Feature Recipe
Puran poli
Ingredients
2 cups all purpose flour cup (maida), 1/2 cups Bengal gram (chana dal), 2 cups grated jaggary , 1/4 cup oil, 1tbsp cardamom powder, salt to taste, pinch of turmeric, 1/2 tbsp Jaifal ( nutmeg powder), water
Thoughts from the Chef
Coastal Maharashtrian Cuisine
Konkan is the land of world famous alphanso mangoes, coconuts, cashews, rice and jackfruits. Regular diet consists of rice and variety of vegetables and legumes. Fresh coconut is an inevitable part of cooking. It is used to make variety of curries, masalas and to garnish the food. Jaggery and tamarind is used in curries and vegetables to give the sweet and tangy flavor. And goda masala (special blend of spices) is added to make food spicy. Another specialty is the use of "Kokam", a purple colored sweet and sour berry, native of kokan which enhances the taste of curries and vegetables. It is also used to make exotic drinks like Solkadhi and Kokam sarbat. In non vegetarian fare, fish curries and chicken cooked in coconut gravy are very popular. Maharashtrian feast is incomplete without pickles, papads, tomato-onion salads and onion bhaji. Amras, shreekhand, puranpoli and konkan meva such as amba (mango) barfi, coconut barfi, fanas poli (sweet dish made from jackfruit pulp) are also very popular.