A blog post on food travelling India is never easy! I was born in Mumbai and grew up across the country. But even after twenty-five years of living, travelling, and eating in that extraordinary country, I realised there was so much I hadn't seen, so much I hadn't experienced and oh so much I hadn't tasted. So earlier this year, after a good few years in London, I took off for two months to fill in the gaps I could, travelling from Mumbai and Goa on the west coast to Lucknow and Delhi in the north, and Dehradun in the foothills of the Himalayas, and then attempting a 4 day trek in the mountains too. A fantastic trip, I let myself go, and let India fill up my senses with all her diversity, flavours, smells, and emotions. Here's a recap of some of my favourite food from my trip. If you ever visit (go do it!), don't forget to try these out :)

Beginning with, Mumbai.

A Mangalorean style fresh crab side dish, at Mahesh Lunch Home

An Indian summer's pride - the alphonso mango. Diced and served with vanilla ice cream at Mahesh Lunch Home

An eternal Mumbai street food favourite - the frankie. This is a chicken and egg frankie at Carter's Blue

Gujarati vegetarian snacks at Swati snacks...

An assorted platter. I love these because you can try a little bit of everything, and then order more of your favourites!

Satpadi roti (masala roti) served with a potato side dish and srikhand (a cardamom and saffron flavoured sweet yogurt).

Panki chatni. A spicy super thin pancake made between banana leaves

Sabud dana khichdi. Sago seeds soaked in water and then cooked with potatoes, coriander, peanuts, cumin seeds and chilli.

Chilli cheese toast at Cafe Mondegar (Mondy's)

Spicy chicken sausages at Cafe Mondegar (Mondy's)

Cake at Theobrama

Lots more was eaten, but I've restricted this post to my ten favourites from this trip! I have to go back to Mumbai soon - I didn't have tummy space for the street cheese sandwiches this time around, nor the delicious Persian cafes I've heard so much about.  Oh and the two other Mumbai street foods you must try are vada pav (a spicy potato patty sandwiched in soft Indian bread with garlic and coriander chutneys) and pav bhaji (soft Indian bread served with a steaming hot preparation of mashed vegetables cooked in spices and topped with a large pat of butter!).

Next stop: Goa! Watch this space :)