The idea in a frying pan

As one enters Uttan village 15 km away from Mira Bhayandar typical East Indian picturesque homes with Mangaloretiled roofs and porches line the street Just like Bandrarsquos Chapel Road after every yard a crucifix stands guard The sea is just a fiveminute walk away for the Rodrigues family ldquoIt the village is the last remaining bastion of the East Indians This is probably the only place where we can live like our ancestors did 150 years agordquo says Mogan Rodrigues 41Almost 16 years ago Rodrigues who has a law degree gave up practicing to become a freelance tour guide with India Tourism ldquoWhile this place is a picnic hotspot nobody comes here to experience the culture and heritagerdquo he says On his part Rodrigues is spreading awareness about his culture which is a unique blend of Maharashtrian and Portuguese influences through walks and mealsThe most recent walk was organised in collaboration with Hallu Hallu a walking tour project birthed in 2019 The participants also had the chance to learn of Rodriguesrsquo love for cooking which he says he isnrsquot trained in but learnt from his mother Agnes ldquoShe would never let me tamper with the ingredients lsquoMajhi sasu hey karaychi naahirsquo my motherinlaw never did it mom would say She is right why make a fusion mess of traditional dishes I just wish East Indian food was more easily available across Mumbai restaurantsrdquoEast Indian dishes feature less spice than their neighboursrsquo allowing the key ingredients to shine through While the food is characterised by meats vegetables also get their due The foogath or French beans is a common and loved preparation Rs 70Chicken MoileTwo months after the nationwide lockdown Rodrigues suggested to his wife Sheron that they start a food venture She laughed ldquoNo one took me seriously So I said I will take photos of East Indian coconut pancakes and put them on social media On the first day we received multiple orders And thatrsquos how we decided wersquod do this commerciallyrdquo he remembersHe calls his newborn business Figiterr ldquoSince we were only selling pancakes in the beginning which are made on a frying pan I thought I will call the venture Figiterr It means lsquofrying panrsquo in Portuguese It is a story I love telling people I mean who knew that along with an amalgamation of Maharashtrian and Anglo Indian British cuisines East Indian food is majorly influenced by the Portuguese toordquoToday he runs an elaborate food delivery service Customers can either order in or pay a visit to Uttan to enjoy the meals On some days Rodrigues takes customers for a stroll through the villageOn Rodriguesrsquo menu is the bharleli kombdi or stuffed chicken Rs 1100 sorpotel chicken moile Rs 300 pork vindaloo prawns green curry Rs 300 fried dry bombil R70 rice roti R20 per piece chicken potato chops Rs 130 a wide range of homemade cakes pithi che laroo and coconut pancakes Rs 15 per pieceWe start with two appetisers chicken potato chops and East Indian sandwiches Filled with plentiful chicken mince this nonveg starter is to die for The green chutney in the sandwich is essentially like a pesto of sorts The chicken moile is a thin gravy made using bottle masala pounded at homeBut what we enjoy most is the prawn green curry with steamed rice This is a mild spiced coconut curry served with white pumpkin When the cold air of winter hits this almost always makes it to the menu The fried dry bombil is soaked in water for 30 minutes cut into bitesized pieces and cooked on low flame and until crispThe coconut pancake is a traditional dessert roll made from a flour crepe and stuffed with freshly grated coconut It reminds us of ukadiche modak a Maharashtrian sweet dumpling filled with grated jaggery and coconut Rodrigues says ldquoIt continues to be popular even after we have started serving elaborate East Indian dishesrdquoCoconut pancakesIngredients1 freshly grated coconut250 gm flourSugaras per taste1 tsp vanillaWateras required1 eggPinch of saltEdible food colour optionalMethodCoconut stuffing Mix sugar coconut and heat it up on low flame until sugar dissolves Lastly add vanillaBatterMix water flour egg salt to make thick batterMaking PancakesGrease the pan Pour spoonful of batter and swirl it so that it has a lacy appearance Cook for a minute Remove and stuff it with coconut mixtureTo order 9892080863