A La Cart

This is a story that I did for Youth Incorporated magazine for June 2012. Enjoy!

Embarking on a food journey on Indian streets, the writer tries to analyse what makes roadside food off a cart one of the most sought after items on a to-do list

Yummilicious chana chat

Hot off the fryer - samosas!

On a cold winter morning (read negative temperatures) when walking the streets of New York City navigating six inches of snow with each step, while my mouth offered new expletives each time, my mind kept thinking of what I’d give up for just one vada pav or a hot cutting at that point of time! That’s the charm of street food in our country – lip smacking fare available at every corner – hot, fresh and made to order. Despite the questionable hygiene, nay, the complete lack of it, very few of us are able to resist the temptation of biting into a just-off-the-kadhai samosa – a thick, crisp and well salted crust on the outside with one of the most delicious potato and pea concoctions on the inside, dipped into the sweet, sour and spicy chutneys on the side. This riot of flavours in your mouth for under Rs 10!
 

The famous Palitana bhel stall. Photo by Hardik Patel

 Not many countries have such a vast variety of street food to offer to the innocent passer-by who is lured in by the aromas that waft through the dust, dirt, concrete and human pockets. From the chats of Delhi to the special pav bhaji of Mumbai, and the sea food of Goa and jhal muri of Kolkata, even a small town called Palitana in Gujarat is famous the world over for the unique bhel it has to offer! In fact, somehow, even the Maggie made and served by street vendors tends to taste better than the one we make at home. No day of an average Mumbaikar, or for that matter an average urban Indian, is complete without having relished at least one item on the unwritten menus of these small yet curiously utilitarian street carts.
The selling point of the street food carts, besides being quick, affordable and at most times totally mouthwatering, is the fact that they know how to be innovative to please the crowd. This innovation has given birth to some of the most loved dishes of all time – like the Chinese bhel, the chop suey dosa, the samosa sandwich and the Chinese vada pav! In fact, it is quite likely that your neighbourhood tapri will offer you lemon tea without milk or sugar, green tea, masala tea, mint tea, milk tea, not to mention the humble cutting poured out into the special cutting glass out of a battered aluminium kettle.
It’s not only about the variety on the menu, it is also about the way things sell. From full meals to simple snacks and fast refreshers, the street vendors have it all at a go. They do not have to ask for the permission of a manager to make substitutions in food, to hand over two extra bhajiyas in lieu of two bucks change, or to give an extra helping of onions or pickle or any other condiment to the customer. The decision is fast, and timely, and revolves around keeping the customer happy. Sometimes one could wonder that the business skills that life has taught these inventive street cooks-cum-entrepreneurs could be equated to those learnt at B-school. I’m sure they could. And in some cases, the street-smart food guys will emerge on top. Which B-school teaches students to deal with haftas to be given to the local police and goons alike, just for basic survival?

Mumbai's famous - pav bhaji! Photo by Ashish Lakhara

As acclaimed photographer Sephi Bergson, who has been tracking down the best street food in the country, combining the vibrant and colours and mouthwatering sights in the pictures, puts in her book Street Food of India, “From the teeming lanes of Old Delhi to the hot, dusty streets in the remote countryside, it is painfully hard to resist the smells and sights and tastes of this roadside food, prepared in front of customers’ eyes with the freshest ingredients and a good helping of panache and showmanship.”
A lot has been written about these innovative entrepreneurs, special cook books have been devoted to them, and every home cook has tried to replicate the tastes in a clean home kitchen. To the despair of those digging into the fare, even the most able cooks have failed to produce the dishes that match up. The taste, as many say, lies in the huge amount of effort that the roadside cooks put in to feed an army of people day in and day out, coupled with the survival instincts needed to combat competition, to stay clear of the local ‘dons’ and the hawaldars, and last but not the least, the sultry weather. Whatever be the case – sweltering heat, an untimely downpour or a gusty wind, a starving stomach, or even a hungry eye will not be deprived of the intense sights, smells and tastes of street food.

Sizzling tikkis. Photo by Jim Elliman

 There is so much passion for roadside food in India, that families and friends make special plans to go out and eat at their favourite cart, just like families plan to go dining at their favourite restaurant. “Nothing can beat the sizzling sounds of that fried tikki or bhature with the irresistible fragrance of stunningly garnished chholas and pickles spiced up with green chillies and onions,” says writer Nitin Pahuja in a post about Delhi’s street food. It may sound like the dieter’s worst nightmare coming true, but foodies will do anything for these spicy treats.
“There was a time when we used to drive all the way from Mumbai to Khopoli for just that one vada pav from a special vendor out there. At that time, there were not as many road side eateries as we have now,” reminisces food lover Ruchir Sheth of his college days, a high, which he is sad that his (spoilt) children will never experience. Those were times when parents were hoodwinked to obtain cars for long rides, speedometers were taken off so that the kilometres were not added, and cars were zoomed off by this group of friends for just one large juicy bite that encompasses the fried spicy potato filling coated with mild chickpea batter, the garlicky powder chutney that added the extra zing, and the humble pav that cut through all the pungency. Now, that, is what we can call capturing the taste.
Any piece where we talk of street food as a delicacy in the cities (well, for some, due to several reasons, it would be staple), would be incomplete without a little mention of the dhabas on highways across the country. When Rocky Singh and Mayur Sharma chronicled their unusual, unexpected and unknown eating at some of the most popular dhabas in a popular national daily, it was as if a food lover’s eyes were gleaming at the prospect of a delicious meal. No wonder, after tasting over 2000 dishes at more than 600 eateries they say “If you take the foods of the world on one side and the foods of India on another, our pile would easily tilt the scales.”

Dinner polished off at a dhaba. The lassi is arriving!

The ubiquitous dhaba is what invites a weary traveller with the promise of a piping hot meal comprising of delectable curries (spice adjusted to order), with a generous dash of oil or butter as a freebie, to be coupled with crisp rotis, brittle papads and raw onions. This to be washed down with the house beverage –  lassi. Of course, the dhaba guys too have learnt to innovate so suit every customer, there is nothing like a hot traditional meal after a long, weary journey. The open air scenario where customers sit on charpoys and wash their hands with water out of a broken jug (again, questionable water) is an experience you can have only in India. Compare it to the box meal you often have to go for on an American highway after a similar journey, and you know that gastronomic bliss can be achieved on in India!