Etched in my memories is the image of that big maahi tava perched on the stovetop on a cart at the corner of the market. A row of well stacked kabab resting on the edge of the tava.
On the right, there is a Punjabi food joint named kake da dhaba and then there is a pani puri stall. The boy selling the panipuris is shouting “panch ka char, panch ka char…4 panipuris for 5rs (one can figure out the time I’m talking about ;)
Several clothing stores displaying their masterpiece on the mannequins, potteries, utensils, electronics and probably all the stuff that has become the need of the present day. The owners are trying to offer attractive prices to attract the customer.
The whole sight appeared as a cauldron of activity. Spellbound, a still teenaged me, I found myself mesmerized by the grandiosity of this place.
I asked my aunt “kakimaa is there any special occasion or a carnival going on? Only to realize a moment later that I am standing in a bustling metropolis.
This was my first trip to Delhi. Some places appear to leave an indelible impression on your memory; you visit the same place repeatedly and see it differently each time. For me, Delhi can be classified among one of those places that never cease to amaze me. Maybe the blood-soaked history of the city, or its existent diverse culture or maybe the variety of food this city has to offer.
From lip-smacking chats, to the world of exquisite Mughalai cuisine of Old Delhi, the range of scrumptious Indo-Chinese feast to the heavenly rabris & kulfis.
After strolling around the market for couple of hours, we went back to the kabab stall. The very smell of that smoky seekh kabab being sautéed with onion tomato stimulated my olfactory nerves. The vendor takes a rumali roti (big, round & thin Indian flat bread that can be easily folded) fresh out of the inverted tava, places the hot kabab in the center, few slices of onion, tomato and a drizzle of green chutney, freshly squeezed lemon and a generous sprinkle of that special chat masala, which they never share the recipe of. He then carefully folds the roti into a roll, wraps it in the butter paper.
All this is happening at the same consistent pace, as I curiously watch the whole process, pondering if I could replicate the same in my kitchen someday.
Several hungry people gathered around, waiting for their turn to eat.
We patiently wait for our turn and soon he hands over the lip-smacking goodness. First bite and it seemed like the dish is an outcome of an alliance made in gustatory heaven!
I tried making that kabab today, carefully making few changes to match up the dietary guidelines of SCD.
It surely does taste great, but sometimes things appear much better in imagination or maybe its image stuck in our head of how it is supposed to be, makes it difficult to match up the reality.
Something is still missing today.
Maybe that special chat masala, maybe that smoky smell of tandoor or maybe the company of my ‘Kakimaa’!
But I am in a happy place now as I can share & relive the memory & taste of something, I had many moons back, with my family, my loved ones.
