“Monsoon and mirchi bajjis… heaven. That’s why our customers don’t mind waiting 20 minutes for a plate.

My name is Nagendhar Rao, and for the last 30 years, I’ve been running this stall in Tarnaka, continuing what my mother started more than 50 years ago.

The recipe is still hers. She introduced a tangy tamarind filling inside every mirchi, and that became our signature. Along with it, we serve a fresh mix of onions, cabbage, carrot, coriander and a squeeze of lime. The taste has stayed the same for decades because we’ve never felt the need to change what people already love.

We’ve never believed in a long menu. We make mirchi bajjis, and we make them the way my mother taught us. That’s the reason people come from different parts of Hyderabad and patiently wait for their plate.

Over the years, I’ve realised this stall is about more than food. Every evening, people gather here after work, after college or on their way home. Parents who once came here as youngsters now bring their children. When I see that, I feel my mother’s legacy is living on in its own way. Her recipe may have brought people here, but it’s the conversations, laughter and memories they create that have kept this place alive for more than half a century. All it takes is a rainy evening, a plate of hot mirchi bajjis, a cup of chai, and people you enjoy being with.”