The memory works in mysterious ways. One day, just a few days ago, one part of my memory suddenly went ‘blink-blink’, emitting a warm and happy light. I don’t know what triggered it, but a picture popped up in my mind of a small, nondescript shop in Old Delhi. And I recalled that it sold the most delicious bedmi sabzi.
There’s an old Chinese saying which states that when memory calls, you must respond. So I responded and rushed off to Purani Dilli one sunny day. I took the Metro, got off at Chawri Bazaar, and then started walking towards Bazaar Sitaram, for, as I recalled, the bedmi shop was there.
I found it to my left after walking down the lane for a while. It is still small and nondescript and, as I discovered in the next 10 minutes, it still sells the most delicious bedmi sabzi.
Bedmi sabzi
The name of the shop is Ram Swarup Halwai. The address is 3294, Bazaar Sitaram, near Lal Darwaza. The phone numbers are 9210040054 and 9310804526. It is not a very well-known shop, but the local people know all about it. And, as I saw, quite a few people stop there for a morning meal.
The shop, run by brothers Ajit Kumar and Anil Kumar, was set up 80 years ago by their grandfather. There is a small counter which holds a few different kinds of sweets — chamcham, gulab jamun, rasgulla and barfi.
But the shop is really known for its bedmi sabzi and nagori halwa. In a kadhai on the side, you can see bedmis being fried. There is a runny and reddish potato sabzi in a large utensil. In a paraat on the counter you will find small nagoris, and in a huge paraat next to it, there’s halwa.
Let me tell you what’s so special about Ram Swarup Halwai’s fare. One, the food is excellent. The bedmis are small but crisp, and the potato curry is spicy and mildly tart. The brothers carefully put a slit green chilli in the potato sabzi, so that makes it nicely hot. The small nagoris, again, are delightfully crisp. You pierce it with your thumb, stuff it with a good helping of halwa and pop it into your mouth. Life really looks up after that.
The nagori is prepared with maida, or flour, mixed with suji, or semolina, which adds to its crispness. The halwa is excellent, and I thought the suji had been really well roasted — which to my mind is the test of a good halwa.
I have always believed that nagori halwa is one of the best breakfast meals you can ever have. You can also dunk your nagori in some sabzi and eat it, if you like to alternate between sweet and savoury tastes.
The second important point is that prices haven’t really gone up much at Ram Swarup Halwai’s little shop. A plate of two bedmis with potato sabzi comes for ₹15, while two pieces of nagori with halwa are for ₹10. The rate in the bigger shops in Old Delhi is five or six time higher. Of course, the better known bedmi sellers enhance their bedmis with side dishes, such as chholey, fenugreek chutney and pickled vegetables. Ram Swarup’s fare is simple — but finger licking good.
I ate some bedmis and nagori halwa, packed some to be consumed later and made my way home. I gave my memory cells a little pat on their backs and urged them to carry on with the good work. The next time they go blink-blink, I am sure there will be another happy memory to be revisited.
