Today I take you on an expedition across Old Delhi, savouring the flavours of every street we pass. This is the home of the authentic Delhi food – the kachauris, chole bhature, stuffed paranthas and mouth-watering chaat. A trip to Delhi would be incomplete without this gastronomic adventure.

Reaching Old Delhi is no longer a nightmare with the boon of the Metro. So take the Metro from the station closest to where you stay to Chowri Bazaar. As you ascend from the modern underground station to the chaos of rickshaws, pedestrians and various forms of road traffic, look for a small shop called Kedara’s Chatwala. You simply have to try the aloo mutter chat. Be careful to specify the amount of chilli you can endure – this chat can be death by red hot peppers for some!

From here, you need to walk through Ballimaran for its various sari shops and Nayi Sarak, where you could browse through countless second hand books at astonishing prices. And as you turn from right from here to Kinaari Bazaar, you meet the world’s best kachauri wala. This street vendor has perfected the art of the fresh, crisp kachauri, served with aloo sabzi and methidana chutney.

Just down the road from here is the famous Paranthe-wali Gali. The ghee-soaked paranthas might be a nightmare for the arteries but they are a dream come true for your taste buds. You cannot get such wonderfully hot and soft paranthas anywhere in the world. And what better way to end this tour of the senses than walking through Chandni Chowk and eating the juiciest dahi vadas ever, rounded off with kulfi straight from a cooling matka.

Chandni Chowk is also the home of the original Moti Mahal and Karim’s restaurants. But that’s a whole story by itself and I’ll save it for next time.