India, Nov. 23 -- As Lucknow's winter breeze returns, so does the timeless craving for Nimish, the city's own version of the velvety makkhan malai. Also known as Mallaiyo in Varanasi and Daulat Ki Chaat in Delhi, the dessert has travelled through regions, recipes and generations. Here's how the three cities shaped one winter favourite. Celebrity chef Ranveer Brar dedicated a three-part series to these three cities, and rated Mallaiyo as the best. He tells HT City, "The evolution of makkhan started with Benaras (Varanasi), where... the quality of milk is very rich. It is kept overnight under the winter dew (oos) and consumed in the morning. So, doodh ki malai se bana mallaiyo! It became famous and spread to other cities." Ranveer adds that he loves the Lucknow version of the dish, Makkhan Malai or Nimish, as well, and places Delhi's Daulat Ki Chaat on third. "Our dadaji started in 1912, and my father Khemchandji and I are carrying on the tradition," says Adesh of 113-year-old shop Khemchand Daulat Ki Chaat in Delhi's Chandni Chowk. Kanahiya Rabjbhar from Varanasi, too, has been selling the dish for the last 23 years. However, another mallaiyo seller from the same city informs how, due to road expansion, some of the famous shops have been erased. While Varanasi's Rabjbhar dedicates the taste of mallaiyo to the freshness of the milk mixed with "ilaichi, kesar, and gulab jal", Lucknow's fourth-generation seller, Rajesh Kumar, says that the speciality is not just in its malai but also its base, where sweet milk is accumulated....