Taka Tak, Nihari & Paya: Imagining Lahore With These 4 Dishes In Delhi

Inspired from Haroon Khalid’s stellar read Imagining Lahore, some Mughlai goodness was all we were craving for, which lead us to make a list for all the meat lovers in town! Oozing with the most authentic flavours of Lahore, this gastronomical list is going to leave you drooling and everything you try will leave you licking your fingers.

Served steaming hot with Khameeri rotis, this dish will bring you instant happiness. Once a meaty and buttery breakfast for the Mughals, this dish entails all the flavours that will take you to the streets of Lahore and feast like Kings.

Aromatic flavours soaked in ghee, the Balti Meat at Dhaba, Claridges is one of the few things you can never say no to. While everything at this Highway-themed restaurant is spectacular, their Balti Meat will leave you spellbound. They usually have a long list of waiting during weekends, so try and go here for a mid-week escapade with friends of family (anyone who LOVES food).

You might not be able to travel all the way to Bashir Darul Mahi in Mazung, where they serve fish along with radish and tamarind sauce, and some hot naan, but what you can do is drive down to Ganesh Restaurant in Karol Bagh and order a plate of steaming, fried fish. This old Delhi delight is an absolute must if you love winters, because you’re a fan of the fish season! 

End your sumptuous journey with a Karachi halwa at Chaina Ram confectionery in Chandni Chowk. After a delightful experience of spices, this sweet delight will only calm your sweet cravings. Prepared with pure ghee, milk and dry fruits, the richness of this paste will melt in your mouth and give you a perfect sign off to this Lahori debauchery.

All of these dishes are bound to take you on a tasteful ride you would never want to end. With so much food inspiration from Lahore, we definitely feel like booking our tickets to the land we’d like to call—a foodie’s paradise. And once you land there, one place you absolutely have to visit for the foodie in you is Laxmi Chowk. On the ground floors of these buildings are some of the most iconic restaurant of Lahore, dispensing haleem, biryani, payee, halwa puri like no other. Wish to know more about all of these hidden gems and the rich heritage of this city? Grab a copy of Imagining Lahore by Haroon Khalid, an anecdotal travelogue about the oldest living cities in the world.