<p>When the last <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/kumbh-mela">Maha Kumbh Mela </a>took place 144 years ago, Netram Mulchand & Sons were already in business. For over 170 years, they have been serving the quintessential ‘Ilahabadi’ breakfast of kachodi-sabzi and dahi-jalebi. Founder Netram, from Maghora near Mathura, would set up a stall in his village during the Kumbh Mela selling pure Vaishnava food without onion or garlic. He moved to Prayag, started a mobile stall and eventually opened a shop at Katra Chouraha in 1854.</p>.<p>During the fiery days of India’s freedom struggle, the shop was a venue for regular baithakis (political meetings), patronised by the who’s who of Indian politics — from Allahabad native and the country’s first PM Jawahar Lal Nehru to former President Shankar Dayal Sharma. In his memoirs, Sharma mentions having nashta at Netram’s during his student days at Allahabad University when he stayed at the Hindu Hostel nearby. Urdu writer Firak Gorakhpuri also refers to the restaurant in his works. The iconic landmark gave the intersection its name — Netram Chouraha! True to tradition, everything is still fried in desi ghee. Dahi-jalebi and puri-sabzi are served only for breakfast (7 am till noon) but khasta/kachodi and imarti are available through the day till 10 pm.</p>.<p>Currently run by the fifth-gen owner Mayank Agarwal and his brothers, the shop offers a thali of four puris/kachodis, with dum aloo, baingan saag sabzi, gobi masala, sweet tamarind chutney and boondi raita, for Rs 100. Bhagwan Das, Prahlad Das & Sons make the best motichoor laddoos in Prayagraj. Their history is older than Netram’s. Miffed after an argument at home, Bhagwan Das left the rural UP hinterland of Banda, near Mahoba and landed up alone in Allahabad in 1810. Fifth-gen owner Ankit Gupta reveals how his forefather sold jalebis in a thaal (platter) during the Kumbh Mela.</p>.Deliciously red.<p>Locals loved it and allotted a space for him. He set up a kiosk off Zero Road in 1834, touted as the first mithai shop in Uttar Pradesh! Sample balushahi, sohan papdi, mewa bati, chandrakala, pateesa, pista barfi, badam barfi, shahi kesariya barfi and winter specials like Kale gajar ka halwa and Gud sonth wala laddu. They have catered to superstar Amitabh Bachchan and PM Narendra Modi on their visits to the city.</p>.<p>Since 1890, Hari Ram & Sons have been making savouries at Loknath, an area named after the ancient Shiva temple down the lane. Third-gen owner Ajit Purwar reminisces how his grandfather Hari Ram Purwar came from Agra and sold mota sev and mini samosas through hawkers in Prayagraj.</p>.<p>His recipe was so good, it has stood the test of time… The potato mix has secret masalas and is painstakingly fried for 16 hours — samosas don’t spoil for 20-25 days!</p>.<p>Dalmoth and khatta chana last for six months without spoilage. The longevity of his products reflect in his long-standing fame. They source coriander from Guna, turmeric from Erode, Teja chillis from Maharashtra and hing from Afghanistan. Whole spices are ground at their own mill.</p>.<p>The spicy dum aloo eaten with khasta kachori is made in limited quantities, available for just one hour post noon. Patrons privy to this inside info, troop in and ferret away 100 g packets wrapped in leaf and paper cones. Their palak and khasta travel out of India as well!</p>.<p>The tiny shop enjoys patronage from top ministers to artists. Manna Dey came during Ajit’s father Chunni Lal Purwar’s time. RD Burman paid a visit as well. Flautist Hariprasad Chaurasia, a native of Loknath, once got musicians VG Jog and Zakir Hussain to sample their fare. A KBC contestant from Prayagraj carried Hari Ram’s snacks for Amitabh Bachchan, who conceded that being an Allahabadi, he was already a big fan!</p>.<p>Just across the lane is the city’s oldest lassi shop Rajaram Lassi Wale. Started by Lakshmi Narayan Gupta in 1897 and named after his son Rajaram Gupta, they serve thick lassi topped with rabdi-malai in kulhads (earthen tumblers).</p>.<p>Third-gen owners Sunil Kumar and Sushil Kumar sit churning lassis and are Internet stars thanks to food bloggers and YouTube videos. The shop also serves winter specials Kale gajar ka halwa and Malaiyo (whipped milk foam), sprinkled with kesar ka pani (saffron water). Prayagraj sure knows how to handle crowds.