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 :-)

Learning to Cook Mughlai Style

I don't know whether it is because of the monsoon, but my mind has been turning to the subject of food rather a lot as of late. It is hard to get out and about and explore the city during such heavy rain. Perhaps that is why I am more inclined to stay in with a recipe book and plan dinner - or go and learn to cook Indian food first, then plan dinner.

I had been trying to find a class for quite a while. I had emailed a couple of schools purporting to teach Indian cooking - but as is typical - received no response whatsoever. Poor marketing and poor customer service really do go hand-in-hand in India and it disappoints me that these companies can afford to turn down such valuable business.

Murg Do Piazza (Chicken with Two Types of Onion) simmering nicely on the hob

Not so with FoodWhizz cookery school - which I happened upon via a learning portal. Their website is modern, simple and informative - listing out a number of interesting looking alternatives. One of which was 'Mughlai I' (there is also Mughlai II and Mughlai III). Ideal. I emailed them and swiftly got a reply offering me date and time options. Then I rounded up the troops, and booked a class for three of us.

Within a week we had already pitched up at a homely looking bungalow in Goregaon East - right on the border of Sanjay Gandhi National Park. Chef Shwetambari (or 'Shweta') greeted us personally and sat us down in her sitting room. As we were thirty minutes early, the four of us chatted together about her background, family and training. She certainly had plenty of interesting tales to share! We were also introduced to her sister Priyanka. Priyanka is a lawyer by profession but also runs the customer care and marketing side of the business - and very efficiently so may I add. We were handed a set of neatly presented cooking instructions - which would form the basis for our three hour session. On today's schedule - Chicken Korma, Chicken Do Piazza (Do Piazza = 'Two Types of Onion'), Butter Chicken (Murgh Makhani), Lamb Rogan Josh, Chicken Shahi (with cashews) and Jeera (Cumin) rice. Quite a lot to squeeze into three hours I thought to myself!

Adding colourful spices to a yogurt, cashew and coconut paste for Chicken Shahi

Mughlai cooking is all about richness - dishes that contain expensive ingredients such as cream and nuts and are therefore fit for Indian Royalty. The cuisine was developed in the imperial kitchens of the Mughul empire and is a cooking style representative of North India - especially Rajasthan. Mughlai cooking also tends to be a bit milder than a lot of regional Indian cuisine. Which would explain why dishes - such as Korma, Do Piazza, Butter Chicken and Rogan Josh - are commonly found on British Indian restaurant menus. And of course it contains the meat that we are all so fond of when so much Indian cooking is vegetarian or fish-centric.

Once the kitchen had been prepared by Shweta's assistant Sudhir (a boy who proved to be most proficient at finely slicing onions and tomatoes!), Shweta proceeded to demonstrate the art of marinating. Most of our dishes required the meat to bathe in yoghurt (dahi) mixed with various spices for at least 10 minutes - to tenderise the chicken/mutton and let it be infused with the flavours. It was fascinating to see the repertoire of spices held in a standard kitchen cupboard and how different amounts and variations can substantially alter the taste of the dish.

Marinating mutton in yoghurt (curds/dahi) for the Rogan Josh. Note that most meat is cooked on the bone here in India - the bone adds flavour and richness to the sauces but can be fiddly to eat.

In terms of equipment, only a few basics are required in the Indian kitchen: a food processor or mini-chopper (especially good for mincing ginger and garlic), a mortar and pestle (for freshly grinding our Mughlai spices), a pressure cooker (tenderises and cooks the meat much quicker and also liquifies down the onions into the sauce), a Kadai (an Indian wok), and a couple of basic pans. You also need lots of spoons and a spatula for getting every last drop out of the blender.

Frying off some of the whole spices such as mace, black and green cardamon and cinnamon
- infusing the oil with pure flavour

Despite our recipe cards with all the measures dictated - Chef Shwetambari added the spices by feel alone. I would love to be able to do this but I am a bit textbook when it comes to cooking. It was also interesting to see some of the spices and ingredients that are not so commonly found on British supermarket shelves - such as black cardamon; mace in whole form; whole fenugreek leaves (methi) and the red food dye that gives so many Indian dishes that wonderful rich colour. We also were shown a flavouring called 'Kewra' - which is the essence of screw-pine and is added to Korma as a final step. Only when we tasted the final article, did we appreciate how 'Kewra' makes a dish truly authentic and standout.

One of the troops adding spices to the Rogan Josh.

As I mentioned before, using a pressure cooker helps the onions to emulsify and disappear into the sauce during pressure cooking - I always wondered how this was done. I have cooked a lot of curry myself at home but somehow, it never tastes or looks restaurant quality. Through this class, I definitely picked up some hints and tricks for authentic Indian cooking and pressure cooking seems to be a necessity. I guess it will also help you to cook very quickly!

