what to eat in delhi

A Punjabi staple dal makhani is a hearty spicy tomatobased dish of urad dal (lentils) and rajma or red kidney beans usually slowcooked with butter and some cream for a thick consistency and rich taste (makhani means with butter in Hindi; see also butter chicken). Common on many Delhi menus as a simple yet filling vegetarian meal it is pretty darn delicious like a buttery bean chili to our tastes. Indian comfort food. for sure.

This very popular chaat or snack encompasses some of chaats best qualities spicy crunchy saucy satisfying all in one explosive bitesize package. Also widely known as pani puri it consists of a round hollow crispyfried puri thats filled with potato chickpea onion spices and flavored water usually tamarind and/or mint and popped into ones mouth whole often while standing. The water part is whats tricky for foreigners as most of those tempting street gol gappa vendors use tap water (and often their bare fingers to stuff the puris). Luckily a few wellknown spots take care to use mineral water not quite as authentic maybe but you wont end up in bed for three days.

A popular dessert all over India indeed much of South Asia gulab jamuns are little goldenbrown balls (or ovals) made of milk solids and flour that are deepfried coated in a sugary syrup and served warm. Dense and sweet with a bready exterior and creamy insides they remind us of delicious sugarsoaked doughnut holes.

Its important to note that haleem a delicious meat stew is not really a Delhi food it has Persian roots is an official food in Hyderabad and is eaten in plenty of other parts of South Asia particularly by Muslims to break their fast during the holy month of Ramadan. But Delhi being a North Indian mishmash of different ethnic groups and religions including several prominent enclaves of Muslims (accounting for about 12% of the total population) its no surprise that haleem is beloved here during Ramadan and beyond. Its typically a slowcooked sticktoyourguts gruellike stew made with shredded or mashed boneless meat (often mutton/goat or buffalo) wheat barley lentils and spices.

Very popular throughout India for centuries jalebi are made from fermented batter which is fried in ghee into ropy pretzellike whorls and then soaked in a hot sugary syrup. While not unique to Delhi the orangey sweets are a very common sight on the street and in sweets shops across the city and youll soon learn why. When jalebi are hot and fresh every bite is crisp yet chewy warm with gooey sugary liquid. Deliciously sweet we like to think of them as a kind of sticky Indian funnel cake.

Another of the many vegetarian Punjabi dishes popular in Delhi kadhai paneer (sometimes called karahi) is paneer or Indian cheese cooked with bell peppers (a.k.a. capsicum) onion tomato garlic ginger lots of spices usually including dry fenugreek leaves ghee and some cream. Its name refers to the woklike pan in which its cooked: a kadhai known as karahi in Pakistan (that the Punjab region straddles both countries explains the two names showing up in Delhi). It might be red or brown in color dry or wet in texture but its always a solid satisfying dish.

Delhi loves its kebabs. In fact its not really an exaggeration to say that a whole website might be dedicated to the many varieties of ground and rolled grilled and skewered meats found in this city a relatively young phenomenon really that perhaps represents Delhi embracing its Mughlai roots (or more specifically the Persian roots of those Mughals). For carnivores of course this is all great news but even vegetarians can find good grilled paneer or potato kebabs around here. For the sake of simplicity were going to focus on two of the more common variations youll find in Delhi on a stick or otherwise: mutton seekh or spiced minced mutton on a skewer and chicken tikka or grilled marinated chicken. Youll see these and other meats straightup grilled usually over a low charcoal flame as well as wrapped into a paperthin roomali roti or thicker kathi roll thus becoming kebab rolls. Appetizer lunch dinner latenight snack: Its always kebab time.

An ancient delicately sweet dessert made of slowcooked rice milk and sugar kheer is South Asias take on rice pudding though it has quite a few regional variations and names. Here saffron cardamom and nuts like pistachio and almond often get involved. Like phirni its served chilled in earthenware bowls and especially common in Muslim restaurants particularly during Ramadan.

Kofta means meatballs although in one of the most popular Mughlai dishes malai kofta the balls in question are veg made with paneer. Otherwise the kofta will likely be minced and spiced mutton (also called keema) unless its nargisi kofta which means a hardboiled egg coated in ground meat (and which may have inspired the U.K.s Scotch egg). In any case the fried kofta balls are typically smothered in a lovely creamy curry sauce patiently waiting for your naan to scoop it up.

Indias take on ice cream kulfi is a frozen dairybased dessert traditionally made by boiling milk until it reduces and condenses then sweetening cooling and freezing it in clay cups or in long narrow molds with a stick. Its commonly flavored with spices nuts and/or fruits. Because there are no eggs or whipping/churning involved kulfi is especially dense smooth and creamy. And once it gets hot in Delhi its just about necessary for survival.