Bombay (street) food

Having spent six months in Bombay last year, there are a number of restaurants, cafes, roadside stalls etc. that have become favourites of mine. Although there is definitely a significant, and increasing, outlet for sophisticated gastronomic tastes in the city, mine tend to fall into another, less refined, shall we say, category (although perhaps that is rather due to the fact that I was a penniless NGO intern…)

Bombay Sandwiches (from pretty much any street corner) – no one else seems to understand the satisfaction that a good Bombay sandwich gives me. Thin slices of cucumber, tomato, beetroot, some grated cheese and potato masala, sandwiched between plain white bread (often of the slightly cheap variety), the inside of each slice slathered with coriander and chilli chutney, toasted and served with tomato ketchup on the side. And then, my favourite part – cut into nine little criss-cross squares. (Rs 30 max)

Chaat – it’s hard to explain chaat to someone who a)has never experienced it before and b) isn’t too familiar with Indian food. Basically, it is a form of Indian snack food, vegetarian in nature and often consisting of puffed rice, poories, potato, a blend of spices, fresh coriander – but it comes in many forms.(Rs – varies)

Chicken Burger – This stall, on a small road between Hill Road and Lilivati, opens between 2 and 6pm every day of the week and serves small, hot, flavourful chicken, mutton or vegetable burgers, cooked in the house across the road and delivered by a man scurrying back and forth to replenish stock (which goes down at a surprising rate…) (Rs 25)

Kathi roll – a number of stalls serve these – grilled meat (mainly chicken/mutton), wrapped in a naan-esque bread, along with chilli chutney, red onions etc…best eaten hot off the grill, freshly made, on a street corner.

Mango smoothie at Amrut Sagar (not really street food…) – a thick yoghurty mango shake, with big chunks of fresh alphonso mango lurking within (only available during mango season). This time I ate half and put the rest in the freezer to have the next day as a frozen treat. (Rs 90) A cousin has just given us 6 imported alphonso mangos…so if i can steal one away from my mother (who ADORES them), I might try and recreate this using plenty of thick gorgeous greek yoghurt.

I do miss Bombay street food – however, this place in London, Dishoom (and its ‘Chowpatty Beach Bar’, currently open in the London South Bank) , proclaims to recreate some of the magic, serving up masala chai, roti rolls and even a ‘Gola’ – the bombay version of an ice lolly. I will most definitely be paying it a visit in the coming weeks.