It casts a spell on me. It always has. Mumbai — that unique juxtaposition of dreams and reality, of wealth and ambitions, seething with vibrant forces, the modern and traditional Indian experience in perfect harmony...

My dearest late aunt, Surinder Bua, was my first introduction to this great city. Her stories of living in Mumbai were like tales of a fairyland that I thought I would never see... For us, Surinder Bua’s visits to my home in Amritsar meant much more than just time with her — they were our chance to see the world through her eyes. We sat spellbound as her tales unfolded. She was a gifted cook in addition to being a wonderful storyteller, and she loved feeding the family. Sometimes she made dishes that we had never tasted before, from various regions of India. The effect on my culinary imagination was profound.
The food she introduced me to was different from anything I had ever imagined: Parsi, Gujarati, south Indian, Maharashtrian, Konkani, the list went on.
...As I walk the streets of Mumbai, reliving the past and embracing the new, I rejoice to see that through all the transitions the city has seen, the one thing that remains unchanged is the seamless coexistence of the diverse cultural and culinary identities that has always been the hallmark of the city. This city makes space for everyone, welcoming new trends and creating a large spectrum of foods to savour.
If you cannot make a food pilgrimage to Mumbai soon, here is a piece of Mumbai we have created for your kitchens.

On the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi, we give you recipes of Mumbai’s favourite mithais that we are certain are on Ganpati’s must-eat list.

Ukadiche Modak
(Steamed Coconut Dumplings)
These sweet dumplings filled with coconut are an important part of Mumbai culture. A major festival in Maharashtra is Ganesh Chaturthi in honour of Lord Ganesha or Ganpati. Modaks are considered to be Lord Ganesha’s favourite sweet. Steamed or fried, they are served at every Maharashtrian festival and celebration.
Ingredients:
For stuffing
2½ cups grated fresh coconut
½ cup milk
1 cup sugar
20 cashew nuts, broken into pieces and soaked
2 teaspoons white sesame seeds,
lightly roasted
2 teaspoons poppy seeds (khus khus), lightly roasted
1 teaspoon green cardamom powder
2 tablespoons clarified butter (ghee), melted
For pastry
2½ cups water
Salt
2 tablespoons clarified butter
2 cups rice flour

METHOD:
For the stuffing, in a mixing bowl, combine the coconut, milk, sugar, cashew nuts, sesame seeds, poppy seeds and cardamom powder.
Heat clarified butter in a pan over a medium heat; add the coconut mixture and cook, stirring continuously, till
it reaches the consistency of soft fudge. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
For the pastry dough, combine water, salt and clarified butter in a saucepan and bring to a rapid boil.
Lower the heat, add the rice flour and mix with a wooden spoon till all the flour is incorporated into the water, and a soft dough is formed. Remove from heat and set aside, covered, for five minutes.
Wet your hands and knead the still hot dough till smooth. Divide into lime-sized portions and set aside, covered with a wet piece of muslin.
Grease a thin plastic sheet and pat each dough ball into a three-inch round flat disc. Place a tablespoon of coconut stuffing in the centre.
Using your fingertips, pleat the edges of the pastry and draw them together to make a conical shape at
the top, pressing together to seal the filling.
Heat water in a steamer and steam the prepared modaks for six to eight minutes. Serve hot, drizzled over with clarified butter.
Lagan nu Custard
(Baked Custard)
This is also called Wedding Custard, and as this name suggests, it is a celebratory dessert that is served at every Parsi wedding. Since it’s so scrumptious though, nobody waits for a special occasion to tuck into it. This rich, creamy egg custard, spiced with nutmeg and studded with cuddapah nuts (charoli or chironji), is served chilled and often available in Parsi restaurants in the quaint little aluminium foil containers in which they are baked. I always buy extra custards and refrigerate them for up to a week, treating myself to one each day. If you cannot find charoli, small lentil-shaped seeds, use pine nuts instead.

