Milky delights

Meet Suvrat Upadhye fourth generation owner of the Janseva Dugdha Mandir that has been handing out milky treats since 1948. “My great grandfather Vasudev Upadhye started this place with a view of selling healthy foods like milk and milk products for youngsters who used to frequent Iranian cafes back then for the Masca Pav and Chai.”

Started as a small store with a kitchen in the back the place expanded quickly because of the famous masala milk that they would serve at the store. “Actually my great-grandfather sold plain milk,plain milk with sugar and masala milk in addition to products like various sweetmeats and Chakli (savory snack) served with Dahi (yogurt),” adds Upadhye.

As customers continue to flit in and out of the store in its current location Upadhye muses,“Its come a long way from its origins,with just a couple of chairs and tables to a full fledged place where people can come sit,have a quick bite and go. However our mainstay products still retain their old world charm like for instance we have customers who are fourth generation customers and they still swear by the fact that the masala milk is still the same as it was during the times of their parents,” says Sharad Upadhye,Suvrat’s father,who helps his son run the business.

The Janseva Dugdha Mandir aims at serving customers with all kinds of purses,in fact that has been our USP since the store opened,says Sharad. The store is now famous for its Kharvas ,which is a steamed milk pudding,made from milk that is given by a cow after delivering a calf. Speaking about it Upadhye says,“The milk is available only seasonally. And whenever we make the milk pudding it gets sold off within hours,for the simple reason that it is very healthy and because the consistency is different. Also as it is occasionally made depending on the availability of the milk the product is exclusive.”

In addition,customers also like to have the Piyush ,which is a type of lassi made with saffron and nutmeg,the masala milk,which is made with pistachios nutmeg almonds and saffron,and dishes like the Sanja ,which is Upma made without the garlic and the onions. “The reason as to why we don’t add onions and garlic is because the milk is also cooked in the same kitchen and milk has a tendency to absorb these strong flavours so we don’t use them,” adds Upadhye wisely.