MAHARASHTRIAN CUISINE
Maharashtra has for its capital Bombay or Mumbai. Maharashtrian cuisine comprises the coastal Konkan cuisine and the Varadi cuisine of interior Maharashtra. Marathi food uses a variety of vegetables, fish, coconuts, peanuts and cashew nuts. Peanut oil is the main cooking medium, the cardinal principle is that oil should not be visible in a dish and therefore vegetables are usually steamed. Taat Vadhany-(a method offsetting food on the plate) is the traditional and aesthetic way of serving food on a tvaata (plate).
Maharashtrian or Marathi food is the cuisine of the Marathi-speaking people, those from the state of Maharashtra in India. Maharashtrian cuisine covers a wide range from being extremely mild to very spicy dishes. Although gaining popularity in India, it remains a mystery to most Westerners. Wheat, rice, jowar, vegetables, lentils and fruit form important components of Marathi diet. Popular dishes include – Pooran Poli and aamras..
Staple dishes are the -
The Bhaji is typically a vegetarian dish made from a vegetable, with some masala. Masala essentially consists of onion, garlic and mustard. A particular variant of bhaji is the rassa. Vegetarians prepare rassa out of potatoes and or cauliflower with tomatoes or fresh coconut kernel and plenty of water to produce a more fluid behaviour than bhaji. Dishes are usually cooked with groundnut oil. The one masala that gives Maharashtrian cuisine its authentic flavor is the goda masala or kalaa masala
Non-vegetarian dishes are mainly popular with the predominant Maratha - warrior community and those really are very popular amongst a lot of people. They are normally chicken or mutton dishes. The taambda rassa (red curry) and pandhra rassa (white curry) of Kolhapuri chicken dishes from the southern city of Kolhapur and Varhadi rassa especially well known throughout the Marathi speaking world.
Appetizers - There are a lot of snack and side dishes in Maharashtrian cuisine, although these days the South Indian delicacies of Dosa, Idli and Medu-Vada have taken over along with a lot of popular Punjabi dishes, especially in urban areas.
Some quintessential Marathi dishes are:
- Chudva: Also known as Bombay Mix very famous overseas
- Pohay: Pohay or pohe is a snack made from a type of rice flakes called poha. Normally onions, potatoes and green peas are added to it. It is most likely served with tea and is probably the most common dish that any Maharashtrian will offer his guest.
During arranged marriages in Maharashtra, Kanda-pohay or onion-pohay is the most likely dish over which the boys and girls families meet. There are many variations of the "poha" snack besides "kanda pohe"- you can have:
- "batata pohe"(where diced potatoes_-:.are used instead of onion shreds);
- "Dadpe pohe", in which are added shredded coconut and lots of (or Varhadi chicken curry) from Vidarbha region are green chillies and
- Upma or Sanja: This snack is similar to the South Indian upma, but which is essentially porridge made of coarse wheat flour perked up with spices.
- Suralichyaa paat-wadyaa: These are rolls of besan flour stuffed with a garnishing of coconut kernel, coriander leaves and masala which are subsequently fried in oil. The rolls need to have critical levels of mechanical strength and also flexibility for their processing.
- Vada pav: Is the most popular Marathi dish and a lot has been said and written about it.
- Matar-usal- pav: It’s another simple dish made from green peas in curry made of onion, green chillies and sometimes garlic. Its eaten with a western style leavened bread (or pav).
- Farasbichi Bhaji (French beans)
- Palakchi Takatli Bhaji (Spinach cooked in buttermilk)
- Kelphulachi/Phansachi Bhaji (Jackfruit preparation)
- Walache Birdha
Popular Meat preparations are –
- Taambda rassa (Red curry)
- Pandhra rassa (White curry)
- Varhadi rass
- Bombil Batat bhaji
Unlike western eating habits where soups are consumed before the main course is eaten, soups are consumed along with the main course. Some popular soups are -
- Solkadhi
- Tomato Saar
- Kokam Saar
- Varan
- Aamti
- Kadhi
Pickles and condiments -
- Ambyacha Loncha (Mango Pickle)
- Limbacha Loncha (Lemon Pickle)
- Awlyacha Loncha (Amla Pickle)
- Mohoricha Loncha (Mustard Pickle)
- Dangar
- Papad
Thecha
Some of the delicious Sweetmeats –
- Puran Poli: Is one of the most popular sweet item in the Maharashtrian Cuisine It is made from jaggery (molasses or gur), yellow gram (chana) dal, plain flour, cardamom powder and ghee.
- Modak: An Indian sweet prepared either deep fried or steamed (Ukdiche Modak). Modak is almost exclusively prepared during the Ganesha Festival around August, and is often given as an offering Lord Ganesha, the elephant-headed "Remover of Obstacles" (Vighna-haria). Modak is reportedly his favorite sweet.
- Karanji: Is a deep fried dumpling with a filling of grated coconut sweetened with jaggery and flavored with powdered cardamom seeds. It is also known as Kanola in some areas.
- Kheer: Kheer is a prepared by cooking shevaya (thin rice or semolina noodles) in milk. The preparation is sweetened with jaggery or sugar, flavored with powdered cardamom seeds and finally garnished with chopped nuts.
- Anarsa
- Chirota or chirote or sweet puri
- Jalebi: Called Jilbi in Maharashtra.
- Shrikhand: An improvised version with mango pulp is known as Amrakhand.
- Shankarpali
- Basundi: Sweetened dense milk dessert.
- Gulachi poli is similar to puran poli but this does not include chana daal. It is made up of grated jaggery, elaichi powder and nutmeg powder.
