Restaurant Spy - Auroville Bakery

Auroville, located 10 kms from Pondicherry in Tamil Nadu, is an international-universal city where residents from nearly fifty countries live and work to realise the vision of human unity as envisaged by philosopher-yogi Sri Aurobindo and his spiritual collaborator, Mira Alfassa, known as The Mother.

An indigo-blue wall-painted sign in four languages indicates that we are at the Auroville Bakery. Originally located in Kottakarai, it moved to its current location in the Douceur Settlement in 1991. Since then the capacity has been increased from baking 200 bread loaves a day to 600. The bakery is an extension of the ethos of the community and functions primarily for residents, so it does not pander to the service standards that a casual visitor may expect. Nor does it vie to fulfil one’s fantasies of melt-in-the-mouth confections from bakeries with tenuous links to France.

However, here’s what the Auroville Bakery has going for it - wholesome, filling and - if I may use the word in a complimentary way - ‘rustic’ range of breads, savoury items and cakes. Catering to a large international population, the bakery has been, for years, making the kind of breads that have since come to be known as ‘artisanal’. The items are vegetarian with the exception of egg, but in 2011, the bakery also began making vegan cakes.   

A sweeping design element of red brick forms the backdrop for a cane shelf, wooden racks and glass-fronted displays that hold the items for sale. There is no price list and few items are labelled. Besides, there is no place to eat here near the display, with easy access to second helpings.

I carry an assortment of baked items in their paper wrapper to the modest cafe in the backyard where the resident cat sidles up, hoping to get fed. A larger cafe is scheduled to open soon with a menu that will include breakfast, lunch, dinner. 

THE FOOD

The breads come in varieties like multigrain, ragi, corn, raisin and sourdough. They even have pumpernickel and baguettes. One of the customers tells me that she usually picks up a loaf of bread and freezes it. When required, she simply pops a slice directly from the freezer into the toaster.

I give the breads a miss, and being too early for the first batch of cake, dive straight into a self-assembled platter of croissants. All the varieties are, without exception fluffy and yield easily to the touch. They are kneaded in an air-conditioned room where blocks of butter are compressed to sheets to be better incorporated into the dough. The Cheese Croissant has amazing depth of flavour from the grated cheese encrusted on the outer folds. The filling seems too little for me, but then again, one can never have enough of cheese in one’s croissant. I bring back a Chocolate Croissant and reheat it to find that the hard bits of chocolate have melted to a lovely gooey consistency spilling out of the encasing pastry. The apple croissant has too little apple.

The only way to taste the Spinach Pie is when it’s warm. Sadly, the bakery does not reheat items. The filling is moist without being eggy and the base is just firm. Since there is no cutlery and I have to eat the pie off the wrapper, it’s a messy experience.

The disk-like RiniAmericans are more biscuit than sweet pie. The blend of flavours - the sourness of the lemon curd icing with the cinnamon - is a revelation. I especially liked the flavour best on the thin outer edges that are slightly more browned than the middle.

The muffin is a hefty chunk and I tear off bits and eat it all day, making it an endless treat. The crust tastes nutty and the centre is dense and soft, with streaks of chocolate. After tasting this wholesome version, I’m never going back to demure muffins in frilled paper.

The vegan brownie is less moist than a regular one, but it is crumbly and less sweet, making chocolate the dominant flavour.

The bakery also retails peanut butter, cashew butter and jams in flavours like pineapple, grape and apple, but these are sourced.

WHAT TO DRINK: The cafe serves coffee and tea dispensed from containers. We try a hibiscus flower beverage, also called Power Syrup locally, which I find refreshing in the humidity.

INSIDER TIP:

Items fly off the shelves even as they are being stacked, so turn up for savoury bakes at 8 a.m., breads at 10.30 a.m. and cakes at noon. The optimum time is between 11 a.m. and noon. Also, the items can be very filling and it makes sense to take away some for later. 

BESTSELLERS

Undoubtedly, the croissants.

DETAILS

Auroville Bakery, Douceur, Auroville – 606101. Ph : 0413 2622159

Timings - 6.30 a.m. to 5.30 p.m. Mon – Sat.

Pies and Croissants from Rs. 30, Riniamericans – Rs. 25, Muffins – Rs. 20, Hibiscus Juice – Rs. 25.

Ratings:

QUALITY 8/10

CHOICE (How many varieties are there on the menu?) 7/10*

ATMOSPHERE 6/10

VALUE 8/10

*depends on time of day

(An edited version of this article was published in the December 2014 Issue of Good Food Magazine India)

Made in Chennai - Mahadevan M.

Passionate food entrepreneur and Chairman of Oriental Cuisines Pvt Ltd owning some of Chennai's best loved food service brands like Cascade, Hot Breads, Zara, The French Loaf, Ente Keralam and Benjarong.

How do you relate to the city?

I'm a Chennai boy! I came to this city with nothing, but the people adopted me here. The city and I have grown together and complemented each other.

