Egg chutney sandwiches |
My first experience of a ‘green chutney‘ was in Kolkata, when I had gone to visit my grandparents during a weekend in 1981, just after we had moved into India. My mama (maternal uncle) had got pudina (mint) leaves and didu made a chutney the way she had learnt from to make her Punjabi neighbours when she lived in Delhi. I remember that morning 40 years later. That’s some personal food history eh?
Eedu chutney nu pattice deconstructed |
It was only after I moved into Mumbai in ’97 that I come across the coriander, coconut and chilli based green chutney here. This is different from the pudina one. It was only after I met K and heard about her birthday party and Juhu picnic (with her mama and friends) chutney sandwiches, that I realised how important the green chutney is in Mumbai. It is the base of the bread, butter and chutney sandwiches of home parties and of the Mumbai toast sandwiches of the street, served with the Gujarati dhokla and on the Sindhi dal pakwan, at times inside a Marathi vada pav or on a separate plate with the Bohri Mohalla khiri kebabs. Quite the ubiquitous and secular Mumbai condiment. I tried to recreate memories of the Parsi eedu chuntey nu pattice that K loves, soft croquettes made with boiled eggs, green chutney and mashed potatoes, this morning by making sandwiches with buttered toast, boiled eggs, pink salt and some of the green chutney that had come with the Soam delivery a few days back. I slipped it to her while she was on a work Zoom call. She prefers open sandwiches, me closed.
Loaf trundled in to the hall, saw us sit for breakfast and then went to our bedroom and settled down on the bed. I had woken earlier up to him getting up on the bed and looking at me studiously. They say these days that I cannot story which does not have Baby Loaf in it but then why would I? Would you have it any other way?