Vegan street food as good as (or better) than Bombay
Mumbai is known for its street foods. Until recent years, good renditions of them were hard to come by in Toronto. It was difficult to find a Bombay restaurant in the first place. Today, there are more choices available and Bombay Bakers is the best I know of for quality and cost. I’m frankly amazed at how they can keep prices competitive with India.
The foods of Mumbai (Bombay)
For less worldly readers, Bombay is the old colonial name for Mumbai, the financial and movie capital of India. Other than its snacks, it doesn’t have a distinctive cuisine, taking its cue from neighbouring regions like inland Maharashtra, the Konkan coast, and Gujarat state. Endemic to the area is the endangered Parsi cuisine, brought over by Persian immigrants a thousand years ago and adapted to local tastes.
While Parsi food is rare in Toronto, these Mumbai street snacks are easy to find. Nearly all are vegan.
- Bhel puri: Savoury mix of rice puffs, fried bits, boiled potato cubes, and chutneys.
- Falooda: Rose syrup drink that is found from Iran to Indonesia. The one in Mumbai comes with layers of vermicelli jelly, basil seeds, and a scoop of ice cream.
- Pani puri: Crisp shells filled with chickpeas and doused in sauces.
- Papdi chaat: Savoury mix of round crackers, fried bits, yoghurt, and chutneys.
- Pav bhaji: Bread rolls with a dip of mashed curry vegetables.
- Vada pav: Deep-fried potato patty sandwiched in a bread roll and smeared with chutneys.
These street foods are harder to find.
- Bombay Sandwich: Grilled sandwich with chutney spread. Found at Bombay Bakers.
- Frankie: Round flatbread that is fried, rolled into a tube, and stuffed with various fillings. Bombay Snack Bar and sibling Bombay Frankie have them. So does Bharuchi’s.
- Keema Pav: Bread rolls with a dip of curried minced meat. Bombay Snack Bar is the closest place to downtown Toronto that has this.
