dahi batata puri – The Metrognome

Aamchi Mumbai is defined by its nashta, the street food that serves as a meal between all our other meals.

by Anurita Gupta

Part 1 of 2

Mumbai ka chai nashta bole toh Mumbai’s lifeline. A city that never stops loves its food on the go. So let’s take on this gastronomical journey of exploring various kinds of snacks and beverages inspired by the various communities residing in the island city.

Vada Pav: Internationally known as the ‘Bombay burger’ and having gained worldwide culinary accolades, the humble vada pav sits crunchily on the No.1 position of all Mumbai snacks. I am sure there is no need to explain, but for the uninitiated, the vada pao is a brilliant carbohydrate overdose which has a mashed potato spicy patty deep fried in gramflour batter and then put in a freshly baked bun loaded with coriander (green) and tamarind (red) chutney.

The special zing is added by the dry garlic chutney which is famously available only in Mumbai. Vada pav is best enjoyed with a nice masala chai from the nearby street vendor or if hygiene is your concern, then you can try the vada pav burger at Jumbo King outlets across the city. The other favourites in the pav category are samosa pav, bhajji pav and ussal pav that are devoured and relished especially by the college crowd.

Masala Chai: Chai mein bhi masala? Clearly India is the masala capital of the world. No wonder then, the busiest city of this country thrives on masala, be it Bollywood or chai. While chai has become a worldwide term for many tea aficionados, clearly masala chai stands apart. Found at almost every nook and cranny and every train station this thick milky tea fuels our city.

One would typically see a tea vendor vigorously stirring the aluminum vessel of chai, alternatingly adding an elaichi or kaali mirchi or dalchini to it. You can have half a cup known as ‘cutting chai’ or a full chai. While there is no specific time to enjoy it, the best evening companion for one and all in aamchi Mumbai is its heavenly chai.

Brun Maska: No Parsi household can enjoy its leeli phudhina choi early in the morning or evening or in fact any time in the day without the kadak brun (bread) and soft maska (butter). It is not just the Parsis but most Mumbaikars who enjoy this Parsi specialty that comes in the ‘light snacks’ category. Available at most Irani bakeries and cafes, Brun pav is a famously fluffy soft round bread with a hard crust and looks a lot like the soft bun. Freshly baked brun tastes the best with a nice amount of butter slapped on it along with a small drizzle of sugar…yum!

Enjoy it at a famous Irani café ensconced in a corner of a busy Mumbai street. Bite into the crunchy brun while taking in the historical ambience of the café that typically has glass top tables with rosewood lacquered chairs, old time posters of beverages and even international pop stars, a grandfather clock, antique stain glass windows and white and yellow block flooring.

Bhelpuri: Mumbai ki bhel ko kabhi mat bhool. That should be the slogan for our city, ‘cause if Delhi can make a teekha gol guppa, then Mumbai’s robust chatpati bhel puri can give it a good run for its money. Bhel puri is a true chai time favourite because it gives just the right amount of tang, zing and healthy crunch that is easy on the calories and the pocket. A combination of thinly chopped kachhi kaeri (raw mango), murmura (rice crispies), roasted dal, poori (semolina crispy disc) and of course, some nylon sev is then tossed in khatti meethi chutneys and served in a cone-shaped newspaper with a sprinkling of fresh coriander. The bhel puri is the pride and joy of every street vendor. It is most sought after at various chowpatties and snack centres.

My favourite is at Swati Snacks, Tardeo. You can also enjoy other ‘sister’ snacks like sev poori, sookhi bhel and dahi batata poori if you have more time and tummy space. Bhel can never be enjoyed with a spoon. Always ask for a crisp poori to enjoy this plateful of nashta.

This is not where our tryst with Mumbai ka chai nashta ends. Wait for Part 2 that will explore the Sindhi sel bread, khamman dhokla, sev gathiya, dosas and vegetarian sandwiches galore, complemented by the South Indian kaapi and Irani butter chai. Toh ho jaaye!

Anurita Gupta is a media professional who is passionate about two things – food and radio. Her love for all things food makes her a foodie with a cause.

(Pictures courtesy sailusfood.com, wikipedia.com)

Chutney bana do

What’s food without chutneys, right? Savour your food with three delectable ones – our food writer dishes out three recipes.

by Anurita Gupta

Maar maar ke teri chutney bana doonga! We can’t get enough of this Bollywood dialogue, right? After all, chutney is super important in our desi lives.

