Inside India’s Busiest Government Canteen!! (3,000 People Every Day)

0:00 This is a $2 all you can [music] eat meal

0:02 at one of the most popular Indian canteens in Delhi.

0:06 And today we're investigating three of the best Indian government canteens.

0:12 Look at all the thalis preparing for the lunch rush.

0:15 Firstly, how did they come about and [music]

0:17 why do thousands of people flock here for lunch?

0:21 It's a beautiful day in Delhi and Delhi is the capital city of India

0:25 and so throughout Delhi there's these state bhawans which are like state houses.

0:31 They're kind of like mini embassies which also provide accommodation

0:35 and they've become really famous for food lovers for their state

0:38 canteens which serve authentic regional Indian food and so we are

0:45 starting this morning at one of my favorite states in India.

0:50 [music] It's like a mini Kerala.

0:51 Traditionally, I believe the canteens were only open

0:53 to government people to visit but now they've been open

0:57 to the public at least a lot of them and we've got three of them to try today.

1:01 Kerala canteen for breakfast.

1:04 Wrong try actually.

1:05 That was not the canteen.

1:07 There was some government function going on here.

1:09 We'll try again.

1:09 He said over this side.

1:11 The Kerala canteen.

1:13 So yeah, we are here for breakfast although lunch

1:15 would be good too but we have big lunch plans.

1:19 All right, so how it works is you actually [music] order here

1:21 at the front before you go inside and you get some tickets.

1:24 The menu is limited and daily but you know you're getting something good.

1:31 We got our receipt and ticket.

1:38 All right, so you just find a seat.

1:40 Friendly service.

1:42 Oh, and the food comes out fast.

1:44 Oh, and then immediately you're scooped.

1:47 Thank you.

1:49 Man, I love this place.

1:50 Just the atmosphere, the laid-backness,

1:53 the friendliness and hospitality just takes you

1:55 back directly to Kerala and we were

1:58 in Kerala it's been a while actually but Kerala we had such an incredible trip.

2:03 Shout out to Evan.

2:04 Kerala is an amazing state.

2:06 The food is incredible.

2:08 And yeah, so you just pay over there,

2:10 your food comes immediately, they serve you the tray,

2:11 they dish you the I think today the specialty

2:13 is like a chickpea a chickpea wow, thank you.

2:16 Thank you.

2:17 And the man was so friendly over here.

2:19 He ordered us another egg curry and the egg

2:21 curry is like the upgrade for breakfast today.

2:23 We have the appams which are like thicker pancake dosa.

2:27 I think it's made from a combination

2:28 of either rice flour and uh dal maybe combination.

2:31 I'm not totally sure.

2:32 And the kadala curry is a Kerala style

2:35 black chickpeas plus the egg curry plus the tea.

2:37 It comes to 100 rupees which I just did the conversion right now.

2:40 It's just over a dollar.

2:41 It's a dollar and 9 cents.

2:43 So it's affordable, it's hearty.

2:44 From the color and from the smell you can just

2:47 already tell how much flavor is going to be within this.

2:50 I'm so excited to try it.

2:51 Oh, my mouth is actually watering.

2:53 So let's start.

2:54 We got the appams.

2:55 Oh yeah, these are perfectly fluffy and aerated and spongy.

3:00 And I got to try that kadala curry first.

3:03 You see the onions, the black chickpeas, the sauce,

3:07 the the whole dry chilies floating around in there as well.

3:19 That first bite and it's like you're immediately back in Kerala.

3:22 The sponginess of the appam is just perfect for soaking up that gravy.

3:25 I think there's coconut in there as well.

3:27 You taste the flavor of the mustard seed,

3:28 the dried chilies and then the the black chickpeas.

3:33 Oh, that's superb.

3:34 Appam is the perfect vessel for just scooping it all up.

3:45 Delicious but I can't wait to try that egg curry.

3:48 So actually as I was just taking that bite I met a guy from Kerala.

3:52 Actually a lot of people are from Kerala here but he was super cool.

3:55 He said he said that he eats breakfast

3:58 and lunch every day here but I think that's

4:01 what these canteens represent cuz India is so huge

4:05 and the diversity and the different flavors of different

4:08 foods from every region is so different and so

4:10 when you're from a certain region but you're

4:11 working in Delhi this is the place to come

4:14 to get an authentic taste at an affordable price.

4:18 So the egg curry but first let me

4:19 just taste the sauce before digging into that egg.

4:21 You can just see it's just absolutely studded with mustard seeds, with onions.

4:27 That sauce looks unbelievable.

4:29 Oh, man.

4:38 Oh, wow.