</p>.<p>One look at Panditji Ki Chat in the evening should suffice, as locals jostle for tokens to grab green aloo chat, fulki (golgappa), palak patta, a kulhad of tamatar chat or steaming sakoda (spicy curry with palak fritters).</p>.<p>Third-gen owner Ashish Kumar Dube says his grandfather Bhagwati Prasad Dube came to Allahabad with his mother as a toddler in the 1920’s. After working at different places, he began hawking chaat from a thaal (platter) borne on his head and opened a shop in 1945. </p>.<p>As a staunch devotee of Lord Hanuman, he always wore red and people called him ‘Panditji’, giving the shop its famous moniker ‘Panditji ki Chaat’. They have a unique colour-coded token system for dishes which helps streamline crowds and avoid confusion during rush hour.</p>.<p>Daraganj, the oldest suburb in Prayagraj, is named after wrestlers who practice kushti in local akharas. WelcomHeritage Badi Kothi is a historic 600-year-old haveli in Daraganj, built for Perumal Agarwal, the son-in-law of Akbar’s treasurer Todar Mal. From Meera Bai to Rabindranath Tagore and Lal Bahadur Shastri, many luminaries have stayed here.</p>.<p>The heritage hotel rustles up local veg fare like tehri (veg pulao), nimona (green peas curry) and farra (steamed rice dumpling). If you have an appetite for more, try nariyal barfi and dahi-jalebi at Heera Halwayi in Civil Lines, chhola samosa chaat at Sainik Sweets, gulab jamun at Dehati Rasgulla, chaat at Nirala Mishthan Bhandar and angoori petha, kulfi falooda and dahi bhalla at Kamdhenu Sweets. For all the sins of gluttony, there’s always a dip at the Triveni Sangam…</p>.<p><em>(The authors are travel/food writers and culinary consultants “loosely based” in Bengaluru. They customise solutions for the hospitality industry, have authored guides and coffee table books, curated TV shows, set up an award-winning restaurant and are working on a book on heritage eateries of India. Follow their adventures on Instagram: @red_scarab)</em></p>
<p>When the last <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/kumbh-mela">Maha Kumbh Mela </a>took place 144 years ago, Netram Mulchand & Sons were already in business. For over 170 years, they have been serving the quintessential ‘Ilahabadi’ breakfast of kachodi-sabzi and dahi-jalebi. Founder Netram, from Maghora near Mathura, would set up a stall in his village during the Kumbh Mela selling pure Vaishnava food without onion or garlic. He moved to Prayag, started a mobile stall and eventually opened a shop at Katra Chouraha in 1854.</p>.<p>During the fiery days of India’s freedom struggle, the shop was a venue for regular baithakis (political meetings), patronised by the who’s who of Indian politics — from Allahabad native and the country’s first PM Jawahar Lal Nehru to former President Shankar Dayal Sharma. In his memoirs, Sharma mentions having nashta at Netram’s during his student days at Allahabad University when he stayed at the Hindu Hostel nearby. Urdu writer Firak Gorakhpuri also refers to the restaurant in his works. The iconic landmark gave the intersection its name — Netram Chouraha! True to tradition, everything is still fried in desi ghee. Dahi-jalebi and puri-sabzi are served only for breakfast (7 am till noon) but khasta/kachodi and imarti are available through the day till 10 pm.</p>.<p>Currently run by the fifth-gen owner Mayank Agarwal and his brothers, the shop offers a thali of four puris/kachodis, with dum aloo, baingan saag sabzi, gobi masala, sweet tamarind chutney and boondi raita, for Rs 100. Bhagwan Das, Prahlad Das & Sons make the best motichoor laddoos in Prayagraj. Their history is older than Netram’s. Miffed after an argument at home, Bhagwan Das left the rural UP hinterland of Banda, near Mahoba and landed up alone in Allahabad in 1810. Fifth-gen owner Ankit Gupta reveals how his forefather sold jalebis in a thaal (platter) during the Kumbh Mela.</p>.Deliciously red.