I started my circuit from Kolhapur, traveled through coastal Maharashtra to the seafood paradise of Vengurla, and the beaches of Malvan and Tarkarli. Then on to Nashik, an ancient city on the banks of the river Godavari known for its links to the Ramayana. then on the Deccan Plateau to Vidarbha, deep in the middle India and to taste the robust food of eastern Maharashtra, Amravati and Nagpur. Along the way, the flavor has been surprising, the spices used extraordinary, and the flavor unpredictable. So, I thought I’d share three of the best meals I’ve had in my travels so far.
Beginning with Kolhapur and its unique ‘Misal’. Each part of Maharashtra has its own version of the misal. But the Kolhapuri incident is a time bomb that is about to explode. It is a fiery combination of sev, chivda, papdi and usal. The Farsan-Usal mix is topped with kat, which gives this misal personality and fire. Kat is a type of hot hot rasam made with dry coconut, onions, tomatoes, ginger, garlic, coriander and cumin, garam masala, asafoetida and lots of oil. Garnished with a dollop of curd, grated coconut, chopped raw onions and coriander, this Kolhapuri misal is served with box pav, which is nothing more than a slice of sandwich bread. A really good Kolhapuri misal should burn in your mouth, bursting through your nose and eyes. Dynamite!
A complete Kolhapur meal is an experience of flavors in itself. Starting with a variety of ‘rasas’ – a thin often spicy coconut curry. There are at least 14 types of ‘rasas’ in Kolhapur. Tambda, Pandharan, Pivla, Hirva Kala Rasa (red, white, yellow, greenish black) to name a few. A classic Kolhapuri meal includes tambad rasa (a richly spiced red gravy with tari floating on top), and pandhara rasa (a deliciously spicy, white, buttery gravy of coconut and garam masala), paired with Kolhapur’s famous is served. Mutton loncha or pickle. Soft and tender mutton is fried in oil, then cooked with dried coconut, ginger, garlic, poppy seeds, sesame seeds, red chili powder, turmeric and onion-garlic masala.
Departure for Vidarbha. Before we begin salivating over the food in Nagpur, which has dominated the legend and stardom of Saoji cuisine, I would like to take you to Vidarbha’s staple dish, Varahadi, and Amaravati, the second largest city in the region.
While Saoji cuisine is infused with all parts of the goat; However, the home of Varhadi or Vidarbha is a little less preoccupied with meat, and more indulgent with a menu of spicy vegetarian food, made with gram flour. Starting with what has now become the staple food of Maharashtra, everyday ‘peethla bhakri’. Gram flour mixed with water and turmeric is added to a tempering of mustard seeds, cumin seeds, asafoetida, curry leaves and green chilli paste. It is eaten with jowar bhakri, raw onion and varhadi thecha (grinded chillies).
Unlike other Maharashtrian thechas, Varhadi thecha is made with red chillies, garlic and a host of spices. Daily home food patodi rasa (gram flour cakes in spicy gravy), jhunka (gram flour cooked with onion, mustard, ginger garlic), puran poli with lots of ghee and spicy gram flour balls cooked with gola bhat rice, tamarind Can be served with Essence and maybe yogurt on the side.
So much gram flour is used because Vidarbha is one of the hottest places in the country and receives very little rainfall. And since it was so difficult to grow vegetables, lentils became a substitute.
In Nagpur, however, the most famous dish is Saoji. The Saoji were an old community of traditional handloom weavers. As demand for their silk and cotton declined, and the men lost their livelihoods, the women of the community, all expert cooks, worked to turn their culinary skills and their homely recipes into a thriving business. Saoji is the name of their community. The most iconic Saoji dish is ‘Varhadi Rasa’ which can be made from almost every part of the goat, including meat, kidneys, liver, brain and trotters, as well as intestines. It’s all dark red-brown, very hot and spicy. The spice, heat and color in food come from the abundance of black pepper and chillies. A favorite snack at any Saoji restaurant is Khur Sukka (paya or trotters), Kapura Sukka (sweet bread) Gurda Sukka (Kidney) and even lamb ki sarai. I had tears in my eyes even after eating at one such Saoji restaurant in Kolhapur. Oh what a treat!
But all these different regions of the vast state of Maharashtra have one food in common – plain varan bhaat and toop (ghee) – the best food in the world for a true Maharashtrian. Sadh Varan (lentil made from pulses) is served with boiled rice and ghee is poured on top. This is one dish that takes you home.
Kunal Vijaykar is a food writer based in Mumbai. He tweets @kunalvijayakar and can be followed on Instagram @kunalvijayakar. The name of his YouTube channel is Khaane Mein Kya Hai. The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not represent the stand of this publication.
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