#WorldFoodDay: When in Indore, eat like Indoris - say celebs

There is a reason why every visitor in Indore comes with an empty stomach. The city of foodies has always left everyone spoilt for choice with its myriad offering in terms of food. There is something for everyone – the chaat lover, the one with a sweet tooth, the spice seekers and unique concoctions of cooling drinks that surprise many.

The wide range is not just limited to variety of dishes, but also in budget and time – meals that fit every pocket size and 24 hours availability at various street food corners. It is not surprising then, that all the celebrities who visit Indore make a beeline for the food streets. On this World Food Day, we tell you what the stars enjoyed the most in our city!

Poha is still number one

The staple breakfast of Indore that has undergone several innovations by makers tops the list of must-haves for celebrities visiting the city. Right from Aayush Sharma, Warnina Hussain to Parineeti Chopra and Sidharth Malhotra – everyone had a plate of the light snack. “A couple of people in our team were from Indore, when they heard we were headed to their city they categorically told us not to miss having poha-jalebi. When we tried it in the city, we understood why they insisted. It is very different from what I’ve had in Delhi, and the sev on top makes it even more interesting” says Sidharth Malhotra, the Jabariya Jodi

star who travelled to the city for promotion.

Similarly, Loveyatri actress Warina Hussain who tasted the flattened rice dish for the first time on Salman Khan’s recommendation says, “Bhai kept telling Aayush and me that we must have poha in Indore as it is the best. I wasn’t keeping well, but both of us still had the poha-jalebi combination with some spicy sev mixture. I’m told it is a regular snack and breakfast in the city and Indoreans can never have enough of it”.

The crispy kachori and its variety of fillings

Closely following poha-jalebi is the deep-friend snack kachori. Theatre personalities like Manoj Joshi who remember it from their early days of performing here to locals who have turned television stars like Ankita Lokhande , Vivian Dsena – everyone like a bite of these piping hot spice bombs. Television actor Vivian Dsena who grew up in Ujjain, and has spent a considerable amount of time in Indore has an old favourite – Lal Balti kachori. “The aloo kachori at this small Rambagh joint has a reputation that precedes it. And the green chutney they serve is actually the star of the plate. I’ve told many of my friends who visit Indore, to not miss this snack” he shares.

Similarly, his contemporaries Shakti Arora and Aditi Sharma loved bingeing on freshly made dal kachori from Chappan Dukaan. “I generally avoid having oily snacks, but the fragrance of the kachori was so alluring when it was taken right out of the wok for us, that we had to try it. The dal mix was also unlike any other kachori I have tasted in other cities” says Aditi.

Shikanji that is NOT nimbu paani

Another delicacy that surprises everyone is the shikanji in the city. It is not fresh lime water or soda that is available in other cities, but “a mix of milk, buttermilk, dry fruits and sugar mixed in the right consistency to form a shake” shares Shyamlal Sharma who has been serving this drink at his shop in Chappan. “It was a surprise really, as I wasn’t expecting something so filling instead of the usual nimbu paani that you get in Mumbai. But it was worth tasting, as I could go back home and tell everyone about this unusual drink I had” shares telly actor Kinshuk Vaidya .

Even television presenter Roshni Chopra who had it recently shares the same opinion, “No one gave me a heads up of what it was, and I kept looking for a watery drink on my table. But it was the best way to finish off my food street visit in Indore”.

Chaat and lots of sev!

A trip to the food streets of the city is incomplete without savuouring some of the chaat offerings like – chhole tikka, jinni dosa, bhutte ka kis and garadu. And all of this comes with a healthy serving of sev. Tenali Rama trio Manav Gohil, Pankaj Berry and Krishna Bharadwaj had a gala time finishing off jinni dosa and panipuri when they visited.

“I’m so glad we listened to our team member when they said khaali pet chalna, because we ended up finishing all that was served to us and topped it off with panipuri with 8 flavours!” says Pankaj. Television actresses Kanika Mann and Shweta Mahadika also tried out the street chaat. “Indori samosa had so much more than just regular aloo we’re used to eating. And the baked samosa with sev was another unique dish I had here” shares Kanika. Others love the variety of sev that city provides. “I carried two full packets to Mumbai for my home, after tasting the Ratlami sev in the city” adds veteran Bollywood actress Aruna Irani .

Sweets galore

The city never disappoints anyone with a sweet tooth! Right from jalebi, mawa baati, shahi rasmalai to flaky khurme – it offers dishes in varying amount of sweetness. Singer Arjun Kanungo and actor Aparshakti Khurana gave a thumbs up to shahi rasmalai when they yried it in the city. “The white colour of shahi rasmalai surprised me at first as I’m used to seeing a yellowish version. But it was so spongy and juicy that I finishes off the entire plate despite trying to avoid sweet” says Arjun.

It’s not just that television actor Gaurav Bajaj , who hails from the city cannot do without sweet khurme while in Mumbai. “It’s a must-have snack at my place, and we get it only in Indore. It is a mildly sweet, savoury snack that we have with chai or whenever we feel like” he adds.