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Victuals on wheels

For fare that's light on the stomach as well as the pocket, try Satish ka dhaba in East Delhi, says RAHUL VERMA

A LA CARTE! Satish's cart offers a frequently changing menu PHOTO: S. SUBRAMANIUM

Sometimes, after I have had an overdose of greasy, non-vegetarian delights, my soul starts yearning for comfort food - something like a plate of red-hot rajma-chawal or rotis with saag paneer. And that's when I go and seek Satish and his dhaba at Indraprastha Extension, better known as Patparganj. I noticed his little stall when we moved across the river. There was always a crowd at the Vardhaman Plaza, and since I am a bit nosy, I went up there one day to see what the commotion was all about.

I sliced through the crowd to find a gentleman standing by a small cart, doling out hot tandoori rotis and daal makhni to a hungry crowd clamouring for more. I checked it out, looked at the prices and the food being sold - and was pretty impressed. The hygiene dipstick showed good results, too, for the food was covered and the rotis were fresh. I shall be back, I told myself. So, a few days later, I landed up at Satish ka dhaba, which is bang opposite Ajanta Apartments. Dhaba is a bit of a misnomer, because it's really a cart, though the food that he cooks is dhaba-style.

Some eight years ago, Satish Chandra Gupta got a cart and started selling rice, rotis and vegetables from his mobile take-away. He did so well that he now owns two new shops in the same market. But the cart is still very much there. His food sits atop it - in huge cauldrons - while people sit in the two shops right behind the cart.

Regular patrons

I went there just a couple of days ago for some rajma-chawal. I found that he keeps changing his menu, for his clientele comprises regular patrons who seem to have all their meals there. On some days he has rajma, on other days he sells chholey-chawal. There is usually a daal makhni, and he offers saag-paneer on one day and mixed vegetables on another.

You can have his mutter-makhana, shahi paneer or masala paneer. Most dishes are for Rs.10 or 15. He has thalis, too - consisting of two vegetable dishes, a portion of daal and naans. If the naan is buttered, the thali is for Rs.30, if not, it's for Rs.25. And one good thing is that he packs the food for you to take it home. There is a big tandoor behind him where he makes fresh rotis, naans and tandoori paranthas. You can also buy lachcha parathas or missi rotis. And the different kinds of breads, freshly out of the oven, are all crisp and hot.

The vegetable dishes and daals are not bad either. Everything is rather spicy, of course, but not overwhelmingly hot.

I usually end one of Satish's meals with a pink Digene tablet. It seems like a small price to pay for a tasty meal. Chillies, after all, are the spice of life.

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