Mumbai Meri Jaan

Aamchi Mumbai- City of Dreams

Mumbai is loud, eccentric, ambitious, busy, fast, but above all, a 24/7 alive city. Even if it leaves you tired, exhausted, and breathless, you crave and become desperate for more. I am sure when the Portuguese took over Mumbai, they would not have thought it would become a land of dreams for millions of culturally diverse humans. Every day on the streets of Mumbai, there are new beginnings, old longings, and people enjoying crossbreeding, especially with variety of street eats.

It’s a fast-moving life for everyone here in the morning, from the newspaper delivery boys, dabba walas, frontline workers, office and school-going people, till the late-night party animals and restaurants which are open till 3am. But what is the common link between all these people? What About Local Trains? Beaches? I would say the love for FOOD!!

Food is the heart of Mumbai especially the local, authentic street eat dishes. Every lane you walk through there are food stalls. Be it outside a train station, signal stops, khaugallis, corner of a road, food is everywhere. It’s beautiful and crazy how people love eating and bond over the same.

I had lot of people asking me, what is your favourite dish to eat? Well I cant choose any one , so here are my five favourite street eat dishes. I could have them all the time on repeat, and I would never get tired of eating them.

1. Bhelpuri

Nobody knows where or when Bhelpuri was born, but millions of people celebrate its existence every day.It can be savoury but sweet too, lies in the chaat category and is home to most of the pavement vendors who sell bhelpuri on every corner of the city. It is also called the beach-snack by people who regularly eat it, and it is found widely on beaches like Juhu and Chowpatty. The word bhel is said to come from the Marathi word "bhadang", which means "puffed rice" in English. It is the main ingredient of the bhelpuri dish. The beautiful colours of chutneys, like the green chutney made from coriander, is mostly spicy, and the meetha chutney, as it is typically called, is made of tamarind. Often, to have a spicier dish, garlic chutney is put in too. These three chutneys decide the spicy and sweetness scale amongst the other ingredients of the bhelpuri. Chopped onions and boiled potatoes, called by their local names, kanda and batata, along with tomatoes, are the basic ingredients of bhelpuri, they are all mixed and tossed well inside a paper cone. To add some crunch, roasted chickpeas (chana) and peanuts are added, with raw pieces of mango, topped with a sprinkle of lemon juice and sev, which is a deep-fried string of chickpea flour and eaten with puri as an alternative to a spoon. It is prepared quickly and simply, but is still a tasty and flavorful go-to dish.

2. Vada Pav

How many stories can a Vada Pav tell you about Mumbai Meri Jaan?

It would tell you that it was created by Ashok Vaidya, a street vendor outside Dadar station in the late 1960s. It was a dish typically served to migrant mill workers in what was then Bombay. Vada Pav is not a food, I feel it’s an emotion, especially for Mumbaikars. It’s an easy, handy, and on-the-go snack for a lot of people. It’s easy to hold when you are in a rush and is a mouth watering and stomach filling dish. One of the main reasons people love or can eat a Vada Pav is because of its price, which varies between 10 to 15 rupees, and is available everywhere in Mumbai. Back in the days when mills were converted to malls and office places, many Vada Pav stalls turned up on the streets, feeding the carb-seeking masses of Mumbai. The filling is made of boiled and mashed potatoes mixed with spices like turmeric, garlic, salt, chilly, and asafetida (heeng), pressed and formed into a flattened ball shape and dipped in chickpea flour batter and fried, served with dry garlic powder and green chutney with a chill on the side. Vada pav is also called the Bombay Burger too.

3. Misal Pav

I feel Misal Pav should get all the attention it is denied. You can eat it at home or outside too. In my view, it is a healthy and nutritious snack as it contains sprouts and five grains, which help in weight loss and contain a lot of proteins. It is typically a spicy dish from western Maharashtra which is made of 5 legumes, namely peas, moth beans, matki, etc (which provide high levels of nutritious) In a spicy curry and served with bread or pav. The best part about the dish is it is topped with farsan, sev or mix chivda, and veggies like onion or tomato. It’s a lip-smacking dish typically served as breakfast or a snack which can be had for lunch or dinner. One plate of Misal Pav is enough to fill your stomach and get you going for the day. It’s a heavy and nutritious meal, should be digested properly after working out.

4. Pav Bhaji

During the late 1800s, Mumbai’s cloth mills started flourishing. Due to long and tiring work shifts, the workers did not have sufficient time to eat a stomach-filling meal. This is when Pav Bhaji was invented, and now it has become a very common fast-food dish. The bhaji is made of all sorts of different vegetables: cauliflower, potatoes, green peas, tomatoes, onions, and capsicum, all smashed and mixed in a big griddle (tava) and added with Indian masals like turmeric, chilly, salt, and garam masala, as it is called, with loads of butter. It is then served with two pieces of bread, with onion and sliced lemon on the side, and sprinkled with coriander on top of the bhaji. There are so many different Pav Bhajis now, like Cheese Pav Bhaji, Kada Pav Bhaji, etc. If you ever visit Mumbai, I suggest you try the "Black Pav Bhaji" which is served by Maruti Pav Bhaji stall around Vile Parle. The black Pav Bhaji is known for its own taste and is a special served only in a few areas around Mumbai. Its a long lost secret which ingredients go inside the black Pav Bhaji!

5. Gola- Kala-Katta!

A snow cone, or as it is called in Mumbai, "Gola", can never go out of fashion. Be it to take "chuski", refreshment on a long day or even Mumbai summers, these iced miracles are a relief, especially to people who love ice. These snow cones, barf ka gola or gola ganda, whatever you call them, are made of shaved ice. The ice is kept inside the Gola Machine and then is clumped together in the shape of a lolly with a stick in between to keep it intact. Many flavours have been introduced over the years, ranging from the traditional "kala-katta" and "kacchi keri" to bubble gum, chocolate, butterscotch," and so on.It brings back so many childhood memories. The best way to enjoy a gola is to have it on the beach. Eating, sipping, or even slurping it with the sunset either on Juhu or Chowpatty beaches. Whether we want to beat the heat or relive that happy childhood again, ice gola is a go-to dessert. And when in doubt, ask for kaala-khatta gola!

I hope you try these dishes out, and the question of what is your favourite dish to eat gets answered and you too fall for Mumbai Meri Jaan's Dishes!!