Just Walking Around

Mini Punjab in the heart of Mumbai

On a lazy Saturday late afternoon we were having tea in the evening with the regular Marie biscuits and rusks. The topic turned to what we will have for Sunday breakfast – bread and eggs or fluffy idlis’ or dosas with piping hot sambhar and a though struck why not have Dal Pakwan. That mouthwatering Sindhi-Punjabi dish with a flavor which is a mixture of crunchiness , tanginess and a little spiciness. Even our next door neighbor Purna who was at our door that very moment encouraged we take that long pending breakfast shopping at one of Mumbai’s mini Punjab area Guru Teg Bhadur Nagar or Sion Koliwada as it is famously known.

So the next morning we trudged to Sion Koliwada around 9 o’clock in the morning. We took a taxi which drove through the narrow by-lanes of the area and dropped us in a lane which can be best described as foodies paradise. This lane is filled with small and big shops selling various varieties of snacks veg and non-veg items. We headed to Manjeet Chole Puri a small hole in the wall type eatery with the owner sitting at the counter taking orders. A loyal working hand just outside with a make shift cooking counter on which he makes the best ever Kulchas . You can order from Alu , Paneer or Alu-gobi mix as the stuffing and he starts his live show. He picks up a ball of soft maid dough , kneads it further to increase its softness .Makes a cup out of this dough and stuffs it with the stuffing you have selected , then bails it into a round roti with a rolling pin and then pokes it with his spindly finger. After making 3-4 such rotis , he sticks it in the improvised Tandoor made of a metal drum-barrel. The tandoor roasts the roti with right temperature to make crisp and soft and the same time. He then goes on to remove these roti’s with a metal rod and once again places then on the counter top. Then comes the best part , he picks up a slab of Amul butter and spreads it on the pipping hot Kulcha to give that dripping buttery taste , sprinkles it with  green coriander and cuts it into 4 parts like a pizza and pack it for you in an aluminum foil. The Kulcha is served with a tasty mix of authentic Punjabi Chole and raw onion and pickle.You also get the Punjabi version of the Dal Pakwan with a large crispy –crunchy Puri fried to perfect golden brown and served with the yellow dal and little bit of green chutney to give it a spicy –tangy taste.Another famous snack item and my all time  favorite is the Chole –Bhature. A great combination of large round and fluffy puri served with mouthwatering Chole. We picked this up a went hunting for what else but the Lassi without which the breakfast would have been incomplete.

You can get the lassi at Himalaya Restaurant in its earlier version was Himalaya Lassi & Falooda . Famous for its thick and sweet lassi with that layer of malai served in tall glass . Sip it and enjoy the heavenly feeling.

Just to let you into the history of Guru Teg Bhahadur Nagar (GTB Nagar) or Sion Koliwada , around 1947-50  Transits Camps were built by the then Indian Government for temporary settlement of Refugees from Border area.Majorly the Punjabi’s both Sikhs and Hindus migrated here and settled in these transit camps. Before the settlements of Sikhs and Hindu communities the land was swamp area and total mangrove plot used for fishing and fish breeding by Koli communities hence the name Koliwada.GTB nagar also hosts the Gurudwara Dashmesh Darbar , one of the largest in GTB Nagar and perhaps, in Mumbai too. The darbar offers an all-day langar with simple food for anyone in need and also runs basic computer-training courses for free and takes in students regardless of religion, caste or class.

The same lane where Manjeet is situated hosts a lot of other stalls like  the Sadar Paya House.The neighbourhood’s favourite Paya can be found at Sardar Paya House, popularly called Papu’s Paya, located in a tiny lane next to Hazara. The meat is tender, the paya soup flavourful and the price will only make you happy. There’s also Chicken Masala, which is spicy and juicy and has several takers.

