When we think of Delhi, the first thing that comes to our mind is the street food. The blissful aroma of papdi chaat, gol gappa, chole bhaturey, Samosa and what not. One of the best places to eat street food is Punjab Sweet House, on Ajmal Khan Road, in Karol Bagh. It is a decent sized sweet shop, with some place to stand and eat. Seating is available upstairs but will anyone want to sit and have the waiter serve gol gappa on the table and insult the genius who invented it. Oh! And for people not so familiar with Delhi, gluttony might be a sin but its worse to call gol gappa as pani puri in Delhi.
On a hot, sultry June afternoon, we made our way to this joint. First were the gol gappas, which have to eaten standing next to the guy making it and be served one at a time in a cup made of dry leaves. I suggest the ones made of rava (Semolina) but you also have the ones made of wheat. For the extra adventurous, you can try it without the sweet chutney. Another point to note for people not so familiar with Delhi, the sweet chuntey is called SONTH and not meetha. At the end of the gol gappa eating session, make sure to have some of the water to drink. If you get 2-3 hiccups due to the spice, it is a sign that you have enjoyed it, else keep drinking till you get one.
After 5-6 gol gappa’s each, we went for the papdi chat with dahi bhallas. Make sure you tell the guy to make it with dahi bhallas, else the whole essence of the papdi chaat is lost. After the spicy gol gappa’s, the slightly sweet and tangy chaat was soothing to the taste buds. Once you have had the papdi chaat, ask the guy to give you some gol gappa spicy water in the same plate that you ate the papdi chaat…. It is not obnoxious. Do this and you will bless me for the rest of your life. Still not satisfied, we ordered choley bhaturey and shared it. Two huge bhaturas in one plate is good enough for two people. And you get the ever tasty chole, extra, at no additional cost. Make sure you eat the pickle and the onions that come with it and for the ever adventurous, take a bite of the green chilli…….
To end it all, we ordered lassi. It was hot standing outside and eating and the lassi would cool our bodies (including our stomach). It came in a humongous steel glass with a small ball of malai (cream) in it. The idea is to drink it bottoms up and at the end of it,one should have a small white moustache made.
Now the only thing was to go home, switch on the AC and hit the rug. A sound sleep of a good 2-3 hours is the best way to digest it. By the way, the damages. All this for 4 people cost us Rs. 250/- only. Now that’s the icing on the cake, or rather the malai in the lassi.
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