A century ago, jewelers in Indore’s Sarafa Bazaar needed night security for their gold. Instead of hiring armed guards, they invited street food vendors to cook outside their doors.
That ingenious deterrent created a tradition that continues today. At 8:00 PM every evening, the glittering storefronts of the city's premier jewelry market lock up, and within an hour, the narrow streets are completely taken over by one of India's most vibrant nocturnal street food markets.
During the day, Sarafa functions exactly as its name implies, serving as a busy commercial center dealing in gold, silver, and precious stones. But as evening falls, the jewelers pack up their displays and roll down their steel shutters. Immediately, hundreds of food vendors move in, setting up massive woks, grills, and tawas directly in front of the closed shops.
The lively atmosphere and constant foot traffic continue to provide de facto night security for the wealth stored inside the buildings. Today, the market draws thousands of visitors nightly, specializing entirely in vegetarian street food that highlights the distinct culinary traditions of the Malwa region. The signature dish of the bazaar is bhutte ka kees, a savory, comforting dish made by grating fresh corn, cooking it down in milk, and tempering it with mustard seeds, green chilies, and coconut. Another staple is garadu, chunks of yam that are deep-fried twice for crunch and heavily dusted with a proprietary, tangy spice blend.
The market is equally focused on desserts. Vendors fry gigantic jalebis known as jalebas and serve malpua, a sweet pancake soaked in syrup. Perhaps the most unusual regional specialty is Indore's version of shikanji. While the rest of India uses the word "shikanji" to describe a spiced lemonade, the Sarafa Bazaar version contains no lemon at all. Instead, it is a thick, rich beverage made from reduced milk, yogurt, saffron, cardamom, and nuts, offering a sweet end to a night of eating that rarely winds down before 2:00 AM.
