Welcome to the sacred land of Mathura. Believed to be the birthplace of the Hindu God Krishna, Mathura has a lot to offer when it comes to food.
We started our journey in the classic U.P. style with Hing ki Kachori and Jalebi at Oma Pehalwan Kachori Waale. The kachori is stuffed with moong dal and some spices and fried crisp. It is then topped off with aloo jhol, a special potato sabji that is flavoured with not onions, not garlic, not even tomatoes, but with ginger and green chillies. The flavour of the kachori and sabji are very unique. The jalebis they serve are fried in desi ghee, so obviously, nothing can go wrong. Weirdly enough the locals like to eat the super-sweet jalebi with the spicy aloo jhol. The flavour combination may seem a little out there, but it goes very well together.
We then visited Kali Charan Chache Kachori Wale for another type of Kachori and sabji combo. The kachori here is fried in Mustard Oil which is unlike any Kachori we have ever tried. It is super crisp and the perfect vessel for the aloo jhol that they serve along with it.
Moving on to sweeter pastures, we landed at Gusai Pere Wala. Now there are two shops by the same name here, but one opened in 1832 and the other in 1820, and both of them are distinct in their own way. The famous peda in both shops are quite similar in flavour. At Gusai Pere Wala (1832) you can have the good fortune of trying butter toast or chhena toast, this ultra-sweet mithai is sure to wake up all your senses. Gusai Pere Wala (1820) also serves an interesting mixture of chidwa or puffed rice, which is roasted with a lot of spices and has a unique flavour to it.
Our next stop was Chehlo Pethe Wala, which serves some amazing Khasta Bedai. They fry the Bedai for so long that it is almost red in colour. It is topped off with aloo jhol and some pumpkin or kaanchiphal ki sabji.
After the super crispy meal, we headed to Shankar Mithai Wala for their Puri Thali. The thali consists of 4 puris, aloo sabji, kaanchiphal and some mango pickle. This goes best with a glass of lassi served in the classic kulhad to enhance the flavours.
We then tried Magode or Pakode as we know it at Babulal Sharma Magode Wala. They serve cauliflower, potato and moong daal magode, which are fried to crisp perfection and topped with some green and red chutney. At Shree Yamuna Chaat Bhandar, one can try some Aloo Bhalla or Tikki, that is topped with some chickpea curry and chutneys. You can also try the Tikiya or golgappe made of sooji, maida or atta. This is a must-try, the flavours of the tikiya and the stuffing in it are mind-blowing.
Next, we went to Brijwasi sweets for some Peda, Rabri and Khurchan. Khurchan is basically condensed milk that forms a layer at the bottom of the pan and is scraped off. The Rabri was thick, creamy and full of the flavour of Pista. The Peda was much dense and rolled in Powdered sugar. We had the opportunity to visit the Brijwasi Sweets’ factory where the cooks tirelessly make pedas one after the other. The process is lengthy and quite time and labour consuming, but the result is worth the effort. At last, we ended the journey with a hefty dose of Rasgulla paan at Kaku Paan Palace.
#MathuraFoodTour #WalkwithDelhiFoodWalks
1. Oma Pehalwan Kachori Wale
Address - Tilak Dwar, Holi Gate, Mathura
2. Kali Charan Chache Kachori Wale
Address - General Ganj, Mathura
3. Gosai Pede Wala
Address - Prayag Ghat, Mathura
4. Chehlo Pethe Wala
Address - Chhata Bazar, Mathura
5. Shankar Mithai Wala
Address - Near Holi Gate, Mathura
6. Babulal Sharma Magode Wala
Address - Holi Wali Gali, Mathura
7. Sri Yamuna Ji Chaat Bhandar
Address - Gali Seth Bhikchand, Mathura
8. Brijwasi Sweets
Address - Holi Gate, Mathura
9. Kaku Paan Palace
Address - Quality Choraha, Mathura