What was the turning point of your career as a restaurateur? 
The launch of Cascade. We created a sophisticated Pan-Asian restaurant with interiors designed by Parmeshwar Godrej that was different from the Chinese restaurants in the city. We discovered that the city was willing to pay more, provided there was good value. After the success of Cascade, my investors had the confidence that I could deliver.

What were some of the glitches along the way? 
When we eventually launched in Delhi, people couldn't believe that someone from an 'idli-dosa-sambar' culture could create croissants! But we chose to launch first in Chennai and the South before launching in Delhi. If we had first launched Hot Breads in Delhi, our exposure would have been bigger and our growth, quicker.

What's your typical schedule like?

That depends on which city I am in! A typical day begins at 9.30 a.m. As an NRI, I spend 6 months of the year in India and the rest, abroad. When I am abroad, I know Chennai is in good hands. When I am here, I have to talk to my people in the US, so a working day could end well after 2 a.m.

To what/whom do you owe the success of your company?

The team. While the location and the food are important, our biggest investment is in people. They have a sense of belonging with us. Our US chef went on to open 6-7 units himself!

What are your plans for expansion in the coming year?

In Chennai, we will have two brand new theme restaurants this year. We hope to increase the number of outlets of The French Loaf to 100. Internationally. we're swimming cross-current in Dubai - the focus is on survival rather than growth. Our boys were recently refused Canadian visas for our Toronto operations, so by March I hope to take a decision on what to do about it. We now have 20 people in the US and that market looks very promising. We're also taking our operations to Zambia and Tanzania.

What should wannabe restaurateurs bear in mind?

There is money to be made in this field provided you have the commitment and self-belief. Know what you do and do what you know. And you have to be willing to put in those long hours.

An edited version of this interview was published in Taxi Magazine in 2011.

Tales from Kandy

While Kandy has something of interest for every kind of traveller, it is the culture-aficionado who will be most enamoured by the historical, spiritual and cultural legacy of this city formerly known as Senkadagala.

You can't travel too far in Sri Lanka without passing a niched white parapet enclosing a Bo Tree, the Bodhi Tree as we know it, with an idol of the Buddha under it. Some are humble shrines, where a little oil lamp is the only illumination in the evenings for a modest gold-painted Buddha statue. But on some of the main streets and intersections, there are larger temples that enclose a dageba or domed reliquary, where, in the mornings, passing motorists and parents with school children in tow stop for a quick circumambulation and seeking blessings for a good day. Spirituality is a palpable part of everyday life in Sri Lanka and Kandy, with its rich cultural history is no exception.

DALADA MALIGAWA

All of Kandy, perhaps all of Sri Lanka's spiritual ethos converges around the Dalada Maligawa, also known as the Temple of the Tooth Relic.

While prayers are offered in the morning, noon, and evening, the Dalada Maligawa is a glorious sight to behold at dusk. The temple is most photographed at this time of evening, its illuminated facade glowing white in the gathering inky darkness. The grounds in front of it are sparsely wooded, and there are statues of heroes like the child Madduma Bandara who, in 1814, at the tender age of nine, showed great valour in the face of death at the hands of an executioner. 

One enters the temple through a tunnel-like passage, reminiscent of monastic cave dwellings, with vibrant frescoes on its walls depicting custodians in ceremonial attire and the casket of the Tooth Relic riding atop a temple elephant at the traditional Esala Perahera procession.

In the central courtyard of the temple, stands a shrine, and at its base, Kandyan drummers beat out traditional rhythms that reverberate through the wooden structure that houses the main sanctum on the first floor.

Just outside the sanctum, one can see the devotion that the Relic evokes. A visit to the Dalada Maligawa is a pilgrimage that devout Buddhists in Sri Lanka long to perform. Those of modest means save money over a year, a decade, a lifetime to perform this pilgrimage and, if they can afford it, continue the journey across the sea, to Bodh Gaya in India. Dressed in pilgrim-white, organised groups and multigenerational families whisper prayers as they queue up for even the briefest of glimpses of the golden casket of the Tooth Relic.

Downstairs, in an octagonal manuscript room called Pattiripuwa, an old copy of the Pansiya Panas Jathakaya is stored in a glass encased display. You’re likely to recognise it by its more familiar name - the Jataka Tales. There is also a long meditation hall where monks lead groups of pilgrims in prayer, under the watchful gaze of a larger than life Buddha and the plinking of numerous digital cameras wielded by tourists. A path runs along the periphery of the room and on the adjoining walls, are paintings that narrate the fascinating story of the sacred Tooth Relic.

