Fresh And Exotic Veggies At Nan And Brothers In Russel Market

Long before the Namdharis and Foodhalls of the world came into the picture for exotic veggies, there was Russell Market. And specifically Nan Brothers. Thankfully, they’re still around.

When you have a husband and two daughters who have strategically chosen to like vegetables the others don’t then it’s a problem. Luckily for me, when I moved to India two decades ago, on a morning escapade to the glorious {or it was then at least} Russel Market, I chanced upon Nan And Brothers. Filled from wall to wall with fresh veggies that you wouldn’t normally find in town then, this was a true paradise! After all, it was rather tough to find asparagus, broccoli, celery – what the shop owners Amjad and Asad Nawaz call Western vegetables.

Sourcing the produce from Ooty mostly, in addition to nearby farms, you can safely assume that the quality is great. And when you eat them, you can tell how good they are — nothing like the pre-chopped and flavourless stuff off the shelves in supermarkets.

Now running into three stores in Russel Market, they’re still dominant in these ‘foreign’ veggies. So while most of the city will be haring around to the swanky {and unnecessarily expensive} supermarkets, I still calmly traipse off to these chaps – where else will the owners ask me which daughter is eating dinner at home, and knows that the older one likes her celery and potato while the younger will eat broccoli all day long! If you’re a novice at shopping, they’re the sorts who’ll pick the best for you. In fact, if they find a rotten or even slightly off looking vegetable, they’ll bin it instantly.

Apart from the usuals like carrots, tomatoes, potatoes, orka, cabbage {even red kraut mercifully!}, lemons and spinach, do keep an eye out for mini pumpkin, fresh oyster mushrooms, broccoli, celery, plentiful peppers, pak choy, lettuces {including that elusive iceberg lettuce} and even rocket. Looking for healthy stuff but can’t tell what is good for what? No problem, Amjad, Asad and all their staff will sort you out. Did you know that any red or purple coloured veggies are great for anything to do with blood and circulation?

They do open at 6am, but best to go here at 9am when all the stocks have arrived, especially if you’re looking for the more exotic veggies that tend to come in the post 8am batch.

Price: INR 10 upwards