If you have even a little space on your window, you can grow some herbs there. In my experience the herbs like oregano, thyme and rosemary that I have bought from a nursery (in Irla) have never survived. I prefer growing them from seeds, even though they might take longer. My theory is that these nurseries grow the herbs in cooler regions on the outskirts of the city – and they aren’t immune to the temperatures of the city. Growing them from the seeds acclimatizes them from the very beginning and if they can can survive the first few weeks, they most definitely will take to the weather and grow beautifully.
I’ve been trying to make myself an edible window with herbs, chillies and tomatoes. I buy my seeds from Ratanshi’s in Byculla.
The Crawford Market Guide
If there is something that you haven’t found, you are bound to find it in the Crawford Market Guide I’ve worked on. Here is a map of the inside of it. If you have any suggestions on adding to this, please discuss in the comments section below.
Cookbooks in Mumbai
So where do I find all these awesome cookbooks that I keep making recipes from? It used to be gracious friends and cousins coming down from USA/UK, but now local bookstores + Flipkart.com make me very happy. For recommendations please check my Amazon Store. Also, The Bombay Baking Co at JW Marriott in Juhu has some very nice books in their shop. A charming place with equipment, ingredients, books and orchids. Wish there were more places like these!
Some Must-Haves
I’ve written up a post on Baking Essentials, that should be extremely useful as well.
..or “I have a friend coming down from the US/UK/France/Baker’s Wonderland, what do you think I should get?”
Now this depends entirely on what you like to do in the kitchen the most. If cheesecakes are your weakness then a good springform pan is a must, but if you’re going to be making it just once a year then it’s really not that necessary, unless you are a kitchenware junkie like I am. But then again, we are addressing must haves. So here are some things that should definitely be on your list:
- Silpat – you will never need to line your baking sheet with wax paper/butter paper/parchment paper! These are reusable and very worth the USD 20.
- A Microplane zester – zesting your citrus or even hard cheese like Parmesan has never been easier. I probably sound like their marketing department, but I really do love this tool.
- Anything Wilton (because everything isn’t available here yet)! They have the cutest cupcake liners and silicone moulds.
- If you like adding colour to your food (I absolutely detest, and the only time I gave in was when I made red velvet cupcakes), you could get McCormicks food colour. I have the set in Neon.
- Dried cherries, cranberries, blueberries, apricots and whatever else you want – they keep well and they can be used in so many recipes. I love using dried cherries in my black forest cookies.(While you can get these here, you’d be better off with bulk packages).
- If you’d like to splurge a little, definitely go get some Valrhona.
- I’ve tried to be creative and use different things as a substitute for a cooling rack without much success. I’ve had to space my baking across time just because I didn’t have a cooling rack and had to use the wire rack from the oven as a cooling rack. This is definitely a must have! I especially love this three-tier Wilton cooling rack.
- If they love you enough to carry a 5 kilo pan, then by all means get a cast iron skillet. And if they’re willing to double that, then one for me as well, please. And it’s totally worth it for $18 when here the only thing you will find is Le Creuset which will burn a hole in your pocket (but make your kitchen look so pretty!)
Update!
Thanks to the adorable Roshni (The Doux Project), we have an update for all the things you might be looking for.
Fresh fruits – I buy most of my fruit for baking on the carts near my house. For the more exotic stuff, I always take a walk down the Pali Naka stretch. They always have the more exciting produce. Although, nowadays a lot of the fruits which seemed exotic earlier are now available everywhere (like Granny Smith apples), Pali Naka is a complete package. I bought some super pricey blueberries from Nature’s Basket at Hill Road (they weren’t available at Pali Naka). Pali Naka also had strawberries and I was promised they would be there till March!
Fresh Vegetables and Herbs – Again, Pali Naka it is for me. Of course, every other cart now has things like celery, basil etc. I bought galangal ginger from Nature’s Basket but it was available for lesser at Pali Naka. They also had edamame, fennel, asparagus, shallots, butternut squash, jalapenos, avocados, lemongrass (the kind you can grow as well), leeks, portabella mushrooms and other weird looking mushrooms. They home deliver as well. Foodhall also has a few exotic ones but they’ll cost you way more. Although, I was so tempted to pick up seedless limes!