The story goes that following the death of the Buddha in India, his relics were sent them out to different kingdoms as sacred symbols of worship. One arrived in Danthapura (now, Puri in Orissa, India), and was passed down over the years, with the king as custodian. Various factions vied for the Relic, some to harness the political clout that it is presumed to bestow on the person who possessed it. Some sought to destroy it, as its worship defied the religious mores of the times. The Kalinga king, Guhasiva, fearing for the Relic’s safety, is said to have enlisted the help of his daughter Hemamala and his son-in-law, Prince Dantha to smuggle the tooth to safety by hiding the Relic in Hemamala's tresses. It was finally in Sri Lanka, that the couple handed the  the custody over to the king of Anuradhapura.The Relic is said to have moved to many places subsequently, passed from king to king, until King Vimaladharmasuriya I in the late 1500s-early 1600s built a shrine for it at its present location. The shrine itself has been plundered and rebuilt subsequently. Today, while the Relic itself is kept in safe custody, the reverence it commands is transferred to the casket that held it.

ESALA PERAHERA

Every year in July-August, Kandy comes alive at the Esala Perahera, a festival to mark the procession of the casket of the Tooth Relic. This year, the festival will be held between July 23 and August 2, 2012 where processions on different days mark specific significances and ceremonies.

The processions themselves have not changed much from the days of yore. The temple is resplendently lit in the evenings. The casket is carried by the lay custodian of the Relic, called the Diyawadana Nilame, who places it in a palanquin atop an elephant. The casket is then led in procession along the Kandy streets lined with the devout and tourists, all basking in the light of several fire-torches. The elephants wear illuminated caparisons, and graceful Kandyan dancers in ceremonial attire sway to the rhythms of the famous Kandyan drums. The dancers use props like ceremonial whisks, whips, swords, fire torches and flags that they brandish acrobatically in step with the music played by traditional pipes and cymbals. There are also dancers with kavadis adorned with peacock feathers, traditionally seen at the Thaipoosam festival worshipping the Hindu god, Muruga at Kataragama.

Viewing galleries are specially arranged along the route that the procession takes, and your hotel should be able to book prime seats for you.

ROYAL COMPLEX

The history of the Dalada Maligawa is inextricably linked to the history of Kandyan royalty. Traditionally, the king was the custodian of the Relic. The Relic was regarded as the determinant of the destiny of the kingdom and this led to many battles and conquests, and all the ingenuity of the monks and the kings over time, in safeguarding it.

It is but natural, then, that the Royal Complex sits right beside the temple. Along with the temple itself, the complex is the best example of traditional Sri Lankan architecture with its humble structures. The complex is comprised of the Royal Audience Hall, the King's Palace, the Queen's Palace, the Queen's Bath and the Queen's island on the lake. Stroll through the Kandy National Museum housed in the precincts of the Royal Complex and see how the Kandyan royalty lived. Behind the Royal Complex, lies Udawattakkele, a lush protected sanctuary right in the heart of Kandy, and home to the avifauna of the region.

THE ARTS

The Kandyan royals were also great patrons of the arts, from painting to architecture to music to craft. The one-stop shop for all things cultural at Kandy is the Kandyan Art Association&Cultural Centre. Located near the Dalada Maligawa and the Royal Complex, the Centre conducts demonstrations and sale of handicrafts like the very unique Kandyan jewellery, batik fabric and exorcism masks at extremely Indian Rupee-friendly prices.

The Centre also organises a cultural show every evening at 5.30 p.m., where traditional Kandyan dances are performed by male and female dancers in elaborate headgear and ceremonial vests. Some dances are acrobatic, balancing spinning disks and the like, some depict folktales, and some have their roots in the exorcism rituals of yore. The evening culminates with a fire-walking demonstration, traditionally performed as part of religious ceremonies.

Once you’ve taken in the sights and sounds of cultural Kandy, sit awhile on the banks of the Kandy Lake at night, and be hypnotised by the rippled reflection of the city lights on the water. Listen to the droning of chants from the loudspeakers at the Dalada Maligawa even as the giant white Buddha on the distant Bahirawakanda sits in illuminated repose.

An edited version appeared in the July 2012 issue of Club Class

Bengali Cuisine

While some communities in India regard fish as a symbol of fertility and luck, Bengalis take their adoration of fish to a whole new level. The Bengalis have a saying, 'Mache Bhate Bengali' that translates to 'Fish and Rice make a Bengali'. Not surprisingly, 'pancho byanjan', the traditional five course Bengali meal, revolves primarily around rice and fish.


The first course begins with shukto, a mildly spiced dish made with bittergourd and other vegetables, served with steamed rice and a little ghee (clarified butter). This is followed by more rice, some dal (lentils) that may or not include fish head, chorchori (spiced mixed vegetable dish sometimes including fish) and a tele bhaja (a deep-fried fritter usually made with fish, aubergine or potato). In the third course, two types of fish are served with rice. The small fish is cooked in a dry gravy. The bigger variety, when using hilsa in the monsoons, is made as bhapa ilish - marinated, steamed and then cooked in a rich gravy. If mutton or chicken is on the menu, it is usually served at this point. Sometimes, a pilaf is served instead of steamed rice. Khichuri (rice and lentils steamed and seasoned together) is considered comfort food during the monsoons. Then comes the turn of sweet and sour chutneys, like tomato or green mango usually sweetened with sugar, jaggery, dates or raisins. The main meal ends with a serving of doi (yoghurt) or mishti doi (sweet yoghurt) or bhapa doi (steamed sweetened yoghurt).

