I have known Mukesh for many years — ever since I first went to his kulchey chholey outlet almost 20 years ago. Sometime in the early ’90s, I’d heard from somebody that his chholeys were different from the kinds sold by other kulchey chholey wallahs. I discovered this was true when I had my first mouthful. The chhola was nice and spicy, with a deliciously tangy taste.
I knew all about his chholey, so was more than a little surprised when a friend told me recently that Mukesh’s aloo tikkis were delicious as well. The friend, Vimal, works in LIC, which is right next to Mukesh’s pavement stall. So I went there on a muggy Wednesday to check out the tikkis for myself.
Mukesh, for those who came in late, sits below the Hamdard Building on Asaf Ali Road. If you go straight from Minto Bridge (away from Connaught Place), you’ll find Hamdard when you turn right. Mukesh’s sprawling eatery is right there.
We met as old friends — I had gone back there after quite a while — and I asked for a few plates of aloo tikki. He sells two tikkis for Rs.20, and if you want your potato patties with chholey, he charges five rupees extra. I like the way he serves the tikkas, which are stuffed with a paste of ground dal, and sautéed on an oiled tawa right in front of you. He takes two tikkis, smashes them in a bowl, and then tops them with some masalas and chutneys. If you want chholey, he’ll smear the tikkis with a good helping of the spicy boiled channas.
The tikkis are fresh, and I found them crisp and soft — crunchy from the outside, and nicely melting from within. I had them without the chholey, but I think they’ll taste good with the channas too. Some people asked for slices of bread, put the tikkis between two slices and ate a tikki sandwich. Two such sandwiches can serve as a hungry man’s lunch.
For old times’ sake, I asked for some kulchey chholey too. One plate of chholey with three thin kulchas (thinner than the kind you get elsewhere) is for Rs 20. If you want roasted potatoes in your chholey (the potatoes went very well with it), you pay another ten rupees. Being a serious lover of potatoes of all kinds, I, of course, wanted my aloos with my chholey.
His chholey kulchey are as good as always. He mashes his chholey before serving it, and I like its thick consistency and the dark colours of the masalas that he cooks it with. He also adds some chutney to the chholey before serving it, which gives it its tangy touch.
But there has been a change in the chholey — and you can blame rising prices for that. Earlier, he sprinkled pomegranate seeds on the chholey, and I loved the sweet taste of the crunchy seeds, and thought it really complemented the tanginess of the chholey. Now pomegranates are too expensive, so Mukesh has to do without them.
But the stuff is still excellent, and I enjoyed the aloo tikkis too. Earlier, I had one good reason to visit Mukesh. Now I have two.
