Need Your Mumbai Pao in NY?By Lavina Melwani • Aug 31st, 2009 • [image: Pao bhaji]<http://www.lassiwithlavina.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/Pao-bhaji.jpg>
Pao bhaji If you’re a Mumbaikar cut adrift from all your soul-satisfying street foods, fret no more. Pasta Lane has come to Bleecker Street in New York, and at Aamchi Pao you can get all the spice and heat your heart desires. The tiny eatery is the creation of Nandini Mukherjee who earlier ran The Indian Bread Co, and Surabhi Sahni, the pastry chef of Devi. [image: Aamchi Pao]<http://www.lassiwithlavina.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/Aamchi-Pao.jpg> Aamchi Pao When the Mumbai street food they served at a party they had catered for ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ was a big hit, they realized it was an idea whose time had come. The two brainstormed came up with Pao as the new street food for New York. They seem to have hit a home run with authentic taste and a great price, for Aamchi Pao was featured in TimeOut New York’s Best Cheap Eats. [image: Surabhi Sahni and Nandini Mukherjee]<http://www.lassiwithlavina.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/Surabhi-Sahni-and-Nandini-Mukherjee-of-Aamchi-Pao.jpg> Surabhi Sahni and Nandini Mukherjee Sahni, who is a consultant to Aamchi Pao, says, “Pao means bread in Portuguese and that’s the influence it’s from. Pao is so Indian and so much a part of Mumbai street food that it’s accepted really well. Yet if you think of it, a Pao is almost like a slider bun!” Mukherjee says they collaborated on the menu to have authentic items like Vada Pao, Pao Bhaji and Keema Pao but also added innovations like Spinach Lentil Tikki Pao, Chapli Kebab Pao, and Shami Kebab Pao. To create the Mumbai ambiance, Aamchi Pao also serves chaat, kati rolls and other street treats, as well as remembered tastes like Maggi Sweet n Chilli Sauce, Thumbs Up, Limca and Cutting Chai. For both the chefs, it’s a mix of where they were and where they are now, creating tastes which everyone can relate to and love. Says Nandini Mukherjee: “Some people come every day and sit with a chai and order a Vada Pao – to them it feels so familiar, like a taste of home.” Want to re-create the tastes of home at home when you can’t get out to Aamchi Pao? Nandini Mukherjee and Surabhi Sahni share the recipes with you to recreate Vada Pao, Pao bhajji and Chicken Tikka Pao at home. Happy cooking – and happy eating! [image: Vada Pao]<http://www.lassiwithlavina.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/Vada-Pao.jpg> Vada Pao ** ** **
