Khandwa famous food: As soon as winter sets in, the evenings of Khandwa return to their old glory. Devnarayan Chowk, which people fondly call Jalebi Chowk, has the biggest crowd every night at one shop, Guru Doodh Bhandar. This is not an ordinary shop, but a place that has become the identity of Khandwa’s taste for 71 years. Only two things are sold here, milk and jalebi. The taste of these two things is such that people come from far away villages and cities to taste it.
The specialty of Guru Doodh Bhandar is not only its taste, but also its story. The shop was started in 1955 by Anirudh Sharma’s great grandfather. In those times, a glass of milk was available for only 50 paise. Today the price may have gone up to Rs 20, but the taste remains the same. As if time has stopped here.
Anirudh Sharma says that the real identity of his shop is the thick milk like Rabri, which is offered for a long time without any color, saffron or adulteration. After continuous boiling, milk acquires its natural color on its own. Anirudh laughingly says that here neither saffron nor color is added to the milk, its redness comes from boiling itself.
The identity of the shop is not only the milk but also the Jalebi. Generally, the Jalebi available in the market is made from a solution prepared with water. But Guru Doodh Bhandar’s Jalebi is made from ghee and milk. Therefore its taste and crispness is completely different. Anirudh himself makes jalebi standing near the pan. It is said that our Jalebi is made of ghee and milk, hence both its taste and aroma are special.
The beauty of this shop is that even today every work here is done by family members. The fourth generation is carrying forward this tradition. The old man who started the shop is no longer in this world. But his memory is still alive in the form of taste. There is only one thing on people’s lips – winter is not complete without eating milk and jalebi from Guru Doodh Bhandar.
Seeing the long queue outside the shop on cold nights, it can be guessed that this is not just a taste, but a tradition. A hot glass of milk thick like rabri and crispy jalebi made at the same time… this taste attracts people of all ages. It seems as if the cold of Khandwa is fulfilled by this milk-jalebi.
Years kept changing, shops kept opening and closing, but the taste of Guru Doodh Bhandar never changed. This is the reason why even today there is a crowd in front of this shop. People come here not just to eat, but to live the 71 year old tradition that makes Khandwa special every winter.
