Lucknow is renowned for its scrumptious and flamboyant non vegetarian food culture that includes toothsome meat delicacies extolled for their phenomenal flavours and texture. Come let's see what all non veg street food dishes did we try during our visit to the city.
First Stop- Sharma Tea Stall A great start to the day has to be with a cup of hot tea. At Sharma Tea Stall we got our cuppas with very typical tea snacks- bun butter and samosa. The samosa you get here are quite different; the stuffing is not of the usual cubed skin-on potatoes but instead the potatoes are boiled, mashed and cooked in a concoction of unique spices.
Second Stop- Rahim ki Nahari Here we tried the combination of Kulcha with Nahari. The Kulcha is made of two layers which makes it the perfect vessel to eat a gravy dish like nahari. We also got taste some Biryani here. These are one of the few things that you have to try when you’re in Lucknow.
Third Stop- Tunday Kababi We went to the first and original Tunday Kababi for the galawati kabab and sheermal. Galawati Kababs are a specialty of Lucknow. They are made with minced meat and a variety of different spices. The minced meat is shaped into small discs and cooked over a low heat from coals. The sheermal is a special bread and goes perfectly well with the spicy kababs. Sheermal is made with flour, milk, saffron, sugar and ghee; it is the slight sweetness of this bread which makes it so delicious.
Fourth Stop- Roti wali gali We visited a street full of roti/chapati sellers. Here there are people selling different varieties of breads that are very popular in the region. Sheermal, Ulte Tawe ka Paratha, different types of Naan, etc. One can find any and everything in this little street.
Fifth Stop- Al Madina Kashmiri Chai Here we had a different kind of dessert called kashmiri chai. It consists of Fan which is basically puff pastry also known as samosa on the area, some cream and a pink tea. It has a very soothing and warm texture.
Sixth Stop- Azhar Bhai ka Paan Some of the most interesting names of paans and even more interesting conversation. This shop is famous for serving the tastiest paans. For them paan is not just a digestive to be eaten, it is an institution.
Seventh Stop- Lalla ki Biryani The ultimate Biryani experience, where the meat just melts of the bone and the rice is super flavourful. They have been making biryani for the past 34 years and no wonder, they have perfected the process. Although this shop may be known for its biryani but the shammi kababs they serve here are out of this world.
Eighth Stop- Naushijaan Yes!! Kabab Heaven, we found kabab heaven! This place is known for their variety of kababs and trust us all of them are worth trying out. The Kakori Kabab you get are shaped like a seekh but are much softer. In fact they’re so soft that they vanish the moment you put it in the mouth. The Ghutwa Kabab was something new. It is made with minced meat that is cooked with a number of spices for very long, quite similar to the cooking process of haleem. This is usually eaten with either sheermal or khameri roti. The seekh pasanda kabab is slightly chewy compared to all the other kababs.
Ninth Stop- Sakhawat’s Established in 1911, known for its outstanding galawati and kakori kababs. We even got to try the biryani here, which was quite different compared to the ones we had tried earlier. Everything that we tasted was supremely tasty.
Tenth Stop- Wahid Biryani For a change, we tried chicken biryani and weren’t disappointed at all. The biryani is flavourful and aromatic that you feel like you have actually gone back in time and are feasting with the Nawabs of Awadh.
Eleventh Stop- Prakash Kulfi Shop The Kulfi is made in the traditional way in small steel tins in which the ingredients that are first boiled are then filled into the tins and then they are frozen in a large container full of ice. Our journey in Lucknow ended with this beautiful Kulfi.
Anubhav Sapra is an avid culinary explorer who loves to travel and explore different cuisine primarily the street food, not just for the sake of gustatory pleasure but also for quenching his deep thirst for nurturing new cultural connections through the kaleidoscopic canvas of food. He believes that the vibrant and delectable street food tradition across the globe has the power to bring communities together and foster harmonious human existence.
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