How you can explore Sindhi cuisine in Mumbai

Like every Sunday this afternoon too most Sindhi households would have the tangy mouthwatering aroma of currychawal wafting from the kitchen The scent is so heady that even neighbours know aaj khane mein kya hai As thin as the community is stretched across the country food mdashand the love for itmdashis perhaps the thread that binds it together Be it a wedding or a funeral you will never find the fervour lackingThe recipe for the Sindhi curry is unique to each household For instance in this writerrsquos home tomatobased puree is used Other vegetablesmdashsingi drumstick meya pumpkin potatoes okra and cauliflowermdashare cut into big chunks boiled and added to the curry However humble the dish sounds it will leave you licking your plate clean time after timeVadi AlooMalabar Hillbased home chef Namrata Thakur says ldquoWe have clients who order Sindhi curry and tuk every week No matter how much you make the tuk always falls shortrdquo Thakur and her sister Sapna Bajaj started catering Sindhi food around 10 years ago With a laugh Thakur confesses that it was their friends who pushed them to take the plunge She adds ldquoWe started as a confectionary but after noticing the lack of Sindhi restaurants we decided to start catering Sindhi food as wellrdquo says Bajaj While all of their dishes are immensely popular the Sindhi mutton never misses its mark The biggest compliment they say is when Sindhi clients order from them ldquoIt takes years to acquire this skillrdquo says Bajaj ldquoour mother and grandmother probably still do it better than us Wersquore just continuing the legacyrdquoSindhi MuttonThe sisters have of course added their little twists to some of the most popular recipes ldquoSindhis are very economical with their food We make seyal bread a kind of wrap with leftover roti and adding garlic mint cilantro and spices to make a quick snack Cheese is added to leftover sai bhaji spinach gravy to make a protein rich tikkirdquo Thakur recommends For the upcoming winter Bajaj advises stocking up on her personal favourite daldhoda a popular breakfast item with the latter being a combination of flatbread kneaded with fresh garlicKharbased Vijay Raheja feels that Sindhi food hasnrsquot been served its due for several reasons and that was one of the reasons why he recently started the home kitchen Spicy Sindhi Their dal pakwan is one of the best wersquove tried in the city ldquoWe often discuss at home as to why Sindhi food hasnrsquot gained as much popularityrdquo he saysldquoFor one Sindhi culture has been influenced a lot by the Punjabi and Sindhi Muslim community and it is most apparent in the food This restricted it to not emerging and having an identity of its own even though many dishes have a very distinct flavour profile So not until recently when more and more people became open to trying regional cuisines did Sindhi food get noticed Secondly after the Partition Sindhis who migrated to India spread to different pockets across the country In these neighbourhoods yoursquoll find the oneodd shop selling our groceries and delicacies that have become quite popularmdashlike Tharu in Khar or Jhama in Chembur These have been instrumental in offering a taste of the cuisine to those from outside the community as wellrdquoSpeaking of lesserknown Sindhi dishes two that instantly come to Rahejarsquos mind are tahiri saagmdasha sweet saffron rice served with spicy tangy vegetable gravy made with aloo baingan and beeh lotus stem ldquoIn Sindhi cuisine we use a lot of beeh this gravy is on the spicy and tangy side and is served with sweet rice The combination is interesting to the palatemdashit is a household favourite but those from outside the community who try it for the first time rave about it for daysrdquo he addsMalabar Hillbased home chef Namrata Thakur and Sapna Bajaj get frequent orders for Sindhi curry and alu tuk PicSameer MarkandeThe second dish that comes to mind is vadi aloo and rice The vadi is the same lentil dumpling used in Punjabi cooking but Sindhis make it in a different preparation with potato in a tangy spicy tomato onion gravy It is served with rice and boondi raita ldquoMost restaurants donrsquot feature these dishes but they deserve being talked about when it comes to Sindhi cuisinerdquo he addsAnother young chef who has learnt to add his own twists and turns to recipes passed down through decades is 16yearold Om Hemdev On his Instagram account you can find some of these including mithi dhabal Sindhi sweetbread Another memorable one he says is his version of the first Sindhi dish he mademdashaloo tuk Hemdev adds a panAsian piquancy to it by sauteing the tuk along with some garlic and srping onion He then adds a sweetsour Korean sauce gochujang Another recipe from his grandmotherrsquos kitchen is their signature Sindhi muttonldquoWe use mushki calf of the lamb which is notorious for taking a long time to cookrdquo he says ldquoIt takes about two to three hours to make You start with roasting the mutton in a pot mixing all the spices and then taking it out You add ginger and garlic paste along with some chopped onions tomato as well and my grandmotherrsquos special mix of spicesrdquo And then let it cook for a long long time with water ldquoSindhi food is not as appreciated probably because it gets overshadowed by other regional cuisines The only way that I know to share this culture with others is through food So thatrsquos what Irsquove done Irsquove posted a lot about itrdquo adds HemdevHome chef Om Hemdev just 16 years old adds a panAsian piquancy to alu tuk making it more relatable to youngsters PicShadab KhanAnother chef who has recently found fame on Instagram is Bhavisha R Jaisinghani An Ulhasnagar resident she runs cooking classes and posts various Sindhi recipes online ldquoPeople have showered a lot of love on Sindhi food Itrsquos different now young people are reaching out and are interested in knowing more about their heritage My followers request me to show them how to make lollas sweet flatbread or besan tikki the traditional waymdashexactly how their nanis or dadis used to cookrdquo she says One of these is sai thum mai macchi fish in greengarlic sauceYou can use either surmai mackerel singari or rohu fish Marinate it for 1520 minutes in salt and lemon juice This also helps get rid of odour Then wash the fish and dip it in dry spices haldi dhaniya powder and red chilli powder Pan fry the fish with minimal oil In a separate pan saute green garlic tomato and spices Now slip the fish into the pan mix well and let it cook for about five minutesrdquo For vegetarians she suggests potatoes as an equally savoury alternative Both her children a 20yearold daughter and 16yearold son are adept at the art and can stand in for her if need be to teach any of the classes ldquoOften young men who are moving abroad come to learn cooking I also teach them via video call whenever they need helprdquo Jaisinghani saysIf yoursquore craving Sindhi food that feels like a warm hug from home Priya Jham has you covered Jham runs a cloud kitchen Sindh Zaika based in Mahim They deliver meals and snacks all across Mumbai Jham also caters for parties dinners and other events ldquoWe have a mixed clientelerdquo she says ldquoThe variety and taste always ensures itrsquos a hit no matter what occasionrdquo Not one to shy away from experimentation Jhamrsquos bhee chips and baigan chips are a crowd favourite The recipe is quite simple she says You slice them thinly and soak them in salt water for some time Then after you pat dry them simply deep fryOff the shelfgtgtthinspTharursquos Mukhi Bhandar KharSingar ji mithai sev barfi maayekaladdu to layi Sindhi chikki made of khaskhasTo order tharusweetscomgtgtthinspSindhful KharTraditional cholechutneypattice with pao koki with bondiraita and vegan chaap tikka optionsTo order 97693 94968gtgtthinspDadho Sutho KandivliDalpakwan DadhoSutho brings you the Sindhi tadka you need to spice up your breakfastTo ordergtgtthinspJhama across MumbaiDoda barfi strawberry katli pista halwa along with namkeensTo order jhamasweetscomgtgtthinspKailash Parbat ColabaBheechana koki matha Sindhi curryWith inputs from Nasrin Modak Siddiqi