Old & Famous Jalebiwala

You’ll find us at 1795 Dariba Corner in Chandni Chowk. This shop is old, and it definitely looks like it. The walls have seen a lot of soot from the fires we keep going to fry the jalebis. We stand right at the front near the street, so the heat from the big round vats of oil is pretty intense all day long. There’s always a crowd of people standing around waiting, and the noise from the market is constant. We don’t have much room inside at all. It’s mostly just the space for the cooking and a small area to handle the money. The sugar syrup is always bubbling in the back, and we have to be careful not to splash it. We use these thick cloths to squeeze the batter into the oil, which takes a bit of muscle after a few hours. The street outside is narrow and full of rickshaws and people pushing past each other. We’ve been at this same corner for ages, and the routine hasn't changed much. We wake up, get the charcoal or gas going, and start the first batch before the sun is even fully up. It’s sticky work, and your clothes always smell like frying oil at the end of the shift. We just keep making them until the batter runs out or it’s time to close the shutters. Sometimes the rain makes it even more crowded.