So long, and thanks for all the (Bandra) fish (smells)

You might have noticed it’s been a while since my last post.  Sickness happened, and more time consumingly, packout happened.  The movers were very efficient in packing and boxing our stuff, and I felt awesome about how forward-thinking I was about getting some key kitchen items into our UAB (the air freight which reaches us pretty quickly, and which I’ll want ASAP when we move into our place in the DC area).  It was great until I realized… I barely left enough stuff to use for the two weeks we still had left here.  A lovely colleague brought me a colander, and with that, a large-ish non-stick pot, and a cheap plastic spatula, I managed one evening of pesto pasta with cherry tomatoes and bits of ham and salami.

I learned to make pesto from an enormously foodie friend whom I adore.  She’s the one who turned me on to steamed chicken at Uncle Chong, and she is an amazing cook in her own right.  I still use her pesto and vinaigrette recipes as staples.  The basic pesto recipe is around 2 cups of basil, a quarter cup of flat-leaf parsley, a handful of peeled garlic cloves, at least a half cup of pine nuts (toast them first if you’d like), a good sprinkle of salt, and 2-3 ounces of parmesan (grana padano is fine, too) broken into chunks.  Run all of it through a food processor and pour olive oil in from the top while it’s running until you’ve got a consistency you like.  Obviously adjust by personal taste.  I tend to under-oil so that it’s more versatile– a tighter pesto is easier as a spread on bread, can have cream added for a slightly different sauce, etc.  Also, it freezes well, which is why I had a batch on hand for an easy dinner with minimal kitchen gear.

Another day we used up leftover homemade pizza sauce by smearing it on ciabatta and adding sandwich meats and mozzarella and baking– a bit like french bread pizza, and very yummy!  And the last of the pizza sauce was cooked through with some ground pork for an easy pasta another night.

We’ve also, as you might expect, ordered in a fair bit.  And I realized that I haven’t as yet highlighted some of my Mumbai food favorites.  I’ll feature some here, and include links in case you want to track places down.

Swati Snacks is a must.  It’s a vegetarian street food place where the food is safe to eat.  My personal favorites are the pao bhaji– little buttery rolls served with a mix of vegetables and spices slow cooked til they melt together; pankhi chutney– some sort of flour lightly spread onto banana leaves and steamed, you peel it off into a little roll and dip into coriander chutney, tastes a bit like tamales and is super yummy; and an unexpected favorite– the lassi, which might have a touch of saffron, and is just absurdly good.  http://www.swatisnacks.com/

The Haji Ali Juice Center is another classic.  Now, loads of places have great fresh juices.  My recommendation at this place is absolutely a seasonal fresh fruit with “fresh cream.”  Not sure what they use– a mix of cream and condensed milk, or something else, but it is utterly decadent.  Sitaphal, or custard apple, is one of my all-time favorites, as is the mango.  Both extremely seasonal, so ask them what’s good if you go.  We’ve always driven up for carry out; it’s a bit like Sonic where they come take your order and then bring you stuff to the car.  Gorgeous views while you’re parked and waiting.  http://www.hajialijuicecentre.in/

Across the street-ish inland from there you’ll find Noorani.  Their chicken tikka byriani is absolutely excellent.  However, their kebabs can be hit or miss.

If you want truly stellar kebabs, I direct you to Shalimar.  I think there’s a few in town; we’ve usually had food from the one in Byculla.  If you’re a carnivore, you simply must to go to this place.  Mutton barra, galouti, and shami kebabs, and chicken malai tikka are superb.  http://shalimarmumbai.com/

Next door to it is another classic, Noor Mohammadi.  They’re rightly famous for the Sanju Baba chicken (allegedly the recipe came from Bollywood bad boy Sanjay Dutt), which you should try.  Many love the white byriani; I find it just okay.  The nalli nihari is also a solid choice (a meat dish with little bits of marrow on top).  But the real standout here is their Chicken Hakimi.  It’s a tandoori chicken that gets bathed in a ghee/yogurt sauce which is lighter than it sounds and utterly addictive when sopped up with flatbread.  Not to be missed.  http://www.noormohammadihotel.com/

Copper Chimney is a popular high-end Indian chain, and is reliably yummy.  Good mutton burrah and murgh malai kebabs, and quite a good butter chicken.  Their runaway hit, however, is the extremely rich, comforting chelo kebab.  It’s like a savory rice pudding cooked with butter and cream, studded with bits of white chicken tikka.  https://www.copperchimney.in/

Significantly cheaper and equally reliable is Jaffer Bhai’s.  Their “snacks” menu of fried items is tasty– particularly the cream tikka and mutton samosas, kebabs and rice dishes are good, the reshmi paratha is fantastic (a sort of buttery griddled roomali rotie, I highly recommend), and if you catch the weekly special, the kichda is quite good.  http://jbdd.co.in/

One of our all-time Mumbai favorites has been Mahesh Lunch Home.  They have 3 locations in the city, each with different menus and each fantastically delicious.  If you wind up at the Juhu one, have the Pomfret Lajabaab.  We usually go to the one in South Mumbai, and I will tell you the absolute perfect combo of items.  Look, you can disregard my advice and do your own thing– you’re unlikely to go wrong at this place because it’s all super tasty.  But if you want a sublimely satisfying meal, I recommend that you ask for:  Prawns Koliwada, Pomfret Bhuna Hua Tikka, a large-ish crab de-shelled and cooked with Butter-Pepper-Garlic, and a Seafood Pondicherry Curry with a side of Neer Dosa and maybe a couple of Appam.  Large group?  Add an Istew with fish or seafood of choice, and a prawn byriani if you’d like.  http://www.maheshlunchhome.com/  Others swear by similar coastal seafood restaurant Trishna, which is also excellent, though we prefer Mahesh by a very small margin.  A similar order would be great, and if there, make sure to order the Fire Grilled Squid.  http://trishna.co.in/

Britannia should also be obligatory on your food itinerary.  Have chicken or mutton cutlets, mutton sali boti with roti, and any of the berry pullaos.  Save room for caramel custard.  If you have a bigger group, spring for some mutton dhansak, as well.  There’s a reason this place has been featured in media, travel blogs, and the like.  It’s an institution in Mumbai, and for good reason.  It’s only open for lunch, no air conditioning.  The adorably ancient proprietor will regale you with laminated photos of himself with British royals, and also profess his love for Hilary Clinton and show you letters.  Admire him, and have a delicious meal.  https://www.zomato.com/mumbai/britannia-company-restaurant-fort

So, these are the places I’d recommend if you’re in Mumbai for a short visit and want to try the greats.  We certainly have other places we really like, but more as “regulars” and particularly for when we want to go out for non-Indian food.  Perhaps that might be another post.

We fly out in the wee hours of Friday, July 1, and for the next month or so, I’m pretty unlikely to be cooking.  Perhaps I’ll include restaurant or other food recommendations, or maybe post some previous adventures in cooking that I hadn’t gotten around to sharing.