Just Walking Around

Garam Garam Vada Pav….

The other day all the extended family members were sitting around after dinner discussing casually about topics ranging from Demonetization , continued corruption the upcoming GST implementation etc. Just then the subject turned to what else but the tasty topic of Food and the vada pav to be specific. My father-in-law Nitin Desai who is a great fan of this classic Mumbai fast food started the conversation with his experience of best ever Vada Pav of none other than “Diwadkar’s” .

I still remember the time we used to take the train with family to Pune.It would either be the early morning Deccan or the Double Decker Sinhagad. . All along the route the Western Ghats mountain ranges, also known as the Sahyadris, stretched in far distance, unfolding like a curtain as the train covered ground on its onward run even while hiding from view the terrain on the other side.Between Kalyan and Lonaval, the train would make a stop at Karjat. We looked forward to seeing the khaki-shirted “Diwadkar Vada Pav wallahs” complete with their trademark Red sashes running across the front of their shirts. They wear the red sash with Diwadkar written in the Devnagri font on the front , and in English on the back. The Diwadkar vada pav vendors are unique to Karjat and are not to be found else where on the Mumbai Suburban Railway Network with an exception of having their presence on Neral Station and Jummapatti on route to Matheran.

As the train chugs into the Karjat station the khaki clad Diwadkar Vada Pav vendor’s take thier position with practiced ease , 2 to a bogey. Placing metal stands on the platform they rest their stock of Vada Pav and  packet of Chutney , carrying the brand name Diwadkar Foods in a rectangular metal tray with straps.

At other times they carry the metal stand on their back and dispense Vada Pav from the metal tray that is slung from their necks.Vada pav is arguably the most favored snack in Mumbai. You can call the poor mans Burger. A pocket friendly snack which can be accompanied by a cutting chai can become a full meal by itself. The vada is potato -based savoury made from mashed potato that is rolled into balls before being dipped into spice-seasoned batter of gram flour and deep fried. Best eaten with Pav , a type of bread it is really a filling snack. It is garnished with chutney that can alternate from moderately spicy to vey spicy. Diwadkar’s chutney is red but not that spicy as the color suggest . Bite into these crispy vada and savour the spicy taste.

Another famous Vada Pav in Mumbai and listed among the top 10 Vada Pav’s even by The Times Of India Food Awards is Ashok Vada Pav. Yes that small but most in demand vada pav wallah in Shivaji Park.near Kirti College. The 35-year old vada pav stall at Dadar's Kirti College, run by the genial Ashok Thakur, gets my vote for the best vada pav in the city. But don’t take my word for it. Thakur lists stars like Jackie Shroff and Madhuri Dixit amongst his clientele, and day or night, there's always a bevy of people hanging around outside the stall for a bite. The vada pav has this specialty of being extra crispy. And the pav after being smeared with the special green and sweet chutney stuffed with the crispy “Chura”.This makes the vada pav really crispy and delicious. The other hit item on the list is just “Chura Pav” meaning instead of the vada he fills the pav with only the chura with the trade mark chutney and hands it over to you to polish it off . Hordes of youngsters both studends of Kirti College and ex students can be seen mingling around. Some newly dating couple come on bikes and have this pocket friendly snack before heading to a secluded spot near the Dadar Chowpaty to enjoy some much needed privacy. Ashok Vada Pav - a great symbol of Maharashtrian entrepreneurship made famous with hard work and little bit of love.

Though there are a number of such stand alone vada pav vendors across the city of Mumbai there are also certain well known eateries who actually started the trend of Vada pava and have a legacy of couple of decades in this measly but fiery snack.

Take for example “Mama Kane’s” Swacha Upahagriha. One of the city's oldest surviving restaurants. In its 100th year, Mama Kane's Swacha Uphargriha, the tiny hole-in-the-wall restaurant bang opposite the busy Dadar Railway Station on the western side. It is known for its yummy home-made Maharashtrian delicacies. Narayan Vishnu Kane was among those villagers from Konkan who migrated to Bombay in search of jobs in 1905. His first stop was Pen in Raigad. After a not-so-successful attempt at making Ganesh idols, for which the town is known for, Kane moved to Bombay. "Dadar had a huge market place even then, where people from Vasai and other places would come to sell vegetables and flowers. Kane saw an opportunity in starting a food serving place as there were very few eateries around, Kane started a small shack opposite to where the eatery stands now, selling tea, bhaji and other snacks. The place found takers amongst the poor vegetable Maharashtrian vendors who used to land in Dadar around 3 am for trade. Kane's mother and sister would make the food and the eatery was called 'Dakshini Brahmananche Swacha Uphargriha' (a clean eatery of southern Brahmins) then, an acknowledgement to the family's Brahmin roots in Konkan.

In 1928, when Smruti Kunj building opposite Dadar station was constructed, Kane shifted to its present location the ground floor. Since most of the relatives and small kids used to call Kane mama (uncle), the eatery also got the name Mama Kane's. It’s the vada and vada pav that became so famous that Mama Kane is synonymous with vada . The recipe is traditional and mouthwatering and best eaten with the Garlic Chutney .The restaurant is run in typical Puneri style though with Marathi patya “Marathi Instruction Boards” lining its wall. Some of the wittiest messages being “Kama shivay ugach basunaye” (Don’t sit with out any work) , “Amche Malak Sudha ithech khatat” (The owner also eats here ) . Read these , laugh a little and enjoy your Vada.

One more eatery that is famous for its vada pav is located in the suburb and a Maharashtrian hub of Thane is “Kunj Vihar”. This small restaurant is located very close to the Thane Station is patronized by the crowds coming or going to the station to catch the local train. Take a coupon from the counter and sit at its many tables , hand over the coupon to the waiter and he will bring the biggest vada pav in a large bun and place on your table. You can hear the orders flying thick and fast like “Ek sukha meetha” which means pav to smeared with only meetha chutney and garlic chutney , Or Ek theeka Michi ke saath which means pav to be smeared with only green chutney and garlic chutney and stuffed with the fried whole green chillies.  Enjoy the vada Pav and wash it down with Kunj Vihar’s famous thick Sweet Lassi of the Mango Lassi. A mini meal which can fill your stomach and satisfy your soul before you start your journey back home…..

Take your pick , choose your vada pav and savor its masaledar taste . As they say Mumbai me rahe aur Vada Pav nahi khaya to kya khak jiye….Enjoy this special fast food , India’s answer to the Big Mac…..

To jab bhook lage aur jeb jara khali ho to Khao Khao Garam Garam Vada Pav……