Bengalis also love what are called luchis that look like puris but made of maida (all-purpose flour), usually deep fried in cow ghee and served with cholar dal (steamed split chickpea) and begun or alu bhaja (aubergine or potato fritters). However, luchis are usually not served in the same meal as rice.

In terms of ingredients and techniques, the Bengalis are very particular in their use of mustard oil as a cooking medium while occasionally, ghee (clarified butter) made from cow's milk is used. Panchphoron is a dry masala used by Bengalis to liven up even the dullest of ingredients. It is a mix of five spices in equal measure - nigella, fennel, fenugreek, mustard and cumin – that are used whole or as a powder.

Bengalis are renowned as much for their sweet tooth as for the freshness of the desserts they create out of chhenna (paneer/cottage cheese). The Rossogolla, Rasamalai and Sondesh are the healthiest by far, as they are simply cottage cheese balls in various forms, but not deep-fried. In the winter months, the sugar in the dessert recipe is substituted with patali gur (jaggery made of dates). There's also the simplest of home-made desserts - payesh (milk pudding) - using milk, rice/seviya, sugar/date jaggery) and flavourings.

5 FACTS

• 
  
  Hilsa is fished from the confluence of the rivers with the sea and is considered to be the tastiest among freshwater fishes. Affluent Bengalis are known to relish the seasonal Hilsa at every meal during the monsoon.
• 
  
  The colonial influence is visible in the chops and cutlets that Bengalis love to serve. The tomato ketchup made its entry into Bengali kitchen as an accompaniment.

• 
  
  While both are fish-loving communities, the cuisine of East Bengal (now Bangladesh) and West Bengal differ in that the former is richer, oilier, and spicier making use of every available vegetable or green. More mustard is used by the East Bengal communities. The cuisine of West Bengal, due to western influence, has a more sophisticated form, subtler flavours and making use of maida (all-purpose flour). More coconut is used by the West Bengal community.
• 
  
  Bengalis are adept at creating wonderful dishes out of seeming food waste. Every part of a banana tree is used, from its blossoms for chops to raw fruit for koftas to the stem in a simple fry. Even the peel is apparently used to make a type of chop! The banana leaf makes for a vibrant platter to serve a traditional Bengali meal. Even fish marrow is not allowed to go waste.
• 
  
  Ledikeni is surely a quaint name for a dessert. A confectioner called Bhim Nag created a variation of the Bengali sweet, pantua, for the birthday of Countess Charlotte Canning, the wife of the British Governor General Charles Canning. The name of the sweet then, 'Lady Canning', became over time, 'Ledikeni'.

(an edited version appeared in the April 2010 Issue of Culturama, formerly At A Glance.)

Maharashtrian Cuisine

 

  
Maharashtrian cuisine is complex. It has both coastal as well as inland influences and is heavily skewed to seasonal and local produce.

The staple meal in Maharashtra constitutes either rice or Indian bread accompanied by an array of side dishes. Bhath or rice dishes are served either pre-mixed as in Masale Bhath or as a portion of steamed rice that is then mixed with the gravies. 

Bhakri is a sort of rustic Indian bread of the region made with wheat flour or millet flour. This is usually eaten with pitley, a chickpea-based thick gravy. Thalipeeth is a sort of dry pancake made with multi-grain flour, spiced with chopped onions, green chillies and coriander leaves. Dhirde is a softer pancake than Thalipeeth  and made with rice flour. 

Bhaji (dry vegetable dish) is normally made with seasonal produce and a good example would be Bharli Vangi which is small aubergines stuffed with spices and cooked until done. Varan and Aamti are variations of steamed, spiced and seasoned lentils in pouring consistency (the equivalent of the 'dal' as found in other regions of India) usually mixed with rice and eaten. Rassa is a more watery gravy that is as amenable to vegetables as it is to chicken. 

Depending on the region and community, Maharashtrian food incorporates seafood, mutton and chicken. The coastal belt of Maharashtra, along with Mangalore, Goa and Karnataka is collectively known as the Konkan region. The profusion of coconut, cashew and kokum (a sour fruit used in the place of tamarind) in this region ensures a rich tangy base in which prawns or fish such as Bombil and Pomfret are cooked and served with rice. Inland non-vegetarian cuisine consists mainly of mutton (usually goat) and chicken cooked in a Rassa gravy. 

Maharashtra has a plethora of snacks, some of which are meant to be consumed on days of upvas (fasting). Pohe is a breakfast snack where beaten rice is seasoned and cooked with pre-boiled potatoes and peanuts. It sometimes incorporates onions too. Sabudana Khichdi is made similarly, but with soaked sago instead of beaten rice. Kothimbir Vadi is a type of fritter made with chickpea flour and a profusion of chopped coriander leaves. Misal Pav is basically Pav bread served with a dish made up of sprouted green gram, a cooked potato 'bhaji', along with chopped onions, tomatoes and a topping of fine fritters. 

