Narrator: This is the Gurudwara Bangla Sahib temple
in New Delhi, India.
Open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year,
the temple's kitchen, or langar,
feeds 35,000 to 40,000 people
every day for free.
And on religious holidays,
that number can swell to well over 100,000 people.
At the heart of this entire operation
is kitchen manager Harbhej Singh,
who makes sure there is always enough to eat.
Narrator: To keep up with demand,
the kitchen uses specialized machines
that can do everything
from chopping vegetables and stirring stews
to steaming the perfect dal.
We visited the temple
during a special holiday called Gurupurab
to see how it makes a festive meal in such big batches.
The day begins with making a type of
sweet rice pudding called kheer,
which is a special menu addition for Gurupurab.
At the helm of the operation is head chef Balbir Singh,
who's been overseeing this process for years.
Narrator: Large bags of white rice
are poured into metal bowls and washed by hand.
25 kilograms of the washed rice
is then scooped into a massive pot of water
and mixed by a mechanical arm.
Narrator: Once the pot has been filled with milk
and it starts to boil,
they pour in a large bag of wheat flour.
Narrator: During the pandemic, the kitchen found itself
needing to make more food with less staff.
The solution was to introduce pots
that could automatically stir and cook
most dishes in half the time.
Narrator: While the kitchen has embraced
technology for cooking,
many of the vegetables the kitchen uses
are still processed by hand.
One of the most popular dishes the community kitchen makes
is aloo matar, a curry dish made with potatoes,
peas, and a creamy tomato sauce.
Making this dish begins with heating vegetable oil
in a pot as a base for the tadka.
Narrator: This is followed by baskets of potatoes,
peas,
and large ladles of tomato puree.
Narrator: When the dish is ready,
chefs tip the pot and scrape everything out.
Another curry dish the kitchen serves
for the holiday feast is kadhi chawal,
which is made with a base of cumin, masala,
and dried fenugreek leaves.
When the base is mixed,
chefs add gram flour and hung curd.
Narrator: While the kadhi mixes,
chefs prepare the final part of the dish on the side.
They mix spinach, onions, gram flour, and spices
in a large pot to make pakodas, or fritters.
When they achieve the right consistency,
the mix is then tossed into a wok and fried quickly.
These fritters are then added into the curry.
Narrator: Next up, the kitchen is making aloo gobi,
a simple vegetarian dish made with potatoes and cauliflower.
It starts with a tadka base of cumin,
turmeric, and chili powder.
Then the chefs add in baskets of cauliflower and potatoes.
They mix everything together to evenly coat the veggies
and continue stirring until they're finished cooking.
An everyday staple on the langar's menu
is fresh dal, or split lentils.
Green, yellow, and brown lentils
are all washed by hand daily
and added into a pot full of water.
The lentils are then seasoned with salt,
chili powder,
and turmeric
and covered.
Narrator: Across the kitchen,
flatbreads are made using machines.
Narrator: While these machines
make a majority of the bread the langar uses,
there is another area of the kitchen
dedicated to making these breads by hand.
This is done so people can practice seva,
or selfless service, a tenet of Sikhism.
Narrator: The langar officially opens its doors
at 5 a.m. to serve food.
Narrator: Because of the kitchen's popularity,
it's not uncommon for people to wait
2 ½ hours outside to get a free meal.
Inside the dining hall, visitors take their seats
side by side in long rows known as pangats.
This style of seating is an important part
of the temple's philosophy
of promoting equality and ending discrimination.
Narrator: Once everyone is seated,
volunteers known as sevadaars
lead a religious chant in honor of the guru.
Then the servers come around
spooning large portions of food into metal plates.
And while the amount of food one can eat is unlimited,
there is a rule
that not a single bite of food can be wasted.
So plates must be clean before finishing the meal.
Narrator: When a batch of guests has finished eating,
workers sweep and wash the floors
before another group is allowed to enter.