the vision of a cook standing in front of a giant embroiderythe size of a king Karachi In the hand, it’s mesmerizing to scoop out the hot bedamis as they float up in the oil. Every morning, in many parts of Delhi, you are served with potato curry, and sometimes with pumpkin curry. As a breakfast, nothing beats Bedmi and Sabzi. Unless, of course, it’s a plate of soft idli with coconut chutney, podi. Or a bowl of hot water. Or maybe a juicy chicken sandwich…
Indeed, the best thing about breakfast is that it comes in every shape and taste. And you get them all in the city, in little nooks and corners. The other day, I came to know about a sweet and snack shop called Annakoot, which has branches in Bengali Market, Gole Market, Rani Bagh and Patel Nagar. And it has some of my favorite breakfast dishes on its menu – Bedmi Aloo, Chole Bhature and Matar Kulcha.
Breakfast is my favorite meal. There was a time when I used to find puri sabzi and nagori halwa and later in the Chandni Chowk or Jama Masjid area and hearty morning fare for nihari. Shabrati Azam Khan at Gali Haveli and Javed at Zakir Nagar Main Bazaar are known for their nihari, a mouth-watering dish of slow-cooked shanks in gravy.
Breakfast Menu with Matar Kulcha at Annakoot | photo credit: special arrangement
On some Sundays our breakfast comes from a small shop called Ramakrishna Sweets in Mandawali, East Delhi. Their Radhaballabhis – puris filled with lentil paste – come with either chana dal cooked with gourds, or a savory dish of potato-cauliflower. People come from far and wide for their Radhaballabhi, which is now sold for Rs 50 per plate (consisting of three puris with vegetables, ghugni or lentils). For South Indian food, my favorite eateries are Chidambaram in Khanna Market and Karnataka Cafe in Mehrachand Market. And I don’t have enough for the upma served at Sarvana Bhavan.
Breakfast spread at Annakoot
But coming back to Annakoot, I was quite happy with their breakfast fare. I had ordered two plates of chole bhature, two bedmi curries and one plate of matar kulcha. For all this I paid ₹639 (including delivery charges). The food came neatly packed in two large cloth bags.
The matar kulcha was particularly good – the kulcha was soft and fresh and the lightly cooked white peas had a tangy, lemony flavor that I thoroughly enjoyed. Chole Bhature worked for me too; The chickpeas were neither too spicy nor oily. Anyway, I love badammis, and these puris – friable and thick, served with tangy potato curry – did not disappoint me at all.
Now I plan to revisit the Minarels in Asiad Village, as I had a wonderful dining ceremony there a while back. The minarets open at 6.30am, and the menu features all kinds of healthy yet delicious food – including grilled sandwiches, mixed vegetable poha and stuffed vegetable idlis.
As the wise man said, the morning shows the day. And a good morning meal, I would say, promises untold pleasures.