Jokes apart, the incredibly delicious ‘Indian chutney’ has spawned many foreign copy cats with fancy fruit and what-not. But asli chutney is something else! With the perfect balance of khataas, mithaas and mirchi masala, it features at the top of any Indian’s culinary list. Of course, be it Mumbai ki chaat or Gujarati thaali, everything is incomplete without chutney. Not only can it make bland dal chawal a lot more interesting, but is a power-packed source of nutrition as well.

Considering that it has both fruit and spices, the nutritional benefits are doubled wonderfully, namely that chutneys aid digestion. Chutneys come in several flavours, which make them naturally sweet or sour, depending on the kind of fruit or vegetable used.

This brilliant Indian sauce has in fact travelled the seven seas. The West has pretty much accepted it as part of their culinary existence, with it being almost as popular as Basmati rice. It can be bought over the counter, but it tastes the best when made absolutely fresh in the mortar and pestle, just the way our grannies used to.

For us Mumbaikars, it is impossible to imagine sev puri or bhel without the khatti meethi, green and red chutneys.

The khajoor and imli red chutney: This chutney is the life line for all kinds of chaat. My favourite way to enjoy this one is when it is liberally garnished fresh dahi wada. This one is a sure shot hit with anything from ragda patties, to khaman dhokla, samosa pav, to sev puri and my favourite, dahi batata puri.

Here’s how you make it: In a thick-bottomed pan, pour 3 cups of water and add a ball of imli (about 200 gm), a handful of dates and 150 gms of sugar, and let it simmer till the mixture becomes mushy. Then take it off the flame and let it cool. Once cool, whizz in a blender until smooth. Put this mixture back in the pan, on a medium flame and add one teaspoon each of saunf (fennel), roasted and ground jeera (cumin seeds) and chilli powder and salt according to taste. Once the sauce is boiled, take it off heat. You can add water or cook it down based on the consistency you want.

Hot tip: Try adding thin slices of banana to this imli-khajoor ki chutney and enjoying it as a fruit fondue of sorts with apples, mango, chikoo and pineapple.

Green dhaniya chutney: This one is the more robust version from the khatta family of chutney. Usually seen as an accompaniment to succulent kebabs, it can be made with lots of green chillies to add a special smack of heat. Again, this is a universal companion to all chaats and of course, the bhajjis and pakoras. My favourite way to enjoy it is with palak patta crisp pakoras.

Here’s how you make it: In a blender, put a big bunch of dhaniya patta (coriander leaves) and whizz until the leaves turn to puree. To that add 7-8 cloves of garlic and an inch of ginger. You can also add a few chillies depending on the amount of teekha you can handle. Then add a teaspoon of dry mango powder or juice of two lemons and salt to taste. Blend again with a little water. Now you can add some mint puree or some curd or even the tamarind chutney to make your own concoction.

Hot tip: Try adding a little radish (mooli) along with curd in dhaniya chutney and enjoy with besan ka cheela (gramflour pancakes) on a rainy evening. You can also add dry pomegranate seeds to mint and dhaniya chutney. It tastes absolutely brilliant and is known to augment digestion.

Garlic chutney: This one is also a hot favourite amongst Mumbaikars. Its dry version is made with sun dried garlic and chilli. It tastes superb with vada pav. The wet garlic chutney goes famously with the South Indian cuisine. You can enjoy stews with appam and this heady mix of onion garlic and tamarind.

To make this, put 10 cloves of garlic, 5 red chillies and 5 small onions with a teaspoon of tamarind pulp in the blender. Heat one teaspoon of oil in a pan. Add half a teaspoon of mustard seeds and some curry leaves. Once they splutter, add this mixture and cook on medium flame. Keep adding water in order to prevent from getting too thick. If the chutney starts sticking then keep on adding oil little by little. Once the chutney is thoroughly cooked, take it off heat and let it cool. I personally prefer this one to its traditional coconut counterpart.

I guess I can go on talking about various chutneys that adorn the Indian dining table! But the craving that has set in thanks to writing this column is forcing me to run to the bhelwallah downstairs and enjoy his special dahi batata puri with loads of imli chutney on top. Slurp!

Anurita Gupta is a media professional who is passionate about two things – food and radio. Her love for all things food makes her a foodie with a cause.

(Pictures courtesy commons.wikimedia.org, bombybo.com, priyaraosrecipes.blogspot.com, vineelascooking.blogspot.com)