Bramhani Taat

(Clockwise: Methkut, Beetroot Yogurt, Tomatochi Bhaaji, Goda Varan on Rice, Ghadichi Poli and Papad)

In the Bramhan homes in Maharashtra the food that is cooked is very simple for an everyday meal. It consists of two carbohydrate components of rice and chapati/ Poli in Marathi. A dal like a simple Goda Varan that you see here or a sweet and sour dal called Aamti which is the source of protein.  A stir fry made with a fresh vegetable. Here you see a Onion and Tomato bhaaji. In some Brahman homes where onions and garlic is not consumed you may find these absent altogether in the food. The salad is called Koshimbir, it has many variations, see here and here. For brightening up the taste buds there is always a chutney wet or dry that you can dip your finger into or a pickle to lick up. Here in the Taat you see the quintessential Marathi dry chutney called Methkut. To give a crunch to the meal a papad is indispensable.

On a festive day the Taat would have a ras bhaaji/ wet curry and a sweet like puranpoli/ kheer/ sheera/ shrikhand

To round off this meal would be a vati/ bowl of buttermilk or Taak.

Goda Varan

 Such a colorful meal!
(Clockwise: Methkut, Beetroot Yogurt, Tomatochi Bhaaji,
Goda Varan on Rice, Ghadichi Poli and Papad)

When Cynthia, a reader of this blog asked me to make Goda Varan or plain dal which is a staple in Marathi homes, I was very sure that the picture would be boring and repetitive on this blog. Did I know that this Marathi Taat of an everyday simple meal would look to colorful, like Holi on a Thali! Never.

Until I pulled out the camera and focused on it to click what is supposed to be just another meal. Yet it is not, if you look at it carefully it a beautiful balanced meal so characteristic of Maharashtra. This one is what would be a typical Bramhani Taat. However even though this post is about Goda Varan one of the components of this Thali (in Marathi it is called Taat) you will be keen to know more about it I am sure.

Back to Goda Varan, the simplest dal mostly served at the begining of the meal to start up an appetite. Many a babies are fed on this and many Maharashtrians who can't bear chilies swear by it. This forms the protein component of the Taat. The Dal though involves no sweat yet is very flavorful, it does not even have any tadka or phodni involved. This is how a Goda Varan is made in the Bramhan homes that I have frequently eaten at. Depending on which part of Maharashtra this is made the only variation would be adding sweetness to it or not. I have always known it with a bit of sweetness in it.

When I have hyped so much on the simplicity, you would definitely like to add it to your repertoire won't you?

Ingredients

1 cup split pigeon peas/ tur dal

1/4 teaspoon strong asafoetida/ hing

1/4 teaspoon turmeric/ halad

1 teaspoon oil

1 inch piece of jaggery/ gul

salt

In a small pressure cooker measure out the tur dal. Wash it clean with water. Add turmeric, oil, asafoetida and top up with water just to cover the dal enough.

Close the lid and keep on heat. Allow 4-5 whistles to cook dal till mushy. Switch off heat and let it cool. 

Open lid and beat up the dal while still hot to crumble it. I use a traditional Ravi to do it. Salt the dal and boil along with jaggery. You can thin it a bit with additional 1/2 cup of water.

The sweet smell is enough to get you hungry. Serve it hot over a mound of rice. A squeeze of lime, a dolop of curd and a drizzle of sajuk tup and you are in heaven!

Serves 4 if it is just a poli, bhaaji, varan, bhaat meal.