INGREDIENTS:
4 cups whole milk or light cream
1 slice white bread
3 large eggs
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla essence
3 teaspoons charoli
2 teaspoons almond flakes

METHOD:
Heat the milk in a saucepan over a low heat and bring to a boil, stirring continuously. Continue cooking the milk till it reduces to two-thirds its original volume. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4. In a blender, combine the milk with bread, eggs, sugar and vanilla essence and blend to a smooth purée. Pour the mixture into 12 ramekins or small individual foil containers, and sprinkle over with charoli and almond flakes. Place in the oven and bake for 30 to 40 minutes till custard sets and top is golden. Serve warm.

Wattalappam
(Coconut Milk and Jaggery Pudding)
Kerala, at the southernmost tip of India, and the island of Sri Lanka share many geographical, climatic and therefore culinary features. Coconuts and jaggery, together with rice, are the foundation of most of the sweets and desserts in both cuisines. Wattalappam is a dessert in which coconut and jaggery combine in a rich version of flan or creme caramel.
Ingredients:
3 eggs
2 cups coconut milk
1 cup grated jaggery
¼ teaspoon cinnamon powder
8 ramekins, lightly greased
Method:
In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs till light, creamy and fluffy. In another bowl, combine the coconut milk, jaggery and cinnamon and stir till the jaggery dissolves. Fold the beaten eggs into this mixture and mix thoroughly. Pour the mixture into the greased moulds till three-fourth full, and cover each mould tightly with aluminium foil. Place the moulds in a tray half-filled with water and steam on the stove top on a low heat for 25 to 28 minutes till mixture sets to the consistency of custard.
Unmould and serve warm or cold.

Sitaphal Ice Cream
(Custard Apple Ice Cream)

INGREDIENTS:
200 ml sweetened condensed milk
200 grams milk powder
400 ml heavy cream
1 cup fresh custard apple (sitaphal) pulp
½ teaspoon vanilla essence

METHOD:
In a heavy saucepan, combine the condensed milk with milk powder
and cream, and cook over medium heat, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon, till the mixture comes to a boil. Reduce the heat and continue cooking over a low heat, stirring, till the mixture begins to coat the back of a wooden spoon. Stir in custard apple pulp and vanilla essence and transfer into a stainless steel container. Set aside for about an hour. Cover tightly and place in the freezer for about one hour till ice cream begins to set along the edges. Remove the mixture from the freezer and whip in a blender till fluffy. Transfer back to the bowl, cover, return to the freezer and chill till set. Scoop into individual bowls and serve immediately.

Khubani ka Shahi Tukda
(Rich Dried Apricot and Fried Bread Sandwich)

INGREDIENTS:
Rabdi
3 cups whole milk
½ cup sugar
¼ teaspoon green cardamom powder
For Shahi Tukda
1 cup granulated sugar
100 gm dried apricots, soaked overnight and drained
1 cup whole milk
¼ teaspoon saffron strands
Clarified butter (ghee) for deep-frying
4 slices white bread
2 tablespoons pistachios, finely chopped
2 sheets edible silver leaf (varq)

METHOD:
For the rabdi, heat milk in a kadhai (wok) over medium heat and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and cook, stirring continuously, till it thickens to the consistency of a custard sauce. Remove from heat, add sugar and cardamom powder and stir till sugar dissolves. The mixture will thicken on cooling.
For the shahi tukda, combine the sugar with two cups water in a saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring till sugar dissolves and the syrup thickens to one-string consistency. Add the drained apricots to the syrup and cook till tender. Remove apricots from syrup and set aside. In another saucepan, combine the milk with saffron and prepared sugar syrup and simmer for five to seven minutes. Remove from heat and keep warm. Heat the clarified butter in a kadhai over medium heat, and deep-fry the bread slices till golden and crisp. Remove and drain on absorbent paper. Soak the fried bread slices in the warm milk for two minutes. Sandwich the cooked apricots between the softened bread.
To serve, arrange the sweet apricot sandwiches on a plate and spoon rabdi over. Sprinkle over with pistachios and garnish with silver leaf. Serve warm.