PARANTHE WAALI GALI- DELHI'S HEART ON A PLATE

As the auto-rickshaw takes me to my desired destination, I have ample time to look around owing to the rush hour and in the midst of the chaotic traffic encompassing of not only cars, rickshaws, cycles but also cows, buffaloes and maybe even stray dogs I see the heart of Old Delhi, Chandni Chowk.

Now the lanes have become narrower, occupied on either sides by street-carts selling all kinds of articles, eatables and more. Suddenly, my sense of smell takes over my sense of vision as I am hit by the irresistible aroma of desi ghee and I know I have arrived at my destination. 
A walk down the gali...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dH5yRjPL37I

It is a ubiquitous and undeniable truth that the way to a hardcore North Indian man’s heart is through the butter laden paranthas.  For those of you incognito to the term paranthas, they are a type of unleavened bread stuffed with vegetables or sweets & then shallow fried in Desi Ghee (clarified butter). Well that’s just a very sophisticated way to define it.

In the past five days we took you to the movies, connected you with our holy places, showed you the ropes of street shopping and even introduced you to our ancient roots. Now, sit back and relax for from here on only your taste buds will do the needful. Let me take you on a mouth-watering, finger licking darshan(journey) of the old Delhi, where it all began.

Nestled in the heart of old Delhi, Chandni Chowk was established in 1650 and was built along with the Red Fort under the Mughal Emperor, Shah Jahan.  Paranthe Waali Gali or Gali Paranthe Waali (lane of parantha makers)  is one of the still surviving relics of the Mughal  era.

In route Chandni Chowk: To reach Paranthe Wali Gali, you can take the New Delhi Metro (Yellow Line: Jehangirpuri-Huda City Gurgaon). Chandni Chowk is the nearest Metro Station to Paranthe Wali Gali.

Now let us get to business. Of the 20 parantha shops in the Paranthe Wali Gali during the late 1960s, only three remain today: Pt Kanhaiyalal Durgaprasad Dixit (estd 1875), Pt Dayanand Shivcharan (estd 1882) and Pt Baburam Devidayal Paranthewale (estd 1886). It is believed that all Parantha shops belong to the same family.

  

shop no.34

The Parantha shop remains open from 9 am to 11 pm and serves North Indian Paranthas, only vegetarian. The paranthas are really cheap and just costs Rs 150 for two people.The Pt. Gaya Prasad Shiv Charan Paranthe Wale has been catering awesome parathas for decades and their service is excellent & quick and the Paranthas are superbly awesome.

There are about 20 varieties of Paranthas served stuffed with exotic fillings like Chilies, Lemons, Kajus (cashews), Badams (almonds), Matar (peas), Khoya (milk-based), Rabri (yoghurt-based), Bitter Gourds, Lady Fingers, Radishes, Carrots, Cauliflowers etc. 

They are usually served with Sweet Tamarind Chutney, Mint Chutney, Mixed Vegetables Pickle, Paneer (cottage cheese) & Potato Curry, Potato & Fenugreek Curry and a sautéed mash of sweet pumpkin. Alongside, you can also order Sweet Lassi (a drink made from curd) to complement your meal. The Parantha shops adhere to Brahmin vegetarianism, which basically means that onion & garlic are not used in their preparations.

If this is not reason enough for you to rush to this place then you would be glad to know that the former Indian Prime Minister, Late Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru also visited this place with his sister, Vijaylakshmi Pandit & his daughter, Indira Gandhi (who also became the PM later). 

Not just that, several famous Bollywood personalities like Vidya Balan & Rajat Barmecha have also been here. The popular actor, Akshay Kumar once lived on this street & is known to be very fond of this haunt!

In this very gali, Akshay Kumar shot for his blockbuster venture.

It is a simple case of love at first bite. No matter where ever you go, whatever you eat, once you have tasted this delicacy you will be bound by it for life.

Written by Neha

The writer is a budding journalist. She is a true Gurgaonite at heart and loves to travel, explore and experience and then put it on paper.