Har Har Gange.
Welcome to India's oldest city Haridwar i.e. 'Passage to God'
We have Jain Sir with us who is going to take us on a food tour at this place
And will familiarize us with some traditional and unique fares.
Welcome to Haridwar, Anubhav Ji.
Presently we are at Har Ki Pauri
At the world famous Bharam Kund.
Lord Bhramha had meditated here.
And now let's go to Jwalapur and start with Surja ki Dal.
Now we are at Chowk Bazaar, Jwalapur.
And will make you taste the world famous Surja Ki Dal.
People come here from far off places.
And the most important thing is that there is no adulteration in the dal.
Though you can make this kind of dal at home
but you won't get it anywhere else in the market
Its just plain dal and you will see hoe delicious it is.
This is boiled Moong Dal
Yes
And what is the sour thing that you added.
This is tamarind pulp
And this is fried red chillies
Roasted red chilies.
-Okay roasted
So we have two kinds of Dal.
-Yes will taste both.
These are the two kinds of dal. One they have mashed
And the other one is simply boiled
When you taste them both, you will find them different.
What is this leaf?
-This is Malu leaves(Bauhinia vahlii) leaves.
This is called Maljhan leaves
And its common name is Malu
An interesting thing about this is that
the stalk is eaten by the ants
And this part is consumed by the elephants
So the stories that you have heard about the elephants and ants
their food source in same
May be that is how their stories have developed
So we have two kinds of dal. One is mashed
And the other one is separate
Very nice.
-It has the sourness from the lime juice.
And it is very nutritious as well as you were tell.
-Yes
Can I taste this from here?
-Sure
This is more delicious.
This is the mashed dal
It has lime juice, masala and the roasted chillies is adding little spiciness to this
And the tamarind water
Is it consumed during the breakfast only in the morning time.
No earlier I used to sit in the evening as well.
 
 
 
How many years have passed?
Since how many years you and your father have been serving it?
It has been many years. It started before Independence
 
 
You weren't born during that time.
I was born in 1965
There are three kinds of dal. One is Khurchan, then ladoo and Khili Hui
They are all in the same vessel
So even when the halwa sticks to the bottom, it tastes great. And same is with the kheer
Same thing is there in the dal also
Brother you try this Khurchan
Its taste will be different from the previous ones.
Its texture is different
 
It has the slight burnt taste of the dal that sticks to the bottom of the vessel
So we finally tried the three kinds of dal
One is the Khilwas or the separated Moong dal
then the mashed one which is called the ladoo
And last the one that sticks to the bottom of the pan that is called the Khurchan. we are finally trying it
Very yummy taste
And
Of the three  my favourite one is the khurchan
Thank you Vijendra Ji
Thank You
Sir this one here, in the Jwalapur region
is the Gitaram Halwai, one of the oldest.
We have arrived here after crossing the narrow lanes
And here the Rabri, Ghiya Ki Lauj, Burfi and Pede
Travels to places.
-So it is a sweet shop.
And they have maintained the traditional taste
See here they are preparing the stuffs
Here they will prepare the Rabri in the traditional way. We have arrived earlier.
The first pot of Rabri gets ready here by 11-11.30 am
If you need to see the second batch then you have to wait for another two hours
This is the Ghiya Ki Lauj.
-okay
Lauki ki lauj.
-Yes its the bottle gourd burfi
This is our sweets platter. It has milk cake
Khoye ki burfi and Lauki ki lauj
How old is your shop?
Its 115 years old!
Which is the oldest sweet in your shop?
-All are old recipes.
One item that is nearly 115 yrs old
See I am here for the past 60-65 years and these are the only sweets that I have seen.
It started with the burfi.
-burfi
So the oldest sweet here is the burfi.
-Yes Burfi, Khurchan.
Khurchan, boondi ka ladoo, gajar ka halwa
All the items sold here can be had during fasting.
Absolutely grainy in texture
It is grainy and is melting in the mouth
Here we tried three sweets
ghiye ki lauj, milk cake and khoye burfi
One thing that is common to all three of them is the purity of the sweets
Milk cake was grainy and it melted in the mouth
The lauki ki lauj has a very pleasant Kewra Flavour.
The khoye ki burfi has khoya and sugar. That's it
The sugar content is less
It is not too sweet
So these were the taste of the 115 yrs old sweet shop.
Let's go to our next food stop
Thank you Rakesh Ji
It was a pleasure meeting you and trying your sweets
Sir we are going to Bhagwati Chole Bhandar
The most famous thing here is the chole ka panni
You can see it here. And when you drink it
You will feel so good that you won't be able to define it.
Is this from the soaked channa.
It is the water of the boiled channa. It has all the protein in it
And when you drink it you will feel heaven like bliss
Is the water tempered?
-Yes it is.
And when Gaurav ji will serve you on his own, it will be a different joy.
So we have tried the Chole kulche, Chole bhature and Chole chawal a lot
At Gaurav ji's shop, Bhagwati Chole Bhandar, we are trying the bun mix which is also called Adda
And the bun is dipped in the chole
and it is crushed and mixed in the chole
and its being cooked
This is bun mix that has pieces of bun
and they have been thoroughly mixed in the bun
And with it there is the chutney made with pomegranate seeds, coriander and spinach chutney.
ginger julienne
And coriander
Here comes a deep fried Bhatura
Chole Ka Panni, rich in protein
When you were adding the chutney, I thought it would be spicy.
-Very light.
Adda.
-We have eaten this a lot during our childhood from his father.
This is one of the oldest item
-At this place
The bun has completely dissolved in the Chole
It gets dissolved even more
I have mixed it less
The concept is same as the Bheeja Kulcha
It is similar concept. You added the bun into the channa and mixed it
This channa soup is now available in all cities
But it began here by our elders
let's try the chole ka panni
It will digest everything that you eat
You won't get this taste anywhere else
This is spicy
This has the distinct taste of the channa
The tempering is a little strong in this
I stand here at the counter
Its my duty from 5 in the evening
The shop timing is 8 am to 9 pm
We have increased the shop time since the past 2- 2.5 years
 
