How have Mumbai's Khanawals kept up with time

Prakash serves only Parsi fare and receives requests from those outside the community too. Pics/Pradeep Dhivar

It's 11 am and a busy morning at Grant Road eatery Prakash. There are at least 70 dabbas that are ready to be shipped across the city. Some, as far as Vasai and Virar. On the menu at this Bhaji Galli venue is everything from chicken farcha (Rs 80) to dhan dal patio (Rs 140) and sali par eedu (Rs 35). Don't worry if you're confused. It's normal.

For most Parsis living in Grant Road and areas around it, Prakash is the go-to place for community fare. The no-frills set up, is not a place where you can sit and enjoy a meal, though.

"A majority of our clientele are Parsis who call for dabbas, and the rest take parcels," says staffer, Prabhas Mondal, who has been working here for 10 years. Most would err to think that the eatery gets its name from the owner. "Actually, my father's name is Barun Mondal, but strangely he became popular as Prakash among the Parsis," laughs daughter Ankita. "My father came to Mumbai from Kolkata in 1981.

Eventually, he started working in hotels where many of his employers were Parsi. That's how he picked up the recipes," she adds. Over the years, Mandal has even trained his non-Parsi staff to whip up Bawa delicacies.

A mill legacy
A city built by migrants, much of Mumbai's food history also owes its legacy to the working class. City historian Deepak Rao says khanawals were modelled to cater to migrants moving to Mumbai from smaller towns back in the 1900s. "They had low salaries, some of which had to be sent back home to support families. At khanawals, they would have account books. You could pay at the end of the month," he says. For the working class, it offered a chance to savour delicious, home-made food at cheap prices. Rao, however, says that these eateries are on their way out because of the increasing availability of street food and affordable hotels. "But, you'll still find them in pockets of Girgaum and Parel."

Where: Shirin Mansion, Shop no.9, ground floor, Grant Road Station (West)
Call: 23877660

Annapurna Kitchen, Prabhadevi
Six years ago, Amoleena Pawar learnt of a vacant shop in Prabhadevi that was up for rent. Till then, it was her Lalbaug home that served as a khanawal for most in the area. "There were lots of bachelors around who had moved here for better prospects from smaller towns. They wanted homemade food for cheap because they couldn't afford hotels every day," she says.

The demand necessitated a larger space, and that's how the idea of Annapurna Kitchen came up. Since 2012, she has been running the eatery that seats 15, with husband Pramod, who we learn is more adept at rustling up non-vegetarian fare. The food is prepared at the eatery's adjoining kitchen.

"People love our fish thali. We go every morning to Crawford market and pick up mackerel, Bombay duck, surmai and pomfret. No fish is stored for the next day," she says. The place operates in the day from 11 am to 3 pm for lunch, and
remains shut on Sundays.

Where: Annapurna Kitchen, Sai Bhakti Marg, Prabhadevi

Breakfast special, Parel
Every morning, Lalbaug resident Seema Sawant ensures she is stationed outside the gate of Wadia's Children's Hospital in Parel at 8 am sharp. Her little makeshift shop - a tiny table, vessels, paper plates (which she lugs on her two-wheeler) - has been a regular feature for the last 13 years.

Like most other women helming khanawals from home, Sawant used to cater to the labour class. But, when they began moving out of the area, she was forced to look for other options.

Her clientele now includes hospital staff and families of those admitted for medical care. The menu is fixed - kanda poha, upma, sabudana khichdi and sheera. "I wanted to offer items that are easy to make, can fit into a common man's budget and are good to eat every day" she says.

Where: Outside Wadia Children's Hospital, Acharya Donde Marg, Parel East

Marathi Khanawal, Girgaum
A decade ago, Marathi Khanawal, a modest eatery located on the ground floor of a Girgaum high rise, faced an existential crisis. The building it was housed in was slated to go for redevelopment, and the builder wasn't sure whether the eatery that offered traditional Marathi-cuisine would find takers in a Gujarati-dominated locality. "He insisted that we turn it into a fast food joint, but I stood my ground. I wanted the khanawal to continue. It was my baby," says Krishna Narwankar, its 92-year-old owner.

Back in the '40s, a young Narwankar had moved to Mumbai from Dapoli, Ratnagiri, to earn a living at the textile mills. "It was through chance that I got introduced to the hotel's then owner Dhondu Kasekar through a friend. Purely on goodwill, he allowed me to run the place. Later, when he wanted to sell it, I offered to take over," he says.

Having shut shop for seven years for redevelopment, Marathi Khanawal reopened in November 2016 under the same name. Its staff, that had temporarily started working elsewhere, returned to work with them. Today, with its granite flooring, freshly painted walls and spotless tables, the eatery is a far cry from its earlier avatar. "Till the mills were running, it was mostly labourers who would come to eat.

Now, the demographics have changed. We see more families," says his daughter Vidya Patil, who travels from Virar to Charni Road every day to assist her father. There's little change in the food though. We try the bombil thali for R150 and it'senough for two people. "The rates are very reasonable because khanawals are all about offering wholesome, home-made food to the middle class. We don't want to lose our soul," she says.

Where: Marathi Khanawal, Shripati Jewels, shop no. 3, Khattar Galli, Nath Madhav Path, Girgaum
Call: 23826128

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