Mumbai Food: Versova pop-up offers Anglo-Indian cuisine during the British Raj

Jalebi Pudding

Theâu00c2u0080u00c2u0088days of the memsahib and her trusted khansamah may be long gone, but we can't deny the influence the British Raj has had on Indian culinary traditions.

To try some of these Anglo-Indian dishes that took shape in these historic kitchens, sign up for a dinner at Versova resident Priyadarshini Gupta's home this weekend.

Cutlets with Devil's Chutney

The meal, hosted by Authenticook, will have separate menus for vegetarians and non-vegetarians, and feature an array of dishes, such as Vegetable Jhal Frezi, Pork Indad (a Mangalorean Catholic dish, flavoured with special spices and tamarind, that was adopted by the sahibs), Red Pumpkin Foogath (a steamed vegetable dish with coconut), and Chicken Country Captain (a simple dish with onions and pepper water; a favourite with British officers).

Priyadarshini Gupta

Gupta, a Bengali, says, "Anglo-Indian food is special to me as it was an integral part of my hostel years back in Calcutta in the early '90s. Many of my hostel mates were Anglo-Indians from places like McCluskieganj and Adra, both important railway centres back in the day. This was further romanticised by movies like 36 Chowringhee Lane, and books written by John Masters. As a result, I had always been keen to curate an experience around the dishes I had grown up eating and reading about."

She adds that the cuisine found in an Anglo-Indian household is a delicious blend of Indian flavours and Western techniques, and makes liberal use of coconut, yoghurt and almonds, in addition to spices.

"The jalebi pudding, for instance, is a personal favourite. I love how the texture of the wobbly pudding comes together with that of crunchy jalebis. And with Holi around the corner, I had to include it on the menu," says Gupta, adding, "Even the rice dishes - the Junglee Pulao and the Green Masala Pulao - are, in fact, baked dishes with very Indian flavours."