Bhel Puri

A Regular Bhel Puri in Mumbai

It is hard to find an Indian who does not love chaat and bhel puri. This Indian savory snack item has its roots in Gujarat and in Mumbai it is closely associated with beaches like Chowpatty. In late 70s and 80s the phrase,”Chowpatty jayenge aur bhel puri khayenge” was quite popular with family and couples. The phrase means “we will go to Chowpatty and enjoy some bhel puri”. I remember as a kid, I used to go with my family and this bhel puri vendor would come up to us and we would order bhel puris for all. I would enjoy this chaat watching the ocean and play in the beach sand. I still see kids do that, so I feel time hasn’t quite changed much. Bhel puri is made from puffed rice, vegetables and tangy tamarind sauce that adds to the flavor. There is basically no preparation method for this so you just have to mix all the ingredients one by one.

Sev Puri in Mumbai

So, first goes in puffed rice, then goes boiled potatoes, chopped onions, chopped tomatoes and mix it well. Now, add some tangy tamarind and chilli chutneys to it, mix it well again. Now add yellow sev (sev is fried and crispy noodle-like item made from besan flour), garnish it by sprinkling some chopped coriander over it and peanuts, that’s it.

Dry Bhel

There are many variations to making bhel puri, so many people add different items to decorate it based on their preferences. Some people also prefer Dry Bhel, so they exclude adding sweet and spicy chutneys to it to make bhel puri crunchier.

Sandwich

Toasted Sandwich with Green Chilli Chutney

Are you health conscious, but can’t keep away from street food? Well, just watch out for the sandwich stalls in your locality and you can have some wholesome bite of vegetables packed within layers of bread. Mumbai is also popular for its sandwich stalls that are available on every corner of the street. These sandwich stalls offer you wide variety of sandwiches like normal vegetable sandwich that has a filling of cucumbers, onions, potatoes, beetroot and tomatoes stuffed between sandwich breads. A layer of butter and green chilli chutney is applied to the bread to bring some spicy flavor to the sandwich. Apart from the regular, you can have grilled sandwiches, cheese chilli toast sandwiches and even double-layered club sandwiches to make you feel full without compromising your health. You can enjoy your sandwich with extra dash of green chilli chutney or tomato ketchup as you please.

Frankie

Regular Chicken Frankie Roll

The first time I heard the word Frankie, I was just ten years old. Although, back then frankie was more like sit-and-eat concept and not eat-on-the-go thing. I remember Tibbs had their own store few buildings close to my school and I would pass by with my mother watching people eating this roll-like food item that was partially covered with paper from below. Today, frankie has become this common vegetable or chicken wrap that you can get any different stalls around the city.

A Frankie Food Truck

Frankie is basically a wrap that contains egg, vegetables or meat depending on what you choose as your filling. The price of the frankie generally depends on the filling you have asked for.

Khaman & Dhokla

Fresh Dhokla Ready to Serve

These two food items have their roots in Gujarat and they are still immensely popular in Gujarat, but equally popular in Mumbai as well. Both the items are made from fermented batter of rice and chickpea splits. It also has lot of spices added to it, so it has its own texture and flavor, so it does not taste like boiled chickpeas at all. It is not spicy at all, so those who cannot handle too much of spice factor can enjoy this one. I will certainly recommend my international readers to try this one for a start if they haven’t tried any Indian dish so far. It is a good way to start with Indian dishes and then gradually you can choose food items that have more spice ratio. Dhokla and Khaman are served with deep fried chillies and coriander-chilly chutney which brings more flavor to it. Oh, I forgot to mention that the procedure for making both these items are same, but Dhokla is made with rice and chickpea batter (4:1 ratio), while Khaman is made from chickpea batter only, so that’s the basic difference.

Falooda

Royal Falooda at Badshah

Indian summers are unforgiving and cruel. Mumbai usually experiences hot and humid climate at least most part of the year, so Mumbai residents love to enjoy some cool drinks that go well after some hot and spicy fast food. Falooda is among the popular fast food drinks that you can enjoy after some spicy snacks. This cool drink is not just popular across India, but also across the Indian sub-continent and the Middle East. In fact, it is the best way to beat the heat. A glass of falooda contains cold milk, thin vermicelli noodles, rose syrup, basil seeds and top it a dollop of ice cream. When you head to any falooda stall or shop in your area you can try other variations as well. Normally, falooda vendors use different syrup flavors to bring more variety to their menu. So, if you don’t want to try a regular falooda which has a rose syrup, you can try Kesar Falooda (saffron flavored), Mango Falooda, Chocolate Falooda and so on. You can try falooda on the streets or even in some local restaurants.

