Oooouuuu… . followed by the incessant ringing of a cycle bell. That was the sound everyone waited for on Sunday mornings in our Delhi gully. People would rush down with steel dabbas for that special holiday breakfast. The object of their eager affection was a man in a white kurta-pyjama —our kulcha-chholey bhhaiya. The coriander garnished kulcha went wonderfully well with a dark brown robust chholey, served up with a few wedges of lime and chopped onion.
I tasted a similar chholey-kulcha 12 years later, yesterday, at the Desi Dhamaal street food festival at The Residency, where executive chef Ashok Kumar and sous chef Zashimuddin ply you street food from across the country.
Street food in a five star setting does not really gel, one may feel. After all, it is the noise and dust of the streets that lend that special flavour to roadside eats. But, chef Ashok says these festivals are a great way to allow guests to taste food cooked just the way it is on the streets, but with hygiene in mind.
We start off with a sample serving of sheermal , of Persian origin and popular in Kashmir, Hyderabad and Lucknow. And then go on sampling it till there is only one wedge left on the plate. A profusion of flavours hits you — saffron, khova, ghee, sugar and yeast combine delightfully in this oh-so-soft bread dusted with toasted poppy seeds. They serve it with a rich paya, but we slather three freshly made pickles — green chilli, garlic and amla — on it. Divine.
There are other things to be tried — the sweet sour vada pav with a crunchy potato patty stuffed in between a butter-coated bun; Rampuri aloo tikki; baby-sized parathas with a hearty filling of potatoes, paneer, gobhi or chilli-onion; a variety of paniyaarams made of corn, urad dal, ragi and jaggery…
The Pavilion will serve about 40 snacks every day during the fest. There are eight live counters, including one to cook creamy dal made just the way you want it — with spices, without garlic, with tomatoes, without chilli. Another will take care of non-veg parathas and Kolkata rolls while a third will serve deep fried white pomfret and river fish marinated in basic spices. Idlis and dosas with a range of chutneys are an important part of the buffet too. For dessert, choose among malpua, jamuns, jaangri, jalebi and more, served hot off the tawa.
Among the specials will be streetfood that Chef Ashok has tasted in the villages dotting his native place, Tirunelveli, and food that Zashimuddin has eaten in his culinary journey across the country from his home-state of Jharkhand to Coimbatore.
But, for us, the star of the fest is the humble sheermal. It tastes great eaten with just about anything. We polish off nearly half a dozen slices, dipping it into a creamy raita, into pickles…you dear reader, feel free to try it out as dessert too! It would be a sweet ending.
The fest is on till August 24 for lunch and dinner on weekends and for dinner on weekdays. It is priced at Rs. 960 for adults and Rs. 550 for children below 10. For details, call 0422-2241414.
