Cutting Chai Recipe: The one we get on Mumbai's streets

Making tea is no big deal. It is made daily in almost every household in India. But the flavour and taste of the 'Cutting Chai' available across thousands of stalls located on Mumbai's streets is something else. You won't find such a taste in any of those big restaurants or cafes.

So, making tea might be easy but making 'Cutting Chai' isn't everybody's cup of tea [pun intended]. I have been having 'Cutting Chai' on the roads ever since I was in school, which is almost 20 years ago.

After observing their way of making the tea, I started making it at home. Ever since that day I have been making a separate tea for myself. The simple tea made at my place is not my cup of tea.

So here's a simple procedure or recipe that can help you make that 'Cutting Chai' at your place. This is more useful in the current times of the lockdown where one is devoid of the 'Cutting Chai' at stalls.

Here's a step-by-step guide to make 1 cup of this kind of tea:

-- Take a little over half cup of water and start boiling it

-- Add little over 1 spoon of tea power and sugar as per your need

-- Add grated ginger to it. I know we can use mashed ginger as well but that won't give you the desirable taste. In fact, adding grated ginger is the most important ingredient to make this type of tea.

-- You can add elaichi (cardamom) as well if you wish to add more flavours. If you have acidity related issues, it is advisable to only put elaichi.

-- Keep stirring it in between. It's important to mix the ingredients well. You might have observed chai walas do this regularly because it's an important step in order to bring that specific taste.

-- Add half a cup of milk. If you prefer a stronger tea, add a little lesser milk.

-- Stir it again. At this stage it is all the more important to stir as the milk might not mix well with other ingredients

That's it. You are all set to enjoy the deliciousness of 'Cutting Chai' even in the lockdown.

By: Keyur Seta

Also see: 5 types of Chai available on Mumbai's streets

Dabeli had a different name in its previous birth in Mumbai

The city of Mumbai is getting overcrowded with more and more restaurants. But its roadside food culture is showing no signs of dying down. In fact, the street food stalls are also growing at a numerous rates. Needless to say, most of them serve Mumbai’s traditional favourite Vada Pav and Bhajji Pav.

But another dish that has risen to fame over the last decade or so has been Dabeli. It is a variety where brown coloured potato masala is tucked into the Pav and is filled with pomegranate seeds and spicy peanuts. The Pav is then fried on a pan with butter and served with shev.

But it would be wrong to think that Dabeli has acquired fame only since last 10-12 years. If you happen to be a youngster who grew up after the 1990s, you might feel this is true. But that is not the case. The dish has been satisfying the tastebuds of Mumbaikars before the mid-1990s.

The only difference, however, was that it had a different name. In the early to mid-1990s, Dabeli was called Double Roti. I clearly remember buying Double Roti on various occasions then. It was only known by this name. The word ‘Dabeli’ was never heard of.

But then somewhere after the early-2000s, people selling it started calling it Dabeli. Obviously, the buyers also started addressing it with the same name. It tastes exactly like what it was called before – Double Roti. The only difference was that earlier the Pav wasn’t fried while now it was and it wasn’t served with shev. All other ingredients remained the same.

Recently, I and a friend got curious as to how the name of a popular dish got changed over the years. I tried asking a few friends who were well-versed with Mumbai’s street food culture but even they didn’t know an answer.

We were clueless until I struck up a conversation with a Dabeli wala at Versova in Andheri recently. The guy told me that the Dish originated in Gujarat. And he and many others like him migrated to Mumbai and, obviously, started selling it with its original name – Dabeli.

Also read: 5 types of Chai available on Mumbai's streets

This guy further said that he came to Mumbai around 16-17 years ago and has been selling Dabeli ever since. In other words, he has been doing this business in Mumbai since the early-2000s. This explains how the name changed from Double Roti to Dabeli from that period.

Curiously, I did a Google search to know the history of Dabeli. I came across a newspaper cutting in Quora. The article claims that the variety was invented by the late Mohanbhai Nathbava in Mandvi village in Kutch, Gujarat in 1964. It says that he started off by selling mashed potato Bhaaji in Pav and slowly transformed it into Dabeli, which translates into English as ‘pressed.’

So, we can assume that some fellow from Mumbai got inspired and started selling it as Double Roti.

But call it what you want, it won’t change the fact that Dabeli is delicious!

By: Keyur Seta

Also read:

Bombay 1960s: When this govt card was mandatory to buy milk

5 types of chai available on Mumbai’s streets

Mumbai is known for its rich culture of street food with Vada Pav being its more famous offering. But not much is spoken about the different types of teas available on the roads of this city. One might feel all roadside teas might taste the same but that is far from the truth.

Mumbai’s streets offer wide varieties of teas and they all vary in terms of the taste, ingredients, ambience and experience. If there is something like tea versatility, it’s in Mumbai.

Here are 5 different types of teas you can find in the city:

Cutting chai

People who have been living in Mumbai need no introduction to the city’s special cutting chai. But for the uninitiated, ‘Cutting chai’ is the measurement for tea which is not too much or too less. You will find countless tea stalls or tapris, as they are locally called, in every nook and corner of the city serving tea in such quantities in small or medium-sized glasses.

Their tea is strong with ginger or elaichi or both. You may find stalls putting only ginger but you will seldom find a stall that puts only elaichi. On days you are tired with too much running around in the city, one or two quantities of cutting chai can work wonders. If you don’t like your tea to be strong, there are other options below.

Price: Rs 6 or 7

Nagori tea

Around 6-7 years ago, Nagori brand of tea stalls slowly started cropping up in the city. An expert told me that they are mostly Muslims from Hyderabad who have settled here to sell tea. Slowly, they have broadened their reach in the city.

Their tea is for those who prefer tea with more milk [paani kum, as it is called here]. What makes their tea special is the generous amounts of elaichi they put. Nagori is also for those who can’t have ginger tea at normal tapris because of acidity issues.

Price: Rs 8

Sophisticated tea stalls 

Over the last few years, unique tea stalls like Saiba Amrutalay have emerged not only in Mumbai but also in other places in Maharashtra. Another recent name is Premacha Chaha. They all have specific hygienic interiors and they serve teas in those white cups [it’s difficult to fit your finger in their handles but that’s okay].

Their tea is delicious to say the least. They only add elaichi. But they are different from Nagori as they don’t make their tea too milky. Unlike other stalls, one is required to take coupons here.

Price: Rs 10

Copper tea

This entry will be a surprise even for most Mumbaikars. A tea stall in Dadar (west) serves tea made in copper vessels. You might feel, what’s so special in this? Well, making the tea in copper gives it a different taste altogether. This is exactly the reason why they don’t add any masala, elaichi, ginger or anything because there is just no need. Plus, having any food cooked in copper also has health benefits.

The stall is called Ambaji Tea Stall and it’s on Gokhale Road (north).

Price: Rs 10 for cutting and Rs20 for full

Irani cafés

The Irani Hotels, as they are called, don’t exactly fall in the roadside category. But we have included them since their quality of tea and their target audience is the same. These cafes are simple with their retro-styled interiors and sitting arrangements that bring back memories of the old, uncomplicated Bombay.

The tea served here is not strong but impressive enough to satisfy a tea lover. And if you are not calorie-conscious, you should try the combination of their tea with Bun Muska [big bread with loads of butter]. They also serve ‘Paani kum chai,’ which translates to tea with very little water and more milk.

Price: Rs 20

By: Keyur Seta