Tikka Banow

That means "Make it spicy." This is what I tell the the chat wallah when I go for street snacks. More specifically, I tell him (and it's always a him, I'm not being sexist) "Meeta mat dahlo. Tikka banow." That means "Don't make it sweet, make it spicy." Chats are made either way, often both spicy and sweet, and since I'm a foreigner, I am usually given the sweeter versions (which I hate). Go for the spicy! Classic Indian junk food, chats are best when made at a really dirty looking stand on the street. Something about the dirty barehands scooping the mashed beans and potatoes, the bugs perching on the deep fried pani puri shells, the street dirt and clouds of pollution adds to the taste and the experience.

I've gotten pretty sick of all of the restaurants in the city at this point, but I've kind of been on a chat binge lately. Sometimes, when I am in a particularly homesick and overall crappy mood, it's the only thing that motivates me to get dressed and go outside. Standing on my balcony, looking out at the surrounding neighborhood, the smells of deep-fried, spicy goodness lure me out into the world again.

This is a really crappy pani puri stand on MG road.  Very bland because the guy did not think I could handle the spice.

Watching the chat wallah stuff the puri shell with mashed potatoes and spicy water

My favorite snack - Pani Puri.  Crunchy outer shell, soft and spicy potato and chick pea filling, with a mint, cilantro, chili, and tamarind flavored fire water.



Getting the entire thing in your mouth without cracking the shell and pouring the water all over yourself is a challenge I have lost many times.



My favorite chat wallah, around the corner from our apartment.  This kid is like 14 years old and he makes the BEST, spiciest pani puri EVER.



Close-up of the chat wallah's pani puri ingredients.  He makes them one by one for each snacker, which can be hard when he is surrounded by customers and has to do it on rotation.



Awesome hygiene - the ingredients are prepared by a kid sitting on the ground.  However dirty, it tastes way better made like this then when you get this at a mall or a restaurant.

Tim with a plate of dry puri - same filling, but with a drop of lemon juice instead of the spicy water.

I can eat like 50 of these at a time.

Plain "cutlet" - basically, a super fried hashbrown patty covered in cilantro, onions, and crunchy sev (fried chickpea flour snacks).

Churmur chat - same ingredients as the dry puri, but all smashed up together

Little girl who lives across the street from us.  Coming back from chats, we passed her sitting outside alone on a pile of bricks.  Maybe she was on time-out?