There’s more to Maharashtrian cuisine than Vada Pav. Here’s all you need to know - Hindustan Times
close_game
close_game

There’s more to Maharashtrian cuisine than Vada Pav. Here’s all you need to know

Press Trust of India | By
Dec 13, 2017 02:26 PM IST

Chef Kunal Kapur and food writer Kunal Vijaykar decode the variations and diversity of Maharashtrian cuisine.

A hot serving of kanda poha or a plateful of spicy pav bhaji are what we generally associate with Maharashtrian food. But, the cuisine of the second most populous Indian state has much more to offer. Maharashtrian or Marathi cuisine is an eclectic mix of flavours infused in traditionally made dishes.

A Malwani preparation.(Shutterstock)
A Malwani preparation.(Shutterstock)

Assembling a Marathi ‘thali’ is no mean task, as it comprises food from cosmopolitan Mumbai, spicy fare from Kolhapur and Malwan, as well as savouries from Khandesh, Nagpur and Pune.

Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now.

Celebrity chef Kunal Kapur hosts the TV show, Utsav Thalis of India. He says that in Maharashtra, a Kolhapuri thali will have pandhra rasa (non-vegetarian white curry dish), tambda rasa (red curry) and other dishes unique to Kolhapur. “Similarly, in the Malwan region, the thali is made on special occasions and includes a lot of seafood, whereas Kolhapuri thali has a lot of mutton in it,” he says.

While there is a lot of variety in the cuisine of a region, there are some popular items like kombdi vada (chicken curry served with rice flour vade in Konkan region), pitla-bhakar (gram flour curry with rice flour or sorghum bread), and zunka-bhakar (gram flour based dry dish), among vegetarian options.

Kolhapuri cuisine is known for its use of spices. (Shutterstock)
Kolhapuri cuisine is known for its use of spices. (Shutterstock)

Food writer, author and television personality Kunal Vijaykar shares similar views, saying, “You can’t categorise Maharashtrian cuisine. One needs to taste Malwani, Kolhapuri, Nagpur or Vidarbha thali to get a holistic experience. According to him, a Maharashtrian thali will include fish curry or prawn curry from the coast, sukka (dry) mutton with the tambda rasa, pandhra rasa from Kolhapur, food from Nagpur, Saoji cuisine which is very spicy, bhakri and varan bhat (yellow dal and rice) with ghee on it.

He says an ideal thali would also have usal (representing Brahmani food from Pune) made out of matki (moth bean sprout) or moong (bean) and some dry sabzi like potato, snacks like patrel (colocasia rolls with gram flour filling) and koshimbir— made out of cucumber, and green chutney.

Kapur says that thanks to the confluence of people and cultures in Maharashtra, the USP of its food is the use of spice. “It is not a bland cuisine, but a spicy one. The prominent thing is Maharashtrians can’t do without chilli,” he says. The use of coconut is also abundant, especially in coastal areas.

Thalipeeth is a traditional Maharashtrian snack. (Shutterstock)
Thalipeeth is a traditional Maharashtrian snack. (Shutterstock)

“At the same time, I find Maharashtrian dishes to be rustic and simple. They are coarse, homely and strong on flavours. Even a drink like a sol kadhi or a kokum curry is very pungent,” Kapur says.

There is also the unique and distinct cuisine of Maharashtra’s Pathare Prabhu community. “There is not a single Pathare Prabhu restaurant in the country or outside. So, to enjoy a Pathare Prabhu meal, you have to know somebody and have it at their home. So in that way, Maharashtrian food is very unique,” says Kapur.

Kapur went with Vijaykar, who hails from the community, to the house of the latter’s friend where they relished some unique dishes. “Kunal (Vijaykar) showed me how to cook a Pathare Prabhu pomfret, which they call thande tel ka tadka. They don’t heat the oil; just marinate it, add water and boil it,” Kapur says.

Vijaykar says in Maharashtrian cuisine, there is a lot of similarity in terms of masala as well as variations from region to region. For instance- coastal areas use coconut, while mountainous areas use more black masala. The food of the Pathare Prabhu community is largely based on pardhi sambhar masala — a sort of garam masala — the primary ingredient in most of the dishes. “Unlike other Maharashtrian foods, our food doesn’t contain huge amounts of coconut. There is use of garlic in our dishes but they are very simple, with not more than four ingredients,” he says.

He gives the example of bhujana, a very simple dish that can be made with fish, potatoes, egg, prawns or wal. It’s just four ingredients,” he says, adding that the community is very small with just 5,000 people across the world.

Sunny Pawaskar, who owns three restaurants serving Maharashtrian food in adjoining Thane, says that they are trying to bring foods of the entire state, including western Maharashtra, Konkan, Khandesh, Marathwada and Vidarbha, on one platform since these cuisines are not promoted much. “Earlier, everybody used to associate Maharashtrian food with vada pav, misal pav, thalipeeth and sabudana khichdi. People still know only a handful of dishes like bharli vangi (stuffed eggplant) and Kolhapuri mutton, while Khandesh, Marathwada and Vidarbha regions are almost untouched, he says.

Follow @htlifeandstyle for more

Oscars 2024: Nominees to Red Carpet Glam! Get Exclusive Coverage on HT. Click Here

Catch your daily dose of Fashion, Health, Festivals, Travel, Relationship, Recipe and all the other Latest Lifestyle News on Hindustan Times Website and APPs
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Share this article
SHARE
Story Saved
Live Score
OPEN APP
Saved Articles
Following
My Reads
Sign out
New Delhi 0C
Tuesday, March 19, 2024
Start 14 Days Free Trial Subscribe Now
Follow Us On