And its good that everywhere this leaf is used
It is clean and hygienic, speciality and it keeps the food pure.
People boil the choles very quickly but ours one takes time. It takes 4-5 hrs
It is first boiled and then masalas are added
Do you add pomegranate seeds?
-Yes we put it and it is in the masala
People add tea leaves to get the colour
We don't add tea leaves for it adds a bitterness to it.
-You have added dried gooseberry
It is added while soaking
Visiting Bhagwati Chole was in our list
 
Many old customers are visiting still. He is one of them
I had come many years back and so I had forgotten the name of this place
I just remembered that they feed 9 girls before right before opening the shop
Yes I had come many years earlier. They still maintain the same taste
If the rickshaw wala doesn't knows the name
Just tell them take us to that shop where girl children are fed at the starting of the day's business.
He is our Rawatji
Namaskar
He is also an erstwhile reporter
Is it?
Yes and he has played many interesting characters in the Ramleela
So he is like Haridwar's Basmati rice
Like the old grain.
-Right
He is one of the foundation stone of Haridwar
Here there are many lodges.
Yes many old lodges
3-4 of them are very old
The one that you see here is Seth Surajmal's Dharamshala
The Shiv temple inside is very popular
And similarly you have the Narshing Bhawan
They also run a free dispensary
This too is an old Dharamshala
Dharamsala is the place where people get food, can pray and can stay as well
This is kamal gatta
This is called the Kamal Gatta
And its seeds are taken out and eaten
They are sweet. I remember having them a lot during my childhood.
Now a days you don't find them in the cities
It is not Kachori but Khasta
It is Khasta kachori
Really
Its very tasty
You make this in the morning time only
This is the last stock
Now milk will come for the making if the sweets
In sweets you have...
-Kheer mohan, gulab jamun etc
 
 
 
 
Its a crisp kachori with Urad dal stuffing inside
Very delicious
This is slightly firm in texture
See the taste
It is super sweet
This is made with cottage cheese
It is cooked in sugar syrup
The cottage cheese is cooked in sugar syrup
The pandas(priests) over here
They consume a lo of Bhang
And after that they pop in 4-5 pieces
We can't finish one but they finish ten of these
And they don't become fat or anything
 
Are you enjoying it?
Haridwar is a enjoyable place
To roam in these lanes and speak to the people
people here speak so sweetly
And they have a golden heart too
This is the specialty of Haridwar, the blessing of holy Ganges
 
We have arrived at Haridwar's Kusha ghat and Gow Ghat
So the people who come to Haridwar
mainly for devotional rituals
to carry out the rites and rituals related to our ancestors
They come here to complete any rituals that has been yet incomplete
There are priests here
They help you with these rituals
Tell us how old is this shop?
It is ninety years old.
Are you a resident of Haridwar.
My grandfather had come from Mathura
After that it is the 3 rd generation
And when my son will join, it will be 4 th generation
Do you have a shop at Mathura as well?
 
