Delhiwale: A dish with character

Let’s get straight to the point—the sookhi aloo subzi. It is too yummy, almost like the one we make at home, but homelier. And it looks so delicious that you can have a nice time just gazing on it. Small cubes of potatoes tossed in a mix of spices. Each piece of aloo silently tempting you with the words—“What are you waiting for, come eat me!”

This is just one of the dishes this south Delhi’s Green Park stall is offering. Apparently, it is not considered of much consequence for the eatery is named after another dish. The modestly named Yadavji Chole Parathe Wale wants to be known for its chhole and parathe. The place also serves rice and kulche. But really, you ought to come for its aloo subzi. The trick is—the aloo subzi is not available daily. It’s there if the owner feels like cooking it in the morning.

In any case, dry potato subzi is hard to spot by in pavement eateries. Even the best of restaurants, if they serve it, don’t do full justice to it. Many of these fancy destinations deep-fry the potatoes and toss it in spices afterwards. That’s cheating. One could as well eat aloo chaat or finger fries.

An ideal aloo subzi is arguably just about diced potatoes (not mashed) boiled to perfection (not too soft, not too hard) and shallow fried—just a hint—with a bit of spices (including jeera, or cumin seeds). The spices should be so light that they only help to accentuate the potato’s essence. Yadavji’s potato subzi is close to that ideal. The only drawback is that the dish looks so beautiful that you might not want to touch it.

In his 30s, Mr Yadav, a native of Bulandshahr in UP, founded the stall 17 years ago. It opens daily from 8am to 4pm. The aloo subzi goes best with paratha. And if you really insist on knowing it, the chhole dish is passably tasty. Try their kadhi and chaas (buttermilk) too. Have the feast right by the stall, or get it packed and walk over to nearby Deer Park for a picnic.

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