Chaats
It will not be an overstatement to say that chaats are synonymous with Delhi. If you are a true Delhiite, you cannot live without the occasional outings to chaat bhandars. It is interesting how street foods occupy such a significant position in the lifestyle culture of a metro city. To this end, it is noteworthy that while chaats have been an important part of the lives of the people of Delhi, they did not get their due worth as a culinary dish par excellence. However, upcoming and flourishing restaurants today are reimagining chaats and carving a space for them in dining culture so that they receive their due recognition in spaces dominated by Western taste and influence.
Western dishes such as salads have a tradition of being offered at fine dining restaurants and cafes at high end prices. They promise health benefits, while being filling and offer a good taste pallet, especially to vegans. However, in Delhi, chaats have been serving the role of salads for a long time, providing its fan-base with a wide range of health benefits, as its preparation involves mostly combining different boiled vegetable, legumes and sauces to tickle the right taste buds. An article published in The Hindu, stated that Chaats can be dated back to the 16th century wherein the cooks and court physicians of Shah Jahan came up with the concept of chaats as a healthy dish to build immunity and battle the plague of Cholera. It is commendable that Chaat has found its way from the courts of Shah Jahan to the hearts of the middle-class struggling in Delhi, offering a healthy but delicious respite to the difficult demands of a metro city. However, one must note that the Chaat’s status as a street food has allowed western dishes like the salad to parade Indian fine dining spaces as an ambassador of health and taste.
With the fast-paced growth of the fine-dining and café scene in Delhi, we see innovators trying to bring the local chaats of Delhi to a more global and elite platform and thereby challenge the domination of Western cuisines. By incorporating a culture of premium chaat-eating experiences and reinventing chaats in themselves, these restaurants, cafes and catering services are creating a new niche for Indian food. It is essentially important that one recognizes and appreciates these efforts and celebrate their success in bringing Chaats to a new global platform.
The following are few places one can look up, in no specific order.
- Anardana, DLF Avenue, Saket: Anardana, strikes a balance with the classics and the modern, by reinventing its dishes and creating an amalgamation of flavours. Knowing the access Delhiites have of chaats, Anardana sprinkles its magic to make its special column on chaats, desirable for Delhiites. Its Palak Patta Chaat, for example, is prepared by adding liquid nitrogen to the fried palak patta and then assembled on a board and combined with dahi and garnishes. The use of molecular gastronomy by the chef and its live assembling, is an experience one must not miss.
Palak Patta Chaat, Source: Instagram: @tadkatrendz
2. Kheer Roseate House, Aerocity: If you are dining at Kheer Roseate, you are dining at one of the most architecturally grand spaces in Delhi. Kheer Roseate offers to you a dining experience that elaborates on Indian cuisines while adding a tint of luxury and experiment. The elite quality of the space combined with a culturally rooted menu, brings to you a restaurant you cannot refuse to go to. And for the street-food lover in you, they have a separate street-food station along with a live tandoor kitchen and mixology bar. Kheer realises that Delhiites are familiar with all kinds of chaats. It created its own chaat, namely the jalebi chaat, that has become its speciality over the years. Fried jalebi is combined with tangy tamarind chutney, mint chutney and yogurt.
Jalebi Chaat, Roseate, Facebook: Roseate
3. Café Pluck, Pullman, Aerocity: For those of us, who crave food that is made from fresh, organic ingredients and is delicious, Café Pluck is a must visit. Café Pluck has an ever-changing menu, depending on the seasonal vegetables available from their organic market, under their “Farmer’s Basket at Pluck”. However, they do promise a wide variety of chaats, in their permanent menu. Their Shakarkandi ki chaat is a must have, as it brings to the plate delicious flavours while promising a healthy diet as most chaats do, alongside the promise of a fresh and delicious meal. Its USP is on its freshly plucked vegetables combined with the right flavoured sauces.
Café Pluck, Tripadvisor
4. Indian Accent, Lodhi Road: Chef’s Manish Mehrortra’s Indian Accent is legendary in the field of reinventing Indian cuisines. With outputs in NewYork, Mumbai and Delhi, Indian Accent has brought Indian food and luxury eating together, by reimagining Indian recipes and their presentation. Its most famous Daulat Ki Chaat is a curious example of how traditional street-food recipes can be given a new look by changing its presentation. This dish serves homage to Old Delhi’s slow-cooked milk delight, and presents it with the Indian currency symbolizing the “Daulat” that Indians possess in their street food.
Daulat Ki Chaat, Indian Accent, Tripadvisor
5. Molecule Air Bar, Green Park: Another treat in the field of gastronomical innovations, Molecule Air Bar, reimagines food as a concept of experience. One doesn’t simply pay for the taste of food, but for the experience of having the food also. Its chaats are prepared on live chaat counters, giving its customers a complete experience of how their food is prepared. The chaats are prepared using four different sauces, dehydrated spices, and garnishes such as edible flowers. The chaats are a delicacy of their own, especially owing to their presentation that gives them a royal status.
Molecule Air Bar, Chaat, Youtube
To conclude, these elite and gourmet restaurants are only some names in a growing industry trying to work with Indian street food. Chaats have become essential to any fine dining restaurant and café that promises to serve Indian food, and rightly so. These restaurants play a crucial role for Indian culture, as they bring out the diversity of Indian food, by constantly playing with different elements of the recipes. To that extent, one must note that these spaces are only for a limited section of our society. The larger chunks of the population are fed with love and passion by people who toil in the streets, to bring us some of the most flavourful dishes at reasonable prices. The reinvention of chaat is not a replacement of these local bhandars, but simply an addition.
References
Anardana, Saket, New Delhi. (n.d.). Zomato. Retrieved July 22, 2024, from https://www.zomato.com/ncr/anardana-saket-new-delhi
Ayling, K. (2023, January 22). The Best Restaurants in Delhi. Elite Traveler. Retrieved July 22, 2024, from https://elitetraveler.com/finest-dining/restaurant-guide/best-restaurants-in-delhi
Balasubramaniam, C. (2019, February 7). The chaat story. The Hindu. Retrieved July 22, 2024, from https://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/food/chaat-kt-achaya/article26203395.ece
Café Pluck – Pullman New Delhi Aerocity – 5-star hotel. (n.d.). Hotel Pullman New Delhi Aerocity. Retrieved July 22, 2024, from https://www.pullmannewdelhi.com/restaurants-bars/cafe-pluck/
Café Pluck – Pullman New Delhi Aerocity, Aerocity, New Delhi. (n.d.). Zomato. Retrieved July 22, 2024, from https://www.zomato.com/ncr/caf%C3%A9-pluck-pullman-new-delhi-aerocity-aerocity-new-delhi
Muramatsu, N. (n.d.). Best Indian Cuisine in Delhi | Kheer | Roseate House New Delhi. Roseate Hotels and Resorts. Retrieved July 22, 2024, from https://www.roseatehotels.com/newdelhi/roseatehouse/dine/kheer/