Hazara Restaurant & Bar - GTB Nagar’s pride, the Fish Koliwada is an original recipe of Hazara Restaurant and Bar; the fish is marinated in spicy Koli masala and fried. Locals say that Hazara was one of the earliest restaurants in the neighbourhood. The legacy still continues and Hazara, which first opened as a small stall, now has A/C and Non-A/C rooms and serves alcohol as well. Other popular dishes here are the Murg Handi, Paneer Kulcha, Tandoori Chicken and Makke Di Roti and Sarson Da Saag.

Across the road from Hazara, is Mini Punjab whose catering wing you’ll find at almost every Punjabi wedding in the city. Skewered meat hangs around the little shop and the tandoor grills out flavour-packed Tandoori Chicken in white or red masala. Set-up by Hukum Singh, the debate on whether Mini Punjab makes the better Fish Koliwada or Hazara still rages on. Other items popular on the menu are Mini Punjab Special – chicken in Indian and Chinese spices, Fish/Prawn Koliwada and a host of tikka variations.

Another famous eatery is the Hardeep Punjab. Hardeep Punjab serves items like Chicken Platter, Corn Fry – wok-tossed American corn, Mutton Laal Pari, Fish Fry and more. The restaurant is popular in the area among guzzlers and has recently shifted to a larger space, upped their menu and is one of the finer restaurants on the street.

Punjabis and dhabas go hand-in-hand. With a few rickety wooden benches, clay tandoor oven and pans full of oil, the neighbourhood has several eateries that offer desi-khana like Chole Khulche, Rajma Chawal, Kadhi Pakoda and Chaas. Chawla’s Dhaba, Ramesh Da Dhaba (opposite Satyam Shivom Mandir) and Amarjeet Chole Puri are some of the popular spots in the locality. Frequented by taxi-wallahs, students and bachelors alike, these dhabas serve breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Need something to wash-down all the food? Hop over at Indra Cold Drinks for Kashmiri Soda. The shop-space claims to have invented the masala for Kashmiri Soda that no one has managed to ape perfectly, yet. Run by Mahesh Kumar Lamba, whose father is credited to have made the masala’s recipe, Lamba now extends the masala to make a Masala Thums Up, Masala Sprite and serves it in hearty glasses.

To satisfy your sweet tooth, walk further down the road from Mini Punjab, to Agarwal’s Kulfi Roll. Serving kulfis in kulhads, you could pick from four flavours: malai, mango, badam-pista and kesar-pista.

Maya Sweets and Guru Nanak Sweets are two sweet-shops the whole neighbourhood buys their favourite Imartis, Chenna Murki and other mithai from. Sitting beside each other, with shelves full of commercial and typical Punjabi mithai, this is sweet heaven. Stock up on some Petha Barfi – barfi with petha pieces. Punjabi Shakarpare, Namkeen Matthi, Pheeki Matthi, Gudd Pare are other items that you could pick up from either of the sweet shops.

If you wonder where your Punjabi Bollywood stars get their wheat flour from, walk in the lane next to Hazara. Roshan Da Atta, owned by Roshanlal Jhulka has been delivering aata to Dharmendra, Raj Kapoor, Hrithik Roshan and more for eons. Jhulka’s son who now carries the chakki’s name forward owns six other aata mills across the city. Khosla’s near Satyam Shivam Mandir is an ordinary grocery store. However, it stocks Amritsari Papad and varieties of pickles that are famous too.

All these mouthwatering and much for gastronomic delights in the area which is nothing short of a representation of Punjab in the heart of Mumbai.

We dashed home with the Dal Pakwan and the Alu Kulcha’s. Just as we were about to go we remembered we had not picked up the Lassi , Purna suggested we take the fresh Dahi and layer of malai and she would whip a good Lassi herself. As we reached home the parcels were still hot. Plates were laid on the dinning table and we dug into the butter dripping Kulcha’s with pindi chole , diced onion and achar. Yummy and finger licking . Next the Dal Pakwan was devoured and all this was then washed down with the home made sweet Lassi. With tummies filled the best ever break fast the only thing that was to be done was shout out ………………Bole Sau Nihal Sat Sri Akal…