By Sreejith Kamalanayanan
Mowgli: The Legend of the Jungle by Netflix is bringing back everybody’s beloved man cub to the screens once again. The human child raised by wolves is one of the most enduring characters created by Rudyard Kipling.
You may know the fictional character Mowgli but how many of you are aware that there is a restaurant chain in UK named Mowgli?
Mowgli Street Food is a restaurant chain started by entrepreneur and chef Nisha Katona. Katona is of Indian origin but was born, raised and living in UK.
What’s special about Mowgli Street Food?
One of the most important attractions of the restaurant is its name. Mowgli, as per Jungle Book, is an Indian child raised by wolves. The name reflects the Indianness the restaurant is all about.
Nisha Katona launched the restaurant in 2014. The restaurant’s website says Mowgli is all about “how Indians eat at home and on their streets.”
It also claims that Mowgli “is not about the intimate, hushed dining experience. It is about the smash and grab zing of healthy, light, virtuosic herbs and spices.”
Mowgli founder Nisha Wanted to prove that the Indian food is more than the “curry” stereo-type in the west. Mowgli Street Food tries to show to the people in the west that Indian food is healthy.
Mowgli Street Food Menu
We can download the menu from the restaurant’s menu. Reading the menu itself is a funny experience. The names of some of the dishes are very quirky that we may feel compelled to check them.
“IF INDIANS DID FULL ENGLISH…”
Yes you may wonder what dish is this. It’s Molasses cured smoked bacon, Bengal spiced scrambled eggs, wilted spinach, fenugreek fries & Darjeeling chickpeas.
A TEMPLE BREAKFAST
Mowgli call this the Vegetarian righteousness. It’s Tandoori seared paneer, Bengal spiced scrambled eggs, wilted spinach, fenugreek fries & Darjeeling chickpeas.
SMOKE BACK MOUNTAIN
This seems to be a nod to the famous Hollywood movie Brokeback Mountain. It’s basically the Mowgli bacon sandwich. Molasses cured smoked bacon on a ghee smothered bloomer, house tomato relish, fresh spinach, mint & coriander chutney & spiced tamarind sauce.
MOWGLI PORRIDGE
Mowgli’s signature smoked cardamom & date molasses porridge. Rolled oats simmered in soy milk dressed with puffed rice & mint. Totally comforting, totally vegan.
MOWGLI GRANOLA
Morning nuts & bolts with vegan yogurt, Alphonso mango pulp, tamarind & pumkin seeds
More about Mowgli founder Nisha Katona
Katona has been a full time barrister for 20 years but quit that career to start Mowgli Street Food in Liverpool. She is 47 year old and describes herself as a curry evangelist.
She is a well known food writer. Her writings have appeared in Daily Telegraph, The Sunday Times and The Independent. She has authored books like Pimp My Rice, The Spice Tree and Mowgli Cook Book.
Katona also appears in TV shows related to food and cooking. She has appeared in cooking shows of BBC, ITV and Channel 4.
Katona presents the Recipes that Made Me show aired by BBC Two. In the show she travels across UK exploring Indian food recipes.
