A train chugs in the Bhopal railway station. Hundreds of passengers get out of it. But those visiting the city for the first time wait for a while before coming out of the station, because they find it different from the ones they have already seen. The difference is that the station wears a modern look but gives off an aura of the past. They also discover that like all other Indian railway stations, it has an umbilical connection with food stalls.
As the passengers, especially the newcomers to the city, emerge from the railway station, they find several shops outside, selling hot Poha Jalebi, a cheap fare. If the time of arrival is morning, nothing can be more delicious than this food.
Made of flattened rice (Chewda), fried ground nuts, sliced carrots, and a little spice, it is offered to a customer with some potato chips or a bit of Sev (gram flour fried noodles), two pieces of Jalebi and a small piece of lemon.
It hardly burdens a passenger’s pocket: Rs 10 a plate. The price, however, varies from shop to shop. If someone is in Bhopal, one can start the day with tasty Poha Jalebi, a staple diet for students.
Sitting in a food outlet and relishing the luscious Poha Jalebi near the railway station, one can get feedback about the city from the shopkeeper.
Ergo Bhopal’s pleasant morning with delectable breakfast freshens one’s mood and lightens the burden of the night-long journey. Yet, Poha Jalebi is just part of Bhopali cuisine. There are many other titbits that present an invitation to nosh, because Bhopal, a heaven for foodies, matches the city’s landscape.
For a non-vegetarian, there is mutton Biryani or Chicken Biryani – though it is different from the one available in Lucknow and Hyderabad. Bhopali Biryani or Yakhni Pulao or Kabuli Pulao offers an Afghani tang mixed with MP’s fragrance. It is a blend of aromatic rice and fine meat.
Fennel seeds (Saunf), coriander seeds (Dhania), and mint leaves (Pudina), cloves, cardamom, cumin seeds, ginger, garlic and black pepper are used to add ginger to the taste. An aroma that emanates from the Bhopali Biryani makes newcomer’s lips smack.
But then one can enjoy traditional dishes: Shahi Paneer, Dum Aloo, and Indore’s Dal Bafle, but if one wants to have traditional tribal dishes of MP, one has to wait for Lok Rang, a week-long festival, which is held on the occasion of the Republic Day.
If an outsider is in Bhopal, he cannot ignore Falooda, Mawa Baati, and Shahi Tukda. But Mawa Baati, made of Khoya, Kaju (cashew), almond, cardamom and sugar, is Bhopal’s special delicacy, because Falooda and Sahi Tukda are available in other cities, too. If one goes to the Kohefiza area in the city, one must not forget Sahi Tukda, a piece of bread dipped in milk, ghee and garnished with dry fruits. Its colour offers an elegant look.
Day and night temperatures in the city shoot up in summers.
An outsider, not accustomed to such heat, needs something for relief. There is nothing to worry about. There is Sahi Shikanji. It is a sort of dessert made of milk, pistachio nuts, cardamom, almond, cashew nut and Yoghurt.
As Sahi Shikanji is garnished with nuts and rose petals and kept in a refrigerator, it gives instant relief from the extreme heat. This succulent Shahi Shikanji is different from lemon Shikanji available in Delhi, Lucknow and other places in northern India.
Another Bhopali cuisine is Malpua made of wheat flour, sugar, jaggery and cardamom powder. It looks like a piece of pancake and is fried till it turns red and served with special Rabdi.
There is a saying – Zubaan, Zardosi, Paan and Biryan ehi hain Bhopal ki Shaan. Yes, it is true. If one takes in such mouth-watering nosh and misses out on special Bhopali Meetha Paan, one’s trip to the city remains incomplete. Bhopali Paan is different from the one available in Varanasi. Bhopali Paan is counted as a dessert because of its sweetness and flavour consisting of Kattha, Chuna, clove, date, betel nuts, fennel seeds and cardamom besides a lot of Gulkand (rose petal dipped in sugar). There is a variety of Paans: chocolate Paan, Lollipop Choco Paan, and Heart Choco Paan. This is the reason why it is special and digestive.
There is another peculiarity of this city: when three Bhopalis eat together, they only talk about the food and the city, instead of bragging about anything else.
