Just Walking Around

Maharashtrian Delight

Last month on Friday it was Sankasht Chaturthi or Sankashti as it is called , or also known as Sankata Hara Chaturthi ,an auspicious day dedicated to Lord Ganesha. This day is observed in every Lunar month of Hindu calendar month on the fourth day of Krishna Paksha (dark lunar phase or the waning phase)special day of Lord Ganesha . On this day, the devotees observe strict fast. They break the fast at night after having darshan/auspicious sight of the moon preceded by prayers to Lord Ganesha. The Angaraki Chaturthi (angarak in Sanskrit means red like burning coal ambers and refers to the planet Mars, on whom Tuesday is named after) Devotees believe their wishes would be fulfilled if they pray on this day. Observing this fast is believed to reduce your problems as Lord Ganesha symbolizes the removal of all obstacles and supreme lord of intelligence.

Another thing about Sankashti is you need to keep a Prasad mostly a sweet, as a ritual and  make an offering the Lord Ganesha. The best Prasad’s are the Ukdiche modak the elephant headed God loves so much. Though there many mithai shops sell these on this auspicious day , the best ones you will get in Dadar . Head to Tambe Arogya Bhavan a small typical Maharashtrian eatery on the busy N.C Kelkar  Road . This eatery is run by an old lady a pucca KOBRA (Kokanast Brahmin) with sharp cat eyes and fit as a fiddle belying her age. Sitting there at the counter keeping a stern eye on the cooks and the waiters alike. But kind and very courteous to the loyal patrons who come there during lunch time to fill their stomachs after a hard days work. You will get the best ever Missal Pav a little masaledar and made to perfection with white peas , sprouted matki mixed with farsan and served with a pinch of lime to give it that tangy overtone. Wash it down with the thick and sweet Piyush a Maharashtrian equivalent of the Punjabi Lassi. Here you can also get special food during fasting days like Sankashti. Their Sabudana Kichadi liberally sprinked with penuts giving it the required crunch. Or the Farali Missal a little sweet due the batata chivda used instead of the farsan mixture Or try their crispy sabudana wada fried to golden brown and served fresh and not refried and given to you like in most other hotels. For sweet toothed persons they have the simple shrikhand puri or as dessert the dudhi halwa made from while pumpkin or lauki as its known . A light but tasty dessert with flavor of elaichi and a little bit of texture from the mava and raisins used in this dish. But 2 of the best sweets that you get here are the Ukdiche modak only available on Sankshti and the sugar coated dry Gulab Jamun. The Ukdiche modak are to die for , the outer covering made of rice flour not to thick and stuffed with saran made of grated coconut , jiggery , elaichi and roasted to perfection. Too little and it would get sticky , too much and it gets burnt and gives a bitter taste. But at Tambe’s this stuffing is just perfect. The modak is also steamed to the right temperature cooking the inside and out to give it that heavenly & mouth watering taste you will never forget when had with a spoonful of pure ghee on top of it. Eat it once and you will know why Lord Ganesha likes them so much.

If its these Maharashtrian snacks or mini meals that you crave you can also visit Prakash Shakahari Upahaar Kendra – a vegetarian hotel in Shivaji Park on the Gokhale Road. The most popular and amazing authentic food serving Maharashtrian Restaurant in the busy Dadar area of Mumbai. Prakash Restaurant has maintained the taste and traditionality of Maharashtrian food since last 30years. Excellent food and a clean ambiance. It consists of just 5-6 tables The staff is very polite too and they have guest serving ethics.

The place is always crowded and you have to wait till the table is emptied by pre-occupant. You may also would have to share the table with a stranger, in case, there a place to accommodate you. Be ready for that too – an incident to experience.

They used to  have  a handwritten menu which added to the old world charm .This joint  still retains its traditional look and feel. Here you can have garam garam puri bhaji ( yellow batata bhaji), crispy Bhajani Thalipeet a Maharashtrian specialty ,similar to dosa but made from a thick batter of multigrain tempered with onion and served with special white or green coconut chutney. Another unique dish available here and quite famous is the Batata Kachori , a mixture of boiled &mashed potatoes , grated coconut to give it sweet flavor , added taste comes from kala miri (balck pepper ) , jeera (cumin seeds) and green chillies . Made into round balls and deep fried to golden brown and served with sweet curd based chutney you will only get in this restaurant. The other favourite with the patons here are their crisply fried Sabudana wada and the friery yet lip smacking Missal pav.

If you want to eat a typical Marathi lunch head to a small restaurant at Shivaji Park going by the name Gypsy Corner. A restaurant started by the prolific entrepreneur Rahul Limaye way back in the 1980’s . It started off as a fast food joint serving Pav bhajji , Grilled Sandwiches , Veg Pizza’s and Chaats like pani puri , sev puri & dahi batat puri. Some where down the line Rahul along with his talented wife Smita decided to start a new chapter. A genuine Maharashtrian restaurant serving typical Kobra (Kokanst Brahmin) dishes and coming from typical Maharashtrian Kichten’s . Some recipes handed down by his grandmother. Today the menu list dishes like saadha vadan bhaat toop, aluchi patal bhaji, jackfruit bhaji, tikhat mithache sanza, dadpe pohe, pohe with poha papad, khapoli styled vada pao and fasting food such as sabudana khichdi, shingdana sheera and wadi with aamti.

The restaurant has consciously retained the non air-conditioned nature of the restaurant as he feels that it adds to the openness. If you get a table on the pavement then you can even look onto the greens of Shivaji Park at a distance. The place is popular with Maharashtrian theater actors who often meet here to discuss scripts. 

Other favorite lunch time menu are - the pithla, the bharli vangi with both rice and jawar bhakris, the kande poha with the fantastic pohe papad, the zunka bhakar. Besides these you can Choose from some of the lip-smacking dishes on offer Bharleli Bhindi bhakri , Tandalachi bhakari + wangyache bharit (like a baigan bharta) , Dalimbi usal (a unique mix of bitter pulse and sweet coconut flavours) bhakri , Masala bhaat Kala vatana usal (could do with a bit more salt) , Shreekhand (made in house) puri batata bhaji , Sabudaba khichadi with an interesting cucumber salad – khamang kakdi , Waran Bhat toop (apparently the ultimate Maharashtrian comfort food). After a heavy lunch you could wash it down with a Masala Chaas or the little sweet -sour  Sol Kadi.

So next time you want to eat Maharastrian food and go beyond the usual Vada Pav – Bajji Pav visit any of these restaurant to have your fill of Marathi food and enjoy a hearty meal.

Happy Dinning….