My A-Z of Mumbai Food

I found that writing my 'A-Z of Mumbai Places' to be quite addictive.  So much so, that I thought I would challenge myself with an 'A-Z of Mumbai Food'.  The good thing about doing this in a city like Mumbai, is that it is OK to cheat slightly by mentioning recipes and ingredients brought to the city by centuries of itinerant workers. After all, Mumbai is a melting-pot of regional cuisines. 

I can at least honestly say that I have experienced all of these foods for myself and enjoyed every single one of them.  I hope that you too enjoy my list - I am sure that any Mumbaikars reading it will find the recommendations a bit basic. On the other hand - I would urge any expats on this page to try everything! 

A  Aloo Gobi

As Mr Jules and I are not vegetarians, we tend to order this as a side dish to a meat curry - a simple north Indian dish of potato and cauliflower cooked with typical spices.  It is also very nice as a simple veggie lunch when accompanied by a Roti (flat bread), and is easy for the inexperienced foreigner to cook themselves. 

B  Bhel Puri

Every street of Mumbai has its own Bhelwala - Bhel Puri is one of the most popular chaats sold in the city. A chaat is basically a savoury snack and there are more mentioned in this list.  Like the other chaats, it is the blend of crunchy sev, onions, potatoes, chutneys and papad that makes this so amazingly more-ish!

C  Chicken Berry Pulav

I have mentioned this dish in quite a few blogs, especially the one about Britannia restaurant from where this dish hails.  A Parsi dish, it is a heavenly mix of scented rice, chicken balls and the specially imported barberries from Iran. 

The legendary Chicken Berry Pulav at Britannia (with Lentil Dhansak to the left)

D  Dhansak

OK, so Parsi food is one of my favourite cuisines to be found in Bombay, so there are several dishes mentioned in this list.  Dhansak (which is actually a combination of Persian and Gujarati) is a sweet and sour mutton curry made with lentils and which accompanies caramelised brown rice beautifully.  Swati Snacks do a very nice veg version.  In Parsi homes, Dhansak is usually only eaten on Sundays - or on the fourth day after the death of a relative (as no meat is eaten in the three days prior).

E  Eggs Akuri

Yet another Parsi favourite, this is simply a spicy scrambled egg dish - mostly eaten for breakfast.  Eat it with Pav or Roti.  I have sampled it at the Parsi eaterie Ideal Corner in Fort and had it several times as a hotel breakfast.

F  Farsan

Farsan is the collective term given to snacks originating from Gujarat. I first encountered them not long after I arrived in Mumbai, when someone purchased a load from Punjabi Sweet House in Bandra and brought them to our home.  I next had them at Soam where the friendly restaurant owner took us through each different type - Dhokla, Khandvi, Ragla and Samosas (being Gujarati, these are all vegetarian). 

G  Gujarati Thali

If your eyes are bigger than your stomach, then this probably isn't the meal to try! My two best experiences have been at Rajdhani in Phoenix Mills (when my belly nearly popped!) and at MG House in Ahmedabad (where else should one try at Thali but in the Gujarati capital?).  A Thali is basically a large tray on which up to six smaller dishes are placed, which are then filled by the waiter with all sorts of vegetarian goodies.  In the spaces, you are provided with rice, breads, pickles and dessert.  The Thali is repeatedly topped up until you say STOP!

Gujarati style Thali

H  Hyderabadi Biryani

My kingdom for a chicken biryani!  And the most famous of them...the Hyderabadi biryani.  Biryani is a baked rice dish made with rice, yoghurt, onions, spices, lemon and coriander leaves (to name but a few).  Usually lamb is used but I prefer chicken as does our driver Peter, who I am sure eats chicken biryani every single lunchtime!  Biryani was invented when the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb conquered Southern India - it was the blending of Mughlai and Telugu cuisines by the Hyderabadi Nizam chefs that resulted in the Hyderabadi Biryani.  Try Golconda Bowl for some of the best Hyderabadi cuisine in Mumbai.

I  Idli

I love these soft, steamed rice pancakes for breakfast (usually if I am staying in a hotel as I can't make them myself). Idlis are a traditional South Indian breakfast so you will commonly find them in Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.  They are also easily found in Mumbai, especially at Matunga's south Indian eateries such as Cafe Madras and Anand Bhavan.  Made with fermented black lentils and rice, Idlis are served with chutney and sambar (a spicy, watery soup).  

