In search of Sulemani Chai in Bhopal -

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We were in Bhopal for a day during our long road trip to Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. A day wasn’t sufficient to explore this lovely place, which still retains its old world charm. Bhopal is still laid back and is similar to Lucknow or Hyderabad to some extent.

Apart from sights of Bhopal, which are lovely, it is also famed for its Nawabi cuisine. Bhopal Khansama is not well known like Hyderabad or Lucknow. But for connoisseurs of good food, it is an amazing place to explore.

Being veggies, we were at a disadvantage when we moved around the food streets of Old Bhopal. This is a paradise for Non-vegetarians. We knew this. But we were now in search of the authentic Sulemani chai of Bhopal. It is different from Sulemani chais you get elsewhere. Our search ends at Itawar Chowk in Old Bhopal at Jamal Bhai’s chai ki Dukaan.

There is big crowd of chai drinkers at the dukhan. Chai served from a huge samovar something unusual for anyone familiar with the way chai is made in North India. It almost resembled the famous “boiler” which is used in Tamil Nadu in South India for making tea. The tea is sweet and salty, served with dollops of cream! It tastes heavenly. We have one cup first followed by another!