Chandni Chowk sweets and snacks you can order abroad
Chandni Chowk is the Mughal-era main street of Old Delhi, laid out in the 1650s, and for most visitors it means one thing: food. Its sweet houses and paan shops sell things that are hard to find outside India, and some of them travel well. This guide lists the Chandni Chowk sweets and snacks in the Taj Bazaar catalog, how long each keeps, and how to serve them. All ship from our US stock in 1–2 days, with duties included in the price.
The list
| Sweet or snack | What it is | Size | Best within | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Old Delhi Sohan Halwa | Wheat, ghee, sugar, almonds, pistachio and saffron, set into discs | 400 g tin | 3 months | $16 |
| Soan Papdi Festive Box | Flaky gram-flour layers with ghee, cardamom and pistachio | 500 g box | 3 months | $12 |
| Imli Goli Tamarind Candy | Tamarind, jaggery, black salt and cumin balls | 200 g jar | 6 months | $6 |
| Paan Mukhwas After-Meal Mix | Fennel, sugar-coated fennel, coconut, rose petal, cardamom | 150 g jar | 9 months | $8 |
Sohan halwa: the Old Delhi speciality
Sohan halwa is slow-cooked for hours until it sets into dense, nut-studded discs, a speciality of Old Delhi's old sweet houses. It is chewy rather than soft, rich with ghee, and comes in a tin, which is why it ships better than most Indian sweets. Cut a disc into wedges and serve with tea.
Soan papdi: the Diwali box
Soan papdi is pulled by hand into flaky, melt-in-the-mouth layers and is the most exchanged Diwali sweet in India. If you are visiting family for Diwali on 8 November, the 500 g box is the expected gift. Both sweets are best within 3 months, so order them for the occasion rather than far ahead.
Imli goli and mukhwas: the paan-shop jars
Imli goli are the sticky sweet-sour tamarind balls sold from glass jars at Old Delhi paan and sweet shops, a taste of childhood for many Indians abroad. Paan mukhwas is the bowl of sweet fennel offered at the door of every Delhi restaurant; ours has no supari or tobacco and uses FDA-permitted colours only. Put a bowl out after dinner.
Chai, the way the stalls serve it
Old Delhi stalls serve chai in clay kulhads. The kulhad cups ($22, six 150 ml cups) are made by potters in Khurja, and the masala chai blend ($15) is strong Assam CTC with whole crushed spices. Together with a tin of sohan halwa they make an Old Delhi tea table.
For the cook
The Old Delhi Street Food Kit ($39) combines Khari Baoli spices with imli goli and mukhwas from Chandni Chowk, plus recipe cards for aloo chaat, chana and fruit chaat.
More
Read our Diwali sweets that ship guide, the Khari Baoli spice market guide, and the full Old Delhi bazaars guide.