In the bustling streets of Old Delhi, Rohit Jain runs a eatery famous for its delectable bread-makhan sandwiches
To the shop, standing 60 years and counting in Old Delhi’s Dharampura, it is less an order for a pair of its signature bread-makhan sandwiches and more a key — one that unlocks decades of trust, taste, and tradition. Tucked into a narrow lane and sandwiched between two Jain temples, this eatery is little more than a hole in the wall of the 181-year-old, two-storey Shri Digambar Jain Meru Mandir. In 1958, the temple rented the space to a man who sold freshly churned white butter with masala and buttermilk.
“My grandfather Shri Mandir Das Jain used to sell freshly churned makhan and chach by carrying it on his head and later on a pushcart,” says Rohit Jain, 43, the shop’s current custodian. NEW DELHI: The morning air carries frying oil, temple bells and a familiar call: “Ek joda dena. For first-timers, it takes both eyes and ears to crack the code. Freshly churned white butter with masala on bread and buttermilk Bread arrived much later to Jain Pavitra Chach Bhandar. Along came sandwich.
Exactly 22 grams of white butter lands on a slice before he spreads it edge to edge with a knife. For those craving more, there is double — 46 grams of white butter sandwiched between two slices of Dernier bread. Behind the counter, hands move with the ease of muscle memory. Rohit lays slices of bread on a thin plywood board balanced across two jars used for mixing chach. With bare hands, he scoops out makhan onto a weighing scale. A dusting of roasted jeera powder and kala namak follows, then another slice of bread seals the deal. Once sandwiches are lined up, plywood comes off. Rohit drops roasted jeera powder, kala namak and salt into one jar before pouring chach into another, churning up a smooth blend. Rohit Jain and his eatery Rohit segues effortlessly between buttering bread and refilling buttermilk. Bread makhan draws breakfast, brunch and lunch crowds before shutters come down at 2pm every day except Sunday, when the shop stays open an hour longer.
Price stays Rs 35, says Rohit. You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Delhi | Silver Rate in Delhi | Bank Holidays in Delhi | Public Holidays in Delhi | Delhi AQI | Weather in Delhi | Petrol Price in Delhi | Diesel Price in Delhi | CNG Price in Delhi | LPG Price in Delhi Stay updated with the latest Delhi news.
Highly diabetic, he never recovered from the burns,” says Rohit. “During Janmashtami, customers queue up early in the morning to buy makhan,” says Rohit. Rohit heads home to East Delhi to begin next day’s prep. Buffalo milk is sourced from a farm in Ghazipur by 4pm and is boiled immediately. Once cooled to the right temperature, he sets curd at his home in Shahdara. Next morning, curd reaches the shop, where it is churned into butter and buttermilk. “Till two decades ago, my father Sunil Kumar Jain and his elder brother used to prepare everything in the shop and come home late at night. But a biker hit my father while he was preparing ghee outside the shop. A refrigerator, a deep freezer and white-tiled walls are changes the third generation has brought to the shop. It also sells leftover khatti (sour) chach, prized for making kadhi. Some patrons ask for only one bread slice. “We use the same quantity of makhan and masala. With the bread pack coming with an even number of slices, what will I do with the extra slice? Download the TOI App.