Everybody loves a good dish, if I may borrow the much-used title of a book written by an old friend. So, people I know and don’t know, and who are fond of food, often give me tips about where to go for a particularly crispy kachori or juicy kabab. Some days ago, a young foodie who runs a cab service sent a message across — that I should try out Jung Bahadur’s kachori.
The name rang a bell but I couldn’t place it right then. Later, I recalled that there was a Jung Bahadur kachori-wallah in Nai Sarak whose crispy kachoris I had eaten and enjoyed. But we called him Dinesh Kachoriwallah.
I went back to Nai Sarak sometime last week — and found that the kachoris are still being sold from the roadside. I ate some, but was told that they have a main branch now in Maliwara.
The address is 1104 Maliwara, Gali Paranthe Wali, Chandni Chowk (Phone numbers: 99114-01440 and 98916-98995). From the Chandni Chowk Metro Station, move towards Paranthe Wali Gali. At the T-junction turn right, and you will find the kachori shop on your left a hundred yards ahead.
This is a very popular kachori place, so the turnover is high. That means the kachoris are freshly fried, which, of course, is what the dish is all about. Right in front of you, in bubbling hot oil in a huge kadhai, you will see the kachoris being fried. Then they are served with a potato curry, which is topped with a helping of kachaloo strips. One kachori is for ₹20, and two are for ₹35.
The kachoris and the curry are transported to the Nai Sarak counter for those who find it easier to get there. This is at the mouth of Katra Jamun. If you move from the Town Hall towards Nai Sarak, you will see the kachori stall some 200 yards down the road.
I enjoyed the kachori, even though it was a bit too hot for me. The kachori was fresh and crunchy, and what was nice was the fact that it had been well stuffed with a dal paste. The potatoes had been mashed well in the sabzi, and the kachaloo added a tangy taste to it. Some chutney was served with it, along with slivers of ginger and green chillies.
Side helping
Jang Bahadur — these days known as JB — serves you the kachoris with the potato sabzi on top of it. If you want, you can ask them to break open the kachori for you, and to then add the curry. That’s one way of eating it, allowing the potatoes to mix well with the kachori. I ate it like that, but I prefer to have my kachori whole — nice and crispy — and I enjoy biting into it with a side helping of potatoes or pumpkin, or whatever it is served with it.
JB works well for those who like kachoris spicy and hot, for even the dal pithi stuffing has its share of chillies. I like an occasional hot kachori, and quite enjoy the different tastes that the kachoriwallahs excel in.
It was nice to have gone back to an old friend. Hot or not, it’s a kachori.
