On the Quest to Find the Best Seekh Kebab in Delhi : Sangam Kabab Corner in Ballimaran
On the Quest to Find the Best Seekh Kebab in Delhi : Sangam Kabab Corner in Ballimaran
This is a tale of February 2023. After around 11 and a half months of staying in Dilli, I could boast of having explored every major kebab spot that this city had to offer. From the buttery Qureshi to the soft Al Kauser to the inexpensive Bhaijaan, I had checked off most of the city’s iconic kebab spots, and many unexplored ones, off my map-cum-checklist. Yet, despite my Augean efforts to hunt down every kebabchi of these seven cities like a really hungry John Wick, one spot managed to consistently elude me - a small, late-night, family-run joint in Gali Qasim Jan in Old Dilli - Sangam Kabab Corner. Knowing that Sangam was a late-night spot, I once reached the nearby Chawri Bazaar Metro Station at around 1830, and then made my way to the treasure spot, walking through the crowded lanes of Bazaar Sirkiwalan, surrounded by the commotion of autowallas and labourers managing the end of their working day, passing through other rustic Old Dilli munching joints such as Ashok Chaat Corner, Bade Mian ki Old Kheer Shop, Standard Sweets and Shakahari Restaurant on my way, before I reached Hamdard Dawakhana on the main round - a landmark that primarily concerned me, as Sangam was located right opposite of it.
Unfortunately, the first time I reached there, they were still setting up shop, and asked me to come back after 15 minutes. Clueless as to how I would bide my time in the late evening in a place like Old Dilli, and desperate to sample these kebabs I had so fondly heard of, I somehow managed my impatience, and decided to walk up to the Chawri Bazaar Metro, and back again. The walk was a kilometer roundtrip, yet the traffic and chaos made it feel as if it were a trek no less than tenfold of the aforementioned distance. After I had decided that the Chawri Bazaar traffic was no longer negotiable, I decided to go up to the kebabchi and ask them if they were open. They declined, and said that they’ll need some time before they start business. Hungry, and tired, with my phone battery depleting, I decided not to bide any more time, and decided to snack on some of Ashok’s savoury Papdi Chaat and Kalmi Badas.
At the time, I lived in the village of Khirki in Malviya Nagar, which was easily over an hour away from where X marked the spot in Gali Qasim Jan. It was quite the effort to get to the spot, and hence I was not able to visit it very often. Which makes it rather funny that the number of times I’ve found myself in the area, only to make an unsuccessful trip to Sangam, is not once, but twice! On a chilly evening in December, I found myself rather bored after writing a semester exam, and decided to set on the northward journey, hoping that by the time I’d reach the place, it would’ve opened up. Yet, despite reaching sometime around 2000, I was proven wrong, and returned, with my kebab cravings remaining unfulfilled.
What rather annoyed me about my unfortunate encounters with Sangam was the fact that this wasn’t a item that I could afford to keep off my list. Sangam Kabab is considered one of, if not, the best kebab joint in town. The food critic Rahul Verma regards it as the best kebabs that this city has to offer. It was run by Ustaad Haji Moinuddin Qureshi, till his unfortunate demise a few years ago. Since then, his sons have taken over the spot, and play their part in keeping the legacy running.
Back to February. I finally managed to make my way to the joint at a time when it was open, after having embarked on a rather ambitious food trail with a friend of mine, having already had Butter Seekh Kebabs, Halwa, Sheermal, Daulat Ki Chaat and Kanji Bada from an assortment of spots scattered around Old Dilli. We traversed the narrow and crowded avenues of Old Dilli, from Urdu Bazaar to Matia Mahal to Chitli Qabar to Kinari Bazaar to Hauz Qazi Chowk, before finally arriving at our target in Ballimaran, which, luckily, hadn’t closed yet, with a rather large large gathered in front of a man grilling kebabs in front of the aquamarine shutters of a small, closed shop adjacent to Sangam’s own place, which was where meat, mint and onions were stocked.
We somehow managed to source four kebabs from the kebabchi, and ThumsUp from a nearby Panwaadi, and unpacked the prize we had just won (yes - after all these failed journeys to and from the place, these kebabs were no less than an award for us) with our tastebuds. It doesn’t take an empty stomach to appreciate the greatness of Sangam’s Kebabs. As the soft, juicy kebabs melted in my mouth, giving way to the wonderfully minty taste of the kebabs, one that is truly akin to a pirate’s treasure, an uncommon flavour in other Old Dilli kebab spots that I have sampled, I thought to myself, the wait was worth it. We finished the rest of the perfectly-grilled kebabs, and allowed ourselves a moment to appreciate the balance of the masalas - a true “Sangam” of flavours, a dish perfectly tied together, from the meat to the spices to the way in which the chutney and onions complement it, before we washed the plate down with the bottle of ThumsUp in our hands.
I can’t make up my mind as to what is my favourite Seekh Kebab spot in the city. I have managed to narrow down the selection to just three spots, all three of which prepare flawless kebabs with . From there, it is rather hard to decide which combination of masalas and charred-ness comes on top. But for now, that crown is shared by three very worthy kebabchis - Kale Baba in Chitli Qabar, Talib Kebab in Zakir Nagar, and our very own Sangam Kabab.
Recommendations : Buff Seekh Kebabs (9.5/10)
Location : 1612, Gali Qasim Jan, Ballimaran Road, Chandni Chowk, New Delhi, Delhi - 110006
