The area around the Nizamuddin Auliya Dargah is one of the oldest areas of Delhi. Originally it was called Ghyaspur but then it was renamed after the famous Sufi saint Nizamuddin Auliya. These narrow lanes and bylanes are dotted with numerous eateries selling lip smacking kabab, breads and korma.
Since it was the holy month of Ramzan, before embarking on a brief food walk over here we went to the dargah and joined thousands of devotees for iftar. Partaking this simple ritualistic meal of fruits, juice, biryani etc. with other devotees was a surreal experience.
The first stop of our food walk was Majid Bhai's biryani. Here we tried their famous Muradabadi biryani. It was a mildly aromatic and spicy kacchi biryani that is flavoured with lots of green chillies, onions and whole spices. It is definitely one of the must try dishes over here.
Next stop was Lazeez hotel where we tried a unique Chicken Changezi. Unique because its gravy was slightly different from the one we Delhites are aware of. Here they use cashew, majag, onion and tomato based masala and the resultant taste is that of a smooth and rich feel.
From there we headed to another legendary place called Hussaini Hotel. We had intended to try only their nihari but ended up having kabab, korma and nawabi kheer. The kebab was truly toothsome.
After Hussaini it was the turn of another legend, the Ghalib Kabab Corner. This place is renowned for their kabab. Our pick was some chicken and mutton seekh kebab. The first one was tasty but a little dry compared to the second one.
The penultimate stop was Nasir Sheermal. They sell a fascinating range of innovative Sheermal that are more buttery, crusty, soft, crumbly and luscious than the original fare. Our pick was the badam sheermal that had a generous amount of slivered almonds on the top. It is again a must try thing over here if you are a bread lover.
The last stop was Sultani Halwa Paratha. This dish is an identity of this neighbourhood hence our food walk would have been incomplete if we had missed it. Although there was a great amount of ghee and oil in the halwa and partha, the taste was very homely.
So if you are a foodie hankering for traditional flavours do visit this place for a memorable experience.