Maharashtrian Recipes Worth Cooking This Year
Maharashtrian food is hard to pin down. One bite is fiery, the next is sweet, and somewhere in between there’s a tang you didn’t see coming. These six dishes are a good place to start, and none needs fancy equipment.
Misal Pav
Start with a cup of sprouted moth beans and pressure-cook them until soft. Fry two chopped onions, ginger-garlic paste and two tomatoes into a thick masala, then stir in goda masala, chilli powder and turmeric. Add the sprouts and some water, and let it bubble for about 15 minutes. For the spicy kat on top, heat oil with extra chilli powder and pour it over. Serve with farsan, raw onion, lemon and buttered pav.
Vada Pav
Mash four boiled potatoes with a tadka of mustard seeds, curry leaves and a coarse paste of green chilli, garlic and ginger. Roll the mixture into balls, coat each in thick besan batter and fry until golden. Slip a vada into a pav smeared with green chutney and dry garlic chutney. Eat it hot, ideally standing up.
Puran Poli
This is the sweet you’ll find on festival days. Boil a cup of chana dal until soft, drain it, and cook it down with ¾ cup jaggery. Blend the mix smooth with cardamom and a pinch of nutmeg. Wrap spoonfuls of filling in soft whole wheat dough, roll them out gently, and cook on a griddle with ghee until both sides are browned. Serve warm with more ghee.
Thalipeeth
Thalipeeth is the dish for busy mornings. Mix bhajani flour (a roasted multigrain blend) with onion, coriander, green chilli, cumin, sesame, turmeric and salt, adding water to make a soft dough. Pat it flat on a damp cloth, poke a few holes in it, and cook on a hot tawa with a little oil. Curd, white butter or spicy thecha all go well with it.
Sabudana Khichdi
Soak a cup of sabudana for four to five hours, but don’t leave it longer, or you’ll end up with a sticky mess. Heat ghee, add cumin, green chillies and diced potato, then toss in the sabudana with crushed roasted peanuts and rock salt. Cook on low heat until the pearls turn translucent, and finish with lemon juice and coriander.
Kothimbir Vadi
Mix two cups of chopped coriander with a cup of besan, sesame seeds, green chilli paste, turmeric and salt. Add just enough water for a thick batter, steam for 15 minutes, then let it cool before cutting into squares. Shallow-fry until crisp. These are perfect with chai on a rainy evening.
A Few Kitchen Tips
- Grind your own goda masala when you can. The fresh coconut, sesame and whole spices make a real difference.
- Go easy on jaggery. A little balances heat and sourness without making the dish sweet.
- Swap some refined flour for jowar, bajra or nachni.
- Never skip the tadka. Mustard seeds, curry leaves and a pinch of asafoetida build the base of most dishes.
Final Thoughts
Whether you’re after street food, a festive sweet or an everyday healthy meal, Maharashtrian cooking has something for you. The ingredients are simple pantry staples and the recipes are forgiving, so pick one dish this week and give it a try.
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