Shree Balaji Chat Bhandar

If you know Lakshmi Nagar, you know Jagat Ram Park is a chaotic spot. Our place at M 72 is right in the thick of it. From the moment we set up the big metal pans, people start hovering. There’s no fancy seating here, just people standing around with paper plates. We spend all day mixing chutneys and frying up bits of dough. The oil sizzles and the steam rises up into our faces, which isn't great in the summer heat, but you get used to it. My hands are usually stained with turmeric by midday. We don't use those fancy digital payment machines much, mostly just cash and people shouting their orders over the noise of the traffic. Sometimes the rain starts suddenly and everyone tries to crowd under our small awning. It gets cramped and people are bumping into each other. We try to keep the counter clean but when you're serving hundreds of people, things get spilled. The curd is kept in big earthen pots to stay cool. People come from all over the neighborhood because they know the taste hasn't changed in years. We aren't doing anything revolutionary, just making chat the way it's supposed to be made. When the sun goes down, the crowd gets even bigger and we just keep serving until the containers are empty. By the end of the night, the ground is covered in used napkins and we have to spend an hour cleaning up the whole area.