Eating in Ahmedabad
Volume 5 | Issue 1 [May 2025]

Eating in Ahmedabad
—Esther David

Volume 5 | Issue 1 [May 2025]

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Photos – Dinesh P Shukla

When in Gujarat, if somebody says, “eggless,” you stop and ask, “excuse me, what did you say?”

“Eggless…”

This word can be said in many ways, like “agless,” “ageless,” “egless” and “ek-less,” so the word “egg-less,” does not really hit your ears. It does not necessarily mean, less egg, but without egg. Meaning there should be no egg in the cake. Normally, this would shock a gourmet cook, a baker or someone who just loves real cakes. I am told, it looks like the original, but the cake knows that it is different. If made with ingredients like maida, sooji, cream, yogurt, baking soda, candied fruits, nuts or whatever, you will not feel the difference as it is either chocolaty or creamy, but there is a slight difference, as it crumbles and can be a trifle chewy or sticky. But, for that detailing, you need real cake-buds.  I have had, both, normal cakes with egg and without and decided that there is a world of difference between the two. The only mystery is that how on earth, can you make Gujarat’s all-time favourite, the Black-Forest-Cake, without eggs? There are no answers, as some cake-addicts, often turn a blind eye to eggs, when necessary.

Eggless cakes can be made in a handvo-pot, a cooker, a pan or baked in an oven. Actually, I admire the innovative capabilities of people, who have created the eggless cake, as I was told; it is healthy, low in cholesterol and stress-free, as you can serve it to all your guests, without worrying about eggs.

It has taken me a long time to come to terms with the egg-less variety of cakes, because as a child, I remember cakes were made at home and I whisked dozens of eggs to prepare the batter. Eggs and cakes are synonymous. Today egg-less-cakes are available in bakeries or bought from home-chefs. Baking methods have moved on from cob-ovens to electric ovens. Through the years, I had forgotten that cakes have eggs, till a guest politely declined a slice of cake, because it was made with eggs. Maybe, some people have strong olfactory- senses and they catch the whiff of eggs, even from a finely baked cake.

During Christmas or birthdays, Ahmedabadis celebrate every possible occasion with cakes, but in most cases they must be eggless. Often, garlic also has a similar reaction like eggs. I realized this, when I made the mistake of asking for garlic bread at a newly opened bakery, but much to my chagrin, the man at the counter was offended and said, “this is an eggless bakery,” meaning even garlic was taboo. I did not understand how eggs and garlic were connected in a loaf of bread. To add to my predicament, at wedding receptions or special events, there are separate tables with platters of food and labelled, No onion-No garlic.

Yet, in recent times, I have met many people who are eggetarians or secretly non-vegetarians, and regularly frequent Bhatiyar-Gully in the old city of Ahmedabad, preferably late at night for an omelette or kebab.

It is here, that I saw an eatery with a sign, which read, Satvik-Chicken. When I asked the owner about it, he replied,  “it  is a no-garlic-no-onion-chicken!”

Since the late sixties, some roads are lined up with four-wheelers with masala omelettes at midnight, as some vegetarian-night-birds crave for egg-dishes.

Maybe, since Ahmedabadis have become adventurous global travellers, it has influenced their food habits in a largely vegetarian city.

I noticed, during and after the pandemic, food habits changed, as experimental-fusion-food appeared on the scene, delivered at the door-step, in disposable packets. These dishes did not have traditional-tastes, but had the essence of different international flavours.

I also noticed that children preferred waffles or pancakes, as khakhras, theplas and khichdi were deleted from the daily menu and a variety of Gujarati food was disappearing from our tables. Yet, theplas and khakhras are made by some women, with brand names like Sonal behen or Indu behen Khakhrawala. It is heartening to know that this traditional wholesome food is bought by globe-trotters, NRI’s or students going abroad for higher studies.

A major change appeared around this time, as the word eggless was no longer used, instead most people looked out for two symbolic red and green dots on the package – green for vegetarian and red for non-vegetarian.

These Dots-of-Discrimination put me off and I no longer gift cakes, biscuits or even khakhras to friends, instead I prefer to give flowers, hoping that the manure was not mixed with various animal by-products.