A Maharashtrian meal is incomplete without dessert. Puran Poli is a sort of sweet chapati stuffed with yellow gram, sugar/jaggery and powdered cardamom. There's also the Karaji, a half-moon shaped flour dumpling with a sweet filling. These and other desserts are of particular significance during festivals. 

Barring a few dishes, Maharashtrian cuisine is yet to gain popularity in other regions of India and one can only surmise that authentic Maharashtrian cuisine is to be found mainly in the homes with recipes handed down over the generations. However, one can savour Maharashtra's coastal cuisine, snacks and desserts in some restaurants in Mumbai.

FIVE FACTS 

- The Modak is usually made during the Ganesha Festival as it is considered to be the elephant-headed god's preferred dessert. A modak looks like a momo except that it contains a rich sweet filling of grated coconut and jaggery. 

- The name 'Bombay Duck' or now, 'Mumbai Duck' refers to a fish, not an avian specie! It is also locally known as Bombil. Although speculations abound, there is no definite proof of how the name 'Bombay Duck' came to be. 

- There are countless local legends as to how the Vada Pav came to be. Some say it was an experiment by a snack vendor outside Dadar Railway Station in Mumbai thirty-six years ago. Others say it evolved as a 'poor-man's food' to cater to workers in Mumbai's erstwhile cloth mills. This much is known - the Pav or Pao is a contribution of the Goans to Mumbai (Pao is Portuguese for 'bread') and Vada is the humble potato 'bonda' or dumpling inherent to many parts of India. The bread is slit across most of the way and a vada is placed in it with a sprinkling of spicy chilly-garlic powder. 

- Shrikand is a sweetened yoghurt-based dessert that Maharashtra shares with the neighbouring state of Gujarat. Its origin is a matter of much debate. Sometimes, the juice of a ripe mango is mixed with the smoothly blended yoghurt to add a dash of seasonal flavour. Shrikand is usually also flavoured with saffron, chopped pistas and cardamom powder

- A typical Maharashtrian wedding meal ends in an offering of betel-leaf called 'vida' 

(an edited version appeared in the March 2010 Issue of Culturama, formerly At A Glance. Pics by author)

Bebinca

The Goan ethos is one of living the good life. Food plays a big part. Goan cuisine is rich with the flavour of produce found in abundance locally, like kokum (sour fruit), coconut and spices.

 

Any celebratory Goan meal or for that matter, a reference to Goan cuisine is incomplete without lingering awhile over Goa's best known dessert, Bebinca.

Bebinca is essentially a layered dessert that tastes of the tropics. There's a hint of coconut and a suggestion of ground nutmeg in the wholesome sweet layers, not to forget some caramelisation and finally, rich clarified butter that harnesses all other flavours. The texture is firm enough to retain the layers and soft enough to melt in the mouth. The term, 'comfort food' comes nowhere close to describing this calorific feast. Any wonder siesta is taken so seriously in Goa?

There are many recipes and method variations to making Bebinca depending on the baking apparatus at hand. Essentially, a batter of maida (all-purpose flour), eggs, coconut milk (extracted from coconut flesh), nutmeg powder and sugar mixed in a specific proportion is prepared. A portion of this is poured onto a deep pan greased with clarified butter. Once this layer is slow-baked, clarified butter is spread on it and batter for another layer is poured. This slow baking process goes on for 16 layers, but more often, it is 7, 8 or 12 layers thick. Once it is fully baked, Bebinca is best served by itself or teamed with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Bebinca is also found in other former Portuguese colonies, although, different in texture and flavour. For instance, in Philippines, it is called Bibingka, made with rice flour or cassava and served with grated coconut. Filipino Bibingka is also a delicacy in Hawaii. In Macau, it's called Bebinca de Leite and, owing to the cornstarch that's a key ingredient, it is more a custard or a pudding rather than its almost cake-like Goan counterpart. Funnily enough, Macau submitted the name of this dessert to refer to two tropical cyclones, the Typhoon Bebinca and the Tropical Storm Bebinca.

Although Bebinca, the dessert, is best tasted at a celebration like Christmas in a Goan home, it is also available in some restaurants and stores in Goa. There is also a brand called Costa's available in most shops that stock household staples. In fact the brand is available in the snack stall just before the boarding gates in Goa's Dabolim airport, for last minute shoppers to redeem themselves among gift-hopeful friends back home.

Pic by author

An edited version of this article was published in the September 2008 issue of At A Glance.

Tiffin Times

The predominant cuisine in Chennai is vegetarian snacks – idlis, vadas, dosas and variations of these. While these are made in most South Indian households in Chennai, they are also in great demand in the snack centres. If you walk into any of the outlets specializing in South Indian snacks, you will find a very long list of items on offer in the menu card or on large boards above the bill counter. The array of South Indian snacks, or tiffin as they are popularly called, is mainly variations of the basics - for simplicity’s sake, we’ll stick to Idlis, Dosas and Vadas. 

