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The spice of life
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The aroma of Haji Noora's nahari takes RAHUL VERMA to Bara Hindu Rao area in Delhi
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ILLUSTRATION: TONY SMITH
When I first came to Delhi, many, many years ago, I didn't know that a thing called nahari existed. Then, one day, a friend told me that this was one of the finest dishes that you can ever have - tasty, nutritious and filling. Originally a breakfast item, it was once had mostly by the poor. Now you can eat it any time you want.
Till the eighties, I used to work for a trade union in Kamla Nagar.
That was when I started scouting around for good food joints in the area.
An old friend, Comrade Nathu, who lived in the locality and knew all the places where you could get some good gosht, helped me in my quest.
It was Nathu who introduced me to Haji Noora. If you want nahari, this is where you should be, I was told.
Haji Noora is in the Bara Hindu Rao area. Once you are there, you will see the road broadening a bit.
Take the first turn left after that, and you will find the old nahari shop.
The first time I was there - and on subsequent occasions - I was struck by the long line of nahari lovers queued up in front of Haji Noora's shop.
The degchi itself was hidden by a raised platform, but you could see the mouth of the huge cauldron.
Haji Noora - a venerable old man with a long flowing beard - would bend down, scoop out some nahari from the deghchi, and give it to his customer, who would eat it with khamiri rotis sold right there.
Wonderful dish
Nahari is truly a wonderful dish, made out of bone marrow and sometimes with trotters. All kind of spices - turmeric, coriander, chillies, cardamom and cloves - go into it, along with onions, ginger, garlic, occasionally some curd and wheat. Traditionally, it is meant to cook overnight on slow heat. In the morning, the degchi is opened, sending up an aromatic whiff of spices and meat.
I went back there, after a long time, last week. Haaji Noora, unfortunately, is no more. His son, Zaheer, has taken over. And there are still queues in front of the shop.
How much for a plate of nahari, I asked him. Depends on what you want, replied the son. If you have ten rupees with you, you can ask for nahari worth ten rupees; if you want nahari for 100 rupees, he'll give you enough nahari for a feast.
While eating his nahari I remembered one thing. The reason why I had stopped going to Haji Noora's was the fact that he added too much of red chillies to his food.
My pesky ulcers had then just started popping up, and, for the sake of sound health, I had to forsake Haji Noora's nahari.
Zaheer, I am glad, has toned down the chillies somewhat. Still, I went hiccupping all the way back home.
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