Eventually, I concluded that the word non-vegetarian is connected with many matters of our daily-life. Say, if you are looking for an apartment in west-Ahmedabad and have a name or surname, which is different, the agent or owner will look at you suspiciously and ask, “Do you eat eggs…sorry we do not sell or rent our apartments to non-vegetarians…” You do not argue, but leave; feeling like a cannibal, as you start looking for a housing society in a cosmopolitan area, which is never easy to find. For example, during a festival, when a religious ritual was being performed in one particular apartment, the next-door neighbour was frying fish for lunch; to which the other neighbour took offence and there was a big fight between them, so much so; that the high-rise apartment building reverberated with screams like a war-zone.

Yes, we live in a divided city, where some pockets have a population of non-vegetarians, while a large part of Ahmedabad is vegetarian and restaurants which serve non-vegetarian food are situated in specific areas of the city.

In contrast to the above story, I have fond memories of a childhood spent in a fully cosmopolitan housing society set in an orchard, where there were no major restrictions, but a large-hearted acceptance. So, even if a crow dropped a bone in our vegetarian neighbour’s courtyard, they never protested, instead they asked the sweeper to pick it up and throw it in the garbage-bin. During those Utopian years, there was a continuous exchange of vegetarian delicacies sent in a bowl, from one house to another, which was charmingly known as vatki-vehwar or the tradition of sharing each other’s cuisine. For a long time, Ahmedabad had a perfect cosmopolitan system, which connected people through food. The only restriction was that non-vegetarian neighbours would not enter their vegetarian neighbour’s kitchen or puja-room.

This friendly system of sharing food is now almost extinct due to many reasons, like vertical living and isolation, which has crept into Ahmedabad. The same happens during festivals, as gift-hampers are sent to relatives and friends by courier companies in disposable platters or boxes. Yet, the city was once compared to an over-grown-village, but has transformed into a huge sprawling urban un-planned overgrown metropolis, spreading from Sanand to Gandhinagar and beyond.

I was amused, when I discovered that tandoori-chicken and butter-chicken are had in some homes; but the chicken must be boneless! Very few vegetarian families make non-vegetarian food at home, but place online orders with home-chefs, who have made giant strides into the food industry. Often, these are served in disposable plates, so that the kitchen remains unpolluted. Generally, most Ahmedabadis prefer to organize vegetarian dinner parties, but once a close friend decided to serve both vegetarian and non-vegetarian food for his birthday party. His dining table was arranged with vegetarian food, but he had placed a handi of biryani on a smaller table nearby. Everybody was happy with this arrangement and the party was a great success.

The entire creation of fusion food has made in-roads in Ahmedabad, as it is different from traditional Gujarati food. Most Ahmedabadis have family living abroad and have become globe-trotters. They return back home with a desire to experiment with different tastes and ingredients. Maybe, this is the meaning of fusing food habits of different countries into Indian food, which has changed our eating habits.

Of course, once in a while, we go back to traditional Indian food, but it appears to be a reluctant choice, as it can be termed as desi, because it is fashionable to have fusion-food on the table. I am told, it is easier to make fusion food as most ingredients are available off-the-rack and all you have to do is mix-and-match the ready-to-cook-ingredients. The Maharaj or house-hold-cook is trained to make fusion-food, and unusual muti-cuisine recipes.

This shift can be seen at wedding dinners, as it is fashionable to serve global cuisine. It started with a live-pasta-counter, Chinese fried rice, Manchurian balls swimming in a tangy red sauce, Mexican Bhel, bhakhri pizzas, live dhoklas, coin-sized-burgers, pitas with a dot of hummus and mini vegetable-puffs. This starter or appetizer table almost always has a display-board of French breads, which remain untouched, as it does not have red or green dots to signify, if they are vegetarian or non-vegetarian.

Slowly, tomato soup became extinct with the arrival of manchow soup, Mexican tortilla soup or broccoli-almond soup, which is served with fried noodles and a variety of coin-sized hara-bhara-kebabs or cheese-puffs or bean-burgers. And, when it comes to desserts, we have a choice of Indian sweets like the traditional mohanthal, served with a chocolate cake or chocolate-fountain. It is important to mention here that Gujarat is the ice-cream capital of India, so the dessert-table would be incomplete without our famed badam-pista-kesar ice-cream. And, our street food has always been the soul of the city, so there is a chaat-counter at most parties, along with a variety of Gujarati snacks.