South India is predominantly a rice-growing area and hence, the main ingredient in the staple snacks is rice. Black gram is the other frequently used commodity and even the slightest increase in black gram prices sends restaurants into a tizzy to revise their rates.  

These snacks are usually consumed as breakfast, but they are equally, evening light-eats.

Idli: 

An Idli is, simply put, steamed rice cake. Raw Rice and Black gram are soaked overnight in a specific ratio that differs between households. The water is drained in the morning and the soaked grains ground, in a batter grinder or, if a small quantity, in a food processor. The resulting thick batter is stored at room temperature overnight to ferment. Salt is added to the soured batter, and it is then poured into idli platters to steam for an average of 7 minutes. A variation of the idli is the rava idli where yoghurt and a mustard seasoning are added to Rava (semolina). This becomes the batter, which is then steamed just like an idli. 

Dosa:

To make a dosa, the same grains as the idli are used, but the ratio differs. A few seeds of fenugreek are sometimes soaked along with the grains. Sometimes, too-sour idli batter is used to make dosas or uttapams. Dosas are made by spreading the batter on a hot oiled girdle. Once the underside is roasted, the dosa is flipped over and browned on the other side as well. In eateries, only one side is done as the dosa thin enough for the other side to be cooked through. There are many varieties of dosas depending on either the ingredients used or the accompaniments. Sada Dosa is a plain dosa with no fillings or extras. Masala Dosa is served with a spiced potato filling. The Rava Dosa batter is made with semolina, hence the crispness of the dosa. Paper dosa is a fairly large dosa made paper-thin and crisp. For the ghee dosa, instead of using oil to line the girdle, ghee is used. Podi dosa, has spicy lentil powder (milagai podi) spread on it. The lentil powder is otherwise an accompaniment (see the section on accompaniments). 

The uthappam is a thicker version of dosa, like a sour pancake. Again, variations abound. The onion uthappam has chopped onions on the dosa and the tomato uthappam has chopped firm red tomatoes.  

An Adai is a predominantly lentil batter and rich with proteins. It is made exactly like dosa, although the batter is coarser. It is served with either sweetened coconut milk or with Avial (a vegetable-coconut stew). 

Vada or Vadai:

Medhu Vada or Medhu Vadai, is a doughnut-shaped snack, except that it’s not sweet. Under the crisp exterior, lies the soft flesh of the vada. A Medhu Vada is made with smooth and thick black gram batter to which salt, chopped ginger, green chilli and sometimes whole black peppers and fennel seeds are added. In some eateries, one comes across Special Vada which is made from pretty much the same batter, but has strips of onion in it. On deep frying, the onions acquire a roasted flavour which puts the ‘special’ in the Special Vada. The Medhu vada is also served in three other common variations. It is served as Sambar Vada where it is soaked in Sambar (lentil stew). A Sambar Vada is different from Vada Sambar, where, the Medhu Vada is simply served with Sambar on the side. In Thayir Vada or Dahi Vada, the Vada is soaked in yoghurt. In Mor Kuzhambu Vada, it is soaked in a spiced yoghurt-coconut gravy.  

A Masala Vada is very different from a medhu vada. A masala Vada is commonly served with tea or coffee in small tea-shops. It is much smaller than a medhu vada and without the hole in the middle. Although the method of making both is common, the masala vada is made from soaked Bengal Gram Lentil and ground coarsely along with onion, green chilli and sometimes garlic. The coarseness of the batter adds the texture and the hearty lentil-taste to the masala vada. It is served only with coconut chutney or sometimes, by itself.  

The Accompaniments: 

 Once done, the idlis, dosas, uthappams and the medhu vada are served with any or the entire array of accompaniments. These include Sambar, Coconut chutney, onion chutney, coriander-coconut chutney and milagai podi. 

Sambar is a lentil stew cooked with tamarind, onions and vegetables. It is a staple in most households in Chennai and is also called Kuzhambu by some. Most chutneys that are made for the above snacks are coconut-based. Milagai Podi is a powder made from dry-roasted lentils and dry red chilli. It is usually served with a dash of oil (mostly gingelly oil) to perhaps balance the fieriness of the chillies.  

Other food on offer in a South Indian snack eatery include pongal (a rice dish), bondas (ball-shaped vadas), bajjis and pakodas (fritters made of chickpea flour coated on specific vegetables like onions, raw banana, potato, and sometimes, even cottage cheese) as well as North Indian food like Chapathis and Pooris. 

(An edited version was published in the January 2008 issue of 'At A Glance')

Synchroni-City

Mid-morning on a working day in Mumbai. A group of men wearing Gandhi-caps, carrying disproportionately large crates of aluminium containers are hurtling in your direction. You'd better step off their path. These Dabbawalas sure have business to attend to.