4:42 That's the morning wake up call.

4:44 Oh, you immediately feel the chili in there, the chili powder.

4:48 The aroma of the mustard seeds.

4:50 The onions have been simmered down,

4:52 sauteed down and they're just kind of melting in your mouth.

4:56 But that's like just properly like a red chili stew.

4:59 Oh, that's superb.

5:01 Yeah, let's go into the egg next.

5:05 Oh, oh the sponginess.

5:07 All the pressure of the egg.

5:08 Okay.

5:14 Load it up with that that gravy.

5:26 This might be one of the greatest worldwide ways to eat hard-boiled eggs ever.

5:33 Look at all that sauce.

5:36 That mix of masala but that red chili is just taking things to the next level.

5:42 So simple but so good.

5:45 And then follow that with some of the tea.

5:51 Yeah.

5:52 Milky strong tea.

5:53 A little bit of spice in there.

5:55 Like a cardamom touch.

6:00 Oh, this is great.

6:02 And the appam is perfect actually for just soaking up both dishes.

6:08 Oh, let's go in for that dry chili next.

6:24 But that dry chili almost gives it a fruity touch.

6:27 Oh, yeah.

6:28 That hit you in the back of the throat.

6:30 Super good food.

6:36 Properly authentic.

6:37 That's for sure.

6:38 That's I think the first thing I've learned right now is that when you

6:43 want some authentic food from each region

6:45 of India you come to the state canteen.

6:48 Just it is a piece of that state within Delhi.

6:55 Oh.

6:57 You do not want a single drip of that egg curry to leave that in your bowl.

7:09 And people are so friendly here.

7:10 That was absolutely fantastic.

7:12 So tasty for breakfast in the morning but from here

7:14 we still have a lot of food to eat.

7:16 I'm excited to share the next place with you.

7:18 Thank you.

7:25 All right, we made it to our next meal which is at the New Sikkim

7:28 [music] House and Sikkim is a state

7:30 in India which is in northeastern part of India.

7:35 It's kind of slotted right between Nepal and Bhutan.

7:38 Actually, 12 or 14 years ago [music] Yeng and I visited Sikkim

7:42 and the food as we're about to see is going to be totally different.

7:46 Yeah, I'm really excited to see what they have on their menu today.

7:53 Step inside.

7:53 Well, there's a small crowd outside and then it's like quiet here

7:56 but then you get in here and you can hear the buzz.

7:59 It's packed right now for lunch.

8:02 You'll notice even like the decorations, the architecture,

8:04 the design, everything is based on Sikkimese culture here.

8:09 At the Kerala canteen it was more like

8:11 a cafeteria style like really fast-paced come and go.

8:13 This one has more of a sit-down restaurant kind of feel to it.

8:16 And it's like a full full menu.

8:19 I was thinking like people would just come here

8:20 for the thali but in fact there's 100 dishes

8:23 on their menu that you can choose from and it's

8:25 a mix of foods in Sikkim or Sikkimese, Bhutanese, Tibetan, Nepali,

8:33 North Indian kind of all mixed together within the the state of Sikkim.

8:36 But to begin with we're starting with their Chinar

8:39 apple beer which is actually non-alcoholic so

8:41 it's like an apple cider with from Kashmir

8:43 actually actually from Kashmir so Kashmiri apple cider.

8:52 That's fantastic.

8:54 Oh, that's so crisp and refreshing.

9:00 Really good.

9:01 Buffalo chili momo.

9:03 These are the chili momos.

9:04 The buffalo chili momos excellent.

9:06 So the momos they've been fried I think then stir-fried with chili,

9:11 green onions on top.

9:12 I want to get all those little goodies as well.

9:14 They're probably flaming hot but I'm going to take a whole bite.

9:17 I can't resist.

9:24 Very hot.

9:27 They're crispy and yet they've been stir-fried with all that chili to give

9:32 them another dimension of flavor with that buffalo meat in the center.

9:36 I'm going to add on some of that chili sauce.

9:42 Oh, wow.

9:44 Momo's taken to the next level.

9:46 Just brings back so many memories.

9:48 And here comes the thali.

9:49 This one is Nepali mutton thali.

9:51 Thank you very much.

9:52 Nepali.

9:53 Okay, cool.

9:53 Thank you very much.

9:54 Thank you very much.

9:55 He called this actually the Nepali thali

9:57 but the the whole region has very similar food Sikkim, Nepal,

10:02 even some of the Tibetan dishes as well,

10:03 but served also traditionally on this metal like a brass tray,

10:07 which is actually very heavy.

10:08 Rice in the center.

