A PP feast bacons

(Clockwise from left) Pork Gode, pork chops in Panchamrut glaze and PP style bacon and pork mince pattice

While the Pathare Prabhus (PP) - one of the original settlers of Mumbai - are best known for their love for seafood and red meat, pork is traditionally not consumed, shares chef Soumitra Velkar, who hails from the community. However, as someone who enjoys the meat, Soumitra, along with partners Manju Velkar and Subhasree Basu - who together run the Mahim-based delivery kitchen Mumbai Curry - is offering a pork-only dinner menu this Saturday, with a PP twist to it.

Manju Velkar, Subhasree Basu and Soumitra Velkar of Mumbai Curry

The Pigs on Wheels 9.0 menu is the result of a collaboration between Mumbai Curry, which offers aspin on native cuisines from the city, and the pork-lovers' group, The Calcutta Porkaholics (TCP Bombay Chapter). "We've done a couple of pop-ups for them before, and decided to experiment with PP flavours," shares Soumitra.

On the menu are dishes that showcase the varied influences of the PP cuisine - ranging from the community's migration from the Aravallis in Rajasthan to Mumbai via Gujarat, to their socio-cultural exchanges with the British and Portuguese. Soumitra elaborates that pork Godé with pav - a preparation of boneless pork, stewed with onions and potatoes in a PP-special masala - was an obvious choice as Godé is conventionally cooked with mutton. "There's a typical Maharashtrian wedding dish called Panchamrut. PPs make this smoky chutney with their own spices, and we felt that would work well as a glaze for pork chops," he explains, adding that the dish will be accompanied with rice, a mild cauliflower sambhare or curry and purple yam chips. The third dish is a PP-style bacon and pork mince pattice, which Soumitra reveals is a take on the kheema pattice that's made when the son-in-law visits his wife's home for the first time.

They're accepting pre-orders for delivery across MMR, and Gaurav Saha, member of TCP Mumbai Chapter, says that once the food is delivered, they'll set up a video call. "The interactions that we miss from our events, we'll try to replicate that virtually so we can eat, chat and bond." Sounds yum?

On: January 16, 8.30 pm
Call: 9975027683
Cost: Rs 900 for the meal
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