Kulfi

Kulfi with Dry Fruits

Kulfi is the Indian counterpart of ice creams, so if you love ice creams, you are going to fall madly in love with kulfis too. Kulfis are popular throughout the Indian sub-continent, but they are also widely popular in Australia, Europe, East Asia and the United States. Kulfi is very much like an ice cream, but kulfi is creamier and denser in texture compared to ice cream. The process of kulfi making does not include whipping, so it is more solid, dense and rich compared to traditional ice creams. Since it is dense, kulfis take long time to melt compared with a regular ice cream. There are many kulfiwallas (kulfi vendors) around the city so when you find one you can catch hold of him and buy your favorite flavor kulfi.

Stick Kulfi

Kulfi is available on a stick, in an earthen pot which is called Matka Kulfi and it is also served in a plate with falooda and syrups and basil seeds. You can pick from different flavors like Malai Kulfi (Milk Cream Kulfi), Guava Kulfi, Mango Kulfi, Rose Kulfi, Kesar Kulfi (Saffron Kulfi), Pista Kulfi (Pistachio Kulfi), Badam Kulfi (Almond Kulfi), Chocolate Kulfi, Elaichi Kulfi (Cardamom Kulfi) and the possibilities are endless here. Some vendors also allow you to mix up all the flavors, so you get few pieces of all flavors you demand in one single plate and obviously you pay for only one plate of kulfi which is around Rs. 20 bucks which is like US 30 cents I believe.

Lassi and Chaas

Lassi and Chaas in Mumbai

This street food item hails from Punjab and has become popular across the city of Mumbai. Lassi is a simple blend of yogurt and water and sometimes spices and fruits as well. While lassi is quite popular on the streets, it is very healthy and nutritious. It is available in sweet or salty flavor, so if you are not much into sugar-based drinks, you can opt for the salted one. There are variations to lassi so some vendors also add fruit flavors to it and to me it sounds very much like those fro-yo concepts that are now popular in the West like Pinkberry, Red Mango and Menchie’s. On the other hand, Chaas is almost like a salted lassi, but it has more water content plus it has cumin seeds (jeera) and fresh coriander in it that aids digestion and also acts like a coolant dropping down the body temperature naturally without any side effects or body harm.

Well, that brings us to the end of this food ride. Probably, you must be hungry or thirsty by now, so I should end it here. While all these food items are fast food items, but they are easy to make at home as well and many Indians who are health conscious do that. I hope you enjoyed this food-filled journey with me and will try some of these items when you are in Mumbai.

The post Savoring the Street Food of Mumbai – Part 2 appeared first on Travel India Destinations.

Vada Pav

Vada Pav in Mumbai

If you are in Mumbai you have to try this out. This native Maharashtrian fast food certainly tops the list when it comes to most popular street food in Mumbai. Basically, it is a potato fritter that is placed in a bread or a bun. I would like to call it as an Indian Burger, which offers lot of nutrients even while you are on the go. The fritter consists of finely chopped green chillies, ginger, mustard seeds, turmeric and salt added to boil potatoes.

A Fresh Tray of Wadas

The patties are then dipped in the batter of gram flour and deep fried. When the fritters are done, they are placed between a bread and tamarind and garlic chutney is applied to the bread to add more spice. There are some stalls across Mumbai that add cheese and Schezwan sauce to it as well to make it taste different offering some variety to the consumers. Vada pav cost around Rs. 10 to Rs. 15, so it beats McDonald’s hand down for price factor and even for spicy taste factor.

Samosa

Kachori Samosas and Wada

While samosa has its origins in North India in the state of Uttar Pradesh, it has become one of the popular street food items all over India and so in Mumbai. It is triangular in shape and has a filling of mashed boiled potatoes, onion, green peas, spices and chili. The mixture is then packed with thin layer of maida flour (refined wheat flour) and deep fried. In northern parts of India, the size of samosa is bigger compared to other states across India. Samosa is generally served hot with green chili chutney, chopped onions, and even tamarind chutney to give that sweet spicy flavor combination.

Samosas

You will find a samosa at the nearby stall for Rs. 10 or so.