10:10 There's like a dozen different dishes surrounding

10:12 and I went with the mutton curry.

10:14 There's dal, there's curd, there's the different chutneys,

10:17 there's the bitter gourd, potato, some green vegetables.

10:21 I think you can just kind of go in with whatever you you like.

10:24 I guess I'll just start with this little little dish right here.

10:27 Could be like more of like a chutney almost.

10:35 Mhm.

10:38 I'm not sure if it's pumpkin,

10:38 but it has like a sticky kind of like pumpkiny sweetness

10:41 to it as well as like a a smokiness to it.

10:45 Excellent.

10:46 And I'm really excited to try the the bitter gourd.

10:50 [music]

10:49 And you can also pour on some of the dal to keep the rice moist and juicy.

10:59 Mhm.

11:01 I think those are like black lentils cuz

11:03 they have that smokiness to them, this creaminess,

11:06 and then with the pieces of the bitter gourd are a little bit chewy,

11:11 crispy, and you taste that bitterness coming out as you keep biting.

11:15 Next one looks like a potatoes with green chilies with like kicked in a masala.

11:25 Mhm.

11:26 Mhm.

11:27 Mhm.

11:28 I think it's okra actually.

11:30 Yeah, that's what it is.

11:31 Potatoes and okra with a little bit like of a tomatoey

11:34 gravy with spices that have been dehydrated to stick to everything.

11:41 Yeah, and then we got some of the green veg as well.

11:44 And then for this I'll probably add some

11:46 of this little bit of this chutney here.

11:49 Oh, and I love how they serve a a green chili

11:51 on the side to add some more spice to your mouth.

11:55 Mhm.

11:57 I'll follow that.

11:59 Oh, that's like a tastes like bok choy like stir-fried with a smokiness.

12:05 I'll taste that with some of the green chili.

12:10 I do remember that the dishes are not always spicy,

12:13 but they always have green chilies on the side.

12:16 I can feel the chili fumes going down my throat on that one.

12:20 Mhm.

12:22 And I love the freshness of all the ingredients.

12:23 You really taste like the the vegetables, the natural flavors.

12:27 The spices are not that strong, but just soothing and tasty.

12:32 And oh, yeah, we still have the mutton curry.

12:35 Oh, I'll just dump it all.

12:36 Oh, that's hot.

12:38 Oh, yeah.

12:39 A pool of mutton juice.

12:42 Oh, and look at the tenderness of it.

12:45 Oh, wow, that's hot.

12:47 Flaming hot.

12:48 But yeah, look at that.

12:50 That piece of mutton.

12:57 That is so hot.

12:58 Oh, wow.

13:00 Oh.

13:01 Oh, that's phenomenal flavor though.

13:03 So tasty.

13:05 Here you really taste that it's been stewed down for a long time.

13:07 You taste all those aromatic spices,

13:09 especially like almost has like a cinnamon clove aroma to it.

13:12 Probably to pair with the mutton, that meatiness, that definite meatiness.

13:17 Mhm.

13:19 Finish the green chili with that.

13:23 Oh, wow.

13:24 That green chili goes straight to the back of your throat.

13:27 Oh, that feels incredible.

13:28 And it's so cool to be able to get the authentic

13:30 flavor of Sikkim when you're in the heart of Delhi.

13:34 And this does bring back some incredible

13:36 memories of traveling in this region of India.

13:41 This was an outstanding meal,

13:44 highly recommended uh Sikkim House when you're in Delhi.

13:47 So, we started off this morning with South Indian flavors in Kerala.

13:50 Then we completely like changed our taste buds up for this meal here in Sikkim,

13:57 which is in the northeastern part of India.

13:59 And for our next meal, we're going to go to have another South Indian meal

14:04 to again light up our taste buds with spice and flavor.

14:07 And the next place we're going is probably, well, for sure,

14:10 it is easily the most popular canteen in all of Delhi.

14:20 Oh, we made it to Andhra Pradesh, which is in the south of India,

14:24 kind of the northern part of the south of India.

14:26 [music] And they're famous for spicy food, and this place,

14:30 I know on the popular days they can serve

14:33 [music] up to two or three thousand people a day.

14:35 This is one of the absolute must-eat at, biggest-followed,

14:39 [music] most famous canteens in Delhi.

14:44 And we're luckily here right before the lunch rush, I think.

14:48 But yeah, this place is known [music] to get extremely packed and hectic.

14:53 Oh, I can smell the spices already in the air.

14:58 Okay.

15:00 [music] Yes, thank you.

14:59 Thank you.

15:06 [music] So, the owner actually goes around the tables [music]

15:12 and like tells what they've ordered so

15:14 that all the waiters can deliver the food.

