Padam Chaat Corner is a popular pit stop for gol gappas and aloo tikki
He serves four different variations of gol gappas that are delicious
Panditji has been serving chaat in Chandini Chowk since the last 50 years
Photo Credit: Ankita Bindal
Chandni Chowk is the hub of street food in Delhi and talking about street food, gol gappas and chaat are probably the first things that come to your mind. The famous pani puri or gol gappa is familiar to almost every Indian and because of the different ways in which it is served in different regions, it has many names. Being easily available on the streets, you may wonder what more could a golgappa wala offer other than a crisp fried puri filled with a mixture of flavored water, tiny potato chunks and chickpeas but a mere visit to Padam Chaat Corner in Old Delhi is enough to change your mind.
This small platform shop which is no more than six feet long and four feet wide is situated amidst the famous gota walas, kinars and bandarwals of Chandni Chowk at the neck of Barf Wali Gali in Kinari Bazaar. It is a popular pit stop for all the people who are tired of shopping and bargaining.
Photo Credit: Ankita Bindal
On the platform sits Panditji with metal pots and cane baskets, which he calls the ‘Kitty Party’, offering a delicious variety of gol gappas. One plate of gol gappas consists of four different types of delights. The first gol gappa is an atta (whole wheat) puri served with spicy paani while the second one is sinfully tangy with pickled guava. The third puri is loaded with saunth (tamarind chutney) which makes it delightfully sweet. Lastly, you get a puri filled with aloo and dahi to soothen your burning tongue after a gentle hit of citrus flavoured water. Extracting so many flavours from the same combination of chutneys and flavoured water is an innovation that makes him one of the most famous street food vendors in Chandni Chowk despite the raging competition with others.
Panditji’s son Titu Singh tells us that they have been serving chaat since the last 50 years and have never failed to satisfy their customers in terms of quality and taste. "We make our own dahi (curd) and use ghar ke masaley, and nothing that is packaged or processed” he shares.
The tiny shop may put you in doubt but it operates in a hygienic environment. The warmth and patience with which Panditji serves his customers has rewarded him with a huge loyal clientele. Other than the gol gappas and paapdi chaat, his kalmi vadas (brown flat pakodas made with chana daal), aloo tikki and kanji wadas also make for a flavourful indulgence.
So, if you’re a chaat lover and are hit by a sudden craving, you know where to head in Chandni Chowk – a place where street food never ceases to surprise to you.
Address: Gali Barf Wali, Kinari Bazar, Chandni Chowk, Delhi-6 Operating Hours: 1 pm to 7 pm Cost: INR 70 for two people (approx)
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Photo Credit: Ankita Bindal
