Travel Diaries: Going Home

It doesn't matter how old you are. It doesn't matter that you may be related only by marriage but going back to visit the parents has such an immense sense of comfort. And the added advantage with people like my in-laws is that they were also "friends".

Papa had to come pick us up from the Greater Kailash II M Block market because the cabbie was asking for a humungous amount to travel the 5 kilometers to their house just because it was across the Delhi border. And there he was, waiting next to his brand new car, waiting for our oohs and aahs as we clambered in.

Lovely car Papa!

Isn't it? I am most comfortable driving this car.

And two years disappeared just like that as we carried on a conversation that had got rudely interrupted by Covid. A mobile phone came out -

"Chandni, chai banvao. Hum log dus minute mai pahuch rahe hai." (Chandni, get the tea made, we are reaching home in ten minutes.) 

This was the norm. We were home. Papa and Amit involved in an excited conversation about cars, me smiling out of the window - half an ear paying attention (in case my opinion was called for) and Mom getting the chai ready at home.

The first three days passed with Amit bustling around in the kitchen displaying his skills of being one of the Slow Fire Chefs while Parvati (Mom's current household helper) stood by with a puzzled smile on her face. If I had taken a moment to notice her I might have given into my ego and informed her that I can cook too but I was too busy catching up with the parents. 

The house was the same well appointed in shades of white, cream and grey; a table had gone missing from the room Amit and I usually occupied but that was okay; the parents had changed the tea and evening "adda" venue to the TV room - which was good as that room got the maximum sunlight and was warm and cosy. There was a new series of Turkish drama that would unfold every evening while three of us (Mom, Dad & I) passed judgement on every character.  You can watch some interesting Turkish Dramas here in case such stuff interests you. They are dubbed in Hindi. Turkish Dramas on YouTube  

The biscuits from Ellora and Eltham ( that we'd bought in Dehradun) were demolished with great discussion on taste, quality etc.  Every night Amit and I argued about giving Dad another box of Kwality Toffees but we didn't want to risk Mom's ire. Not sure if Ellora's Bakery, Dehradun has a verified website but I think they would be happy to deliver nation wide if the order is big. Do call the bakery and check. Phone: 0135 271 4950  and you can order Kwality Toffees/stick jaws on Amazon here: Kwality Stick Jaws toffees We have tried this and they deliver the real deal. Takes 7-10 days though. 

On day 4 Amit's dutiful son act took a toss - he was in his beloved Delhi and not eating out? How would Minar, Qureshi and Moti Mahal feel about this? The first foray was (to my utter delight) to famous north Indian street food and fast food joint Halidram for Chole Bhature (a spicy chickpea curry with deep fried leavened bread) and chaat pakodi (an array of North Indian street food that includes items like 'gol gappa' 'papdi chaat' 'dahi bhalla' etc). You can locate a Haldiram outlet close to you here: Haldiram Stores

In the last two years of The Covid Terror (TCT), I had tried, on various occasions to make all this at home from scratch but never really succeeded. And this is food that you take for granted because it is economical and easily available - so every outing pre-TCT included consumption of one or the other. Amit and I were starved for that delightful mix of flavours - sweet, sour, spicy, tangy and we slurped our way through so much of it that there was no space or desire left for any mithai. Amit did do a round of the Swayamvar of sweets but came away without even tasting a 'chenna murki' (small cubes of cottage cheese cooked in a sugar syrup) After that all we could do was clamber into the car with the sun on our back and sleepily appreciate Dad's demo of how easy this car was to drive.

Minar was not a great success. Minar is in the famous Greater Kailash 1 M block market and previously Amit's go to place for every occasion. The dal makhni and the butter chicken were so so (I had of course mastered these two dishes during TCT), and the usual gobhi shalgam pickle was no longer being served. We picked at the food but Amit's Mom who has a very discerning taste refused to touch anything. So while we were rescuing the car from the packed parking area Amit quickly ran to Moti Mahal (also in the same market) and quickly got a portion of butter chicken and naan packed for Mom which of course he helped her demolish once we got home.  In case you wish to dine at New Minar restaurant, GK 1, New Delhi, here is their number: Phone: 098100 40502 And this is the website for Moti Mahal to check their restaurant near you : Moti Mahal Restaurant Locater 

I also got my mother in law to spill her well guarded iconic recipes secrets and they are featured here in these three #TheSlowFireChef episodes:  Mutton Roganjosh   Zero Oil Lemon Pickle  Gatte Ki Sabzi

