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In addition to being the “City of Dreams,” Mumbai is a food lover’s haven. Being a melting pot of cultures, the city offers a unique blend of dishes that are imbibed with their own specific stamp and identity. Although the choicest of international dishes are available here, the city is perhaps best exemplified by its iconic street foods, which lend Mumbai a vibrant and ethereal vibe. Every nook and cranny of the city is lined with hawkers and food stalls selling lip smacking dishes. The sights, sounds, and colours of these street foods create an unforgettable gastronomic spectacle.
This dazzling spectacle of street foods is further heightened during the winter season. There are also added benefits to consuming these foods in winter. You see, Mumbai street foods are typically loaded with generous helpings of butter as well rich spices and masalas. They are also usually fried. In this way, these dishes, which are packed with fats and carbohydrates, help keep one satiated during the winter months when one’s metabolism levels are unusually high, causing quick digestion. The hearty ingredients of these dishes also help shield people from the icy winter winds by supplying warmth to the body.
Take a look at some of the most legendary street foods of Mumbai.
Pav Bhaji
Pav bhaji is arguably the crown jewel of the Mumbai culinary food scene. This globally renowned dish is believed to have humble origins, dating back to the 1850s when it functioned as a quick meal for the city’s textile mill workers. The dish is prepared by combining a slew of vegetables, including potatoes, carrots, and tomatoes into a mash. Pav bhaji would be incomplete without the “pav” element, which is simply a soft and buttery bread that melts in one’s mouth. Consuming a warm plate of pav bhaji serves as a healing balm against the biting chill of Mumbai winters.
Ragda Pattice
Image Credits: Wikimedia Commons
The delectable ragda pattice is Mumbai’s version of the North Indian aloo tikki. The dish comprises a pan-fried mashed potato pattice that is topped with a dried pea gravy as well as a variety of sweet, spicy, and tangy sauces. Together with dishes, such as bhel puri, sev puri, and pani puri, ragda pattice is instrumental to Mumbai’s famed “chaat culture.” Ingredients, such as sev, coriander, onions as well as chutneys are common to all these dishes, and their spice quotient as well as crispiness helps elevate the winter chaat experience.
Kanda Bhajiya
Kanda bhajiya, also known as onion fritters, is an evergreen Mumbai street food that is savoured during the monsoon as well as the winter seasons. The deep-fried onion delicacy serves as a soothing anecdote of warmth and comfort as the temperatures begin plummeting during winter. It is recommended to pair your onion fritters with a boiling pot or cup of garam chai, a celebrated Mumbai street food tea-based beverage, as the locals do, to fully enjoy and imbibe the winter street food culture of the city.
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Kebabs
Mumbai boasts a strong and robust Muslim community that is thought to be responsible for introducing kebabs and other tandoori-based delicacies to the Mumbai food scene. Escape to South Mumbai to get a taste of these scrumptious specialties, including seekh kebab, murgh malai kebab, and tandoori roti. These meaty dishes are consumed extensively in North India, which tends to experience the harshest and most extreme winter conditions in the country. Therefore, they serve as effective winter foods in Mumbai as well, keeping one warm, well-fed, and nourished.
Sandwich
Although sandwich is pretty much a universal food, Mumbai street sandwiches have their own unique twist. Available in a variety of zany and cutting-edge flavours, such as plain toast, Sichuan sandwich, pizza sandwich and more, this dish best exemplifies the creativity and innovative zest that characterises the street food culture of Mumbai. Dig into these bite-sized treats which are bursting with a cacophony of flavours to chase the winter blues away!
Momos
The momo culture in Mumbai has exploded in the last 10 to 15 years. Taking inspiration from the rugged terrains and rolling hills of North East India, momos have slowly claimed a stronghold among the street food culture of Mumbai. Their popularity stems from their versatility; they can be enjoyed fried or steamed as well as with a variety of fillings. Similar to how they keep the people of North East India warm during extreme winters, momos help keep the people of Mumbai warm and coming back for more.
Frank Rolls
Frank rolls, fondly referred to as frankies, are among the most widely available Mumbai street foods. They are quite beloved as they make for a quick and relatively hassle-free meal or snack. They also come in several flavours, such as masala, chicken, mutton, and so on. During winter, when the hunger levels of people tend to be high, it is a sight to see school and college students throng to local hawkers to indulge in this local treat.