15:17 It's an impressive operation here, just [music] constant flow of people.

15:20 You have to see how many thalis they have

15:23 lined up stacked up preparing for the lunch rush.

15:28 [music] Hundreds of trays are about to be served.

15:30 This is an impressive operation [music] serving incredible food.

15:35 Oh, literally the moment [music] you sit down,

15:37 they serve you the metal tray for the thali.

15:40 Oh, and here comes the dishes right now.

15:42 All the different dishes of the day.

15:43 This is all the veg dishes.

15:45 So, the veg is like the the set meal.

15:48 Dal.

15:50 Oh, is that some sambar?

15:53 Oh, it's up G, okay.

15:55 Oh, nice.

15:56 The full set meal, all the different veg dishes.

15:59 With the puri, yes, please.

16:00 Thank you.

16:01 Okay.

16:02 Oh, yes, the biryani has arrived.

16:04 This one is the mutton biryani and then this one is the the chicken fry.

16:07 Just a little bit, yeah, thank you.

16:09 Thank you.

16:09 Okay.

16:10 And the rice comes around.

16:11 Oh, wow.

16:12 Oh, thank you.

16:13 Oh, more dishes are coming.

16:14 Thank you.

16:15 Oh, this one is like a mix of green beans, carrots.

16:19 Is it coconut?

16:19 Is it coconut inside?

16:20 With coconut?

16:21 Okay, thank you.

16:23 Man, dishes keep coming around.

16:24 And I think we have the full thali set now

16:26 though before we jump into the biryani and the chicken fry.

16:29 Let's start with the thali.

16:30 Start with the the little puri.

16:33 And I'll just go straight into the This one is the dal, I think, yeah?

16:44 Mhm.

16:45 Mhm.

16:47 I love how that dal is full of herbs.

16:50 It's really herbaceous.

16:51 I think a lot of coriander in there giving it

16:54 this like bright green flavor and that starchiness of the lentils.

16:57 Delicious.

16:58 I'll go in for the drumsticks now and these are called drumsticks,

17:01 which are moringa pods.

17:03 And actually I'll move some of that curry over to the rice.

17:07 Oh, you start You see the mustard seeds studded with mustard seeds.

17:11 And actually you can kind of you kind of have

17:12 to eat the pulp on the inside of those.

17:14 I mean, it's kind of woody on the outside.

17:16 Let me just move over that gravy, mix it in with the the rice.

17:24 Mhm.

17:25 Mhm.

17:26 The flavor of the mustard seeds.

17:29 Well, that has some nice chili heat to it.

17:31 And then you taste like the woodiness

17:32 of those uh moringa pods or drumsticks as they're called.

17:38 And typically what you can do with a drumstick,

17:39 you can pick it up and you can kind of just

17:41 strip out strip out all that pulp from the inside.

17:44 Mhm.

17:47 And it kind of has this like a little bit of a hint

17:51 of a bitterness um and then it has um like you feel the seeds

17:56 and then you feel like the the juicy pulpiness of the inside which

17:59 also has been absorbed with all of that masala and all those spices.

18:03 Oh, that's tasty.

18:04 So good.

18:05 Okay, I'll go for some of the green banana next.

18:09 Oh, yeah, you feel the stickiness of that banana.

18:12 This is when things really start to get

18:13 good when you just start to mix and match.

18:15 And actually you can even mix in that that crispiness of that papad as well.

18:23 Mhm.

18:26 That has the stickiness to it, the starchiness to it.

18:29 And so tasty.

18:32 And then I'll move into the the brinjal, which is the the eggplant.

18:36 With some of that transfer some of this over to the rice.

18:38 And then for this I will start to crunch into my my papad.

18:43 And crunch it up, mix it all together.

18:45 Multiple dimensions of textures and flavors.

18:56 Mhm.

18:57 Mhm.

19:00 So tasty, so good.

19:05 And I am like going light on the rice because we've already eaten a lot.

19:09 But you can get as much unlimited rice and unlimited all of the veg side dishes.

19:15 Everything is unlimited.

19:16 It's all you can eat.

19:18 So, you will see people coming here just with mountains of food,

19:22 just delicious, flavorful.

19:26 Again, people come to the canteens

19:28 for the authentic flavors from their home state.

19:32 Oh, this is the real deal, Andhra Pradesh flavors.

19:37 Oh.

19:38 You just taste the layers of different

19:40 spices that are embedded into all the dishes.

19:42 Okay, I'll go for the sambar next.

19:52 Do that again.

19:59 With that acidity.

20:01 Feels like watermelon in there.

