Maharashtrian side dishes that you need to try

Maharashtra is an amalgamation of people, cultures, climatic conditions and food habbits. The food eaten in the state are unique in their own ways and are also inspired by the states that surround our borders. Here we look at some popular and not-so-well known food items that are eaten by the Maharashtrian people.

Scrumptious Snacks

Popular side dishes in a Maharashtrian plate include fried or steamed savouries such as kothambir wadi, aluwadi, suralichi wadi (khandvi). Different pakoras are made with vegetables. Batata wada and sabudana wada are also a mainstay of Maharashtrian cusines. Special mention for ajwain leaves and sponge gourd bhaji.

Chutneys

Maharashtrians prepare and consume two styles of chutneys while eating their food – wet (that are mostly made with coconut or vegetables like coriander, mint, tamarind, jaggery, green or red tomatoes, and chillies) and dry chutneys (that are made with nuts and seeds such as peanuts, garlic, coconut, flaxseeds, niger seeds, sesame seeds or curry leaves).

Not one to waste any part of the fruit or vegetable, they also make chutneys from vegetable peels in Maharashtrian homes. For instance, dodakyachya shiranchi (ridge gourd peel) chutney and dudhi aani bhopalyachya (bottle gourd and pumpkin peel) chutney. One of the most popular chutneys in Maharashtra is thecha, which is a hand pounded, coarse chutney made from a mixture of chillies, garlic, peanuts and spices that were roasted on the tava. This spicy chutney can be eaten with simple, home-cooked preparations of dal-chawal, bhakri and bhaaji or as a marinade on meats or fish.

Panchamrut

Offered to the Gods during the pooja and later as a prasad, Panchamrut is a mix of five foods. There are two variants – sweet and savoury. The sweet mix is made from ghee, curd, honey, sugar and milk while the savoury one is made with peanuts, coconut, sesame seeds, tamarind, jaggery and spices.

In Sanskrit, panch means five and amrut means immortal nectar of Gods. The sweet panchamrut is usually eaten as prasad while the savoury one is prepared on festive occasions like Gudi Padwa, Ganpati Gauri, weddings, etc. Because of the ingredients, this dish is packed with minerals, healthy fats and vitamins.

Sol Kadhi

Made from the extract of the Kokum fruit or kokum agal, sol kadhi is a creamy, pinkish-white drink usually made during the summer and served when guests enter home after bearing the summer sun. To prepare sol kadi, coconut milk is added to the kokum agal along with green chillies, tender coriander stalks, salt (garlic is optional). It acts as a good digestive, helps cure acidity and cools down the body when you have eaten spicy food. It also rich in nutrients and antioxidants.

Koshimbir

Similar to salads, koshimbir is a side dish that is prepared just before serving a meal in order to retain the freshness and crunch of the vegetables. While there are many types of koshimbir, the most common one is the khamang kakdi that is made using grated cucumber, chillies, mint, coriander, peanuts, curd and a squeeze of lemon juice, sprinkled with salt.

Other koshimbir varieties include carrot, tomato, pumpkin, potato, sponge gourd, beetroot, radish and cabbage. Foods like the tender stem of the banana and colocasia leaves, radish leaves, guava and pumpkin flowers are used.

Inputs from Siddhart Purohit, founder, Aazol and Aparna Karandikar, home chef and food blogger