Nihari, Paya and Daulat ki Chaat – A Sunday Brunch to Welcome the Metro
By Siddhartha Singh • Nov 27th, 2009 • Category: Reviews
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Contributed by Siddhartha
What would I rather do on a foggy winter morning other than be well wrapped inside my quilt, sipping a cup of hot ginger chai? There are not many options that come to mind readily, but there’s one which would get me to take the Metro to Rajiv Chowk, and change over lines to reach Chawri Bazaar – a breakfast of Nihari and Paaya in bylanes of Jama Masjid, with some Daulat ki Chaat to finish things off.
While there are many popular Nihari shops, Kallu Nihari, Haji Noora and Shabbarati Nihari to name a few (the guys at http://eoid.org know a thing or two about Nihari), there are two eateries which serve goat Nihari (rather than buff Nihari) and have proper sit-down areas i.e. Karim’s and Al Jawahar (or make it three as there are two Al-Jawahar outlets on either side of Karim’s, as the family seems to have split).
To begin with, you have to be really early (before 0900 to be on the safe side), else both these places would have run out of the good stuff. At Karim’s, the service is so supercilious that you won’t even get an apology. While Nihari is available for breakfast the year round, a hearty meat dish with rotis is not everyone’s idea of breakfast, so think of it as your next Sunday brunch. Every city has its own version of Nihari – from Lucknow to Delhi to Karachi. Raavi Kebab in London and Sabri Nihari in Chicago have become legends in far off lands. One thing that is common all over, is meat being cooked overnight, but Delhites point to the mandatory use of saunf (fennel seeds) and saunth (dry ginger) that makes their Nihari special. Whatever! While back home in Avadh, Nihari is eaten with Kulcha, in Delhi it goes with Khamiri roti (a rather soft version of Tandoori Roti due to the addition of yeast). I would take either of the two breads, as long as the Nihari is good.
Next: Conclusion & How to make it at home
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Siddhartha Singh is a well travelled, enthusiastic foodie who doesn't suffer culinary fools. He has an overwhelming passion for food, be it a tasty morsel off a street side vendor or a gourmet creation from a Michelin starred restaurant. He blogs at Culinary Yatras
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This is an appealing idea for breakfast!
Did you get authentic ‘daulat ki chat’ ? Ones I have tasted recently are nowhere near the originals we had some 20 yrs back while living in that area.
Another quick snack option on a Metro ride is dahi bhallas @ Central Bank in Chandni Chowk. Those are simply awesome and filling.
@Mallikacan – 20 years back I was at an age when I ate what my parents fed me, and sojourns into bylanes of Delhi wasnt something I was exposed to. So I will take your word that it used to be better those days!
Only benchmark I have is Malai Makhan (also called Nimish there) which is Lucknow’s version of Daulat ki Chat, and it comapres well.
Oh my god, I’m salivating just reading this write-up. The nihari at Karim’s IS to die for, undoubtedly. Although I ahven;t eaten it since the last 2 years. A visit is imminent now, thanks to the picture and your description.
That’s the idea, Rajyasree:-). If you like the photos, my camera must be seriously good, ‘coz I am not good at photography!
Anyway, with the Metro, there is no reason for people to visit the new outlets and franchises of old Delhi favourites.
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