Getting to taste the Maharashtrian cuisine in Mumbai is very difficult to find. The Maharashtra Food Festival at Sahara Hotel was amazing opportunity to try out Maharashtrian cuisine. The Maharashtra Food Festival provides an opportunity to all the vegetarian and non-vegetarian to enjoy the delicacies of Maharashtra. The food was cooked by some of the well-known chefs. Traditional dishes were prepared to range from mildly spiced to fiery hot.
The menu had some luscious traditional Maharashtrian cuisine that most of the people had heard but have not tried.
Special Dish
The special dish was Kolhapuri Misal Pav that was the most delicious dish. The usal is a water-based curry that is cooked from the sprouted lentils. It is then topped with poha, batata-bhaji, Chivda farsaan, chopped onions, and tomatoes. This was served with Pav, it is a dinner roll type of bread.
Starters
The starters included some mouthwatering dishes like Kotambari Vadi, Maharashtrian Alu Wadi, and Puran Poli. The Kotambari Vadi is a fresh coriander Vadi made from fresh cilantro and besan flour. Puran Poli is a flat bread that is stuffed with sweet lentil filling made from skinned chana dal and jaggery. The stuffing is called puran while bread is poli in Marathi. Alu Wadi is a savory dish made with colocasia leaves and chickpea flour.\
Main Course
Moving towards the main course, it contains some divine dishes. The menu included Masala Bhaat, Varan, Dahyachi Kadhi, Subz Kolhapuri, Matar Paneer and Chanache Aamti. Masala Bhaat is a spicy Marathi version of vegetable pulao. Varan is a scrumptious toor dal prepared with a hint of coconut. Tempered with mustard seeds and curry leaves. It is usually served with steamed rice.
Moreover, the matar paneer is a tasty combination of soft paneer and healthy green peas. They are cooked in a mildly spicy tomato based gravy.
Drinks
The drinks were the best to satisfy the thirst. It consists of Sol kadhi, Masala taak, and kairiche panhe. Sol kadhi is made of kokum that is refreshing and tasty. Masala taak is soothing and cooling drink. It is a flavored drink with different spices like asafetida, sugar, salt, cumin powder, and cilantro. Kairiche panhe is a raw mango and jaggery based drink.
Desserts
Everyone loves dessert after a great meal. There was a wide range of desserts such as Shrikhand, Ukdiche Modak, and Chikki. Ukdiche Modak is a steam dumpling made up of coconut and jaggery. While chikki is a sugar peanut. Shrikhand is prepared from yogurt, sugar, and spices.
Pickles and Chutney
There were plenty of pickles and chutneys which formed a major part of the Maharashtrian cuisine. They included Mango chutney and tamarind chutney. Dry chutney consisted of garlic, flax seed, and loncha.
Overall, the food festival was a pleasant way to spread the culture and love of Marathi people. The Maharashtrian cuisine is a treat to taste buds.
The post Maharashtra Food Festival @ Hotel Sahara Star Mumbai appeared first on Monishchandan.