J  Jalebi

Jalebis - sugar and wheat deep fried in oil...what could be more healthy? These sickly sweet chewy spirals are popular all over India and even in North Africa.  I first had them on a Finely Chopped Food Walk, and thought that I wouldn't be able to manage even one (as I don't have a particularly sweet tooth).  But I found the Jalebis to be strangely more-ish and ended up eating five in a row!  

Jalebiwala - Fort

K  Kheema 

No one seems to be sure who invented this minced mutton curry dish (usually accompanied by a buttered Pav breadbun) - it may have been the Persians; it may have been the Hyderabadi Nizams; it could even have been the South Indians.  No matter - because even though there are probably hundreds of different versions to be found in Mumbai, the basic premise is the same. There is an excellent article about Kheema and the varying styles on Mumbai Boss, with some great restaurant recommendations. (Although the recommendation I hear over and over again is the Irani version at Cafe Military, Fort.  I shall make that my next stop!)

L  Lassi

My other kingdom for a mango Lassi!  Lassi is basically a yoghurt drink which can be plain or blended with fruit (such as mango) - and can be salty as well as sweet.  Sometimes it is topped with spices such as cardamom but I am not so keen on this.  I was well versed in the Lassi before I came to India (as they are commonly on the menus of British curry houses) but nothing prepared me for the version I had at the Punjabi Moti Halval in Fort.  These Lassis were sweet and thick - so thick in fact, that you needed a spoon to drink(eat) it.  Luscious.

Lassi that you need a spoon for - Punjabi Moti Halval, Fort

M  Mysore Masala Dosa

OK, if I had a third kingdom, then I think I would definitely trade it for a Mysore Masala Dosa.  These fabulous South Indian pancakes filled with spicy potato never disappoint.  The Dosa - architectural masterpieces - are made with fermented rice and dal batter, a thin layer of which is then ladled on to a griddle (tava) greased with ghee.  The resulting pancake (which is a thin as can possibly be) is then rolled around some spiced 'aloo' (potato) and served with chutney and sambar.  An absolute must-have in Mumbai (Soam or Swati Snacks). There are other variants such as the Rava Dosa or Sada Dosa. 

N  Nimbu Pani

It's just lemonade!  Made with fresh Nimbus of course and sweetened with sugar.  Nimbus are small Indian lemons that look more like limes. Pani is Hindi for water. Very refreshing in hot Mumbai and helps to prevent dehydration, especially if you add salt instead of sugar.

O  Oh Calcutta!

I couldn't think of anything for 'O' except for Okra and that should really come under B for Bhindi.  So I will therefore mention the famous Bengal eatery Oh Calcutta!  Bengali cuisine is very distinctive from lots of other Indian cooking and has an emphasis on fish and fiery flavours.  Black mustard seeds are a prevalent ingredient and Bengalis use a freshly ground mustard paste in a lot of their cooking.  At 'Oh Calcutta', you will find a fish-orientated menu but be prepared to find the odd fish head in your meal.  

P  Pani Puri

This is probably the most fun Mumbai street food you can eat.  And I love it!  Crispy, hollow puris that you fill yourself with a mixture of potato, moong, chutneys and then minted water - and then try to get into your mouth all in one go without it cracking and slipping down your front!  See here for my in depth demonstration of how to eat Pani Puri (which can beautifully sampled at Soam, of course). For anyone who is wondering why I did not mention the Mumbai street-food staple - Pav Baji - apologies!

Pre-constructed Pani Puri

Q  Quinoa Taboule 

OK, so Q was difficult and it isn't an Indian dish...but the Quinoa Taboule at the Yoga House in Bandra is really good! (And isn't it nice to have something so healthy after consuming all that ghee?). Made with quinoa (pronounced keenwa), tomatoes, sun dried tomatoes, spring onions, parsley and lemon - it's light on the tongue and light on the belly.  

