9 Marathi foods that all Indians love

Maharashtra has many gifts. One of them is justifiably the food. We bring you nine dishes that not just Maharashtrians, but the whole of India is in love with. Take a bite.

1. Misal Pav

The street food that goes right at the top of my list of healthy breakfast options. It’s got taste, it’s got nutrition, and it’s got tradition.

Your Marathi food bucketlist is incomplete without this spicy and thin sprouts curry, topped with sev, and onion and served with fresh white bread. Each time you dunk your bread in the curry, your tastebuds are going to thank you for it. And it always comes with bottomless heady concoction to make your curry thinner. And if it doesn’t, it’s not authentic.

2. Vadapav

This delicious spicy street food is Maharashra’s answer to the omnipresent burger. You aren’t a true Marathi Manus if you don’t occasionally crave for the spicy potato vadas deep fried in a thin batter, and served in fresh soft pav generously smeared with green or red chutney, and served with the hottest and saltiest fried green chilies. What can I say…vadapav and chilies is a match made in heaven.

It’s tasty AND affordable.

Don’t be surprised if you are in Mumbai and happen to catch a Bollywood star gobbling these down like there was no tomorrow.

That’s how good they are!

3. Thalipeeth

If you have tasted theplas and missi rotis before, you are not a stranger to this taste. Thalipeeth is a golden mean between these two. It’s a mixed flour dough with onions and spices flattened onto a tawa and roasted into a crispy, delicious submission. A big blob of butter, and spicy buttermilk, and you have yourself a tasty, simple and nutritious meal that seems right out of a maternal kitchen.

You can get as adventurous as you like by adding any vegetable you like and adding up your nutrition points.

4. Sabudana Vada

This is probably what Marathi mothers welcome their children back home with. These crispy, chewy, and flavorful vadas made with sago and generous amounts of crushed peanuts can actually drive you into a state of culinary nirvana. It’s one dish that is worth being fat for.

Not a big fan of fried food? Go for sabudana khichdi instead. It’s made with the same ingredients and is another popular food eaten on fasts. And you thought fasting was boring!

5. Suralicha Vadya

This delicate, melt in your mouth savory isn’t as popular as its other Maharashtrian brothers. But if you taste it once, you’ll want to keep coming back.

It’s a delicacy made with steamed gram flour spread on the kitchen top while still hot, topped with coconut, coriander, and tadka, and then rolled into glistening yellow mini rolls that end up looking too pretty to be true.

And you thought only the French amuse bouche was amusing?!

6. Varan Bhaat

This quintessential Marathi staple is what we Maharashtrians call soul food. Varan bhaat is to Maharashtrians what Rajma Chawal is to the Punjabis. It spells homely warmth, fuzzy comfort, and mother’s love.

A simple dal spiced merely with heeng and salt, served on steaming bed of rice with a dollop of homemade ghee, a big dash of lime, and ajji’s (granny’s) trademark lime pickle on the side. You think of this, and life is worth living again.

7. Kande Pohe

Kande pohe is probably the first thing your mom made for your dad when he went to see her, and that itself sealed the deal. Kande Pohe till date remains the most popular dish served while marriages are arranged and when the prospective brides and grooms meet one another for the first time.

If you have the typical Maharashtrian kande pohe once, you’ll not want to have it any other way again. As simple as it seems, getting the perfect balance of taste and moistness is no easy task.

Your student life is incomplete without having visited the pohewallah at the railway station of your town at 4:00 am in the morning, after pulling an” all-nighter” right before the exams.

8. Modak

How can we forget to add at least one sweet to the repository? These cute-looking sweets are Ganapati’s favourite for a reason. They are luscious, plump, soft, and delicious. Made with steamed rice flour, and filled with a heavenly mixture of jaggery, fresh coconut, and generous amount of cardamom till you get a sticky aromatic mass, that makes you forget words like diet, and exercise.

Slightly complicated to make, you need to be skillful in your handiwork. But once you nail it, you have something to brag about for the rest of your life.

No Ganesh Chaturthi in a Marathi household is complete without this sweet served hot with ghee on top, which melts instantly and you are lost in a decadence of taste and aromas.

9. Kolhapuri Mutton Rassa

We wouldn’t want the carnivore in you to feel left out, so here’s our non-vegetarian pick. Kolhapuri Mutton Rassa is a thick, spicy and delicious curry made with the typical Kolhapuri Kanda Masala. It’s a spice-enriched gravy of coconut, onions, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, lovingly roasted and ground into a smooth frenzy.

This curry is so addictive that Kolhapur sees food-lovers travel 5-6 hours just for a single meal. It’s generally served as thick gravy accompanied by a thinner version of the red curry, and a white curry, which is to die for. It’s a delicious stock spiced with pepper and whole spices.

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