<p>Locals loved it and allotted a space for him. He set up a kiosk off Zero Road in 1834, touted as the first mithai shop in Uttar Pradesh! Sample balushahi, sohan papdi, mewa bati, chandrakala, pateesa, pista barfi, badam barfi, shahi kesariya barfi and winter specials like Kale gajar ka halwa and Gud sonth wala laddu. They have catered to superstar Amitabh Bachchan and PM Narendra Modi on their visits to the city.</p>.<p>Since 1890, Hari Ram & Sons have been making savouries at Loknath, an area named after the ancient Shiva temple down the lane. Third-gen owner Ajit Purwar reminisces how his grandfather Hari Ram Purwar came from Agra and sold mota sev and mini samosas through hawkers in Prayagraj.</p>.<p>His recipe was so good, it has stood the test of time… The potato mix has secret masalas and is painstakingly fried for 16 hours — samosas don’t spoil for 20-25 days!</p>.<p>Dalmoth and khatta chana last for six months without spoilage. The longevity of his products reflect in his long-standing fame. They source coriander from Guna, turmeric from Erode, Teja chillis from Maharashtra and hing from Afghanistan. Whole spices are ground at their own mill.</p>.<p>The spicy dum aloo eaten with khasta kachori is made in limited quantities, available for just one hour post noon. Patrons privy to this inside info, troop in and ferret away 100 g packets wrapped in leaf and paper cones. Their palak and khasta travel out of India as well!</p>.<p>The tiny shop enjoys patronage from top ministers to artists. Manna Dey came during Ajit’s father Chunni Lal Purwar’s time. RD Burman paid a visit as well. Flautist Hariprasad Chaurasia, a native of Loknath, once got musicians VG Jog and Zakir Hussain to sample their fare. A KBC contestant from Prayagraj carried Hari Ram’s snacks for Amitabh Bachchan, who conceded that being an Allahabadi, he was already a big fan!</p>.<p>Just across the lane is the city’s oldest lassi shop Rajaram Lassi Wale. Started by Lakshmi Narayan Gupta in 1897 and named after his son Rajaram Gupta, they serve thick lassi topped with rabdi-malai in kulhads (earthen tumblers).</p>.<p>Third-gen owners Sunil Kumar and Sushil Kumar sit churning lassis and are Internet stars thanks to food bloggers and YouTube videos. The shop also serves winter specials Kale gajar ka halwa and Malaiyo (whipped milk foam), sprinkled with kesar ka pani (saffron water). Prayagraj sure knows how to handle crowds.</p>.<p>One look at Panditji Ki Chat in the evening should suffice, as locals jostle for tokens to grab green aloo chat, fulki (golgappa), palak patta, a kulhad of tamatar chat or steaming sakoda (spicy curry with palak fritters).</p>.<p>Third-gen owner Ashish Kumar Dube says his grandfather Bhagwati Prasad Dube came to Allahabad with his mother as a toddler in the 1920’s. After working at different places, he began hawking chaat from a thaal (platter) borne on his head and opened a shop in 1945. </p>.<p>As a staunch devotee of Lord Hanuman, he always wore red and people called him ‘Panditji’, giving the shop its famous moniker ‘Panditji ki Chaat’. They have a unique colour-coded token system for dishes which helps streamline crowds and avoid confusion during rush hour.</p>.<p>Daraganj, the oldest suburb in Prayagraj, is named after wrestlers who practice kushti in local akharas. WelcomHeritage Badi Kothi is a historic 600-year-old haveli in Daraganj, built for Perumal Agarwal, the son-in-law of Akbar’s treasurer Todar Mal. From Meera Bai to Rabindranath Tagore and Lal Bahadur Shastri, many luminaries have stayed here.</p>.<p>The heritage hotel rustles up local veg fare like tehri (veg pulao), nimona (green peas curry) and farra (steamed rice dumpling). If you have an appetite for more, try nariyal barfi and dahi-jalebi at Heera Halwayi in Civil Lines, chhola samosa chaat at Sainik Sweets, gulab jamun at Dehati Rasgulla, chaat at Nirala Mishthan Bhandar and angoori petha, kulfi falooda and dahi bhalla at Kamdhenu Sweets. For all the sins of gluttony, there’s always a dip at the Triveni Sangam…</p>.<p><em>(The authors are travel/food writers and culinary consultants “loosely based” in Bengaluru. They customise solutions for the hospitality industry, have authored guides and coffee table books, curated TV shows, set up an award-winning restaurant and are working on a book on heritage eateries of India. Follow their adventures on Instagram: @red_scarab)</em></p>