what to eat in maharashtra

What to Eat in Maharashtra

Maharashtrian cuisine covers a range from being mild to very spicy dishes. Wheat, rice.
1. Pohay
Pohay or Pohe is a snack made from flattened rice. It is most likely served with tea or as a breakfast dish and is probably the most likely dish that a Maharashtrian will offer his guest any time of the day. It has a no. of variations the most common being Kanda Pohe (meaning pohe prepared with onion). Other variants on the recipe are batata pohe (where diced potatoes are used instead of onion shreds), dadpe pohe, a mixture of raw Pohe with shredded fresh coconut, green chillies, ginger and lemon juice; and kachche pohe, raw pohe with minimal embellishments of oil, red chili powder, salt and unsauteed onion shreds.The dish is garnished with different things like fresh coriander, grated coconut, crushed peanuts or Sev(fried potato shavings).
2. Misal Pav
Quintessentially from Pune. To prepare Misal first Usal which is a water based curried preparation of cooked sprouted lentils is first prepared and then topped with batatabhaji, pohay, Chivda, farsaan, raw chopped onions and tomato. It is some times eaten with yogurt to cut the spice and is always served with dinner roll type bread called Pav and lemon wedges.
3. Pitla Bhakri
Pitla Bhakri is a rural food of Maharashtra, the staple food amongst the farmers and village folk. It forms part of the typical Maharashtrian cuisine and has in the last two decades become quite popular amongst the more cosmopolitan city dwellers as well. It consists of Pitla, a pastylooking dish prepared from the powdered version of Dal, a popular pulse. Pitla is usually eaten with Bhakri, a bread made from either Jowar or Bajra, both of which are cereals. It is usually accompanied with Khanda Bhaji(raw chopped onions in a spicy chilli paste). Pitla Bhakri can be enjoyed in Pune at one of the select restaurants serving typical Maharashtrian cuisine or many as road side vendors.
4. Sabudana Khichdi
Sabudana is a local food base prepared from the latex of of the Sago Palm (Pearls of sago palm). The name given to it by the English is Sago which is tapioca starch or cassava starch white granules. Sabudana is white in color and granular in texture. The grains are globular in shape and look somewhat like the tiny thermocol balls used for packaging delicate materials. The readytoeat dish prepared from it is known as Khichdi, which roughly mean mixture. Sabudana Khichdi is a popular breakfast item and is one of the few food products that are allowed to be eaten when Maharashtrians undertake holyfasting known in Marathi as Upaas.
5. Bharli Vangi
A very traditional Marathi Vegetable dish is Bharli Vangi or Stuffed Eggplant. Almost every cuisine has traditional recipes for stuffed vegetables, and eggplant especially lends itself well to being stuffed in a variety of ways. This Marathi recipe is delicious uses of peanuts and coconuts as the stuffing along with a variety of spices.
6. Wada or Vada Pav
The WadaPav also spelled VadaPav is a fastfood snack
7. Aamti
Aamti is the special way of preparing lentils or dal in Maharashtra. Aamti is a little spicy, a little sweet and a little tangy. The word aamti can also used to describe other curried preparations, but the aamti dal stands solid as the pillar of everyday food, making it a staple of almost every meal. Aamti is a good illustration of the generous use of jaggery or unrefined sugar in Marathi cooking which lends a slight sweetish tinge to even savory foods. Aamti can be made with different lentils or dals and is known by different names like Katachi aamati (made with Chana Dal), or Golyanchi Aamti (fried Balls in Dal) or Massor Aamti (made with red lentil) thought the most traditional Aamti is made with Tur Dal. Amti is best served with fresh steamed rice and a dollop of ghee (clarified butter).
8. Rassa (Taambda/ Pandhra/ Varhadi)
The nonvegetarian Maharashtrian dishes include mutton, usually of sheep, lamb or goat, chicken, fish and other seafoods. Rassa is a popular type of curry prepared in Maharashtra and originated from the Kolhapur region. Ras means juice and rassa is a juicy preparation
9. Puran Poli
Puran Poli is one of the most popular sweet item in the Maharashtrian cuisine. It is a stuffed Indian Bread. It is similar to the Paratha except that the stuffing is sweet. It is made from jaggery (molasses or gur), yellow gram (chana) dal, plain flour, cardamom powder and ghee (clarified butter). It is a eaten after meals or as a snack and is present in almost all Maharashtrian festive occasions.
10. Shrikhand
Shrikhand is an Indian sweet dish made of strained yogurt and one of the main desserts in Maharashtrian cuisine as well as Gujarati cuisine. The yogurt is tied and hung until all the water has drained off, the result being a thick and creamy yogurt. Dried and fresh fruit such as mango are also added to flavor it and other ingredients like sugar, cardamom powder, and saffron are added. It is often eaten along with meals with Puris (deep fried Indian breads). It is served chilled and provides a refreshing counterpoint to hot and spicy curries. It is garnished with toasted nuts and a pinch of saffron.