by Deepa Venkatraghvan
For two years I worked at the Times of India building in Fort, Mumbai. It was my first job and as a single, footloose Mumbaikar, I spent a fair bit of time and money on discovering Mumbai’s food. India’s financial capital offers an unbelievably great spread for your palate. You’ll find amazing variety, from fine dining to multi-cuisine specialty restaurants. But what really brings back memories at the thought of Mumbai food is the inexpensive and scrumptious street food.
For the people of Mumbai, life is all about living in the fast lane. Everything needs to be quick and available on the go. And street food caters to just that. So whether you need a quick snack on your way home or a break from shopping, you’ll find a vendor or two conveniently located at the railway platform or outside the mall. Street food joints are also popular ‘chai-break’ spots for office goers, so you’ll find clusters around office spaces too. Effectively, between your home, workplace and shopping area, which probably make up 80% of your daily outings, you’ll be well served.
Of course, you must know what to eat and where. A lot of street food vendors are make-shift guys with little access to clean water or regular electricity. It’s not uncommon to experience a vendor abruptly abandoning his customers and packing his ware to flee if there’s a police patrol van circling the area. Of course, it probably just means he didn’t pay his ‘hafta’ to the cop. He’ll be back soon when his accounts are settled.
The good news is that over a period of time, many vendors have realised the need to offer healthy food in a clean, hygienic environment. So today, you’ll find street food served in small restaurants at affordable prices. Whether it’s the famous Elco Pani Puri Center in Bandra or the Jumbo King Vada Pav chain in the city, there are cleaner and healthier options that you could look out for.
Now I’ll list some of the must-try street food items, particularly fast food and desserts that you should check out during your next visit to the bustling city.
Fast food
Pav Bhaji: Mumbai’s most popular export, Pav Bhaji is nothing but a thick gravy of mashed vegetables spiced up and eaten with buttered buns, called pav. The dish was originally created to cater to Mumbai’s mill-workers who needed a lunch menu that was quick to eat, yet filling and appetizing. Today, Pav Bhaji can be a much richer experience with options like Cheese Pav Bhaji, Paneer Pav Bhaji, Mushroom Pav bhaji and the like.
Vada Pav: Also called the poor-man’s burger, Vada Pav is a simple, yet delicious dish. A deep fried potato patty stuffed inside a pav, served with garlic chutney, Vada Pav is native to Maharashtra. That’s also why it often becomes a tool among certain political outfits. Today, Vada Pav has adopted a much modern avatar, coming in varieties like Chole Vada Pav, Schezwan Vada Pav, Paneer Vada Pav and Cheese Vada Pav.
Misal Pav: Among the healthier street food options, Misal is a gravy dish made from sprouts, usually moong or moth beans. It is served with pav and can be garnished with onions, tomatoes, lemon juice and sev. It tastes best when it’s most spicy. Dahi misal is a variant.
Bombay Sandwich: Nobody really knows why it’s called a Bombay Sandwich. It’s perhaps because you’ll find it on every street in Mumbai, made in almost the same way everywhere. The Bombay Sandwich is usually made with Wibs bread, green chutney, Amul butter, cucumber and tomatoes. But the real show stealer is the unique sandwich maker in which the sandwich is toasted. In fact, Bombay Sandwich has become a brand of sorts. I even saw it listed on the menu of a fast food joint in New Jersey!
Dabeli: Pav Bhaji’s close cousin, Dabeli, also has a gravy made from a medley of vegetables. The only difference is that while the pav is served on the side in Pav Bhaji, it is stuffed with the gravy in a Dabeli. You’ll find that a Dabeli has some unique toppings like pomegranate, roasted peanuts and sev. Dabeli finds its origins in the Kutch region of Gujarat and so is also referred to as Kutchi Dabeli.
Chaat: According to the entry in Wikipedia, chaat comes from the Hindi word chaatna (to lick). Not entirely unbelievable, I’d say, considering that’s what you’ll be doing to your plate. Paani Puri, Sev Puri, Bhel Puri, Dahi Puri and Aloo Chaat are only the simpler varieties of chaat food. Today, you’ll find interesting versions like Vodka Pani Puri, Chinese Bhel, Tofu Chaat and much more.
Samosa: To me, this is the most guilt-inducing item of street food. Samosas are essentially boiled potatoes rolled in and packed into a flour shell and deep fried in oil. Blissfully tasty but unhealthy as hell. Many years ago, Samosawalas (Samosa vendors) would roam the streets of Mumbai at tea-time, with piping hot samosas packed in aluminum containers. They would blow a unique horn and our entire household would rush to the balcony to beckon Mr Samosawala. And of course, you’ll also find Samosa Chaat, Samosa Dahi Chaat or Samosa Chola Chaat.
Dosa: The Dosas that you get in the city is the South Indian import with a Mumbai touch. So in addition to the regular Dosa, Masala Dosa and Mysore Masala Dosa, you’ll find Chinese Dosa, American Chop Suey Dosa, Paneer Dosa, Cheese Dosa et al.
Ragda Patties: Fried potato patties dipped in a stew-like gravy of cooked, spicy white peas, Ragda Patties is typical chaat stuff. It’s served with a topping of chopped onions, tomatoes, mint and date chutneys and sev.
Frankie: Frankies are varying combinations of vegetables, paneer, mushrooms and egg rolled in tortillas.
Desserts
Fruit Plate: You’ll find this healthy and tasty dessert in every Mumbai street. As the name suggests, it’s a plate with sliced seasonal fruits, garnished with chaat masala on request.
Gola: A must-have on your visit to a Mumbai beach, Gola is nothing but an ice candy. Crushed ice is compressed together onto a stick. The juice or flavour is served in a glass and all you need to do is dip the ice candy into the juice and slurp away. My favorite flavour of Gola Ice is Kala Khatta.
Kulfi: This is not traditionally a Mumbai dessert but thanks to its melting pot culture, Kulfi is very popular on Mumbai streets. It’s just like ice-cream but a little creamier. Popular flavours include malai, mango, pistachio, saffron and cardamom.
Ganne ka Ras: Simply sugarcane juice, this is one effective way to cool down in Mumbai streets during hot summers.
Masala Milk: Cold, flavored milk sold in glass bottles, this is also a very popular dessert during Mumbai’s summers.
Falooda: Yet another foreign inspired dish, Falooda is traditionally made by adding vermicelli to rose milk. The highlights of Falooda are the jelly pieces and tapioca pearls that are added to the milk shake and the ice-cream that is used as a topping.
Of course, being a vegetarian, I cannot tell you a lot about the non-vegetarian street food. But I know my friends would swear by Kebabs, Kathi Rolls, Omelette Pav and Kheema Pav.
Now each of these dishes also has a hot-spot, that is, the most famous joint for that dish in Mumbai In addition to the few places that I mentioned in the beginning, you could also try the Pav Bhaji at Amar Juice Center near Capitol Cinema in Fort, the sandwiches at Haji Ali Juice Center or the Kulfi at Parsi Dairy Farm near Marine Drive. And, here are a few tips. While you can dine in, order out or get a delivery, Mumbai street food is best enjoyed on the streets! So look for one of those joints that has a view of the streets or better still, chairs on the pavement. One more tip – throw that diet out the window for a while.
Deepa Venkatraghvan, a chartered accountant, loves to write. She works in the media and when she is not writing about smart investing, she pens her thoughts about life’s experiences. You can check out her personal finance blog at http://blogs.economictimes.indiatimes.com/moneyhappyreturns/
