In today's episode we have embarked on a veg street food tour in and around the old Faridabad and NIT neighborhood of Faridabad, Haryana. Our host for the day is Vikas Mangla, a food enthusiast from this area.
We began the tour from Pathwari Mandir at Old Faridabad's Main Market. From there we walked upto the iconic Guddu Kachori Bhandar that was abuzz with locals and visitors enjoying their breakfast. Watching the kachoris being rolled and fried inside the shop's kitchen was a completely delightful experience. These crisp asafoetida flavoured kachoris were served with a no onion potato curry and some pickle. We found it to be a decent fare.
Next stop was Pooja Lassi Puri. This humble makeshift stall run by Meghraj ji is renowned for puri sabzi along with savoury lassi. The freshly made puris had a slightly coarse texture and they were well complemented with the thick and tangy potato curry. The buttermilk which is called lassi was a refreshing addition to the platter.
From there we went to a very interesting veg biryani outlet in Sector 9 locality. It is interesting because this outlet operates out of the boot of a car and also because the chef cum owner is an erstwhile engineer by profession. Due to the pandemic related job loss he had started this food business. He prepares and sells it all by himself. It was a light, aromatic and well seasoned vegetable biryani containing soya nuggets and assorted veggies. From using good quality ingredients to selling it at a reasonable price, Deepak ji takes care of every aspect.
Next we reached NIT to try a very unique dish called Dosa Chole, which is quintessential to this locality. Amongst the group of vendors dotting the road, we opted for Gulshan Ji's stall. This busy cart was enveloped with an irresistible aroma. On reaching there we realised that the name is completely misleading because this dosa wasn't the actual South Indian star dish. It was a mashed potato smeared fried bread slice. The surprising nomenclature had no cogent behind it. Along with it we also tried their sandwich which was made with the same fried bread slice. The latter one was the best among the two.
After all those spicy and oily fare we headed to RP's Punjabi Khana restaurant to have a refreshing plate of their best selling snack dahi bhalle. It was essentially a typical Delhi style dahi bhalle that had a lively addition of sweet raw mango chutney in it.
The last stop of this food tour was Kashyap chole kulche. They serve multi flavoured kulche with spicy chole and salad. All through Delhi chole kulche is mostly sold at makeshift carts but Kashyap ji has arranged a humble yet proper seating space inside a shop. What makes him stand out is the delightful presentation of the dish and his exceptional skill in plating the chole kulche at a huge speed.
Overall we really enjoyed visiting these popular joints and knowing the street food culture over here.