Almost all Ahmedabadis need their regular chatako or craving for pani-puri. Crispy fried puris made with wheat or semolina dough, filled with a mix of boiled potatoes and chick-peas, dipped in sweet-sour-tangy tamarind chutney along with mint–coriander and green-chili water. The filling varies from moong sprout or boondi, with a garnishing of sev or chaat masala.  Soon after the pandemic, we saw the creation of multi-cuisine pani-puris, which arrived at the door; in packages filled with puris and sachets with fifty-shades of flavours. In recent times, the pani-puri has taken a different avatar, as it has fillings of ragda or white-chick-pea sauce with or without chopped onions and garlic, mango salsa or a cocktail of fruit juices, often served in shot-glasses with unusual fillings or non-alcoholic drinks! (Remember, Gujarat is a dry-state).

Ahmedabad is full of surprises, because in some areas, Mughlai street food is served with a Chinese flavor, which is made with chicken-dana, noodles and all those bottles of unrecognizable sauces. It is a real gastronomic pleasure to see; how Chinese-Mughlai food is made, as it looks like a game. Watch how the hands of the chef move like an acrobat as he never misses a movement or ingredient. His hands move automatically like a martial arts performer, never making a wrong move or adding a wrong ingredient, without burning or over cooking it, and moving onto make the next order.

Chinese-Mughlai eateries are spread out all over the old city of Ahmedabad and each has a different style and menu. It is often known to be a new inclusion in non-vegetarian street-food and is an unusual form of fusion food.

The swashbuckling chef can make thirty varieties of Chinese-Mughlai with names like Schezwan, Hakka, Hong Kong, Singaporean and Manchurian. And, if they all look alike, blame it on the Chinese-Mughlai connection!

Lately, Ahmedabadis are also developing a taste for the Japanese and Korean food, as sushi is made with vegetarian ingredients like, rice, sesame seeds, cucumber and carrots, sans raw fish. Lately, a strictly vegetarian, Burmese Khao Suey, is also seen at some parties.

The onion is an ancient root, which has served the human race for thousands of years; look at those working on construction sites, having a meal of millet-rotlas, crushed onions, green chilies, salt and maybe a piece of jaggery with a glass of water or chaas, which is enough to retain their stamina.

Ahmedabad has accepted that the onion is the main player in most recipes and Gujarat is quickly catching on to the curry game. It is said that kebabs came to India from central Asia. Kebabs are almost always made with mincemeat in mouthwatering varieties as they can be fried, roasted, grilled or skewered like seekh kebab. But, in this age of fusion food, people experiment with a wide range of dishes and eventually create a contemporary recipe, which suits both types of cuisine. Lately, kebabs have also gone vegetarian and are made on skewers with paneer and bell peppers or made into vegetarian shami kebabs with Kabuli chana or rajma beans and other ingredients. It proves that fusion food is now making inroads into the realm of traditional food.

Yet, interestingly, most families prefer to have a sumptuous meal at a Gujarati thali restaurant. Ahmedabadis also have their favourite farsan shops, for khaman, dhokla (note-khaman and dhokla are two different recipes), along with ganthias, fafdas, a spicy chavanu or a mixture of all types of kurmura and jalebis.

From the times of Sultan Ahmed Shah, Bhatiyar Gully has existed in the old city of east Ahmedabad. This area from Teen Darwaza to Rani no Hajiro emits the best flavours from Arabia to Benares, starting with freshly baked naans, roasted peanuts, deep fried samosas, hot haleem, along with fragrant mint or mukhvas. Besides a variety of chicken and mutton dishes, it is also known for our delicious kheema samosas.

Years back, when I wrote my food-columns for The Times of India, Ahmedabad Mirror, and Femina Gujarat, I discovered the heritage of food. Sadly, both are on the verge of extinction. And, I have now come to terms with words like eggless and boneless.

Yet, it is heartening to know that most Ahmedabadis prefer their farsan and traditional thali, with its elements of navrasa; that is rang, roop and swad.