Food for thought : Delhi’s Parantha Lane

A true culinary delight beckons at the famous Paranthe Wali Gali in the by lanes of Old Delhi, where the tradition of cooking delectable paranthas with exotic stuffing has prevailed from as far back as 1872. The variety has expanded, but the process has not changed, nor the lure of these enticing flatbreads.

Have breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, dinner like a pauper!” We are familiar with this mantra. And in India, what defines ‘kingship’ is the variety of stuffed flatbreads (paranthas) available for the Indian palate. These paranthas have made up most of our childhood, the taste still lingering in our mouths and still hold their own despite the entry of a litany of western dishes.

Detour a bit from a health conscious routine occasionally to try out a true culinary experience with paranthe from the Paranthe Wali Gali or the lane of stuffed flatbreads, tucked away in the lanes and mazes of Old Delhi.

"Just a walk down Chandni Chowk Metro station, the two-metre-wide lane is absolutely packed with shopaholics. It seems even warmer than the 40 degree Celsius it actually is as these shops have pans full of boiling-hot oil at the front of the shop, in which they cook the paranthas"

By Swati Kumari