I recently went to Lajpat Nagar to help a friend pick out some clothes. Lajpat Nagar is not only a place to shop but it’s also a place with tiny outlets serving some of the best street food, Delhi loves to eat. I always start my trip with a glass of banta from any of the small vendors serving them. On a hot day when you’re out to explore the market kinda day, the banta soothes you down. The tangy drink is the perfect way to start the exploration of this ever so busy market.
After having the refreshing drink we dived into the shopping part. However, soon the day started getting hotter, the sun got angrier, the humidity started crossing all limits, the good old Lassi came to our rescue. Shivam Suresh Chaat wala is a shop located right in the middle of the market serving amazingly delicious chaats, the shop is always crowded with people and it takes some time to get your order across. They serve raj kachori, dahi bhalle, batata puri, gol gappe, palak patta chaat etc. They also serve kulfi faluda, malai lassi and badam milk. I had their badam milk and malai lassi to hydrate myself, under the scorching sun it was all the hydration I needed. The lassi was the perfect accompaniment to the hot sunny day. It was sweet and so delicious. The badam milk was also very refreshing, however the milk seemed too thin and a bit runny but it was tasty nonetheless. Both the drinks cost us 50 rupees each.
I also found these cart vendors selling something which I initially thought was nimbu shikanji but they were actually the flavoured water of gol gappe, but mellowed down. It’s almost like a mix of Golgappe ka paani and jaljeera. A glass for 20 bucks, it was just so invigorating under the scorching sun. It was probably the favourite thing that I had that day.
Then I went to a tiny shop, Hot and Fresh corner, also serving chaats but they were serving something that I had never had before; Bharwa Golgappe. The shop is like a hole in the wall, with clothes’ shop surrounding it from both sides, it’s very easy to skip this shop. But the words Bharwa golgappe caught my eyes and I decided to taste it.
Bharwa golgappe are gol gappe but instead of serving them with the flavoured water, pieces of mashed aalu and dahi are stuffed in. They were served with red and green chutney made of imly and dhania respectively on top. The Bharwa golgappe were seasoned with salt and chat masala. One plate of Bharwa golgappe was priced at 60 rupees for 6 pieces of golgappe. The guy at the counter; Prem was extremely friendly and helpful. I got a plate for my mother, and once he got to know I will be travelling far with the food, he individually packed every single ingredient with two layers of packaging.
Shops like these are a perfect example of how you don’t need to spend a lot to eat well. And it’s also very exciting to set out on such street food tours where you explore hidden little gems that satiate your cravings without emptying your pockets.