Pakoda

Onion Pakodas

Usually, you will find vada pav, samosa and pakoda at the same food stall because all three items are fried items and street stall vendors would love to offer some variety to their consumers. Pakoda or pakora is another appetizing snack item that you will find on the streets of Mumbai, no matter wherever you are. There are different variations in pakodas, so you can pick the ones you like. You can choose potato pakoda, onion pakoda, cauliflower pakoda, spinach pakoda and even a green chili pakoda, if you can handle that amount of heat. In Mumbai, locals call it bajji and you can relish it with or without bread, the choice is yours. These fritters are dipped in gram flour or chickpea flour and deep fried. I will also tell you that the best time to enjoy pakoda is when its raining outside and you are either stuck near a roadside stall where you get these hot pakodas piping hot and you enjoy it with some hot tea alongside. You can also enjoy these at home while its pouring outside so you can sit by your home window, enjoying the cool breeze and pitter patter of the rain drops and eating hot pakoda with some tea. I think that’s how Indians make their hectic monsoon days into memorable ones. A pakoda plate that consists of 7-8 pakodas like in the picture above will cost around Rs. 15.

Masala Dosa

Masala Dosa in the Process

This Udupi (a town in South India) invention has surely become one of the popular street foods that you will find across Mumbai. You will come across millions of roadside dosa stalls across the city where locals love to relish this food. In simple words, dosa is pancake made from rice batter and black lentils and is a part of staple diet across all southern states in India. You will also find dosas being served in Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Singapore.

Adding Masala to Masala Dosa

Although it is a street food, it is rich in carbohydrates, no sugar or saturated fats and gluten free. So, a masala dosa is generally a pancake that has a stuffing of potatoes, fried onions and spices. Some of the restaurants here in India serve more than 100 different variations of dosa, so there is no end to the imagination and creativity that chefs introduce while they make dosas. Masala Dosa is generally served with coconut chutney and sambhar (vegetable stew based on a broth made with tamarind and other spices). Masala Dosa is priced at around Rs. 60 and above, depending on which variation you order.

Pani Puri

Pani Puri in Mumbai

Want a quick bite? Well, find a pani puri stall around and it will offer you the right satisfaction. Pani puri is not just popular in Mumbai, but across India and you can’t keep any Indian away from this one for sure. This dish has multiple names when you travel across India and the taste varies as well, but the basic ingredients remain same. In North India, pani puri is called Gol-Gappa (gol means round and it is named so after the round hollow puris), in eastern India it is more popularly known as Phuchka (the word phuchka is derived from literal sound of puri bursting in the mouth), while other parts of India usually know this as pani puri.

Pani Puri Plate

So, the vendor gives you this small plate or leaf-made or paper-made or a regular bowl, takes one puri at a time, punches a big hole in the hollow puri with his thumb then starts to fill the puri with boiled chickpeas, boiled smashed potatoes then adds tamarind water in it followed by spicy water which is made from coriander leaves, mint leaves and black salt and green chili. The vendor puts that filled puri in your bowl and you pick it up and place it in your mouth and bite it. The moment you bite it, the puri will burst with all those spices and flavors instantly flooding all your taste buds and senses to give you gastronomical treat that you wanted. Pani puri rates in Mumbai are around Rs. 12 to Rs. 15 where you are served 6 puris. There are some popular stalls that charge more because they use mineral water for preparation, but I believe majority Indians don’t really go for that. The true fun of enjoying pani puri is right on the roadside rather than sitting in a restaurant relishing it.

Well, this is not the end…I will be coming up with Savoring the Street Food of Mumbai – Part 2 for all food lovers who want to dig deeper into the streets of Mumbai and want to have a bite of cuisines and food items that truly make Mumbai special, globally.

The post Savoring the Street Food of Mumbai – Part 1 appeared first on Travel India Destinations.

Known as the financial hub of the country, Mumbai has always been a place for street food lovers. Here you will find tons of places where people gobble up food as they manage their hectic routine. The good part about finding street food in Mumbai is that you don’t have to try hard. There are plenty of stalls and street food vendors that would provide you with a variety of food items.

Here are few options if you are looking for street food in Mumbai to manage your hunger and budget.

Vada Pav

A conversation about street food in Mumbai is incomplete without mentioning the ever-popular vada pav. While there are many burger and sandwich brands in the city vada pav still remains the top street food in Mumbai. It would be almost impossible to count the number of vada pav vendors you will find across the city.

Vada pav is a potato fritter stashed between the pav (bread) served with a spread of chutneys and chillis. These potato fritters are an ideal food option on a rainy day in Mumbai. There are many street vendors and vada pav stalls that you will find across the city. However, some stalls are popular than others because they have been there for quite some time.

Having a vada pav is a great way to manage your budget and survive in this city without spending more. The good thing about finding a vada pav stall is that you don’t have to find one. You can just stroll down your street and you will find one for sure.

Bun Maska and Irani Tea

A typical Irani chai and bun maska might not sound like a street food in Mumbai, but it definitely fits the same budget. If you are in Grant Road you will find the B Merwan and Company Irani cafe right opposite the railway station.

