My Journey to Foodgasm - Chole Bhature @ Sita ram Diwan chand - Paharganj Delhi

Typically for many in western part of India, Chole Bhature is a mouth watering Punjabi cuisine and a must have either at home or during a visit to nearby restaurant with family or friends. But with blending of different cultures, different taste buds, the "authenticity of the cuisine" undergoes drastic change and it typically becomes Chole Bhature as per Gujarati taste or Maharashtrian taste or may be Chole Bhature with South Indian flavor.

But here we talking about the typical & authentic Chole Bhature whose taste has remained the same even after being served by four generations. And we talking about the place which is in heart of "Saddi Dilli" and Delhites swear by its taste even after so many decades of its existence or in their words a perfect place for Chole Bhaturas.

Sita Ram Diwan Chand ke Chole Bhature is a mecca for chole bhature lovers. From their small shop near Imperial cinema in Chunna Mandi - Paharganj near New Delhi Station, this place serves the perfect Chole Bhature and is swarmed by hungry faces from morning 8am till 5pm, And for good reason !! 



There are numerous stories of people who grew into legends in their respective fields, some perished while some went on to create history. When it comes to food, Delhi specially the old parts of Delhi boast of many such places where people have setup shops decades back and still serving the same wares, same taste and quality year after year. Sita Ram Diwan chand's little venture is also one of them which has carved a niche. Started in 1947 after Diwan Chand migrated from Pakistan post partition. The father - son duo used to sell Chole Bhature on push carts all over Paharganj for next 20 years until they setup the shop at Chunna Mandi - Paharganj and rest they say is history.  Today it is being looked after by their fourth generation.


Not too big the outlet is located at Rajguru road near Imperial cinema and New delhi station. As you approach the shop, people can be seen in hoardes thronging to this little place everyday for the house speciality - Chana Bhatura. The place doesn't have seating arrangement and people can be seen standing and eating at waist height tables. The interiors is not too fancy but they manage to keep the place clean and tidy.  



The bhaturas are semi cooked at another location and reheated here before serving. But before you sneer at this, Hold on !!! Each Bhatura (is stuffed with shredded paneer (cottage cheese), coriander, anar (pomegranate) seeds and some species which are mixed in dough and made into fluffy,soft, deep fried with loads of butter and they go ridiculously well with the chole served here.




Chole is cooked punjabi style in spicy curry for couple of hours before it is ready to be served. The combination of aloo sabji with cooked chole (pindi style), served with tangy green coriander chutney and salads is brilliant combination. The receipe has been handed down for generations and their mantra is "if its not broken, don't fix it".





The combo of chole and bhatura is served with pickled carrot or mangoes, green chillies and onions.



The result is food insanely infused with love and care and a perfect combination of flavours and textures which like all other street foods in India is a world class feast. Mouth watering isn't it ? and though they can be heavy on the arteries but they are definitely not heavy on the pocket with each plate costing Rs 55/- only. But the cost is bound to increase for one is surely not satisfied with just one plate .. !!






They also provide machine packed boxes of chole bhature which are sold on New delhi stations and ready to serve packets which can be purchased online or from any local supermarkets.

Address for all the foodies: 2246 Chunna Mandi, Paharganj, Near Imperial cinema, New Delhi

Some of other places which serves some of the best chole bhatures in Delhi are

  • Sitaram Diwan, Shop No. 2, MD Market, Muni Maya Ram Jain, MD Block, Dakshini Pitapura, Pitampura, New Delhi
  • Nagpal’s, Lajpat Nagar Market, Vikram Vihar, Lajpat Nagar, New Delhi
  • Chache Di Hatti, Block G, Kamla Nagar, New Delhi- 110007



   

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