Classic Chaats

Classic Chaats

No trip to India is complete without some Indian snack food. The most popular street foods are papri chaat (fried wafers piled high with potatoes, chick peas, yogurt, and chilli powder), chole bhatura (also known as chana bhatura—spicy chick peas with fried, airy puri bread), and golgappas (fried dough in a hollow golf-ball shape, which you fill with a spicy mixture of potatoes, chick peas, tamarind, and coriander sauce), pakoras (battered and fried vegetables, cheese, or chicken), and the Bombay delicacy known as bhel puri (spicy rice with bits of onion). The best places to nosh on these snacks are in neighborhood markets.

Near Connaught Place, the Bengali Sweet House (27-37 Bengali Market, Connaught Place) is a classic spot for evening golgappa outings. Evergreen Sweet House (S-30 Green Park Market) has a charming tin ceiling under which a large crowd stuffs itself with chole bhatura and vegetarian thalis (combination platters). Nathu's (2 Sundar Nagar Market) is the perfect place to kick back after shopping for high-end souvenirs, with its robust Indian sweets and pleasant seating area. The nearby Sweets Corner supplies the fried stuff outdoors. Prince Paan Box (M-Block Market, eastern corner, Greater Kailash I) has one of Delhi's most popular chaat-wallahs (snack vendors), with a crowd at all hours. They're also known, of course, for their paan (betel nut leaves that include various ingredients). There's no seating. At the Bikanerwala (Hauz Khas Village) you can sample Gujarati snacks—ask for khandvi (a delicious pan-fried snack made from a seasoned batter of chick-pea flour and buttermilk, then cut into rolls and sprinkled with coconut and coriander) or dhokla (a savory, fluffy, steamed cake made with chick-pea flour, mustard seeds, and a pinch of sugar and topped with coriander leaves).