B-Town celebrates Maharashtra Day

Actors Jackie Shroff, Padmini Kolhapure and Karan Patel celebrate Maharashtra Day with a massive festival at Andheri Sports Complex.

The Andheri Sports Complex played host to the foodies of Mumbai to celebrate Maharashtra Day. Held over two days, the event kicked off at 6 pm each evening. At the entrance, attendees were welcomed by two men dressed in traditional attire and blowing tutris (trumpets). Moving ahead, two women dressed in the traditional drape of sari, navari, greeted guests as they entered while dancers performed using Lezim (musical instrument).

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The first food stall in the area was Khandeshi, owned by Jamil Deshpande. Hungry guests could be seen breaking bits of Karna Chi Bhakri, a chapatti made up of several grains and pulses paired with Vangey Cha Bhartha (mashed brinjal). Most dishes ranged between Rs 100- Rs 150. The aroma of homemade cooking pulled the crowd away to another stall where cooks were serving up Baajre Chi Khichdi, Dal Baati (a Marwadi dish with a local twist), Jhunkha Bhaakhar, Sanjhori (a dessert made from semolina, dried fruits and sugar) and Ambedal (pulses mixed with raw mango). All dishes were priced between Rs 40 to 150.

Fishy business
Being a coastal state, the cuisine offered plenty of fish dishes for pescatarians. Dariya Sagar, a food stall offered patrons food prepared Koli style. Prawns were served in umpteen avatars including the popular Sukha Jawla (dry prawns), alongside seasonal catches like pomfret and surmai (Kingfish) fry.

A table piled high with food was occupied by a family who had traveled from Mira Road, just to pig out. When asked which dish they enjoyed the most, they promptly replied, “The pomfret fry from the stall, What’s Cooking. The menu claimed to serve Chandraseniya Kayastha Prabhu (CKP) specialties like Wangi Sode (brinjal and potatoes cooked with dried prawns in a dry coconut masala), Sode Khichdi (rice and dried prawns sautéed and cooked in dry coconut masala). The desserts featured interesting names like Rajali Bharli Keli (ripe banana filled with sweet jaggery and coconut fillings). The best part — all dishes ranged between Rs 25- Rs 50, so you could stuff yourself without burning a hole through your wallet.

Strange stuff
Among the interesting finds at the venue, a Nagpur-based chef Vishnu Manohar planned to make a five-foot long Puranpoli (sweet chapatti). Another stall, Chaan Sonali Paan Darbar, boasted of more then 108 types of paan including strange concoctions like Magai paan, chocolate paan, pineapple paan, rajshahi paan and ratrani paan. He let slip that his most expensive paan, though not available at the venue, was called the Honeymoon Special paan, which cost a cool Rs 1000.

Celebs like actors Karan Patel, Kavita Kaushik, Naman Shaw, Mahesh Manjrekar, Jackie Shroff and Padmini Kholhapuri were present.