New sector residents throng to Old Delhi food fest

The main objective of organising the event is to provide a good culinary experience for residents who cannot always visit Delhi and main Gurgaon city for food.

Showcasing the diversity of Mughlai cuisine and Old Delhi street food, a two-day festival — Purani Dilli Ka Khana —started at DLF Gardencity sports complex, Sector 91, in Gurgaon on Saturday. The food fest will be a regular affair every year, the organisers of the event said.

A chaat counter at the food festival at DLF Gardencity sports complex, Sector 91. (Parveen Kumar/HT Photo)

The main objective of organising the event is to provide a good culinary experience for residents who cannot always visit Delhi and main Gurgaon city for food.

The event is being organised by DLF New Town Heights Condominium Association - sectors 86, 90 and 91.

The food festival also focuses on recognition and encouragement to street food vendors. “We are focusing on the quantity of food served. We are also giving importance to training vendors,” Sanjiv Poddar of Old Delhi Foods, the event manager, said.

Over 1,000 visitors from societies and condominiums such as Mapsko Casabella, Bestech Ananda, Vatika India Next, SARE Homes, Orris and Vipul Lavanya visited the food fest
on Saturday.

The event kicked off with folk dance and music. The festival came alive with the performance by a Sufi band that evoked the nostalgia of Old Delhi’s culture. A Rajasthani folk dance also enthralled the audience.

Famous Delhi names such as Natraj Dahi Bhalle Wala, Lotan Matar Kulche, Pandit Ji Paranthe Wale, JB Kachori Wala and Kuremal Mohan Lal Kulfi Wale have set up stalls at the sports complex. The menu ranged from scrumptious biryani and chicken changezi to mouth-watering chaat. For the sweet tooth, there was kheer, phirni and more than a dozen varieties of kulfi on offer.

Several visitors said chicken biryani with the mint chutney was a delectable combination. The mutton pieces in the Mughlai biryani were soft and tender and full of Indian spices. The stalls also served Old Delhi’s kebab and korma.

“I explored the culinary excellence on offer from purani Delhi. The chicken changezi was spicy and the famous chicken and mutton korma were worth trying,” Maya Dulani of Sector 67 said.

Other attractions included stalls for home decor, clothing, accessories, jewellery and kids’ products. A dedicated zone has also been created for children.

“It was wonderful that a large number of people have turned up for Purani Dilli Ka Khana. Old Delhi has a rich legacy and the food festival gave everyone an opportunity to relish its delicacies. We shall continue to organise social, cultural and sports activities at DLF Garden City,” Harinder Dhillon, vice-president, sales, DLF, said.

Another crowd puller at the fest is a carnival parade of magicians, unicyclists, clowns, jugglers and stilt walkers.

“During my student days, I often visited Chandni Chowk to taste the delicious food, especially paranthas. Thanks to DLF Gardencity, this weekend, we had everything under one roof,” BP Singh of DLF Gardencity, Sector 90, said.

“It was wonderful that a large number of people have turned up for Purani Dilli Ka Khana. Old Delhi has a rich legacy and the food festival gave everyone an opportunity to relish its delicacies. We shall continue to organise social, cultural and sports activities at DLF Garden City,” Harinder Dhillon, vice-president, sales, DLF, said.

Another crowd puller at the fest is a carnival parade of magicians, unicyclists, clowns, jugglers and stilt walkers.

“During my student days, I often visited the narrow streets of Chandni Chowk to taste the delicious food, especially the paranthas. Thanks to DLF Garden City, this weekend, we had everything under one roof and that too in our township,” BP Singh of DLF Garden City, Sector 90, said.

The event will conclude on Sunday with a parody songs’ performance by Melwin and team.