He sits in front of a small, well-greased tawa and cooks swiftly, his hand doling out the runny moong daal batter with an ease and practice that boasts of years of work. The chilla he makes is soft and tasty, and he tops it with a handful of shredded onion, coriander leaves, and fries both sides before serving it with a sour coriander chutney and a hot red chutney with tomatoes and chillies in it. He does not disclose the ingredients. Rather, he smiles and moves on to making a vada pao, and while serving, gives me a plate of fried green chillies and tells me to take as many as I can.
I might just be a bit in love with him, you know. I do love a man who makes an excellent vada pao.