There are plenty of Irani cafes that you will find across the city. Irani cafes like Kyani and Company can provide you with these simple bun maska and Irani chai options that can help you satisfy your hunger in the best way. Most of the Irani cafes offer you a short break experience. So, if you are looking for a quick bite or a short meeting this is the right place to be at.

Pav Bhaji

It would sound unbelievable if you found that the local street food in Mumbai has an American connection. Yes, the pav bhaji does have some indirect link to the American Civil War. How?

Well, from 1861 to 1865, the American Civil War situation influenced the global supply of cotton. Abraham Lincoln’s Navy decided to seal New Orleans, Mississippi and Manchester looms. This created a shortage of cotton in the global cotton market.

Traders at the Bombay Cotton Exchange stepped in to fill in the void. However, they had to stay at work late night to receive rates via telegram from America. The demand for food at such odd hours was a challenge for wives of these traders.

This led to the creation of pav bhaji. A simple idea that became timeless. The idea was to throw in all the leftovers and vegetables in a tomato gravy and mash it together. In other words, pav bhaji is a stew mash up served with buttered loaves. The loaf would soak up the gravy and the oil and would be easy to eat.

Today, pav bhaji has become a street food in Mumbai and you will find plenty of stalls and restaurants dedicated to it. Also, pav bhaji is available in a variety of choices because one can practically throw in any ingredient to it.

Misal Pav

If you are in Mumbai you must definitely try Misal Pav a.k.a. Misal. The literal meaning of Misal is ‘Mixture’. Misal Pav is a breakfast or a midday snack. It is quite affordable and nutritious which makes it one of the popular street food in Mumbai.

The core of the dish consists of the gravy that will have a mix of moth bean (matki) or chana (chickpea). Sev (crunchy noodles) is added to this gravy. Furthermore, a mixture of chopped onions, coriander and other regional ingredients are added. The gravy is served with a slice of bread or small loaves.

There are plenty of street vendors and stalls and even restaurants that serve different variants of misal pav. However, Kolhapuri and Puneri misal are the two most popular versions. The Kolhapuri misal has more spiciness to it.

Dosa and Idli

If you are not much into fried and spicy food you can definitely focus on these two street food items. Over the years, dosa has remained one of my favourite street food in Mumbai. Personally, I prefer food with less oil and that’s why both idlis and dosas are high on my street food list.

Dosa is a rice pancake while idli is a savory rice cake. Both these food items are historically connected to the state of Karnataka. Although, as per some ancient literature dosa was used in Tamil culture as well.

However, in popular tradition, the town of Udipi is the birthplace of dosa. On the other hand, there are various sources that have different stories about the origin of idlis. Some food historians believe Indonesia is the birth place of the modern day steam idli. Eventually, the recipe came to India.

Both idli and dosa are highly nutritious and have plenty of variations. The most popular version of the dosa is Masala Dosa. It has a potato filling. Mysore Masala Dosa has more vegetables and spices in it. Made from semolina Rava Dosa is the crispier version of it. Some street vendors and stall serve more than 10-15 versions of dosa.

Similarly, idlis are highly customizable. However, steam idlis are the most popular version of it. You can also find other versions like rawa idli. On the internet, you can find around 185 different versions of idlis.

Bhel

One street food item that resonates with the culture of Mumbai is the Bhel or Bhel Puri. This savoury snack that consists puffed riceas its base ingredient. Furthermore, Sev, onions, tomatoes, various chutneys and chat masala blend with it to make it delicious.

Bhel puri is completely customizable and that’s the best part of it. You decide what ingredients you want in it according to your taste preferences. Different chutneys impart a sweet, tangy and spicy flavour. It is garnished with chunks of diced raw mango, crispy puris and plenty of sev.

This street food in Mumbai is often associated with the local beaches like Chowpatty and Juhu. Here you will find plenty of stalls serving bhel and other food items like sev puri, dahi puri and sev papdi chat. However, you will find bhel puri all over the city.

Pani Puri

To many Indians, the word Pani Puri itself can make their mouth water. There are many Pani Puri stalls and street vendors across the city. Hence, this is a must-eat street food in Mumbai. Pani Puri is popular in Mumbai and in other parts of the country as well.

Also, the name varies as you move from one state to another. In some states it is called Puchka or Gol Gappa as well. Furthermore, the taste and the contents that go into it also differs from place to place.

Pani Puri consists of round hollow deep-fried crisp crepe, filled with boiled gram, mashed potatoes and various tangy and spicy chutneys. As you put pani puri in your mouth it breaks creating an explosion of flavours within.

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