Do you keep visiting Mathura?
This is dry potatoes and pumpkin sabzi
this is potato gravy
These are the puris
Let's see what is inside the puris
It has urad dal stuffing
 
Along with this we have taken the samosas
As you were saying it is the Potli samosas
It is cashew samosas in the shape of a conch
And this is the Chandrakala
This is very popular
 
What is the stuffing inside this?
It has Chironji and melon seeds
It is stuffed with such things and it lasts quite long
 
This is a traditional pre meal platter
If you go to any holy place
Be it Benaras, Be it Allahabad
Or Mathura or Vrindavan, where ever it be
In morning time you will surely get puri sabzi
There will be a pumpkin sabzi along with this
 
 
This is inspired from the community food
 
 
let's taste it
And here too they it is served on the leaves
Very delicious
This one is a little spicy
It is balanced by the sweet pumpkin
When you mix the two it is no more spicy
Now I will try with the Sitaphal
It is sweet
And there is a nice flavour of fennel
Yes fennel and aesofoetida
Infact this sabzi too is cooked in ghee
All the sabzis are cooked in ghee
the cashews are fried in spices
they are fried in desi ghee
I have tried it for the first time
 
This is a different thing Cashew samosas
cashews fried in the masalas
in desi ghee
It is rolled into the shape of a bundle and deep fried
Its a sweet overdose for me
 
 
 
This is a different sweet chandrakala
Do we call it Chandrakala because it is shaped like a moon
It is like the Balushahi
 
 
It feels as if we have arrived at home.
-Yes there is peace
I have never seen the kanji Vadas in jars. I have seen them in Matkhas
Yes people pack these for home
It is sour.
-Yes this sourness is from the mustard
how long do you ferment this?
It is the fifth day for the water and second day for the fried dumplings
 
 
If you refrigerate this it won't any more sour
Is it a summer or winter dish
This is for twelve months
 
 
 
At many places they add green chutney over the Kanji vadas
Technically green chutney shouldn't be added to the kanji vada
When we go to parties we have to add it under compulsion
But the main thing about Kanji Vada is that it should be made from mustard only
 
 
It should have mustard, salt and little chilies according to the taste
If you are making it at home you don't need to add chilies
Very delicious and the pakodas are quite soft.
-These are moong dal pakodas
There is one more kind of Kanji
when you come to me during winters
this kanji will be placed in two vessels
that will have beet and purple carrot
 
 
 
Its a Punjabi dish, Kanji
You crushed the papdis and added the curd on top
cumin powder, salt, red chili powder and dry ginger chutney
 
there are two layers
I liked the way you folded the leaf
 
The taste of the roasted cumin powder is amazing
 
 
 
Many people catch cold due to the curd
 
 
This is pepper.
-It is a pinch of magic
When you add this to the curd
its property changes
 
Is it called the Dahi Phulki or what?
It is called dahi wale Gol Gappe or dahi patashe
 
 
 
We call it Patashe
 
 
 
 
 
 
You should eat it at one go.
I ate it after a long time
And i am realising
that why people who come to eat here demand this
They demand this more than the chat
 
 
What all things do you add to the milk badam
Almond, Cashew and cardamom
It has a flavour of Thandai
 
 
The best thing is it is not too sweet
 
 
It is a thick, creamy and refreshing lassi
 
 
The plain lassi
is the ultimate lassi
 
 
And you need to get that buttery feel at the end. That is the test of the purity
This is Mathura wale ka Malai ka asamosa
I remember that in lucknow
we had the Malai gilori
But as uncle is saying this is different
That has mishri. this one has no mishri but dry fruits
It has mava, raisins, cashews
And pistachios
 
 
Very delicious
 
It tastes like the condensed milk
do you remember?
there used to be the milk maid in tins
 
 
A many places they use colour to make chocolate burfi
 
 
It seems we are having chocolate only
 
A slight ghee is added
 
See it is full of dry fruits
 
thank you uncle.
This is Amrak or Star fruit
We have the sweet ones
but we need the sour ones
 
 
Is it called the star fruit because it has the shape of a star?
 
 
kamrakh
 
 
 
For sweets, we have Mathura wala's sweets
 
This is such a healthy thing
so nutritious
It has a high amount of vitamins
We live in Haridwar and we don't know about it
do eat it
 
 
 
 
You haven't eaten a proper meal since the morning
So let me take you to guru ka dhaba for some purely desi food
it is sabzi and roti prepared over wood fire stoves
This ghee smeared roti that has been baked over the wood fire
Papad
dal
urad and channa dal
Aloo vadi and tomatoes
this is ridge gourd
Ridge gourd with moong dal
boondi Raita
So from morning till evening we have roamed on the streets and enjoyed the zesty flavours
But if you want to eat satvik food then you can come to this Bhojanalay
They have three kinds of thalis
everything in the special thali
is mixed with ghee
 
 
 
Purity
Its pure and light
It is such a food that you can'y comment on
 
 
 
It won't be right to describe and comment on this food
 
 
 
For some days you will feel as if you have left behind something
one has to come again
Give us a glass of milk
It reminded me of Mathura and Vrindavan
I haven't put sugar in the milk
yet there is a pleasant sweetness in it.
On top we have a layer of Malai
And in this earthenware it has a different taste
So finally our Haridwar Food Tour ends with this.
many many thanks to Jain Sir
The day was well spent
We had started with surja ki dal and we are finally ending with Sevaram ki doodh
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
