by now, indian street food is a sensation. so much so that swanky upmarket restaurants are labeling themselves as hubs of street foods. and most justifiably, they’re thronged.
yet, there are streets naturally cut to be in a foodie’s good books but lie forgotten in the nowhere. because these streets aren’t located in the middle of a metropolitan. because these streets don’t spam your news feed. because these streets won’t shout out for their five minutes of fame. because the diehard foodie is kept busy by the urban version.
tonight, i drove into such a street and hit upon a mine. and there was a blast, believe me. this street can’t be called forgotten altogether because it’s bang on the highway and right next to an inter city bus stand. but these jhurray ka rasgulla, crisp and soft at the same time, with rabri and without it, that this neglected street churns out every evening, are yet to get their share of limelight. undoubtedly. personally, i wondered they are actually gulab jamun. but what’s in a name?
the ‘brand’ has existed in katangi, this nondescript hinterland in the heart of india, about 30 kms from jabalpur, for the past 110 years, i am told. and why jhurray? that’s the name of the man behind the brand. now you’ll find his grandsons running the show. within katangi, jhurray ka rasgulla is a chain. the village market is punctuated with these penny plain outlets.
if you have an untamed sweet tooth like me, you should not be reading this any further. you should be devouring jhurra ka rasgulla like some insane hunger demon. already!
all photos by: the blue parachute