If all goes well, the Intercity Express from Bhopal will get me to Indore at 9.30pm. MP Tourism’s Tourist Bungalow, where I am staying, is just a short distance away from the station. It does not have a restaurant, I have been warned, but I am not worried. Indore is the street food capital of central India, which is why I am headed there. The room is only to dump my bag in, and catch some sleep. Otherwise, street food is my one-point agenda for the next 40 hours.
There’s shikanji to be had at Nagori Sweets, bhutte ka kees at Joshi restaurant, Sawariya’s sabudana khichri, coconut patties at Vijay Chaat, egg benjo at Johnny Hot Dog, badam milk at Lakshminarayan Doodhwala… After much thought, I have decided that the egg benjo and badam milk must be tried tonight. Both sound heavy, and I won’t have room for more. There’s no Plan B.
My plan entails moving around the city after 10pm. Are autos or rickshaws easily available at that hour? Yes, yes, I am told. In fact, the street food scene does not begin in earnest till 8.30pm, when food stalls come alive in Sarafa, the old jewellers’ market behind the Holkar palace, Rajwada.
But something’s amiss. For one, there are too many cops on the platform; all of them in riot gear. There are still more cops out on the street, and not even one auto. The dhabas outside the station are open, but there aren’t very many diners in them. The wide Rabindranath Tagore Marg is deserted. When I ask the receptionist where I can get an auto, I learn that half the city’s under curfew. There’s been a communal riot in the afternoon.
So I am supposed to stay put tonight, but food? And water? Luckily, Rabindra Natya Griha, where MP Tourism has six rooms, also has a restaurant called Apsara. I like to keep away from establishments of that name (nine times out of ten they’re seedy bars), but this one’s a pure vegetarian family-type place. On its menu are the usual matar-this, paneer-that dishes that I don’t want. Only bhutta-palak sounds like a cousin of Indore’s native bhutte ka kees, and maybe it is a delicacy. I order it with two stuffed parathas, which turn out to be of the tandoori type, overstuffed just the way I like them, but the bhutta-palak is a disappointment. I can pardon the grease but sweet corn in a spinach paste cannot be authentic Indore fare.
The only thing I finish at Apsara is a bottle of water. This trip seems finished even before it’s begun. ETV and BTV keep flashing all the news I need to feel more depressed. And I pass it on to Jitender, who’s fast asleep on the train down from Delhi. My plan is completely in tatters by now. No poha-jalebi tomorrow morning, nor the kees or anything else in the afternoon, Sarafa is out of the question for a few nights at least, and I have only one more left.
The morrow arrives with good news: curfew’s been lifted in four out of the seven affected areas, although not in Sarafa. The hotel manager advises me to visit Chhappan Dukaan (literally ‘56 shops’) in New Palasia, which is no less a foodie haven, and far removed from trouble. This time I find the road alive with cars and autos. And 10 minutes later, I witness the rise of Vijay Chaat’s shutters.
The market is opening late because the supplies from the old city have been delayed, but Mitthu at Madhuram Sweets is able to pour me a small glass of shikanji (Rs 15) as soon as I ask for it. And it is a world removed from the North Indian shikanji experience, for it has neither lemon nor water. Rather, it is made of sweetened milk, dry fruits and buttermilk. There’s just a hint of tanginess from the mattha (buttermilk) and a dewy sweetness overall. And the juicy raisins that float in, sip after sip, are the final mood-enhancers.
Mitthu says the shikanji is best had after lunch, but I’m ignoring his advice. While the rest of Chhappan Dukaan warms up, one stall at the end of the row is doing brisk business. Young Tarang sounds like a show on AIR, but it is a popular breakfast haunt of Indore’s college crowd. Breakfast here means poha and jalebi (Rs 5 each). Their poha is the lightest I have ever had. It has a mild taste, sweetened by onion pieces (optional) and spiced with crunchy misal. The jalebis are not infused with colour or essence. Even the sugar syrup is lighter than what we are used to in Delhi, and does not reek of vanaspati when cold. All in all, it is a very light breakfast.
Since I can eat some more, I decide to wait outside Johnny Hot Dog till Vijay Singh conjures up his first egg benjo (Rs 12) of the day. It might be small, but Singh’s shop does more business than any other in Chhappan. The jolly owner himself admits that he sells over 500 egg benjos in a day. Why benjo? Nobody knows, but I can tell you what a benjo is: a hot omelette in a warmed and sliced bun. The omelette is crisp and red with chillies, and the bun is melt-in-the-mouth soft.
The oil is finally boiling at Vijay Chaat, and they will be in business in another 15 minutes. I feel like having another shikanji at Madhuram, but cautiously settle for their petha paan (Rs 7) instead. It’s quite a novelty: cashew, almond and gulkand encased in a thin layer of green petha, which is held together with a clove. I am not a paan person at all, but this is only a juicy mithai, and I relish it. Walking (to aid digestion) back to my room, I find many paan shops along MG Road. They all have attractive displays, and I am sure Indore has many paan lovers.
