Snapshots from Delhi: Moolchand Ke Parathe

The streets of Delhi can fascinate anyone who is on a look-out for the rich, authentic and economical Indian cuisine. In today’s era where fast food franchisees are flooding the market, this city still has numerous hot-spots which have stood the test of time and continue to delight their customers in a way that others find hard to imitate. For the sheer number of years they have been there, these spots have become a part of the folklore in this city and one of them is “Moolchand’s Parathe Wala”.
This Sunday afternoon after a long period of procrastination we finally made it to this popular place which had been advocated by quite a few. As we entered the lane right next to the Moolchand Metro Station we saw people huddled in front of a small “thela” to our left and assumed that it must be the famous guy known for his “parathas”.We quickly found a parking space for our vehicle and went over to the spot we had seen earlier and indeed it was the “parathewala” we were looking for. It was almost two o’clock in the afternoon and that perhaps explained why the place was crowded. There were workers for their routine lunch, couples who had come for a hangout, families and groups of friends out to enjoy their Sunday afternoon.
You will have to keep the cash handy as you make your way through to the person who was taking orders. The process was kept quite simple. He would not take your order till the time your money went into his small cash box. Once the transaction was done the order was passed on and you are served almost immediately from an assembly line of sorts. On one side there was a person busy rolling out the parathas from the dough .They were then passed on to the next person operating the huge “kadhai”.It could take almost 10 parathas at a time. There was no dearth of oil in cooking .Every now and then flames burst out of the extremely hot “kadhai” .Once cooked to the satisfaction these parathas were spread out ready to be delivered. We ordered for one Aloo and one egg paratha which were served within seconds, hot with a spicy masala sprinkled over them. There was a tangy mint chutney and pickled chillies to go along as a complement. The parathas with their thick stuffing of potatoes and rich oily look were mouthwatering .As soon as we took the first bite dipped in the mint chutney a sense of satisfaction emanated from the taste buds. It was the kind of feeling which a gourmet will find synonymous with nirvana. If you are still looking for more ,then you can add a “Boondi raita” or “Rajma” as a side dish at an additional cost. We however were delighted and ordered one more Egg Paratha just to keep the flavours intact.

“Moolchand ke Parathe” had lived up to their reputation and had filled us up to the core. This place would definitely rank as one of the best if you talk about value for money. It serves an incredibly delicious meal with a taste you would find difficult to find in more suave places and at a price they cannot match. So for the ones who love their parathas a visit to this ordinary thela is a must to experience an extraordinary taste. However do leave the scales which measure hygiene behind at home and submit totally to the taste buds.

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