Eating at Chandni Chowk!

Chandni Chowk. Perhaps one of the oldest parts of Delhi and definitely the yummiest one! It had been on my wish list since time immemorial and when it finally came true, i was overwhelmed. Before leaving for Delhi, i had made a list of to-do and to-visit and to-eat places and having finally arrived, i wasted no time and jumped on to my first to-do item in the list- The Rickshaw ride! I immediately became a part of the chaos of the narrow, over-populated and historically rich Bazaars. 

The most promising thing of Chandni Chowk was the food. Parathewali Galli for lunch, The chat ke 'tehle' for snacks(the best pani puri EVER!) and Karims for dinner :)

The Parethewalli Galli eatery had photographs of previous guests who had dined there. It included Ranbir Kapoor, Sheila Dixit, Imitiaz Ali to name a few. Some absolutely mouth-watering parathas made way into my ever-hungry always grumbling stomach with the local Lassi and 'kurchand". 

Having sort-of satisfied my hunger, i walked around, shopping for knick-knacks and searching for my chaat stalls. I found the guy who sells the best ever paani puri. 

But, the best part of my Delhi trip was KARIMS! If you love non-veg and are in Delhi, DO NOT MISS KARIMS. I repeat, DO NOT MISS KARIMS! The kababs are just so soft and juicy and melt in your mouth with a perfect blend of marination and seasoning. Their mutton khorma with the oh-so-soft tandoori roti was another good choice. They have an open kitchen and the speciality of the food is that it is cooked on 'angeethis' over coal which lends its own smoky flavour.

What i missed out eating was the jalebi and rabri :(

By the time i finished dinner at Karims, it was late night and the Jalebi places had shut down. I guess i should keep something for the next time. Inshallah ;)

Vanilla Cupcakes

My all time favourite and failproof baking desire-vanilla cupcakes! they are so light and moist that you could easily gobble down more than a couple! :D

I usually make vanilla cupcakes with lemon zest. One could add changes and incorporate some blueberry jam into them or orange zest for a tangy flavour! :)

You could top them with some chocolate icing or plain white vanilla icing or coloured, patterned vanilla icing :)

serve them using interesting paper moulds( available at Home Centre, Lifestyle) and do the icing with the all time favourite 1M milton tip for the "star" effect     ( also available at Home Centre, Lifestyle)

Vanilla Cupcakes

ingredients:

 unsalted butter, room temperature : 1/2 cup (113 grams)

 granulated white sugar : 2/3 cup (130 grams)

 eggs : 3 large

 vanilla essence : 1 teaspoon

Zest of 1 large lemon 

all purpose flour (maida ) : 1 1/2 cups (195 grams) 

 baking powder : 1 1/2 teaspoons

salt : 1/4 teaspoon 

 milk : 1/4 cup (60 ml)

Vanilla Cupcakes:

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.

In a bowl, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.Beat the butter till it turns white( one could use salted butter also, just be aware to skip addition of salt).Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla essence.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the lemon zest, flour, baking powder, and salt.

With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and milk, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour.

Evenly fill the muffin cups with the batter and bake for about 17 -20 minutesor just until set and a toothpick inserted into a cupcake comes out clean.

TIP: Always check a few minutes before the stated baking time. Do not over bake or the cupcakes will be dry. 

for vanilla frosting:

egg whites: 3

icing sugar : 4 cups

vanilla essence: 1 tsp

beat the egg whites and vanilla essence on low speed until light and fluffy. then combine the icing sugar a little at a time. having added all the sugar, beat on high speed for 5-7 minutes. White icing is ready. You could use plain white icing or add food colours to make them more appealing!

Tip: do not start beating the egg whites initially at high speed. start with low speed and move on to high speed towards the end.

for chocolate icing:

 unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped :120 grams

unsalted butter, room temperature : 2/3 cup (150 grams) 

 icing sugar : 1 1/3 cups (160 grams) 

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.

In a bowl beat the butter until smooth and creamy (about 1 minute). Add the sugar and beat until it is light and fluffy (about 2 minutes). Beat in the vanilla extract. Add the chocolate and beat on low speed until incorporated. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until frosting is smooth and glossy (about 2 -3 minutes).

Kawab-Kulcha

Kawab-Kulcha

If you are in Hyderabad and want to indulge in non-veg street food , standing amidst the busiest of roads, then think of Shahran's kawab-kulche! :D

It is situated at the busy junction at one of the CHAR KAMANS just before the Charminar. It serves the yummiest and cheapest kawab-kulche! The beef kawabs are available till late night along with kulcha (paratha). Its a tiny place buzzing with activity even at midnight! The menu card is a poster on the wall with the three basic types of kababs scrolled on it along with a couple of varieties of bread.My favourite is the sheek kawab with the paratha!

                       

Fish Fry

If you haven't satisfied your hunger and have a huge appetite like mine, then head for the next street cart delight :D

Crisp, hot ,spicy ,fresh fried pomfret is available for just seventy rupees! And believe me, it's definitely worth a try! 

Ramzan Ispeshall

These tiny, beautifully marinated beef kawabs are available on popular demand in the Old City. They are marinated and grilled on hot coals to give the smoky flavour and served plain or with paratha. 

Lassi Faluda 

Aah! My all time favourite (:

Whenever i visit the old city, it has almost become a habit now to drink one of these. That too special-wala lassi faluda with extra dose of cream and Roohafza! It a mixture of Milk, sugar, Roohafza, Balanga( a herb i guess) and khoa.