Growing Herbs – my new favorite thing to collect! I bought my basil and oregano plant from Floraland (next to Regal and just opposite the Pali Naka lane). He gives fully grown plants for you to love and use. He’s promised me some rosemary and thyme too! He suggests Green Growers for things that may not be available with him. Their website is pretty helpful but I have yet to buy something from them. Floraland does have super cute pots etc to brighten up your window sill. e can be contacted on 9820094628 or 6006750.
Dried Fruits & Herbs– I buy dried fruit, nuts etc from Royal Dry Fruit in Santacruz next to Yoko’s. He stocks all kinds of nuts, dried cranberries etc. I buy vanilla pods in a small bottle from Modern but I’ve seen individual pods at Food Spot which can be useful. When I don’t have the time to go and buy fresh herbs or they aren’t available I use dried herbs which are available everywhere nowadays. I usually pick up entire stock from Neelam. I love Keya’s range of things like Japanese Seasoning, Jamaican Jerk Seasoning, Garlic bread seasoning etc.
Cheese – Philadelphia Cream Cheese is always bought from Modern. Its fresh and he doesn’t store it with smelly ingredients so that’s a plus! I’ve seen strawberry cream cheese at both, Nature’s Basket Hill Road and Foodhall at Palladium Mall. I’ve seen a more impressive collection of cheese at Sante’s in Pali Naka although, if cheddar etc is what you’re after, I’d go to either Nature’s Basket (which sells Monterey Jack shredded, cubed or whole – they also sell a mix of two kinds – how fun!) or Regal.
Whipping Cream – I switched to Tropolite after your recommendation which I buy from Arife in a 1 litre pack. It has to be stored in the freezer and thawed when required. Although, sometimes because Modern is closer, I use Rich’s cream. He sells them in 200gm packs making life much easier while measuring. Another excellent store for cream is Pakeezah Dairy Farm on 14th road. His whipped cream is quick and tasty!
Cold Cuts – Big Sam’s Seafood – simply because he’s conveniently located super close to my house (which I pass on the way home or elsewhere) and he also home delivers. Excellent honey glazed ham and other such items like salami etc. I’ve seen an equally enviable collection at Nature’s Basket but they’re quite steep. Oh, Sante’s has Milanese pepperoni too and it comes conveniently cut into discs to put a top a pizza!
General Ingredients like Tahina paste, whole-wheat pasta, etc – Neelam or any other store really. I’ve seen quinoa at Foodhall but it’s pretty steep. Also available at Foodhall are flavored oils. Polenta and couscous are also available at Neelam. I bought Japanese Rice Wine Vinegar from Modern too. I recently bought some rice noodles to find it’s available for much lesser at Modern. If you spend some time browsing the aisles or shelves, you might just surprise yourself!
Butter – Amul butter, of course, which is available a plenty. For shortening, I always pick it up from Modern – its unbranded, it’s cheap and I haven’t felt the need to do more research on it since I use it very rarely. I’ve seen Elle&Vire butter at Sante’s and if you walk right across the stretch, Regal stocks President and Lurpak too.
Sugar – Bluebird caster sugar is my go-to but I found super cheap, soft, light brown sugar from Modern – its 50 rupees for about 250 g. It’s so much better than using the chunky, sticky Bluebird brown sugar.
Eggs – I buy eggs from the guy who comes to our house with fresh eggs every day. But if it’s the more exotic ones you’re after then I’d go to Foodhall. They had organic, free range etc and cartons of brown eggs were available too. Although, there isn’t too much of a difference. I’ve never faced issues with eggs.
Flour – Madam brand available at my grocer. Whole-wheat flour is always around if I do ever need that. I’ve seen bags of ‘00’ flour at Nature’s Basket. I’ve yet to see bread flour though.
Buttermilk – I always make my own by adding 2 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice to 1 cup of milk.
