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Wah! That aftertaste

Dahi-vada at Natraj Chaat Bhandar in Chandni Chowk is not the typical fare, guarantees RAHUL VERMA

For the connoisseur: A scene at Natraj Chaat Bhandar in Chandni Chowk Photo: Sandeep Saxena

Somebody should study the way street food marketing has changed over the years. These days, you can even get take-away golgappas, where the puffs come all wrapped up in cling film along with a sealed plastic glass of mineral water lightly spiced for the urban palate. But when I was young - and that, I have to admit, was quite a while ago - golgappas, chaat and dahi-vadas were sold by nomadic hawkers who carried their ware atop their heads.

But while the chatwallahs went around with a big round contraption, the dahi-vada sellers carried a matka. The matkas kept the curds cool which was essential for a good dahi-vada. I haven't seen those matka-bearing vendors for a long, long time. But I formed a meaningful and lasting relationship with dahi-vadas when I was a kid. I remember one day my father got an earthen pot full of dahi-vadas from Chandni Chowk. Since then, I have had all kinds of dahi-vadas, but nothing ever came close to the ones that my father had introduced me to. The dahi-vadas were so delicious that the taste lingered on for years, whetting my appetite for more.

But seek and you shall find. When I came to Delhi in 1971, I used to spend a considerable part of my waking hours in Darya Ganj. I would buy some books from the pavement book bazaar and then make my way through the lanes and by-lanes of Old Delhi looking for a new place for lunch. One such sojourn led me to Paranthewale Gali. After eating two oily paranthas - they almost deep-fry the stuff there - I ambled off to the main Chandni Chowk area. On the other side of the road I saw a crowd outside a small shop. I quickly crossed the road and found myself standing before a shop selling tikkis and dahi-vadas.

And since my stomach was yearning for some curds to counter the oil that the paranthas had yielded, I asked for a plate of dahi-vada.

One bite, and I knew that I had found the place that my father had got the dahi-vadas from. I have been there on many occasions ever since, and always found the dahi-vadas excellent.

They are soft, the chutney is different from what you get elsewhere and the yoghurt is sweet and frothy.

Way to Natraj

The place is called Natraj Chaat Bhandar. It has been around for over 50 years. It's bang opposite the mouth of Gale Paranthewali, next to the Central Bank building. It's a narrow shop, but there are seating arrangements upstairs.

They have an interesting way of serving dahi-vadas at Natraj's. First, they put a big bhalla in a dona, and then sprinkle it with a liberal dose of a secret, blackish masala, which I could make out, has roasted jeera, black pepper, kala namak and several other ingredients that only the Natraj owners know about.

Then the vada is smothered with fresh, whipped dahi.

On top they add a dash of an excellent sweet chutney. The chutney is special - it's very, very thick, and very, very sweet. They only add a little amount to the dahi-vada and that does the trick. The dahi-vadas melt in the mouth, and the aftertaste of the masalas is something that you go back home with.

Every time I go to Natraj's, I silently thank my father. I hope wherever he is, there are matkas of Natraj's dahi-vadas to keep him going.

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