An aloo tikki that has been titillating taste buds since '65

GURGAON: A large part of old Gurgaon's charm has always been the aroma and sights of street food. Rupa Tikki Wala, located on the bustling Sohna Chowk, is an institution. It's one of Gurgaon's oldest and most famous street food stalls.
Set up by Rupchand in 1965 in Sadar market, it was moved to Sohna Chowk due to lack of space. The shop is known for preparing tikkis the traditional way - on a coal flame.
People milling nearby, savouring their piping hot tikkis is a common sight. Made with a mix of potatoes, chana dal and dry fruit, tikkis are served with red dry ginger chutney, green mint chutney, chhole or dahi. On cooking over a coal flame, the temperature of the oil stays constant. When the tikkis are fried in this oil, they acquire a certain unique texture.
Sakshi Chaudhary, 36, said, "I have been coming here since my childhood. The best thing is that the tikkis are prepared in front of us. We can try different flavours with the red and green chutneys, chhole and dahi."
Many patrons like to experiment with the chutneys accompanying their tikkis. For Rupchand's son Bhushan, catering to individual demands is sometimes difficult but exciting. "People come to us with varied demands. Sometimes, accommodating them is a little difficult but at the same time, this is what make us different." According to him, spices used in the chutneys and chhole are all prepared at home.
"The tikki is quite unlike what one would eat at any other chaat shop in the city," said Sunder Singh, who came from Sector 31 to savour the delicacies.
Sanjeev Saxena, a resident of Sector 45 and a regular visitor, said, "This is the best place for tikkis in the city. I don't mind standing aside a chaotic road but I make sure I do not miss the magical tikkis."
About the secret of their great taste, Bhushan told TOI, "Be it oil, chhole or dal, we never compromise on quality. We prepare tikkis with my father's secret recipes." While tikkis remain their sellout item, other popular choices are chhole chawal and bread pakora. "Tikki is the most popular item. But when it comes to eating a whole meal, people prefer chhole chawal in the afternoon. The demand for bread pakoras is also good," said a staff member.
Recently, Bhushan has set up a new outlet in Sector 15.