Nom Nom in Indore
In 2020, my husband and I set out on a road trip across America from San Francisco to New York. We were delighted by the diversity the landscapes and cityscapes offered but one thing that we missed the most was the road side food stalls and the diversity in food you would find if you happen to do a road trip in India. It was decided then that we would do a culinary road trip in India. But amidst covid waves and our tight work schedules that trip is yet to happen. This time my husband was in India, we had a chance to visit Madhya Pradesh. That was it. We decided we are going to spend an entire week in Indore just so that we could eat the street food from this gastronomical capital of India not until our stomachs filled but until our hearts filled.
So let me take you along on the street food binge we have had in Indore.
Namkeen
When in Indore you have to checkout the variety of mixture preparations the city offers. Given the significant population of Jains in the city, I noticed there were namkeen stores typically catered to Jain food norms. On the first day in the city, I made a trip to a namkeen store and bought variety of them and who does not like to munch on a bowl of farsan murmure while working..!
At Chappan
Chappan Bhog refers to a very elaborate plating of food generally put together to please deities and VIP guests. Going by that reference, Indore has a place called Chappan that has 56 stores all selling street food of Indore. You will also see the We love Modi sign here near the table seatings.
Egg Benjo
While driving around in Indore you will notice hawker stalls with lots of eggs. Some hawkers get creative and arrange the eggs to make a design. One such hawker caught my eye, who had arranged the eggs to spell out Welcome! Egg benjo is a cousin of bread omlette served with chutney, ketchup and onions on the side.
Butte ka kees
This is a recipe made out of Corn. I haven’t seen this dish anywhere else in India as far as my travels go. I am a fan of crispy corn, but butte ka kees was not for my taste buds.
Kopra Patties
Kopra is a hindi word for dried coconut. Kopra patties at Vijay Chat House at Chappan is famous. While at it, we also enjoyed a plate of my all time favorite Sabudana Wada. The serving style for this Sabudana wada was different from how it is served in my home state Maharashtra. Being Indore, it was topped with potato namkeen.
Mawa Bati
From what I read about Mawa bati online, it is a gulab jamun with special dryfruits at the center. However, we tried Mawa Bati at two shops and both times, the center had just one raisin. Other dessert that we tried here was Malpua.
Dudh
Hot Milk, reduced by boiling, with Kesar and dry fruits like badam pista. The consistency is still milk like. Do not confuse this dish with Rabdi. Indore weather in winters is somewhat on the colder side during the last months of the year. Drinking a warm glass of milk on a cold night seems like a part of indore culture. Even at weddings they would serve this at night functions. Sweet shops would have a setup outdoors where milk would be simmering in a huge cauldron. The other city that I have visited and hot milk stalls on streets is Pandharpur in Maharshtra.
At Sarafa Bazaar
Saraf, the words means jweller. You might be wondering why a food blog mentions a jwellers market. The jewel of Sarafa bazaar in Indore is gold and silver by the day, and food by the night. This truly is a night food market. The food stalls here open for business between 8–9 pm and go on until 2–3 AM until the next day. No visit to Indore can be complete without visiting Sarafa Bazaar.
Jaleba
The sight of this food item was enough for me. Not being a person with a sweet tooth, I could not commit to this giant size Jalebi. Yes, its the large size of this jalebi that gives it the name Jaleba.
Guava Punch
This item would not appear on indore food blogs, and looks like a new offering from the streets of Sarafa. There are 2 varieties you can go for — sweet or spicy. I went for the spicy one. It is guava juice topped with chaat masala and red pepper. The serving style is what first got me attracted to this stall. It is served in the outer shell of the guava.
Paratha
Paratha is the famous Indian bread with stuffings on the inside. The stalls in Sarafa offer parathas at a very affordable price. The ones on the higher price on the menu would be with a lot more excess butter. These parathas are regular parathas served with Achar and very different from the ones served in Parathe wali Gali in Delhi. If I compare my experience of visting these two locations for Parathas, I would say Indore option is much more hygienic.
Sawariya Khichadi
Most Vendors in Indore have made a name for themselves specializing in one food item. Sawariya khichadi has a store as well as a street stall. The store might show closed on the google maps, but the stall will be open till late night and can be found at the far end of Sarafa bazaar. While we were savoring the khichadi, I heard the conversation between a lady who was visiting and the owner. She was asking how they make sure that the sabudana soft when cooked. Honestly, I was thinking why would someone tell you the trade secret. To this question, the owner just answered that, since they do it over and over they have got a knack of it and just know the right measurements.
Dahi Bade
Another delicacy from Sarafa is the Dahi Bade. If one sees a bowl of this dish, they can easily mistaken it for a bowl of curd. As we watched the vendore prepare our dish, we saw the wada drown in the pool of dahi. Tasted amazing!
Nema Kulfi / Goldman ka Falooda
Nema Kulfi is famous for 2 reasons. The taste of their desserts and the style of its server. The owner of Nema kulfi wears 2 kgs of gold while serving its customers. People flock to his stall from far away places to get a glimpse of him and perhaps a picture too. Goldman is very friendly and also poses for selfies.
Among other things
Being a Maharashtrian, Poha is a common dish of our breakfast menu. Very late in my life I came to know that Kande Pohe is not the only style of Poha served. There is dadpe pohe and there is Indori Pohe. Once, while in the USA, on a game night, poha made an appearance in our group conversation. Suddenly, the group was divided into two sides, one in the favor of Indori poha and one in the favor of Kande Pohe. During the covid lockdown, while browsing youtube in search of what to cook for breakfast, I stumbled upon Indori poha once again. I decided to try that. And before I say anything about the outcome, I have to say this to the Maharshtrian community, please do not disown me, but the Indori Poha taste beats the Maharashtrian Poha hands down.
So how could we not try Indori Poha while in Indore. Maharashtra and Indore being neighboring states, there are a lot of common dishes you would come across. I noticed a lot of misal stalls as well. The stall at which we had poha, was serving it in two styles, one regular and other with usal. Tried both, loved both.
Ghamandi Lassi
My dad was a frequent visitor to Indore during his working years. When I told him that I am visiting Indore, he recommended to try the lassi in Indore. A google search revealed that Ghamandi Lassi is a chain famous for its lassi. We tried a glass each. The lassi here is yogurt lassi. Its almost like drinking Shrikhand.
Daal Bafle
Tried this in Ujjain. Ujjain is located around 55 km from Indore. In front of the Sandipani Ashram (Shri Krishna and Balram’s school), there is a mantap that serves daal bafle thali. Daal Bafle is steamed balls of lentil. You eat it with daal, pickle, ghee and chutney. I would recommend trying that when in Indore or Ujjain.
There are many more places in Indore that offer varied street food options. I would also highly recommend doing a food crawl in the food market outside Meghdoot Gardens. If you are looking for contemporary dishes or experimental dishes, this definitely is the place to checkout.
Almost all travelers travel for soul, and majority of them also travel for food. If you are one of them do visit Indore and savor all that it offers!
As for me, after being on eating binge for the whole week, I was done and dusted and had to go for a day without eating food. I could not even look at food after binging all week long! But it was worth it!
