The city of Indore, Madhya Pradesh is known for its street food, and for almost every tourist there, a visit to places like Sarafa or Chappan form an essential part of the itinerary. While Sarafa Bazar is one of the prime night street food markets in the country, operating from the evening till late at night, Chappan boasts of 56 different shops serving varieties of food. The most well-known street food from Indore is definitely poha, the favourite breakfast dish of the city is often consumed with hot jalebis. Khatta Samosa, Bhajiya, Sabudana Khichdi, Bhutte ke Kees and Benjo (a local sandwich) are some of the snacks that Indore is known for.
A small outlet at Madhapur is bringing many of these delicacies to Hyderabad. Indori Bhiya, located close to the Hitech theatre was set up by Rahul Bagri about 18 months ago. Rahul, who did his MBA from this city hails from Madhya Pradesh, with his wife being a native of Indore. Missing the Indori poha in Hyderabad was the prime motivation for him to set up this place which now offers a variety of delicacies from that city.
Indori Bhiya serves eight varieties of poha, the delicacy where the flattened rice is garnished with chopped onions and coriander and served with Indori sev and pomegranate seeds on top. Apart from the usual recipe, the outlet has varieties like Usal Poha, Kaanda Fali Poha and Sahebji Ka Poha (a layered dish inspired by the famous Head Sahab ka Poha from Indore). Sabudana Khichdi is another popular dish with a special spicy option for the Hyderabadis, and Indori Bhiya a fried version.
The potato filled Khatta Samosa is another delicacy worth trying. There is a “bana ke” version where the samosa is served as a chaat. The Indori burgers or “Benjo” made famous by Johny Hotdog in that city are also available. However Indori Bhiya is a pure vegetarian place. You can also enjoy mini lunch platters such as Sev Tamater Bhaji with rotis.
Rahul rues that he is unable to serve a few other Indori dishes due to non-availability of the ingredients. Garadu is ruled out as the tuberous root vegetable is not available here. A new outlet in another part of Cyberabad may be on the cards soon. Sabyasachi is a food enthusiast and blogs at www.foodaholix.in