Mumbai’s Popular ‘Eggs Kejriwal’ Is In New York Times Food Critic Pete Wells’ Top 10 Dishes

New York Times food critic, Pete Wells recently compiled a list of the best ten dishes in New York. At the top of this list was ‘Eggs Kejriwal’, a dish that many a Mumbaikar is familiar with.

Eggs Kejriwal: The History

A common misconception is that Eggs Kejriwal began doing the rounds when Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was constantly grabbing headlines.

However, this dish can be traced back to the 1960s, long before the Delhi CM was in the spotlight. Ajay Kejriwal, a Mumbai native’s uncle was a member of the Willington Sports Club. Whenever he breakfasted at the club, he would ask the waiter to make eggs with cheese and green chillies.

Other members of the club began asking to have what ‘Kejriwal is eating’, which led to the eggs dish being called ‘Eggs Kejriwal’.

Eggs Kejriwal Across The World

Today, Eggs Kejriwal is served across the city at big names like SodaBottleOpenerWala, The Bar Stock Exchange, Theobroma and The Bombay Canteen. The Bombay Canteen version is particularly popular.

Indeed, one of the partners of The Bombay Canteen – Flyod Cardoz – has taken the dish to his New York restaurant, Paowalla. “We cook our Kejriwal in a wood-burning oven so it gets a smoked taste,” “he said to the Times Of India. Paowalla also used brioche, cheddar cheese and Serrano chillies in the dish.

It is this dish which captured critic Pete Wells’ heart. “It’s a very homely dish that everyone can connect with because everyone ate cheese chilli toast growing up or in the US, a grilled cheese sandwich,”” he said.

Before you plan to jet off to New York, why not pay a visit to the Willington club and taste the original yourself?