’m glad he did! The texture is quite different from your usual brownie, closer to fudge and cake but not so overpoweringly sweet. These mini towers of brownie were cleared off the board in the blink of an eye!

We broke the sweetness spree with the much reputed pizza! Seven inches of thin crust goodness topped with an array of veggies. (Sorry non-vegetarians this place is all veg!)  First up – The Chaplin Favorite Pizza. A crust with just the right amount of crunch, topped with generous portions of the most delicious kalamata olives, tomatoes, basil leaves on a thin spread of fresh pizza sauce cloaked in a sheer of melted mozzarella and a dash of grated parmesan cheese. It was love at first bite!

After a cup of coffee, we quite shamelessly, agreed to hog another pizza – Spicy Treat *beta (not on the menu yet!) It’s a blissful combination of cherry tomatoes, corn kernels, slices of onion, and a good helping of zesty, spicy jalapenos. We added a dash of oregano and wolfed it down.

The pizzas at Cheese Chaplin are the kind that the thin crust aficionados crave for; it’s perfectly baked with the best quality ingredients, and has a freshness that is unmatched.

While we reveled in the sins of gluttony, sad news arrived. FCL’s only place for red sauce pasta has stopped serving it! I think it was a wise move; otherwise it will be very difficult for Mr. Vikas to stop the gourmands from devouring everything his kitchen can offer.

Diverting our minds from any trace of sorrow, we were served a portion each of an apricot baked cheese cake. I approached it with skepticism only to be pleasantly surprised by its yumminess. 

  

This meal that started at around 10:30 am ended approximately 4 hours later. I’ve told you about the fantastic food. But it is not just the food that made this such a delightful experience. Mr. Vikas infects you with his rare brand of unconditional love and passion for cheese. It reflects in the taste and quality of all his products and dishes. The most splendid food peppered with nostalgic conversations, served with anecdotes and garnished with slivers of love takes your dining experience to a superlative level.

There were many more things to try, blueberry cheese cake, red velvet cake, a wide variety of sliced and flavored cheeses, more pizzas. But we were just two stomachs stuffed well beyond capacity. Making a mental note on things to eat on the next visit, and stuff to buy for a possible cook-off, we make our way out. The world outside was a sweltering mess burning in the harsh and unwelcoming Delhi sun – a stark contrast to the place we just exited.

A couple of details you may want to note before your visit:

If you’re comfortable on the floor, this place has the seating capacity for about 10-20 people (a balanced mix of big, medium and small human beings), and if you insist on furniture, there are two tables and four chairs. 

For those with highly active bowel movements, or ones’ who want to clear room for more food, there is a toilet near the entrance.

Like I said at the beginning of this post, Cheese Chaplin is not your run-of-the-mill restaurant. It could be called a super speciality food joint, attached to Mr.Vikas’s culinary lab. It works from 10am to 6pm; open only Monday to Saturday.

Closest Metro Station: Saket, Yellow Line. 

Go Chas-khaaaaaaa....!

Yello! Greedy Piglets,

A few years back, a tiny little white paper landed on my doorstep along with the morning paper. It was a menu card for a new joint in town but had very limited options. Shawarmas, burgers and sandwiches- each just had either chicken or paneer fillings. Not very tempting but my motto is- DON'T WASTE IT TILL YOU TASTE IT. So in I shoved it into a drawer stuffed with menu cards in all colours and flavours.

Yesterday evening, I was gripped by an unshakable chicken craving. Digging into my tummy saviour drawer, I eyed the same old food joint's menu card. The place is called Chicken Chaska and it is near PVR Vikaspuri (complete address is at the end of the page, peeps). I dialed the number in the menu card and placed an order for two plates of paneer sandwich, chicken sandwich, chicken burger and chicken shawarma. The guy on the phone said their delivery time was 30 mins.

The best thing about the food was the packaging. Neatly packed in aluminium bowls, accompanied by mayo dip in a small plastic pouch wound up at the tip with a rubber band. A very appealing first impression made my heart do a little happy flip. After ladling my plate with one of everything and sinful amount of mayo, I settled down to gorge. The paneer sandwich was disappointing with a very bland filling. The chicken shwarma and burger were tasty with the chicken minced nicely and cooked with fried onions and spices. Though the shawarma sizes were little too small for my liking.

At the end of the feast, it was the chicken burger which stole the show- lightly toasted bun stuffed heartfully with minced-spicy chicken. And to add on to the flavours, I topped the chicken with a dollop of mayo. It was quite heavy and filling.

Credits: www.cucumbertown.com

So this place is a no-go for my veggie darlings, for others it's worth a try. Happy eating.

Kisses,
Hogger Blogger!

Address: 7, GG1, Main PVR Road, Vikaspuri, New Delhi
Phone: 9212989391