"Old Delhi, the erstwhile capital of the Mugal emperor Shah Jahan, maintains its own specific dialects, customs, and cuisines. Even as other kinds of chaat have leaked into other parts of the city and country, kuliya chaat remains predominantly a specialty in the old city. Specialists hollow out cooked potatoes or sweet potatoes, as well as raw tomatoes and cucumbers, to act as kulhads, or vessels, for boiled chickpeas. The stuffed cups are topped with house spice mixes, pomegranate seeds, and abundant lemon juice. Hira Lal’s shop is more than 100 years old and one of the only shops to concentrate on this lighter, healthier chaat option in the old city. The shop also does a version with seasonal fruits, for which they use a different chaat masala, which is more sour and tangy than their standard spice mix, to bring out the sweetness of the fruit." - Sharanya Deepak