20:03 I'm not really sure what the vegetables are of the day,

20:05 but sambar is something that never fails to excite your taste buds.

20:10 It's the layering of spices and flavors.

20:16 Okay, well this is their famous chicken fry.

20:19 Give a little bit of a squeeze of lime on there.

20:23 This is not your average just chicken fry though.

20:25 Look at it's just caked in spice and flavor.

20:30 Oh, it goes deep.

20:31 Oh, it's like bone-in chunks.

20:32 Bone-in chunks.

20:33 It almost looks like meaty.

20:38 Okay.

20:39 Yeah.

20:39 Oh my goodness.

20:40 This looks insane.

20:41 The amount of like dried caked on spices onto that chicken looks unbelievable.

20:55 Oh, our chicken fry.

20:57 Okay.

20:59 Not quite sure of his name, but he's he's kind of taking care of us

21:03 and I believe he's the manager of the restaurant,

21:05 but he recommended the chicken fry.

21:06 He said we have to we have to try it.

21:08 The amount of spices which have been

21:11 like simmered down then caked onto the chicken.

21:15 The condensed intensity of the flavor, the heat, it's all there.

21:21 Plastered plastered onto the chicken.

21:23 Oh.

21:24 That's so flavorful.

21:29 Oh.

21:30 Wow.

21:31 All right, chicken fry is insane.

21:34 And just that you you taste the black pepper, the chili.

21:41 You want to lick the bone on this.

21:43 That's without a doubt.

21:48 Again, before I before I try the biryani though, let me take a sip of the rasam.

21:53 Like a staple of South India.

22:02 There's nothing like taking a drink of rasam.

22:05 And sometimes even in South India,

22:06 I remember you pour it in your hand and then you drink it from your hand.

22:09 It's like one of the greatest liquids you can possibly drink.

22:15 Oh, it's so good.

22:16 Okay, now for the biryani.

22:19 I'll put some of this onto my my tray.

22:21 Oh, you feel you feel the fluffiness of the rice, the mutton down there.

22:27 And look at even on the interiors you

22:28 can see like that the moistness of the biryani.

22:38 Oh, wow.

22:39 And I'm this this Bawarchi this Andhra Bawarchi

22:42 is actually very famous for their their biryani.

22:44 Sometimes before I had read that it's only available on certain days and some

22:48 people line up like all the way around the corner to wait for the biryani,

22:51 but I think we got lucky.

22:52 I think he said like for the next few days they're serving it.

22:54 Maybe it's a special occasion.

22:56 But yeah, it has a a huge following.

22:59 And on first bite you just taste all of that spice.

23:03 The green chilies really stand out.

23:05 The flavor of the mutton and just the texture of that rice is incredible.

23:09 Oh, man.

23:09 Yes.

23:12 And the tenderness of the mutton.

23:14 Phenomenal.

23:20 Damn.

23:22 That is unbelievable.

23:23 No wonder it has such a huge following.

23:26 It's so popular.

23:28 May I add a little bit more?

23:30 And then I'll go in for the raita now,

23:32 which is cucumbers and there's onions in here as well.

23:46 Incredible.

23:47 With that freshness of the yogurt, that crunch of the cucumber and the onions.

23:53 Oh, what a combination.

23:54 Oh, the biryani is unbelievable.

23:57 [music] Absolutely love it.

24:04 Like this is one of the the greatest,

24:06 most satisfying taste bud flavors meal you can possibly have.

24:13 Oh, phenomenal.

24:15 Okay, let's try the dessert.

24:22 Oh, yeah, that's made with rice.

24:24 I like how it's [music] not too sweet, a little bit creamy.

24:26 You taste a little bit maybe of coconut in there as well.

24:28 Just a perfect way to kind of like calm

24:30 down your taste buds after a a thrilling meal.

24:34 Excellent food.

24:35 Thank you.

24:36 Thank you.

24:36 Excellent food.

24:37 Yes.

24:37 Yes.

24:38 Very good.

24:38 Very good.

24:44 [music] Oh, it's things are getting packed now at the canteen.

24:46 What an environment.

24:49 Well, that was an amazing canteen tour in Delhi.

24:52 They're so popular because they're authentic and they preserve the traditional

24:56 flavors and the community of every state in India right within Delhi.

25:02 So, highly recommended if you love to eat.

25:04 Canteens are an amazing experience.

25:06 We met so [music] many friendly people.

25:08 Thank you for watching.

25:09 Uh remember to give this video a thumbs up.

25:11 Go check out [music] the next video,

25:12 more Indian food that you're not going to want

25:13 to miss and see you on the next video.