R  Rawas

Us westerners are not going to get home-grown cod, salmon and tuna in India - but instead Bombay Duck (Bombil), Rawas and Basa fish.  Rawas - otherwise known as Indian Salmon (but nothing like pink salmon) is a seasonal fish which is probably the most popular in India. It is widely used in Malvani cuisine, which hails from the Konkan coastline of Goa and Maharashtra - and which is also easily found in Mumbai. Have a delicious Rawas Gassi at Mahesh Lunch Home.

S  Salli Boti & Sevi Puri

I was too torn to list one thing under 'S', as both Salli Boti and Sev Puri are toooo delicious!  Salli Boti is (yet another) Parsi dish consisting of a lamb stew/curry topped off with crunchy potato matchsticks Find it at Britannia, Ideal Corner and Jumjoji in Bandra.  Sev Puri is my number one Mumbai Street Food/chaat. It consists of discs of puri topped off with potato, tomato, chutney, onions and crunchy sev (vermicelli).  Even better is Dahi Sev Puri which is covered with yoghurt (dahi).  Sound weird?  Don't knock it till you've tried it - every visitor that I have taken to Soam to sample Sev Puri has found it completely addictive.

Crunchy and zingy - Sev Puri

T  Thalipeeth

Perhaps the most unusual dish on this list (to us foreigners anyway) is Thalipeeth.  I have only tried it a couple of times, one of them on a Finely Chopped Food Walk around Dadar.  It is a particularly Maharashtrian dish - kind of multi-grain patty made from roasted chickpea dal, urad dal, spices, wheat and rice.  Thalipeeth has especially stuck in my mind because you have to eat it with a great big dollop of fat - in the form of water buffalo milk butter.  

U  Uttapam

This entry is dedicated to my mate MaximumCityMadam who is addicted to Uttapam.  She loves going to the airport, just so that she can have it for breakfast!  Originating from Tamil Nadu - it is another form of pancake made from fermented rice and dal.  It is almost something in between the idli and the dosa - for the centre is soft and the outer edges crispy.  Again, it is usually eaten with sambar and chutney.

V  Vada Pav

My husband's No. 1:  The simple Vada Pav consists of a spicy fried potato patty inside a bread bun slathered with butter.  Simple, effective and cheap.  Our driver pays no more than 12 Rs for his from a street stall but you can sample this at Swati Snacks for 130 Rs for a double helping.  Delicious! (Please find an alternative V for Vindaloo described on my blog here).

Vada Pav - Swati Snacks

W  Watermelon Juice

This is really an excuse to mention the famous Haji Ali Juice Centre that adorns the entrance to the causeway of the Haji Ali Dargah.  It probably has just as many visitors as the mosque itself, if the crowds I see outside are anything to go by. Every possible juice under the sun is available here with special attention being given to seasonal fruits.  You can also get milkshakes, faloodas and snacks. A glass of watermelon juice will set you back 80 Rs though - quite expensive to the average Mumbaikar. 

X  Xacuti

Chicken (or prawn or lamb) Xacuti - is a Goan speciality.  You can often find it on British curry house menus but the first authentic version I sampled was when we stayed at the Taj Exotica in Goa. A Xacuti (pronounced Shakooti) is heavy on coconut and onion and contains lots and lots of spices! But its complexity is what makes it so interesting and tasty.  Try chicken, prawn or lamb Xacuti at the Goan restaurant, Soul Fry in Bandra

Y  Yellow Dal Khichdi

When I first started working for the NGO in my first three months in Mumbai, I would eat this daily.  I was practically addicted to the stuff and would go and collect it from the restaurant next door to the office myself. So it's got a bit of sentimental value to me.  What exactly is Yellow Dal Khichdi?  All it is, is rice mixed with moong daal (gram), ginger-garlic, onions and mild spices. You can make a version of it by simply mixing cooked basmati rice with dal tadka.  Khichdi provides comfort food to all Indians, whether they be rich or poor. Due to being nutrient dense, it is also fed to small children.  Of course - as with so many Indian foods, there are lots of different recipes and many variants in spelling.

Z  Ziya 

Not much on the Z front (other than Zomato to which I have linked here many times) - so I will mention Ziya - the north Indian restaurant at the Oberoi in Nariman Point.  At Ziya, I had the most expensive - and not particularly remarkable - Indian meal I have ever eaten.  Plush surroundings, but a lack of atmosphere and ridiculous prices makes this an eatery I don't plan to return to!

