Eating the street

As Delhiites, most of us have, at some point, fumbled when entertaining out-of-town friends looking for the city's fabled chaat. It's a quest that's as natural to the visitor as it is inexplicable to residents, one that even Elijah Wood took on in Delhi, after that other quest for a ring. But in the city itself, no one gives it a second thought; it's just something to snack on when you step out.

Chaat, in fact, is not a Delhi invention. Some say it was imported from Rajasthan, some Gujarat, others credit Uttar Pradesh (Agra, to be precise, from Mughal emperor Shah Jahan's kitchens, no less).

Chaatna is a Hindi verb, meaning "to lick" or "sample". The idea is to play with the taste buds by mixing textures and flavours. This is achieved through a number of ingredients - such as a base of aloo tikki (potato cutlet), fried aloo (diced fried potato), bhalle (lentil dumplings), papri (crispy wafers) or golgappa (known as pani puri in the rest of India - crisp, fried hollow spheres that are eaten filled with flavoured water), along with tamarind chutney, spices, onions and yoghurt.

Then there are the variants, but those either merely play around with one of the basic ingredients listed above, or are something entirely different, like shikarkandi (sweet potato) chaat or fruit chaat. The combination of ingredients is what makes a chaat of the Delhi variety. Deconstructed samosas don't count, nor does sev (crunchy noodles made of chickpea flour). Dollops of yoghurt are fundamental, and we worship the aloo, which is why a Delhiite might look flummoxed when faced with Mumbai's vada pav, in which potatoes aren't treated with enough respect.

All the action is within 15 minutes' driving distance from Feroz Shah Kotla Ground. Most of Delhi's reputed chaat purveyors are located in and around the centre of the city. These common rules hold: all Delhi chaat walas are fairly reliable, and meet basic taste standards; any and all of them are capable of serving unwelcome bacteria; the guiding factor should be the size of the crowd at the stall.

UPSC Chaat Wala: The name is Prabhu Chaat Bhandar, but its location behind the UPSC building on Shahjahan Road has served to guide new customers by word of mouth for over two decades. Every chaat is worth its price.

Natraj Dahi Bhalle Wala: Chandni Chowk has the highest concentration of great chaat walas in Delhi, and of these, Natraj is among the top five. It's literally a corner, and the dahi bhalle are heavenly.

Shree Balaji Chaat Bhandar: Residents of Chandni Chowk swear by Shree Balaji's papri chaat with the same fervour as online food critics do. They feature on all the old-timers' lists.

Jugal Kishore Ramji Lal: It's hard to distinguish between the smells - it could be watermelon, muskmelon, pomegranate, beetroot, papaya, banana, potato, or all of them together - but the fruit chaat in this blue-painted shop in Chawri Bazaar boasts a special blend.

Pappu Chaat Bhandar: This Janpath stall is known among the office-goers of the area for its piquant aloo chaat. Wash it down with the mango lassi.

Make it a meal
An average Delhiite's love for chaat is too strong to be affected by pollution or contamination statistics, so pushcart vendors and street-side stalls have enjoyed a monopoly for a long time. Still, as the streets got more crowded, some of the food has begun to be taken indoors and served on tables.

Chains: If the mood to eat chaat with assured hygiene arrives, wherever you are in Delhi you only need to look up the nearest Nathu's, Haldirams or Bikanervala. All three are well-established names and have a presence in Central Delhi. Nathu's in Sunder Nagar is one of your best bets for dine-in chaat. Bengali Sweet House in Bengali Market is another local favourite.

Standalones: Also try one of the standalone restaurants. In Delhi, people make a trip to the National Crafts Museum to ignore it altogether and queue up for a meal at the in-house Cafe Lota. The food here scores high on authenticity, including their one chaat item, palak patta. The same chaat can also be had for cheaper at the Triveni Terrace Cafe in Mandi House, an old institution that boasted in the past of such patrons as MF Husain. Chor Bizarre on Pandara Road and Masala Trail in Janpath also offer limited chaat selections and a "street-like" ambience.

Delhi specials
Golgappa shots: They were all the rage when Punjabi by Nature opened its first outlet in Delhi. For the uninitiated, these are vodka shots in typically Indian flavours like jaljeera, served in golgappas. To be chased with draft beer.

Daulat ki chaat: This winter speciality is exquisite, but you need to make it to Old Delhi before 10am on a cold morning to taste it. Milky froth left out overnight to collect dew, garnished with saffron, nuts and the right amount of sugar. Rich, Delhi-style.