It wouldn't be fallacy to say that there are two lifelines in the city of Mumbai. One is the suburban train network that ferries people efficiently in this rather odd-shaped city. The other is the city's aforementioned dabbawalas (dabba=container, wala=man) who ensure that people at work get to eat a home-cooked lunch every day.

Dabbawalas (or Tiffinwalas as they are also called), are people who are in the business of picking up and delivering lunches in workplaces. The need for this is simple. The office-goers in Mumbai have long commutes and they normally leave too early in the morning to carry lunch. Eating out is an avoidable expense when the option of a dabbawala exists for a mere Rs. 300 a month. It's a small price to pay for the comfort of eating food of choice cooked hygienically in one's own home.

The delivery process works something like this. After you leave for work, the dabbawala picks up a packed dabba from your home, and transports it to you at work just in time for lunch. In the afternoon, the reverse process takes place. By the time you're back home in the evening, your dabba is already there.

On the face of it, it's a rather simple pick-up and drop-off. But in Mumbai, this delivery mechanism assumes a complexity that boggles the mind. About 4500 dabbawalas deliver over 175,000 lunches every day in the city of Mumbai. That's approximately 40 containers per dabbawala. The dabbawalas who service a locality, aggregate containers at the suburban train station and then sort them by destination based on codes inscribed on each container. These containers are then transported by train to the station nearest the destination, then the container is delivered to the customer by foot, bicycle or carts just in time for lunch. The container changes hands as many as three times in one delivery. What's the error factor? Only one mistake in every 6,000,000 deliveries. Every delivery is a true feat in supply chain management.

The dabbawalas have an association - Nutan Mumbai Tiffin Box Suppliers Charity Trust - where every dabbawala is regarded as a shareholder. Hence, he has a stake in the success of the organization. No wonder there are no strikes. Internally, there are only three layers of hierarchy. They all know each other as they hail from the same region of Maharashtra. The organization has recently gone hi-tech with the launch of a website and sms booking facility. However, that's where the reach of technology ends. After all, why introduce technology when the actual process works so efficiently? Every delivery is a true feat in supply chain management.

It's this high level of efficiency in this highly specialized trade that has earned the dabbawalas a Six Sigma Certification from the Forbes group. The processes have also garnered interest in business schools and organizations both in India and outside. Advertisers and marketers use dabbawalas to distribute information and products thereby also contributing to the average dabbawala's income. The story also goes that when Prince Charles and Richard Branson wanted to observe the process, they had to align their schedules to that of the dabbawalas.

At the end of the day, the dabbawala is a triumph of the entrepreneurial spirit and a much-loved Mumbai institution. Not bad for an organization where 85% of its members are illiterate. 

Pic by author 

An edited version of this article was published in the October 2007 issue of At A Glance.

Care for a Cuppa?

Irani Cafes are considered a haven for many a struggling writer in Mumbai. It's not uncommon to find a play produced in Mumbai, set in one. Or perhaps a short story where all the action happens in an Irani Café. Many a Bollywood script set in Mumbai is incomplete without the hero and his friends trying to wangle a free meal from the stereotypical Iranian proprietor of a café.

An Irani Café is characterized by tall ceilings, mirrored columns, checked tablecloths, bent-wood chairs, and the usual Irani Café fare – tea, snacks, biscuits and dessert. The Irani tea is a milky, sweet well-spiced cuppa with a mint-flavoured variation. 'Bun maska' is buttered bun that is dipped in the tea and eaten. Kheema Pav (mince with bun) is another favourite of the regulars, as is the Mawa Cake (cake with a hint of nutmeg). Akoori is scrambled eggs made using liberal measures of spice, onions and coriander leaves. There are also the usual omelettes, sandwiches and almost always, exceptionally good dessert.

For most people who've lived many decades in Mumbai, a trip to an Irani Café is more habit than occasional visit. A friend reminisced about accompanying her father to an Irani café every Sunday for breakfast. An interesting piece of trivia she shared about Irani cafes is that they were usually located in the corner of a building, at the junction of two roads – a location not considered auspicious by shop keepers of other communities. The Iranians had no such beliefs and probably saw the location as profitable for the same reason – twice the amount of business at a junction.

However, Irani Cafes are a dying cultural entity in Mumbai today. Some, like Bastani's have closed down due to differences that arose among the partners. When the old proprietors of some Cafes passed away, their children were reluctant to take on the mantle of running the place when better job prospects in corporate India and abroad beckoned. Some Cafes have become beer-bars. Others have become upscale restaurants.

An Irani Café like Kyani's at the Metro Cinema junction has survived almost unchanged in over hundred years of being in business, with prices as low as Rs. 10 for a tea and mawa cake. The proprietor Aflatoon K. Irani had applied for and got a liquor-serving permit, but never actually collected it as he realized that the place would no longer be a draw for families. So, students drop by to get an inexpensive sandwich, elderly uncle-types sit by themselves reading the paper occasionally taking noisy sips of the mint tea, mothers usher in children for a quick after-school Black Forest Pastry treat and businessmen close deals over aromatic kheema pav.