Thanks for looking :-)

The Fort Finely Chopped Food Walk

OK.  I am finding these food walks by Kalyan Karmaker slightly addictive.  The first one in Dadar that I blogged about was so interesting that I was keen to get on another.  Unfortunately I missed two - trying out Bengali food in Oshiwara and what would have been the mother of all food walks - Ramzan in Bohri Mohalla.  But we did manage to get on his latest outing - sampling the eclectic culinary delights of the Fort area. Mr Jules was keen on this one too as Fort is where his office is located.  I was hoping that he might even find something more interesting to eat at lunchtime, than his usual tuna salad Subway sandwich!

We didn't eat from this street stall but I had to take a photo of the all famous Bombay Sandwich - a sandwich filled with healthy salad and then toasted. You see these red and blue bread bags everywhere in Mumbai

As usual, Kalyan showed us some hideaway places that we would not have found ourselves (including a pretty church) and lectured us at every stop-off on the various foods, drinks and restaurant ownership.  It is this detailed and interesting approach to Mumbai food that is the reason Kalyan is becoming quite the celebrity in this city - he recently appeared on The Foodie TV show and yesterday he was out and about with a Korean TV crew at some of his favourite eateries.  He also writes numerous columns including one for the Times of India website and is always out and about doing interesting things to promote Mumbai's wonderful food scene. 

Please see my previous blog on how to contact Finely Chopped about his upcoming walks.  He also does private, bespoke tours for expats, tourists and groups (including Virgin airline crews!).  

So here is the story of the walk in pictures.  

We kicked off the walk opposite The Bombay Store at a building where Kalyan used to work in his market research days - looking back and up across the road is this old HMV sign.  So nostalgic!

Our first stop - the Parsi bakery and cafe Yazdani.  Typical of many fading Parsi cafes in Bombay, this one had peeling paint and an adorable geriatric owner.  But the bread (particularly the Brun Maska) was to die for.

Buttery cakes for sale in the glass cabinet outside

Here is the owner - wearing a back brace due to severe spinal problems - but amazingly he ran the Mumbai Marathon last year - he proudly showed us a newspaper clipping about it as we entered the cafe.  He reminded me so much of the eccentric Boman Kohinoor from my other favourite Parsi eaterie, Britannia.  The very pretty girl on the left who was also on the tour is a reader of BombayJules! Hopefully she doesn't mind me putting up her picture here.

Buttery puff pastry in the foreground and the divine, pillowy soft white bread buns served with butter in the background.  Mr Jules will be making a weekly visit to collect our bread from Yazdani from now on!

I was fascinated by the collection of bodybuilding pictures on the wall of Yazdani - Parsis are famed for their bodybuilding passion - something I will have to investigate and blog about in the future!

More sensational crusty bread.

We were so privileged to be allowed in the back of Yazdani to see the bread being made - here are the loaves being put into a cavernous red hot oven

Here are the (ecstatic looking) bread makers - their hands covered in flour

The finished product

The next stop was the Punjabi Moti Halval where we sampled thick, sweet Lassi - so thick that you needed a spoon to eat/drink it. Luscious!

The takeaway version

It's not all about the food: Kalyan showed us this beautiful church (St Thomas's Cathedral) right in the middle of Fort on Nariman Road.  We didn't even know it existed.  Built during the British Raj and completed in 1718 - Churchgate Station actually refers to St Thomas's.

A beautiful English church interior - save for the fans!

We came across this fabulous and beautifully restored old Dodge vintage car outside the Bombay Samachar (the red painted brick building just off Horniman Circle.

Mr Jules bought a kilo of the finest South Indian coffee from this place - Philips. Cost 400 Rs.  I think Mr Jules was actually the only person to buy anything on this walk - well done Mr Jules!

The next stop in Khao Galli (food alley) - an awesome street food stall serving Bombay's finest Pav Bhaji.  Pav Bhaji is one of the most popular and delicious street foods you can get - it is basically a veg curry served with buttery bread buns (pav).  The crowd was big and the turnover fast at this place.  

