Street Food Tour

17:30 / 5.30pm
Meeting Point - Churchgate Station
Reality Tours Guide = Nilesh

This is what Reality Tours said …

Get off the eaten path with our delicious tour of Mumbai’s best street food!

Mumbai is famous across India for its outstanding street food but discovering good eateries in a big city is not always easy. Not to worry, that’s where we come in! We’ll help you experience all the flavours the city has to offer by guiding you through Mumbai’s two best street food areas.

We’ll start at Mumbai’s most famous beach, Chowpatty, where we’ll try an array of Mumbai’s best vegetarian street food as we watch the sun set. We’ll have classics such as dahi puri, pani puri and pav bhaji. Then we’ll take a short taxi ride to the lively Mohommad Ali Road area. In this predominantly Muslim neighborhood we’ll introduce you to the local culture and, of course, the delicious food. In the bustling ali khao gaullis (eating lanes) you will find mainly non-vegetarian options such as chota kebabs and chicken tikka.

Hope you’re hungry!

Note: many foods we’ll pass by, and a few items we’ll try in the Mohammed Ali Road area are non-vegetarian. However, there are plenty of options for vegetarians so just please let us know when booking. All snacks at Chowpatty Beach are vegetarian.

http://realitytoursandtravel.com/street-food-tour.php

Chowpatty Beach

It was now 6.30 pm and dinner time. With the sun about to set and a Street Food Tour ahead, no time to watch the sun set, do that tomorrow so let’s start eating.

Pani Puri

It consists of a round, hollow puri, fried crisp and filled with a mixture of flavored water (commonly known as imli pani), tamarind chutney, chili, chaat masala, potato, onion or chickpeas. Thanks Mr Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panipuri

Sev Puri

Although there is no fixed recipe for sev puri, the basic ingredients used widely are the same. Sev puri is essentially made of puri which is loaded with diced potatoes, onions, three types of chutneys: tamarind, chili and garlic and topped with sev. It is seasoned with raw mango, when raw mango is in season or with a hint of lemon and chaat masala. Thanks Mr Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sevpuri

Dahi Batat Puri

Sev puri can be made with a variety of fillings and garnishing ingredients. Some popular variations are dahi sev batata puri (sev puri with yogurt and potato), palak sev puri (Sev Puri with spinach) and corn sev puri. Sometimes mint chutney and paneer are also added in its preparation. Thanks Mr Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sevpuri

The round, hard, puffy puri shell is first broken on top and partially filled with the main stuffing of mashed potatoes or chickpeas. A small amount of haldi powder or chilli powder, or both, may be added for taste, as well as a pinch of salt. Sweet tamarind chutney and spicy green chutney are then poured into the shell, on top of the stuffing. Finally, sweetened beaten yoghurt is generously poured over the shell, and the finished product is garnished with sprinklings of crushed sev, moong dal, pomegranate and finely chopped coriander leaves.

Dahi puri typically comes as 5 or 6 dahi puris per plate. While pani puri is typically served one piece at a time, a plate of many dahi puri is often served together. Each dahi puri is intended to be eaten whole, like pani puri, so that the spectrum of flavors and textures within may all be tasted together. Thanks Mr Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dahi_puri

Pav Bhaji

Pav bhaji has many variations in ingredients and garnishes, but is essentially a spiced mixture of mashed vegetables in a thick gravy served hot with a soft white bread roll, usually cooked on a flat griddle (tava).

Variations on pav bhaji include:

• Cheese pav bhaji, with cheese on top of the bhaji
• Fried pav bhaji, with the pav tossed in the bhaji
• Paneer pav bhaji, with paneer cheese in the bhaji
• Mushroom pav bhaji, with mushrooms in the bhaji
• Khada pav bhaji, with vegetable chunks in the bhaji
• Jain pav bhaji, without onions and garlic and with plantains instead of potatoes
• Kolhapuri pav bhaji, using a spice mix common in Kolhapur
• White pav bhaji, with no garam masala or no chilli powder.

Thanks Mr Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pav_bhaji

Kulfi

Kulfi has similarities to ice cream in appearance and taste; however it is denser and creamier. It comes in various flavours. The more traditional ones are cream (malai), rose, mango, cardamom (elaichi), saffron (kesar or zafran), and pistachio. There are newer variations such as apple, orange, strawberry, peanut, and avocado. Unlike ice cream, kulfi is not whipped, resulting in a solid, dense frozen dessert similar to traditional custard-based ice cream. Thus, it is sometimes considered a distinct category of frozen dairy-based dessert. Due to its density, kulfi takes a longer time to melt than Western ice cream. Thanks Mr Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kulfi

What was my favourite? Yes, when offered I had seconds for most but it was the kulfi and I am not a sweet eater!

Mohammed Ali Road

Into the taxi and off to the bustling ali khao gaullis (eating lanes) around the Muslim neighbourhood of Dr A V Memon Marg / Mohammed Ansari Taher Rd / Memonwada / Mohammed Ali Road.

I was getting full and didn’t finish the couple of dishes that we had here.

Top clockwise:
Egg Roti
Onion
Green sauce
Chicken roll
Chicken sandwich

B U T I still had room for desert!

Taj Ice Cream

How could I not have a second after the Chikoo so it was their Roasted Almond – Chocolate Chips.

But what is Chikoo?

Chikoo, most commonly known as 'Sapota' in India, is a very familiar fruit. Chikoo is also called as Naseberry, Mud Apples, and Sapodilla Plum. Chikoo is a delicate brown fruit which tastes sweet and yummy. Chikoo is scientifically known as 'Sapodilla.' It comes from the Sapotaceae family in Central America.

https://mavcure.com/health-benefits-uses-chikoo-sapodilla-fruit-juice/

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/scoop-bhendi-bazaars-best-kept-secret-is-an-old-ice-cream-shop/articleshow/57352677.cms

https://www.likealocalguide.com/mumbai/the-taj-ice-cream

Jalebi

Jalebi, also known as zulbia, is a sweet popular food in countries of South Asia, West Asia, North Africa, and East Africa. It is made by deep-frying maida flour (plain flour or all-purpose flour) batter in pretzel or circular shapes, which are then soaked in sugar syrup. They are particularly popular in Iran and the Indian subcontinent.

The sweets are served warm or cold. They have a somewhat chewy texture with a crystallized sugary exterior coating. Citric acid or lime juice is sometimes added to the syrup, as well as rose water. Jalebi is eaten with curd or rabri (North India) along with optional other flavours such as kewra (scented water). Thanks Mr Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jalebi

It was said that the sugary, bright orange jalebi is the national sweet of India. Sorry ... not for me. I would prefer the ice cream or kulfi.

So that was it ... I was full (of food) … A really busy day seeing and experiencing so much. My senses: taste buds, smells, sound and sights were working overtime today.

12 hours from taking my first to last photo / video today and time to head back to the hotel. Took these photos of the CSMT railway station from the taxi while waiting at the traffic lights.

BTW – About 435 images taken today or one click every 1.65 minutes. Yes, my shutter finger had a busy day.