Asma Mirza
When I saw this delicious picture of Murgh Yakhni and boiled eggs set to allure people, my memories went back to childhood train travels. Before the buses invaded Islamabad-Lahore route, traveling by trains, stopping at every station, enjoying the typical chanting of vendors was part of every child’s life.
The most interesting of all these voices would be the shrilly one, “GARAM AANDAY LE LO” (Have Warm Boiled Eggs). And the pleasure of eating those warm boiled eggs (with no fear of cholesterol and calories) was entirely unmatchable. Now when I see back, I miss that punjabi street delicacy in my life. I’m afraid the slightly newer generation is not even aware of its existence. Gradually, soups took over the place of decades old simple delights.
Have you eaten Garam Aanday just like that in chilly winters? Any Garam Aanday reminiscences from your life you want to share with us?
Image Courtesy: Dawn
I have also seen garam unday being sold at train stations across the country the few times we ended up taking the train. It’s a pity really that not a lot of people take trains anymore, unless they don’t have a choice.
I remember my dad telling me that occasionally there would be a guy selling desi unday(the brown ones). Now sometimes people would buy them and the train would get on it’s way but sure enough when they were peeled it was found that they were just the regular unday. The guys selling the desi unday had apparently found out that if they were boiled in the tea that was being made, it would give them the characteristic brown. I couldn’t believe it when I heard this one, but apparently it’s true. So next time you decide to buy a boiled desi unda be a lil more careful. :)
DuFFer, we used to call that chicken soup “Gusal-e- Maiyyat ka Pani” (Funeral water). Vendor keep on pouring soup on top of hanging chicken.
Aandays were the safest bet and I used to copy their call (Aanday lay lo Aanday, Desi Garam Aanday) when I was 5 or 6 years old. By the way they were not Desi Aanday, instead they used to boil them with tea leaves to give them that colour.
I had the train station scene in mind when I read the title. The word garam anday can only be relate to train stations. I remember traveling to Gujranwala from Peshawar , it was really fun at each station. Garam anday along with Garam chai was best thing you could get in winter time.
I can so relate to it, in my childhood years i traveled from Karachi to Peshawar by train, Imagine! and my breakfast was these desi eggs with haat tea :)
ahh good days!
dont know how this yakhni is extracted from these untouched hanging murgheees :D