The Pav Bhaji was sensational - one of the best things I've ever eaten in Mumbai!  I'd like to say it's healthy but a slab of butter is added upon serving and the bread is also slathered with butter.  But you only live once right?  This lot was probably about 70 Rs / 70p (and served three).

Kalyan looks on as the rest of us stuff ourselves!

Next door we had a plate of snacks - crispy Onion Bhajis and Wada served with coriander chutney and chilli.  I told Kalyan that the Onion Bhajis were as good as the ones in the UK ;)

The next place - Pradeep Gomantak - a Gomantak restaurant serving South Indian specialities. Here is Kalyan telling us to get seated.

The Bombil Fry (or Bombay duck - which is fish and famously served deep fried in batter and is soft as butter inside and very moreish)

Our second last food stop...another Parsi restaurant and a favourite of Kalyan's Parsi wife.

I was fascinated by this Parsi manufactured raspberryade....which correctly states 'Contains No Fruit'!!

We sampled the Salli Boti - a sweet mutton curry topped with crispy matchstick potatoes. One of my favourite Parsi dishes.

Our last stop - dessert!  A small shop with this guy sat outside making fresh Jalebis (main ingredients, flour, sugar, yoghurt, cardamom, saffron).  A demonstration of how they are made follows:

The jalebi mixture...

....which is then spooned into a kind of piping bag.

Then the cook swirls lots of shapes straight into the boiling oil one after the other

Do you think this Jalebi Wallah has been eating too many of the fruits of his own labour?

Before, during and after

 At the end of the tour, we were given a little box of sweet treats to have after.  Lovely!

A Very Fine Finely Chopped Food Walk

For an expat dining out in Mumbai, it is all too easy to only frequent well known restaurants and Sunday brunch locations. Ones which can be considered 'safe options' that cater well to our western constitutions. But what about trying out some of Mumbai's more traditional eateries?  The kind of places that are part of the very fabric of the city?

Mumbai is without doubt, the most cosmopolitan city in India - but it is also the most itinerant.  Over many decades, millions of people have flocked to the city from rural villages all over India, each one bringing their own traditions, faiths and recipes.  Nowhere else in India will you find such a variety of regional cooking; rich meat curries from the Punjab; coconutty prawn curries from Kerala; vegetarian thalis from Gujurat; Irani influenced Parsi berry pulaos; the Portuguese balchaos of Goa.  The list is endless.  The most well known of these food styles can be found at the best Indian restaurants in town. But in order to get right under the skin of itinerant Mumbai you have to dig a little deeper - by going right to the soul of the community.

Last night, Mr Jules and I did exactly that by joining a 'Finely Chopped Food Walk'. Finely Chopped is actually a food blog and Facebook page with a huge following that is lovingly written by Kalyan Karmakar - a guy who works in market research whilst penning all things food related in his spare time.  As the blog became more and more popular - and supported by the explosive growth in dining out - he created the concept of the Food Walk. The aim of which is to take a group of people right to the heart of regional cooking; to experiment with cuisine at local restaurants (where you may not even find a word of English on the sign!), to walk around an area and shop for ingredients along the way, and to get people to meet other people with similar food interests.  A forum for discovery, discussion and enjoyment.

Dadar was the location of last night's walk - an epicentre for 'typical' Maharashtrian cuisine. Previously, the only Maharashtrian food that we had sampled was of the Mumbai street food variety - Wada Pav, Sev Puri, Pani Puri etc.  Nothing particularly 'substantial'. Maharashtrian cuisine itself, being the cuisine of Marathi (and hence Mumbai) people actually covers a wider range of districts -  from Nagpur in the very North, to Mumbai and Pune in the middle, Kolhapur in the south and the Konkan coast down the west side of India.

The group of 14 introducing themselves in Aaswad.
A mixture of expats and locals
Kalyan at the helm and resplendent in orange

Within 30 minutes of meeting at the first eatery - Aaswad - we had already been introduced to a diverse group of 12 other individuals - including a travel writer, a food blogger, a corporate lawyer and even an American ex-fighter pilot!!  A refreshing drink was swiftly brought out to get things started - Panha - which is a mango juice infused with cardamom and saffron.  As Kalyan proceeded to give us a commentary on the origins and ingredients of all the dishes we would be sampling, the food began to arrive:  crispy and flat Thalee peeth pancake; soft batata (potato) vada fragrant with mustard seeds; rice-crispy like sabudana vada; delicious, sweet mango aamras puri; and lastly, a refreshing amba daal salad. (Some detailed in the pictures below).  My eyes were already beginning to feel bigger than my stomach!