Jitender has arrived, and all reports say the city is calm, although curfew continues in the old part. So without wasting any time, we rush to Chhappan.
There’s a crowd outside Vijay Chaat this time, and it’s a while before we get our plates of their famous coconut patties (Rs 7). These, again, are unlike any patties we’ve had before. For one, they are round balls, deep-fried rather than baked, and the core is stuffed with grated coconut. They are served with a thick red chutney that gives the patties their sweet-sour taste. The patties are nice but I like their shrikhand (Rs 10) more. They also have lassi (Rs 11), which I have to forego in favour of soan papri and heeramani at Aggarwal Sweets next door.
Bhutte ka kees is one Indore dish that I have often heard of but won’t get on this trip. It’s made during and immediately after the rains, when fresh corn on the cob is available. But we almost miss another seasonal speciality: garadu (yam) chaat. We finally find it at Sharma Chaat House, a tiny hole-in-the-wall. The root is available at the peak of winter, and that’s also the time when it’s eaten, for, as Sharmaji warns us, “garmi karta hai”. So Jitender and I make do with one serving (Rs 15), freshly fried before us. I don’t know about the heat but garadu is quite heavy and Sharmaji’s masala does nothing to help.
Chhappan Dukaan has a large ice cream and kulfi falooda shop called Monica Galaxy. But we learn that they have an even bigger and older shop down MG Road, which is where we head next. It turns out that this home-grown brand is the market leader in Indore, and their two-floor ice cream parlour offering 100 sundaes would be the envy of many in Delhi and Mumbai. We try the kulfi falooda (Rs 50), which is served in a round plastic tray, with an abundance of cashew nuts. It’s delicious.
We make one sortie to Jail Road. The curfew’s been lifted but the shops are all closed there. Next we take an auto to Chhawni Chowk. This side of the town’s busy, and Mathurawala, the old sweets and snacks shop is open. I try their mawa bati (Rs 7) but can’t really tell it apart from our gulab jamun. The back of the shop has stalls imaginatively styled ‘Mathurawala Chowpatty’, which is where we try sabudana khichri (Rs 5), as light and wholesome as the morning’s poha.
I am quite full by now, but we can’t wind up this trip without having badam milk at Lakshminarayan Doodhwala just down the road. The wide kadhai at the corner shop is visible from far, and the boys are still pouring milk onto it. Best to give them time. So Jitender trains his lens on the smaller kadhai outside Shriji Namkeen, where a thin fellow is pressing out thick Ujjaini sev. Behind him are boxes full of other varieties: ratlami, lonki and various mixtures. At 6pm, we finally raise a toast with Laxminarayan’s doodh. It will get thicker as the evening progresses, but we might not be up to it. There’s hot milk cake on the counter as well, but none of that now. And thank god, Sarafa is closed today—I have a ready excuse to return to Indore.
The information
Sarafa Bazaar is the heart of Indore’s street food culture. Every night, after the jewellers close their shops, food stalls crop up at their doors. And then hordes descend upon the space to feast upon sweets and snacks of every type. We didn’t make it to this makeshift market, but here’s a list of popular shops at two other foodie haunts.
Chhappan Dukaan
Chaat bazaar in Indore
Johnny Hot Dog (98272-54292). While Vijay Singh Rathore’s egg benjo is his chief claim to fame, he also makes veg (Rs 10) and mutton hot dogs (Rs 12), and egg-mutton benjo (Rs 30).
Young Tarang (98930-00266). From 7.30am to 12.30pm, this shop is surrounded by students. During this time, they only make poha, jalebi and tea. Once the poha trays empty, it transforms into a chaat stall.
Madhuram Sweets (0731-2530555). This shop’s star is on the ascendant — it even has an outlet inside the fancy Treasure Island Mall. The crowd at its shikanji counter in Chhappan Dukaan alone proves its popularity. And the variety of sweets leaves you in no doubt that they believe in innovation.
Sharma Chaat House (0731-2533723). This small chaat stall made it to our list because Sharmaji served garadu chaat when nobody else could.
Vijay Chaat (0731-6541710, 9893466677) and Aggarwal Sweets (0731-2530682). Standing side by side, these stalls complement each other: Vijay Chaat has the coconut patties (Rs 7) and other spicy treats, while Aggarwal Sweets is famous for its soan papri (Rs 160/kg) and mithai.
Monica Galaxy (2434430). The best ice cream in town. The 100 types of sundaes on their menu must be a record. You can sample most of these in Chhappan Dukaan, but visit their M.G. Road outlet for the lot.
Chhawni Chowk
Mathurawala Big and old, it’s a landmark. They have everything from mithai to namkeen and snacks like kachori and chhola-burger!
Laxminarayan Doodhwala Down the road from Mathurawala, you can’t miss this corner shop with its large kadhai. They start boiling milk for the night at 5.30pm, and it is thickest around 11pm. Yummy, for Rs 10 a glass!