I don’t know how Shiv Vada Pav, the “Indian burger” chain by the Shiv Sena, is doing (it was proposed to keep “culture” alive and to provide employment to the Marathi manoos), but it is easy to understand why street food in India can be a matter of national interest.
The French have their crepes, the Americans their hot dogs and Tex-Mex, and the Arab world its shwarma and brost. But it is only when you come to this part of Asia that you get truly astounded. Bangkok, Singapore, Hong Kong and cities all over China and South-east Asia are acknowledged havens for street dining, yet, nothing comes close to the sheer variety that India offers — in every city, market, outside cinemas and offices, each vendor with his own loyal band of gourmands: Which is why you can never really argue with anyone who tells you that the best samosa or bread-omelette or kebab roll is to be found at such-and-such hole-in-the-wall outlet in an obscure part of your town, overlooking an open drain!
Would you ever visit the recommended place? It seems unlikely. Even if you are a fairly motivated foodie, you may trek to an inconvenient (and grimy) part of your town, indulge in nostalgia, brag about the “adventure”, but not really return. For one, nostalgia is best served cold. Few places live up to their reputations: I find Paranthewali Gali in purani Dilli, for instance, to be a complete waste of time. And two, even if you are not a wimpish urbanite with a delicate stomach, you are more than likely to stumble upon the next “best” destination soon enough: a place that serves better dahi bhallas than Natraj’s, or better aloo-puri than at the Kanpur station, or better Chicken 65 or muttai parotta or Chinese dosa than at the popular “Madras dhaba”.
There are some urban legends, of course, that live up to their reputations: Tunde kebabi in Lucknow or Adarsh Talkie Wala in Amritsar, favoured for his tawa meat by no less than Atal Behari Vajpayee, are two examples that come readily to the mind. But the best very often lives on in our imaginations. The best bhel puri, for instance, that I’ve had has been outside Lady Shri Ram College — contrary to its origins as a Gujarati creation, the best chaat, at Aminabad in Lucknow (Delhi and UP have always fought for where-did-chaat-originate honours; I am inclined to go with the latter), and the best egg roll in Asansol (Kolkata friends, protest). In real-time, on the other hand, we are content to eat sanitised versions at Haldiram’s or Swati Snacks (favoured by Mukesh and Nita Ambani, among others).
Once you have got rid of the nostalgia and romance — and notions equating unhygienic conditions with added flavour —surrounding street food, the search must begin for “modern” and efficient outlets serving healthy bites at reasonable prices. And this is precisely where we begin to falter, particularly when it comes to branded retail.
The numerous corn kiosks or Jumbo King vada pav outlets (the Mumbai-based company is ostensibly India’s first branded street food chain) or mall-fixtures like hot dogs, doughnuts and gelato counters offer added variety, in more hygienic surroundings, but they hardly make for compulsive dining, the hallmark of the best street snacks. Now, a new concept by restaurateur Sudha Kukreja in New Delhi hopes to change that.
Kukreja, a natural, intuitive chef, who has a real talent for putting together ingredients imaginatively, has started “A la Cart”— carts selling satays and wraps. The pilot project has been set up in the Defence Colony market. Pan Asian cuisine is Kukreja’s forte and the kind of quick bites she’s serving out of her cart would be the envy of smarter restaurants. The satays, available in three versions (including a Vietnamese-style grill), are tender and flavourful so that you can even taste the lemon grass. And there are interesting pita pockets, lined with mayonnaise, stuffed with the likes of basil chicken. At Rs 65 for four sticks of satay, these are snacks that you wouldn’t mind picking up in bulk even for a small party at home. There is no cheating on the quality of ingredients used and there is even a sauce for any one who wants things “spicy”.
The cart is sleekly designed - a microwave and grill can fit in and the surfaces are coated with anti-bacterial laminates. If the first project succeeds, it is likely to go to Mumbai and other metros. Considering that global flavours have become so popular when it comes to fine dining, perhaps it is time that we got used to pan-Asian street food too.