#MumbaiStreetSideFood #RagdaPattice I spent almost 15 years of my early childhood days in South Mumbai and as a child I have fond memories of the Girgaon Chowpatty. Chowpatty is like a world in itself, full of life and energy, fun and frolic. I remember going there as a child on weekends accompanied by my parents and my elder brother, sitting on the golden sands with the blue sea in front. While my parents used to watch the sunset, me and my brother would be busy building sand castles. Those days Chowpatty Beach used to be a colourful carnival with all kinds of attractions right from snake charmers, way-side astrologers, masseurs calling for massage, monkey shows, ferry rides, merry-go-rounds, pony and camel rides and not to forget, a variety of food kiosks – there was something for everybody. While people have different reasons of their own for loving this place, foodies like me love chowpatty for its variety of make-shift roadside foodstalls serving everything from spicy chaat and crispy dosas, pav bhaji and ragda pattice to fresh tender coconuts and candy floss (my very own ‘Mhatariche Kess’, they call it ‘Buddhi ke Baal’ in Hindi) and never to forget the creamy fruit flavoured kulfis and ofcourse my personal favourite, the baraf ka Gola! Enjoying your favourite street food in the cool breeze at the beachside is an amazing experience in itself. I bet every mumbaikar will definitely vouch upon this. For those who are uninitiated in this, here are a few tips on how to enjoy Mumbai’s famous street food… DON’T JUDGE A BOOK BY IT’S COVER First of all, don’t let first impressions fool you. Most of these roadside foodstalls do look terrible, they are just a tent or a handcart on the side of the road, poorly lit many a times with a dim kerosene lantern, using not so good looking utensils and cooking equipments. But the food you get at them is enormously tasty. So if you are a food fiend like me just go and experience it! FORGET HYGIENE As a die-hard mumbaikar, I have my favourite sandwichwala; I’ve been going to the same spots for my wada-pav fix for decades; and I’m devoted to the tangy taste of ferment in a good street-side dosa. Do I go to these places because they are clean? Not quite. I follow flavour first and choose to ignore most things unless they make me retch. Open drains, grimy work surfaces, water of questionable origin, chipped plates or scrap paper as an eating vessel – these are intrinsic to this city’s street food culture. Millions of people eat off the street, and I’d like to believe that our immunity is better because of it. So don’t worry about hygiene, just go for it! :) FORGET YOUR DIET And last but not the least, leave your diets at home. You will not find anything healthy to eat at these places. Street food consists of lots of starches (carbohydrates), they are heavy on the salt and most of it is fried. And, there is not a green vegetable in sight! It is all bad for you… But for your love for food, just forget your diet and go for it! :) Now coming back to my food memories associated with chowpatty, back then, my brother used to be a thorough Pani Puri ‘bhakta’ (in the sense that all he used to love at Chowpatty was Pani Puris) while my favourite used to be the Ragda Pattice. Warm yellow patties shallow fried in front of your eyes on the tava, floating in the ever enchanting ragda and topped with divinely flavoured sweet as well as hot chutneys and chopped onions…. somehow, it all came together so well. I have been to some of the best hotels and chaat houses in and around Mumbai, but for some reason, the chaat never tastes as good as it does on the street. I haven’t been to Chowpatty and to my favourite foodstall there in years… Its difficult these days. So I try to replicate that taste at home. I know, I can never do that… its next to impossible to replicate that same taste… but nevertheless, I always keep trying . So here is how I make my favourite Ragda Pattice at home…. ~RAGDA PATTICE~ INGREDIENTS- For the Patties - 5 boiled potatoes ½ cup boiled sweet corn 1 ½ cup Bread Crumbs 1 tbsp Cornflour or Maida 1 tsp Ginger+Garlice paste Salt to taste For the Ragda - 2 cups White Chana soaked overnight 2 medium sized Onions 1 Tomato 1 tbsp Ginger+Garlic Paste ½ tsp Turmeric powder 1 tsp Cumin Seeds 4-5 Black Pepper Corns A handful of chopped Coriander ¼ cup Oil Salt to taste 6 cups Water. For the Tamarind Dates Chutney- 2 tbsp Tamarind paste 8 Dates ½ cup Jaggery 1 tbsp Red Chilli Powder 1 tbsp Coriander Seeds Powder 1 tbsp Cumin Seeds Powder Salt to taste For the Green Chutney- A handful of chopped coriander leaves Few mint leaves 1 Green Chilli (+/- as per your taste) Salt to taste For the Topping- 1 Onion finely chopped ½ cup Coriander finely chopped METHOD – For the Patties – Mash the potatoes. Coarsely grind the boiled sweet corn. Mix the mashed potatoes, sweet corn, breadcrumbs, ginger garlic paste and salt. Mix everything thoroughly. Pat into small patties and shallow fry on an oiled tava till both sides turn golden brown. For the Ragda – (1) Grind the onions to a paste. (2) Heat oil in a pressure cooker. Once hot, add cumin seeds and black pepper corns. Now add the onion paste and stir. Cook till the colour of the onion paste turns slightly brown. (3) Grind the tomato also. Alternatively you can use tomato puree. Add in the tomato puree and cook till oil separates. (4) Add turmeric powder and allow to cook. (5) In the meantime heat water in another vessel and bring it to a boil. (6) Now add in the soaked Chana and salt. Mix well. (7) Add the boiling water. This ensures that your chana cooks faster. (8) Cover the pressure cooker with its lid and cook for 7-8 whistles. We need to overcook the chanas so that they blend well into a homogeneous thick sauce . For the Tamarind Dates Chutney - (1) Soak the dates for atleast an hour. If you are not using seedless dates, remove the seeds and then grind the dates in a mixer grinder to make a thick paste. Add some water while grinding. (2) Now sieve this paste and transfer in a small pot. (3) Add tamarind paste and let it cook. (4) Bring it to a boil. Then add in salt, red chilli powder, coriander powder and cumin seeds powder. Stir. Now add in the jaggery. Boil it cook for another 5-7 minutes. And then allow it to cool. This chutney lasts for atleast a week when stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container. For the Green Chutney – Grind all the ingredients alongwith some water to make a chutney. Adjust the quantity of water according to the desired consistency. How to proceed - Place 4 patties in a plate Top each patty with a spoonful of Ragda. Drizzle the green chutney as well as the tamarind dates chutney over it. Add small amounts of chopped onion on top. Suggested Topping – You can also top it up with finely chopped tomatoes and garnish with coriander, pomegranate seeds and some readymade sev. Some people also like to add some fresh whipped yogurt to their plate of ragda pattice. Have it the way you like… Gobble on! Happy cooking and happy happy eating !!! :)
Posted on: Sun, 26 Oct 2014 04:40:31 +0000
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