Chocolate – I’ve seen Callebaut Chocolate Chips at Sante’s. Nutella is available just about everywhere now! For chocolate chips, I’d go to Regal but they don’t always have it.
Japanese Ingredients – I’ve seen a whole row of them at Nature’s Basket on Hill Road. Although, if it’s Wasabi that you’re after or basic sushi ingredients then check Modern. It’s available for much lesser. Oh and I saw a whole range of Mexican chilli powder and whole chillies at Nature’s Basket!
Spices like Jamie Oliver bottled stuff etc, paprika, cayenne etc – Foodhall has a huge range. But I saw fleur de sel for 450! Eeks! I bought my bottle of cayenne pepper from Food Spot. I’ve also seen them aplenty at Patel Store next to Mehboob Studio.
Jams, sauces & preserves – golden syrup, Dulce de Leche (but make you own!), corn syrup both light and dark are available at Foodhall. I’ve bought Golden Syrup and Corn Syrup from Modern for much lesser though. I always ogle at the preserves at Moshe’s but haven’t bought any. Bonne Maman Jams are available at Regal for as little as Rs. 25 for a small jar! Other jams (not local) are available at Neelam.
Frozen Pastry – I’ve spotted phyllo sheets at Modern. He also has ready frozen puff pastry which comes to a close second. Also, he stocks rice paper and spring roll sheets.
Equipment – Sanctum is my new go-to place for cute and brightly colored oven proof bakeware. I also spotted zesters (Microplane!) and other such equipment, too. I’ve seen a huge collection of kitchenware and bakeware (including OXO) at Tressorie. I buy my cake pans etc from Arife but I’d invest a little more for springform tins (also available at Arife, Bandra now), pretty bakeware that can be brought right to the table etc. I buy my stock of parchment paper from Arife in Bandra (100 bucks for a large roll which lasts me a while). I saw super cute salt and pepper mills (apart from other such equipment) at Foodhall and I’m happy to report they work! They’re battery operated so they’ll cost you but if you’re looking for a cheaper alternative, check any of the stores in Hasnabad Lane, Santacruz. For adorable tableware, check Surprise at Santacruz. I also bought my kitchen scale from Alfa (some dicey brand) but it’s lasted me a while.
Yeast & Bread Ingredients – Fresh yeast is available at Modern but he also has dried yeast. For bread pans (even with the closed lids), go to Arife, Bandra or Cheap Jack on Hill Road.
Rolled fondant – Finally available at Arife!
Canning jars – Saw and bought the cutest jars from one of the stores in Hasnabad Lane, Santacruz .
Biscuits – Savioardi (if you aren’t making your own) is available at Modern and Regal. Oreos are manufactured here now so yay! I’ve seen snobbish looking cheese plate crackers at Nature’s Basket on Hill Road and Sante’s at Pali Naka.
Cake Decorating – pastry tips, cake decorating tools, pastry bags, cupcake liners and silicone cupcake liners are all available at Arife and Cheap Jack. They also have a cake turntable which is worth investing in.
Tea and Coffee – Nature’s Basket for ogling but I generally buy it from Modern or Neelam. Davidoff coffee is available at Regal and Food Spot.
Thermometer – I’ve seen candy thermometers at Arife but Alfa has some too. For oven thermometers, check Tressorie.
Dishes, tablecloths, cutlery – Newly opened Sanctum on 19th road is slowly becoming my go-to place for pretty table stuff. Otherwise, I love a nameless store right opposite Shoppers Stop Bandra for ceramic bowls, mugs, ramekins etc. I’ve also seen ramekins at many stores in Hasnabad Lane.
Stand mixer – Not too long ago, I bought mine from Dubai. They have KitchenAid mixers there now too so it’s much easier to lug them from there. Plus, there’s no electricity conversion problem if you buy it from there because the voltage is the same. I bought a Kenwood Titanium Chef stand mixer that came with the basic 3 attachments and it works beautifully. Recently though, I saw one with a timer and digital setting for speed – wow!
Map with all these locations!
Here is a Google map of all the places listed above. Find them with their complete address!
View Baking in Bombay in a larger map
