My fondness for the masala market of Old Delhi is known. I never give up a chance to go there and soak in the fragrance of different kinds of spices sold there. The colours — the red of chillies, the yellow of turmeric, the green of coriander and fennel, the cream of dried ginger and the black of pepper — make for the most spectacular picture. And the mixed aroma of all the masalas, of course, is heavenly. So when Taj Palace Hotel asked me to take part in a new food journey the hotel has started, it caught my attention at once. A chef from the hotel's Indian restaurant called Masala Art takes eager guests to the spice market, allows them to choose their own masalas, and then puts the spices in dishes cooked the same day for lunch.
I reached the hotel one sunny day, and then accompanied Chef Mushtaq to Khari Baoli. It is a journey that I have done numerous times, but the difference this time was that I was in one of those unending and plush cars. I usually park my (non-plush and quick-to-end) car somewhere and take a rickshaw into Chandni Chowk, which is the easiest way to manoeuvre through the narrow lanes. But this was a different experience, of course.
We first stopped at Naya Bans, one of the galis of Khari Baoli (where readers will remember I get my hing ki kachori from) and bought some fresh paneer from Shahi Store, known for the quality of its stock. Then, as the heady smell of fresh spices went up my nose, we stopped in front of one of the masala shops there that specialises in chillies. I chose some whole yellow and red chillies. Next we went to a shop that sells NB masalas (once known as Naunand Rai Bholanath, but now simply called NB) and bought a packet of methi ki launji, a masala that I am particularly fond of. And then we rolled back to the hotel.
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While I drank some chhanch, or buttermilk, the chef weaved his own magic in the kitchen. He put the masalas to good use, rustling up a meal that was most delicious. The dishes came on a platter, with chicken tikkas, sole fish, paneer, dal and potatoes. The chef had added the red chillies to the chicken, the softer yellow chillies to the lighter river sole and the sharp methi ki launji to the potatoes. The paneer had been cooked with fresh green methi leaves.
The dishes, as I expected, were excellent, but I was more taken in by the concept of going to the spice market and choosing your own spices. The idea is to introduce the guests — many of whom may never have visited Khari Baoli — to the splendours of not just Indian spices, but the allure of the market itself.
But I have just one suggestion for the hotel. Because the market opens only around noon, by the time the spices are bought and taken back to the hotel to be cooked, it's well past most people's lunch time. It may work out better if they buy the spices in the afternoon, and then use them in their chosen dishes for dinner. This would give the chef enough time to make the most of the masalas, too.
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But all in all, it's indeed a nice concept. A journey like this makes India come alive.