Vividh Marathi Taate

Koli Non-Veg Taat (Thal Part VI)

Koli Veg Taat (Thal Part III)

A Rustic Spread

 

A Simple Malvani/ Gomantak Thali

 

 Bramhani Taat

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.

A Simple Malvani/ Gomantak Thali

And A Flashback To Valaval

It was the year 2001-02. I had this habit of writing my day's happening through mail to P. We would chat everyday for atleast an hour, 10 pm was when both of us would be online. I would have had my dinner and he would have lunch after talking to me. Most times the conversation would start with a "Zevlis?" from him. I would think c'mon everyday why does he have to ask me that! My take was intelligent people don't talk just about food. I was right we never did talk only about food but much more. Yet the conversation would begin on a foodie note. I'd console myself thinking poor guy he is missing Indian food in the US. He'd crib about eating pita bread with bhaaji, he didn't know the art of chapati making then.

Well that was the beginning when I started writing everyday. Sometimes he would wonder if I did not have anyone to talk to :)!  He wondered how I could write such long emails. His replies were most time couple of lines but at times a full page specially when he wanted to explain something to me especially after our tiffs.

Then one time I went with my family to Valaval. On return from the trip I wrote to him every little thing about the trip. I simply loved writing to him. That's when he had commented "Keep writing one day may be you will be a writer". I think this blog too is a result of those words of encouragement, actually he had meant to tease me, I think ;). I know my writing, technically is not super but blogs are meant for people like me. Public does not pay to read what I write and hence forgive the mistakes in the writing.

I do not have that email for reference which I had written to P about Valaval but I will narrate it from memory...

The most favorite dinner I had in Valaval on one of those 3 - 4days consisted of Sol kadhi, bhaat, batatyachya kachrya, bhaji and mangana that too served on a patravali and droN (dried leaf plates and bowl). It was completely different from all the Malvani coconut masala and garam masala dishes I knew. It was pretty light on the tummy too.

In the posts that follow I will share the recipes of Sol Kadhi and Mangana. These are two dishes based on coconut milk but completely different in character. One savory, the other sweet. Both are fantastic.

Sol Kadhi, Batatyachya Kachrya, Mangana and Moogache bhajji

Note: 

Malvani - means from the coastal region of Malvan, Maharashtra.

Gomantak - refers to origins in Goa.

A Rustic Spread

This is the food that my Dad adores.

Katak Jolad Roti,Vangya.cha Rassa DaNya.cha Koot Lavun, Varan, Taak, Fried Sandage, Raw Onions & Thecha

One by one I will post the recipes but before that an introduction to this Rustic Spread is a must. Just like a fish curry and rice is the staple of the Konkan area that I come from. This spread is made mostly beyond the Sahyadri Ghats in Maharashtra and North Karnataka. Hence it is called gavaran food meaning food from the village, unsophisticated but wholesome.

I have been cooking fancy food that is different and Dad enjoys it just a bit. However I see him smacking his lips just at the sight of a spread like this one.

The Katak Jolad Roti, ultra crisp jowar roti is from a neighborhood shop, 10 rotis for a mere Rs.25. This goes best with the Vangya.cha Rassa DaNya.cha Koot Lavun or Brinjals in peanut sauce. Bajarichi Bhakari is yet another Bhakri that is a staple in the countryside. Varan is to tone down the spice in the rassa. The accompaniments like raw onion and Thecha is a must else the spread is incomplete. We will decode the Thecha in the upcoming post.


The Puffed rice sandage is unique to North Karnataka. The glass of Taak with jeera powder is to wash down the hearty meal.

Burp~~ satiation

Koli Non-Veg Taat (Thal Part VI)

Here is the typical Koli Taat. The spread is not always so elaborate but made on special occassions. It would ideally consist of a vegetable, rice, roasted fish or fried fish, fish curry and rice roti. Last time I visited my village this was made for the NVs.

You have also seen the Veg Taat in the Thal Part III made by my Aaji. Like I mentioned in the veg Taat post rice and coconut are indigenous ingredients of a Koli meal. Both the rice and rice roti are enjoyed in the same meal and that is what separates a Koli meal from any other platter in Maharashtra. The curries are made with coconut or without depending on what type of fish is cooked in it. It is seen that the sweeter tasting fish get a coconut base while the stronger smelling are cooked just with the Koli masala.

The famed Koli masala is made annually and stocked in homes. It is a special blend of spices and essentially incorporates all the ingredients of a garam masala plus more. It also indicates that a Koli woman is a busy woman and does not have time for spending on selecting whole spices or preparing separate masalas for every curry on a daily basis. She loves all her spices in a single masala balanced in careful proportions and just a spoon or two of it elevates her daily meals to new heights that the family swears by and is loved by everyone who tastes it outside the family too.

• Pochacha Kaanj (Lobster curry)
• Buzlela Baga (Roasted Eel)
• Dhaan (Rice)
• Chavlachi Roti (Rice roti)
• Barik Methi Moog Dal (Young methi with mung dal)
• Tomatochi Bhaaji (Tomato and Onion stir fry)

Koli Veg Taat (Thal Part III)

• Chavlachi Roti
• Dhaan
• Pivli Dal
• Chavlachi Pheni (to post)
• Barik Methi Moog Dal
• Tomatochi Bhaaji
• Papdichya Shenganchi Bhaaji

This is the vegetarian fare made by Aaji for me. In a Koli meal the carbohydrates components of the Thali are both rice and rice roti. The Pivli Dal is a standard protein component with a little coconut masala. The dry bhaajis are also sprinkled generously with fresh grated coconut.  Even the papad called Chavlachi Pheni is made from rice. So you see in a Koli meal rice rules and so does coconut for we are inhabitants of the coast.

Hummm....This post has to be posted today especially for my friends Vinaya, Sanket and others who might just stumble on the blog. I was talking to Vinaya long distance today and trying to catch up when she mentioned she had stumbled on a blog. It got her guessing this is not Anjali or is it really. Then some reference put things in perspective. Alright first thing from me this blog is not a in-the-closet one ;). Yet I do express my feelings a lot more here than when I talk. One thing I have to declare here for most of my close friends that I am still vegetarian and that I do not live a closet non-vegetarian life......hahaha....I see stuff being thrown at me. If youre Indian you know what I'm talking about.

Well they ask what is all the non-veg food doing out there on the blog? To answer that. Well I am documenting some part of my past through this blog that I know my next gen will not be able to experience....do I feel like a socio-historian....nah.... It did not start that way but you all know how I like to write.

Second thing. Wani kaka, my friend Sangeeta's Dad loves to read when I write to him. Many times some of you my dear friends have recieved huge mails with pictures of my visits to various places. You know I am a modern day gypsy at heart with the exception that I am not wild :);).

Thirdly M kaka you know how we get excited about food, travel and books. When it comes to innovation in the kitchen how we worship the great Dr. George Washington Carver. We laugh at our flop experiments in the kitchen...ahem here I would like to clarify.....you the director and me the technician....hehee.....Just wanted to have a log of it.

Again to all my friends I AM STILL A VEGETARIAN with a NON VEG PAST. Are these three reasons good enuf guys to write this blog???