Thalee Peeth - flat and crispy and tasted
a bit like an onion baji.  Dip it in white butter and yoghurt first.

Yummy Batata Vada broken open - have it with a sprinkle of chilli and a dollop of coconut chutney

Sabudana Vada - fried dumplings of sago. Crispy and wholesome

Divine Mango Amraas Puri - mango pureed with a bit of milk in which to dunk puris
- which tasted like donuts but better!

After spending an hour or so at Aaswad, we moved out of the restaurant and across the road to visit a local spice shop.  The shopkeeper allowed us to smell the various fragrant spices and tangy pickles and we were even able to taste one or two of them.   I purchased a meat rub with a sophisticated hint of star anise - a good sized packet for a mere 35 Rs.  A stallholder at Crawford Market had previously tried to rip me off for 300 Rs for a small bag of madras curry powder, so I was even more pleased with my purchase.

Spice kiosk across from Aswaad - smelling and tasting before buying

Colourful pickles

Then we moved on to the next shop - the very charming Kokan Bhavan - which specialises in ingredients from the Konkan coast.  In particular, the juice of Kokum which is a berry unique to the region and which is used in curries and sherbets.  We bought two large bags of papads for deep frying, a rustic looking mortar and pestle (for grinding our spices properly!) and we were given a bottle of the Kokum juice free of charge.  We are going to experiment with this juice to see if it makes a good gin cocktail!

Kokum Juice - perhaps a nice mixer for a gin cocktail?

Spices at Kokan Bhavan

Next we moved on to Prakash restaurant for a short stop and a taster of 'missal' - a spicy concoction consisting of mung beans, potato, curry powder and topped with sev (crunchy gram flour noodles like you find in Bombay Mix).  This was a bit too chilli hot for me but it was nicely washed down with Piyush - a bit like a sweet lassi and totally delicious.

Waiter at Prakash serving us sweet and refreshing Piyush

Our final destination (which was just as well as I was almost at bursting point) was Sachin restaurant - serving traditional veg and non-veg Gomantak food. Gomantak is a style of cooking that belongs to the Saraswat community from the coastal areas of Southern Maharashtra and Goa and is therefore very seafood based. First to come out was the Sol Kadi - a salty coconut based drink that most of us unfortunately did not like - worth trying but I think it is an acquired taste.  Then in quick succession - prawn fry, Bombay Duck (Bombil fish) Fry, and Sukha Mutton - meat cooked in a most unctuous and deeply flavoured sauce.

The not so popular Sol Kadi - salty and warm.

Prawns Fry - who can resist something so crispy and deep fried! Yum.

All the while we were receiving a detailed commentary on the food - their origins and ingredients and some of the history of the restaurant owners.  Kalyan really knows his stuff and is so enthusiastic about the food, you can't help but enthuse with him! We left the restaurant thoroughly but pleasantly bloated, holding a complimentary box of sweets to have later. We really enjoyed our outing and it made such a change from the usual slump on the sofa in front of a Sunday night movie. Not only that, but we met an interesting and diverse group of people, experienced completely new tastes, found new places to shop and we also came to appreciate Dadar for being a community offering a quality food culture. A place that would have otherwise remained hidden to us forever.

I can't wait to go on another Food Walk.  Kalyan also mentioned he may be offering cookery lessons during the quieter monsoon period...watch this space as I will be first in the queue for that!

In order to get on a walk – keep tabs on the Finely Chopped website (www.finelychopped.net) or email Kalyan on k.finelychopped@gmail.com to see when the next walk is coming up. We paid 2,000 Rs each which included all restaurant food, a few freebies and bottled water. The outing lasted just under four hours (6 to 10pm).

 A few other images:

We walked past this street stall selling sweet Jalebis

Small onions at Kokan Bhavan

Sweet stall outside Prakash restaurant

Our last stop.