Amit's Numero uno favourite joint in Delhi is in South Delhi's GK 2 and is called Al Qureshi and now mine too, especially for Kebabs, Tikkas, Curries and Naan! Aah Qureshi - God bless them - was an absolute delight. Sitting outdoor in the cold Delhi winter chomping our way through the succulent mutton tikka and tandoori chicken just bursting with flavour - there is no experience like it. Qureshi is a small restaurant and they have indoor seating but the out door has a charm of its own. And there bucket of dal makhni is to die for. Even though we tried to be economical with the naan & roti - there are some foods you just cannot stop eating and we were eating to make up for the last two years! You can know more about Al Qureshi's food and Open air restaurant in Great Kailash II, New Delhi location here: Al Qureshi Kebabs

We managed a quick trip to the Chittaranjan Park markets, both 1 & 2. These markets used to be our regular shopping places when we were living in Greater Kailash 2. We had our regular vendors for fish, for veggies - especially the Bengali varieties; for Bengali spices and of course the Khajoor gur. Luckily for me, Amit took to the Bengali cuisine like fish to water - I think the main reason for that was that his first twenty odd Bengali meals were cooked by my mother. Normally men tend to say "not like my mother" when they taste the wife's cooking. With Amit it was invariably "not like your mother". But I think shopping at ChitPark, as we called it, really hooked us to cooking. Everything was so fresh and colourful - literally jumping out of the racks saying "buy me, buy me". This time round we were just window shopping much to the disappointment of the vendors - but one thing about Bengali vendors - they just shrug and look at you with utter disdain when they realise you are not there to buy. They never try to persuade you to change your mind. You can read more about the fun that is Chittaranjan Park (CR Park) market in this article here: 5 Reasons To Visit CR Park Market

The other stop we made was to our old meat vendor Mutton Corner in the vintage single screen Savitri Cinema complex in Greater Kailash 2, South Delhi. I don't think the movie hall exists anymore or it has been taken over by a new multiplex chain but everyone still refers to the building as Savitri cinema. We anyway ignored the cinema hall and rushed directly to our vendor and bought lots of meat - specific cuts for the different dishes we were planning on cooking for the parents and lots and lots of "ready to fry" shami kebabs and seekh kebabs. Some we would eat while in Delhi - some we would carry with us on the train journey. I did look for their tongue burning Nihari masala but that was out of stock. They have in fact now expanded their business to take away dishes as well. Yummy stuff but not quite in the Qureshi range. You can reach Mutton Corner on these numbers: +91 - 9818555939 and +91-9811928081 And you can read more about their Kebabs and Curries Take Away joint here:  Mutton Corner GK 2 Kebab Take Away

Going home to Didi - my sister, was a walk back to being a child. After our parents departure to the heavens - she is my "maike" (Mother's home or Family home) and I am hers. But the advantage of being the younger sibling is you that can be a total brat. No responsibilities - no duties. Just loll around the whole day, demanding attention, play with the dogs and be served all your favourite foods without saying anything. Poor Sushil (Didi's Cook) had a lot of work because apart from my childhood favourites (please watch The Slow Fire Chef, Travel Diaries, Chapter 2 & 3, for more details on some of the dishes) he had to cater to Amit's palate as well. He must have heaved a sigh of relief the day we decided to eat out at Gurgaon's DLF's Cyber Hub  in Cafe Delhi Heights which was pretty decent fare even though Amit was iffy about fusion food. All I remember is that we walked out rather stuffed and I kept eyeing Didi's pomegranate Shikanji. I had ordered beer.

Our excursions got limited because Amit developed this terrible cough and we weren't sure if it was Covid or just a reaction to the pollution. I waited to catch the infection but didn't - neither did anyone else in Didi's household so we just got on to the train with strips of cofsil and a bottle of rum - on our way to the next leg of the holiday. We were sad to leave Delhi - sad to leave the security of "home"; sad we couldn't do Wengers Patteserie & Bakery or Delhi's Famous upscale Khan Market or Delhi's Bengali Market for Iconic Cholle Bhature  and a host of other places we used to haunt; sad we couldn't meet so many of our friends and greater family. We'll come back soon we promised each other as the train jerked and groaned and pulled out of Nizamuddin station. We were armed with kebabs and parathas as Amit had found out that the railways were still not serving any food. But there was no water either! So we rationed the water and glugged the rum. For dessert I pulled out the revri & gajak from Delhi's Current favourite Gopala Sweets but why destroy the intact packaging when there was already an open bottle of rum? As you will be guessing - it was a great journey. 😅😂

Hope our friends, readers, viewers are having a great festival month with harvest festivals, regional new years, Ramzan and many other cultural, religious, social festivals being celebrated all over the country. Time to be happy and partake in the festivities and delicious food. 😀😊😋 

For a preview to what my next blog is going to be you can watch The Slow Fire Chef's Latest Episode in The Travel Diaries series. Till then adieu. 😘😘 

Semanti 

😃🍳Your friendly neighbourhood 'head' Chef at The Slow Fire Chef