So ingrained are some food items in our popular psyche that they have become much more than mere dishes.
This is truer in the case of snacks; most of them are almost a part of existence.
The UPSC chaatwala or the parathas of Old Delhi, the meat at Karim's, the rabri at Giani Di Hatti or the jalebis from the Old Famous Jalebiwala are some of the foods that are enough to describe Delhi.
There are many more legendary outlets that might not have caught on as famously as the others but have their fair share of a moment of two under the sun! We Indians are often slaves to a schedule-be it the 9:05 am local train ferrying you to your office in Mumbai or the 747 DTC that cuts across Delhi.
Laced along these everyday routines are many activities that have become to define us.
The Ring Road with its numerous special spots is one such magical ride.
Nestled between Africa Avenue and the Sarojini Nagar crossing, near the old Jain TV office is the Khandani Pakode Wala.
The location is also famous for the dime-a-dozen car shops that are dotted along the road.
It won't be difficult to pin-point Om Prakashji's shop for its always swarming with gentry.
We may feign ignorance about the origins of the pakoda but can be certain that perhaps the snack's history is as checkered as the shop's that synonymous the simple pakoda.
Started by the current owner Om Prakashji's grandfather once he crossed over from present day Pakistan's borders after the partition, The Khandani Pakode Wala has served the ubiquitous North Indian snack ever since.
The shop shifted to its present day location some forty years ago and operates from 9am to 9pm seven days a week.
A typical scene at the stall: The outlet conjures up almost ten types of pakodas at any given moment.
Although some varieties are seasonal the regular ones make up for their absence.
Ranging from potatoes and onion pakodas, which are omnipresent at any savory snack shop in India, they also have pakodas of spinach, bittergoud, brinjal, peas, chillies, cauliflower and even lotus stem.
For the uninitiated there is always the bread pakoda and the Paneer pakoda to choose from.
The other thing that is unique is the excellent mint chutney that comes along in abundance.
The chutney has a slight chilly overtone that just attacks the palette and makes the experience delightful! The price for these little pieces of heaven range between four to seven rupees! Many of us would like to believe that with the passage of time people, especially the younger lot, would become more health conscious and give goodies like pakodas amiss.
Think again.
It's largely the young and good living freaks who often make a beeline for the Khandani Pakode Wala.
Maybe the sheer magnetism of the humble Indian pakoda is too much to resist.
Once you try some, you'd agree that some things just shouldn't change with time!
This is truer in the case of snacks; most of them are almost a part of existence.
The UPSC chaatwala or the parathas of Old Delhi, the meat at Karim's, the rabri at Giani Di Hatti or the jalebis from the Old Famous Jalebiwala are some of the foods that are enough to describe Delhi.
There are many more legendary outlets that might not have caught on as famously as the others but have their fair share of a moment of two under the sun! We Indians are often slaves to a schedule-be it the 9:05 am local train ferrying you to your office in Mumbai or the 747 DTC that cuts across Delhi.
Laced along these everyday routines are many activities that have become to define us.
The Ring Road with its numerous special spots is one such magical ride.
Nestled between Africa Avenue and the Sarojini Nagar crossing, near the old Jain TV office is the Khandani Pakode Wala.
The location is also famous for the dime-a-dozen car shops that are dotted along the road.
It won't be difficult to pin-point Om Prakashji's shop for its always swarming with gentry.
We may feign ignorance about the origins of the pakoda but can be certain that perhaps the snack's history is as checkered as the shop's that synonymous the simple pakoda.
Started by the current owner Om Prakashji's grandfather once he crossed over from present day Pakistan's borders after the partition, The Khandani Pakode Wala has served the ubiquitous North Indian snack ever since.
The shop shifted to its present day location some forty years ago and operates from 9am to 9pm seven days a week.
A typical scene at the stall: The outlet conjures up almost ten types of pakodas at any given moment.
Although some varieties are seasonal the regular ones make up for their absence.
Ranging from potatoes and onion pakodas, which are omnipresent at any savory snack shop in India, they also have pakodas of spinach, bittergoud, brinjal, peas, chillies, cauliflower and even lotus stem.
For the uninitiated there is always the bread pakoda and the Paneer pakoda to choose from.
The other thing that is unique is the excellent mint chutney that comes along in abundance.
The chutney has a slight chilly overtone that just attacks the palette and makes the experience delightful! The price for these little pieces of heaven range between four to seven rupees! Many of us would like to believe that with the passage of time people, especially the younger lot, would become more health conscious and give goodies like pakodas amiss.
Think again.
It's largely the young and good living freaks who often make a beeline for the Khandani Pakode Wala.
Maybe the sheer magnetism of the humble Indian pakoda is too much to resist.
Once you try some, you'd agree that some things just shouldn't change with time!