Pic by author

An edited version of this article was published in the September 2007 issue of At A Glance.

The Pav of The Matter

There are countless urban legends as to how the Vada Pav came to be. Some say it was an experiment by Ashok Vaidya, a snack vendor outside Dadar Railway Station in Mumbai thirty-six years ago at the behest of a customer. Others say it evolved as a 'poor-man's food' in response to the demand from workers in Mumbai's erstwhile cloth mills for a filling but inexpensive meal. This much is known - the Pav or Pao is a contribution of the Goans to Mumbai (Pao is Portuguese for 'bread') and the Vada is the humble potato 'bonda' or dumpling inherent to many parts of India.

Frequently labeled the 'Indian Hamburger', the Vada Pav is indeed structurally a burger, but with a spicy twist. 'Pav', a cushion-shaped piece of bread, is sliced horizontally part of the way and a spicy tangy chutney with a garlicky tinge is slathered on the inside. 'Batata Vada', a spiced potato dumpling coated in batter and deep-fried, is flattened and placed in the split, chutneyed bread. The finished product, served hot, is the Vada Pav.

One could call the Vada Pav, Mumbai's great leveler. Vada Pav vendors are commonly found in high traffic stretches like near suburban railway stations in Mumbai, catering to the multitudes of commuters. Salesmen on client visits through the day, working women getting ready for a long commute back home to resume domestic chores or even children trudging home from school – the Vada Pav satisfies appetites across Mumbai as no other street food has. It's not uncommon to find the swankiest of cars lined near the stalls, with a wealthy patron inside, having his Vada Pav fix for the day. At prices as low as Rs. 5 a piece, it's no wonder it's Mumbai's most popular any-time snack.

Today, the Vada Pav's popularity continues, prompting an enterprising Dheeraj Gupta to begin Jumbo King, a chain of Vada Pav outlets. Here the staff is uniformed, dressed in aprons, caps and gloves fulfilling their promise of selling a more hygienically prepared Vada Pav than their wayside counterparts. There are variants too – Cheese Vada Pav, Diet Vada Pav and Jain Vada Pav. The last is in response to the particularity of Jain community of not consuming onions or garlic.

However, no true-blue Mumbaiite's childhood memory of a Sunday game of cricket at Shivaji Park is incomplete without the nostalgic taste of a Vada Pav from his favourite wayside vendor. Just ask Sachin Tendulkar!

(an edited version published in the August 2007 issue of At A Glance)

Indian Street Food

It’s a given that India is a gastronomic heaven. Perhaps nowhere is this more evident than on Indian streets with its diversity of street food.

There are regional specialties like Jhaal Mudi (made with rice crisps, onion, mustard flavour and nuts) and Vada Pav (akin to a burger). Then there are generic favourites like fritters – bajjis, pakodas and bondas. Not to mention desserts like kulfis and jalebis to cater to those who’d like to end their street food meal on a sweet note.

Typically, a street food vendor pitches his stall or his cart at a standard location, and makes his wares on the spot. There is a plethora of street food options in India – here’s a rough categorisation.

BEVERAGES: Tea, Coffee, Masala Tea, Masala Milk etc. with biscuits as accompaniments.

MEAL STALLS: They serve only lunch and dinner – rice with vegetable or chicken gravy, chapathis or pooris with a vegetable, idlis/dosas/vadas etc.

SNACK STALLS: These are quick bites and the stalls are most frequented mid-morning or early evening. Sandwiches, Katti Rolls (similar to a spring roll), bajjis/bondas/pakodas (fritters), fruit salads etc.

SPECIALITY STALLS: These serve only one item that’s their core competence. For example, Dosas, Momos, Vada Pav and Pav Bhaji (bread mounds with mixed vegetable gravy). By the way, the word Pav is derived from the Portuguese term for bread, Pao.

CHAAT STALLS: Perhaps the most kind, with Bhel Puri (puffed rice with chopped vegetables, crisps and spices), Pani Puri and other items like Sev Puri, Dahi Puri, Papdi Chaat etc. Chaat is always served cold or at room temperature.

Mumbai, Delhi and Calcutta are all credited with their own versions of chaat. Case in point – the humble Pani Puri. This is a crisp hollow bite-sized ball, filled with mildly spiced boiled potatoes, dipped in two syrups(one sweet and one sour), and then served. This is simply popped into the mouth one at a time. While it’s generically called Pani Puri, the Delhiites know it as Golgappas and those from Calcutta have savoured it as Puchka. While the basics are essentially the same, there is simply a minor variation in flavour and ingredients.

Innovation is a buzzword even in street food. While hygiene is a factor that is touched upon for street food, enterprising vendors use only mineral water and the freshest of ingredients. To cater to the Jain community, Jain variants have been created without onion and garlic. Not to mention Diet Bhel / Diet Vada Pav for the calorie conscious!

So, how do you find out which vendor serves the best street food? Look for the most crowded stall!

An edited version of this article was published in At A Glance.