Prior to my most recent work trip, my travels across India
had involved smelly hostels, long bus rides and copious amounts of cheap street
food. Last month I was happy to skip the bus rides and dingy hotel rooms, but I
was determined to eat some good street food. As I was traveling alone, I
decided that wandering the streets of Old Delhi after hours might not be a good
move, regardless of the culinary temptations. Delhi Food Walks (DFW) to the rescue.
For a reasonable fee, DFW staff will guide you through the maze of food stalls
and vendors hawking their specialties, and take you to the best of the best.
Over the course of a 3 hours, we went to 14 places. I was alone...so I ate 14
dishes. Applause please. 
I ate paranth - including a unique lemon parantha that I had
never had - aloo tikki, mutton kebab, mutton korma , chicken biryani and butter
chicken. Thinking I didn't tend to like Indian sweets, I failed to save room for
dessert. And then we went to four dessert stalls. And I actually liked them! My
favorite was moong dal and carrot halwa which is this awesome combination of
vegetables, cashews, pistachios, raisins, cardamom, and of course, 9 kilos of sugar.
By the end of the 'tour' I was stumbling around in a food
coma-induced daze and without my guide Pooja, I would have been run over by 3
rickshaws and a cow. Needless to say, I highly recommend this tour!
