Food Review: MANI’S LUNCH HOME @ MATUNGA

The place is your typical low-profile eatery with comfortable tables and chairs. The food served is always hot and fresh and the waiters are quite friendly. It is not s place to hang around. You go there, order what you want, wait but a few minutes to have it served, eat it, pay your bill and leave.

Plus point 1: The food is excellent, perfectly flavoured and served just right. What more could you ask?

Plus point 2: They are well-known for their Rice Sevai (both coconut & lemon flavoured) and then there is the Kela Bhajji, Aloo Bonda and Dal Wada that are yummy.

Plus point 3: I usually prefer to take a parcel of sambar and vegetables for eating with rice. They also give rotis for parcel. One plate of sambar or vegetable (sukka & gilla – dry and with gravy) costs just Rs 10. And the best part is that the stuff they give you for takeaway is extremely fresh and piping hot. I take it all the way from Matunga to my home in Sion. I did just that yesterday and we had a delicious dinner of yellow pumpkin sambar, cabbage and carrot dry curry and paduwal in gravy.

Plus point 4: I have to add here that they also sell South Indian sweets and savouries such as Jhangri, Mysorepak, Murukku, Ribbon Pakoda, etc. The Mysorepak that I bought there just melted in my mouth. Just awesome! The Murukku was delicious too.

Recipe: RIBBON PAKODA

We can’t just manage with the sweet, can we? So try out this salt item that is easy to prepare and yummy too!

Ingredients:

Rice flour – 3 cups
Besan flour – 1 cup
White butter – 1 cup
Water – as required
Salt to taste
Oil for deep frying

Method:

Take a flat vessel and add the two flours and salt to it. Mix it lightly before adding the butter and mix well. Then add water and mix into dough the consistency of that you make for rotis. Heat oil in a saucepan. Use a hand-press (check out picture) to squeeze the dough in the requisite shape – that of ribbons – directly into the hot oil. Be careful so that the steam rising from the saucepan does not hurt you. Wait for a few moments for the pakoda to fry before turning it over to fry the other side. The oil stops bubbling once the pakoda is cooked. Make sure that it is cooked to a nice golden brown colour and does not become too brown. That is the right time to remove it and place it on a tray lined with paper towel. Store it in an air-tight container once the ribbon pakoda is cooled. The crunchy Ribbon Pakoda tastes delicious with Godhumai Halwa or with tea or coffee.