On the face of it, the recipes had many of their ingredients in common with each other, appearing quite similar. All the dishes contained dahi/yoghurt, all had onions, ginger and garlic and most had cardamom, cumin, cinnamon and garam masala. But the order in which the ingredients are added, the amounts which are added and whether the yoghurt is first used for marinating or added later to enrich the sauce all make a huge difference to the end result. And you must also understand the subtle differences. For example, it is important to use Kashmiri Chilli Powder, or it is important to use Mughlai Garam Masala....or it is necessary to fry off some Mustard Seed Oil to release the right aroma. You can't go using any old store cupboard variations if you want the proper flavour.

Below: some of the dishes during cooking: An unusually dark coloured Chicken Korma; Murgh Makhani (butter chicken), and Shahi Murgh (chicken with cashews and looks more like the Korma we know).

After three hours of solid demonstration by Shweta and a bit of participation by us (chopping onions, adding spices and stirring), we were finally treated to a tasting session. Which was just as well as it was lunchtime! Oh my god, I was totally blown away by the dishes - the subtle aromas and flavours, the textures, the varying chilli heat and degrees of creaminess. AMAZING! If I can come near to recreating any of these curries so beautifully back home, I will be very pleased with myself. Fodder for a future blog methinks....watch this space!

Thanks to Chef Shwetambari and Priyanka (and the kitchen boy) for making our first foray into 'professional' Indian cooking so enjoyable and interesting. We each paid 2,400 Rs for a three hour session which included the ingredients, recipe cards, bottled water and tasting session. And if you can't stand the Mumbai heat, then get out of the kitchen!

Find FoodWhizz Cookery School here or on Facebook

Chef Shwetambari recommends the 'Taste of India' (I & II) for total newbies. Mughlai cookery, we are informed, is more for special occasions although I personally, can eat it any time!

The Troops getting busy on the stove

Peeling Almonds for Lamb Rogan Josh (a Recipe)

I am not really one for posting recipes.  Especially not for Indian food as that's really best left to the experts.  However, an Indian friend tried out my recipe for Lamb Rogan Josh recently and said that it 'rocked'.   And then it was only when I was making this dish myself tonight and peeling my own almonds to go in it (no Waitrose Finely Chopped Blanched Almonds here!) that I thought I would take a picture or two and then perhaps post my recipe.  It is rather good after all.

The finished product.  The sauce is flecked with finely chopped almonds.

Here goes:

LAMB ROGAN JOSH

Serves 4.

10 minutes to prepare

One hour to cook or a bit more.

Ingredients:

One onion, peeled and grated (I finely chop or puree in a blender for best results)

50g ghee or 4 tbsps oil

6 green cardamoms

4 large cardamoms (I didn't have any in so used 8 green ones instead)

6 cloves

2 bayleaves

1 cinnamon stick

1 inch root ginger, peeled and crushed or grated

3 cloves crushed garlic

450g/1lb lamb (mutton) cut into cubes (neck fillet works a treat)

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp chilli powder

2 tsp paprika (not the smoked variety!)

1 tsp ground coriander

150 ml natural yoghurt (dahi)

1 tsp salt

25g chopped, blanched almonds (or whole, peeled and then chopped yourself)

1 tbsp poppyseeds, ground (you can omit his)

350ml water

1 pinch saffron

Method:

1.     Fry the garlic and ginger in the ghee or oil until lightly browned.

2.     Stir fry the cardamoms, cloves, bayleaf and cinnamon for 1 minute.  Add the onion and further fry until browned.

3.     Add the meat and fry until browned and the juiced sealed in.

4.     Sprinkle on, one at a time, the cumin, chilli, paprika and coriander powder.  Fry the mixture for two minutes.

5.     Add the yogurt and salt; cover and cook for 5-7 minutes until dry and the oil separates. 

6.     Stir in the almonds and poppyseeds if using.  Fry for 1-2 minutes and then add the water.  Cover and cook for 40-50 minutes gently simmering until the meat is tender and the sauce has thickened (we don’t like it too dry but you can simmer until it is drier).

7.     Sprinkle with saffron, cover and gently cook for another 10 minutes, taking care not to burn the meat if you prefer it dry.  Stir a few times to mix the saffron.

8.     Serve with pilau, plain basmati or naan.

Enjoy!

Making a point about peeling my own almonds here (soak for a few hours first)...

....then finely chop in your blender/chopper

This is the ready peeled garlic that I bought on Pali Market! (why no ready peeled almonds?)

The Rogan Josh simmering away nicely....