So! In the quest to taste the diverse famous delicacies of
India, some people will go even in places where there is high adulteration and
nothing really special in food. But because of my two-year stay in this zilla
(district) called Ghaziabad, I had to find time for one road trip dedicated to
its food. Thanks bansal saab for the company and driving Ghaziabad’s local boy Bahu-Balli’s
public transport (Activa). Other participants include Emraan #me, Chota Bheem.
In no specific order, some of the ones which can
generously put under “known foods of Ghaziabad” are here.
Man! The name itself ignites that curiosity in you – what
on earth are its’ ingredients? These burgers can give quite a stiff competition
to branded names. Yours truly once waited 30 min to get a couple of them. The
preparation is quite simple (click on the pic for better view) –
Switch on the stove
for a metre diameter pan. Melt some butter and fry the red (pink/purple)
coloured filling. Keep on mashing the filling, melt some more butter (Do this
iteration atleast 2-3 times). Keep aside the filling. For buns, melt bricks of
butter and with specialized artistic skills start the assembly line for
producing these chemical burgers. Butter should be added as when required.
Garnish with a paneer slice, a tomato slice and jaate jaate squeeze some lemon
over it and pour some purple coloured liquid! Jai ho! Utterly Butterly
delicious...
Now a lot of people including yours truly are quite
sceptical about the red/pink/purple coloured filling. Some even honour it by
chanting ‘The Dirty Burger’ (still in their hearts they love its taste). The
maker says it’s the natural colour of beetroot but dil hai ki manta nahi. The end product is quite popular and tastes
awesome.
The name ‘chemical burger’ is a courtesy a child who
quite cutely ordered “bhaiya ek chemical burger”.
Place to be found – Kavi Nagar market, opposite one of
India’s best MBA schools. Rate Card – Rs 20 per burger.
Lalman Lassi Wale @
Old Ghaziabad Bus Stand –
Pastry @ Madhurima
Bakery –
 |
| Madhurima Bakery, Ghaziabad |
One of best located eateries I have came across till date. It is damn famous (everybody we asked was able to tell the place). It is situated near Ghantaghar on the side of Vijaynagar. You will need to show some special effort to find this place. It is located inside a motor service station with blacksmith, carpenters using their tools with full Decibel impact. Even then, people will encourage you by saying ‘wahin hai, aage’ (its there, ahead). And all you see is a door – welcome to Madhurima bakery. Bakery is actually a wholesaler and manufacturers bakery products in bulk. Consequently, many line up for their bulk daily purchase.
Courageously ask the guys behind the counters for pastry
and they will ask you numbers – 6,8,10 (A.P. series with a = 6 and d = 2). I
bought a trial pack of standard Pineapple ones @ Rs 35 (6 piece). Pastries are
standard and the taste shows the economies of scale motive in it. Keeping the
taste! By its shear popularity among locals and business volume, it can be
visited. I like the way he tells you his popularity being a wholesaler in the
Ghaziabad district.  |
| Pahalwan Dhaba, Ghaziabad |
Throughout North India, they are everywhere. Even in
South Delhi, they emerge in an ad-hoc fashion at nights (Yusuf Sarai, Moolchand,
IIT D Gate). Paranthas in North India are staple. For their makers, its
preparation is easy, fast and requires very less working capital. Ghaziabad has
few famous ones (Pahalwan Dhaba, Shubham Dhaba).
I suggest you go to Shubhams. Parantha are pretty much
the same but the real USP and the taste lies in Dahi Fry. Dahi Fry – it is a mixture of curd with tomatoes, onions boiled
with adequate quantity oil. Paranthas are served with eraser-sized butter
bricks and are a delight to eat, especially in winters. God bless the man/woman
who invented the circular disks.
Location – 2-3 kms from Old Bus Stand
Nice neat AC place located quite far from Old Bus Stand.
No extraordinary dish I can think of. Pyaas
Khachori will be my only recommendation. Among its peers with similar
ambiance (Gulab@Kavi Nagar, etc), Madan is the cheapest.
More in the Zila - Don’t know much about non-veg items.
One of them is Zaika rolls @ Kavi Nagar
(right opposite Chemical Burger stall) - decent enough (hearsay). Then, stalls
selling Chole Kulche outside Kachari are also popular (I recommend to
avoid them). Nearby RDC too has many QSRs (nothing exceptional though, every
city/town/zila have those AC chambers).
Places suggested by gamer n coder Vineet, native of
Ghaziabad who went on to become a Gold medallist in his & mine graduation.
Please note: Ghaziabad in the article is ‘Old
Ghaziabad’ only!
