Chronicles Of The Sassy Fork

Get really excited about travelling to the Konkan.It's just a long single road that passes through villages and towns,lush green rice fields and peaceful rivers... and some mountains with breathtaking view.Went to Chiplun which is in the Ratnagiri district.One passes through the Raigad district which is named after the main fort of Shivaji.Today it is well known for its ropeways.Near the Raigad fort,is the  Suvarna Ganesh Temple at Diveagar.The gorgeous solid gold Ganesh bust was found in a field by a farmer ploughing the land.It was then placed in a temple till recently, when dacoits stole this magnificent masterpiece. Chiplun is on the banks of the Vashishti river.It has a whole lot of schools and is an industrial town.Close to Chiplun, lies the town of Dervan.Here is the temple which has "Maulas or soldiers of Shivaji guarding it.The temple here is known as Shri Samarth Gad and has a hall with stories about Shivaji's life on the walls.To enter the main t...

Went to the Atlantic Seafood Festival organized by the Canadian Consulate at the Taj Mahal Hotel,Mumbai.I have never been to Canada.I had a sense of the amazing fare at Canada thanks to my blogger friend Pree who posted pictures of the St Lawrence Market in Toronto.But I knew little of the East Coast.. .until yesterday.Atlantic Canada comprises of Nova Scotia,New Brunswick,Newfoundland,Labrador and Prince Edward Island.Imagine 40000 km of coastline with the pristine ocean,boats bobbing in the waves and fish jumping now and again out of the water...doesn't it sound like a dream? At centrestage was Chef Stefan Czapalay, a "culinary activist".Now that's a new term I've learnt and most happy to.I hope this concept catches on in our country.He is well known for promoting local and wild produce and cooking with minimal ingredients so that the flavors of the principal food remain the prime focus.This we all experienced.Subtle flavors and light styles of cook...

It was a telemarketing sms that informed me of the Mast Mejwani Mahrashtra Khadya Mahotsav....the one time I was pleased to receive one.Was held at Ravindra Natya Mandir at Prabhadevi organised by the Maharashtra Govt and the Pu La Deshpande Academy.Pu La Deshpande is an author well known for his books based on wit and humour.Wish someone would translate his books into English. The programme is from 22nd Feb 2012 till 28th Feb 2012.It has an exhibition on Vilas Karandikar's Bhatukli and stalls with veg and nonveg food....each in separate areas.Based on various culinary regions of Maharashtra, the stalls are called Pune,Amravati,Aurangabad,Kolhapur and Konkan. The highlight of the food stalls for me was the Hurdyachi Thalipeeth.Hurda is a type of gram that is picked from fields and cooked there and then.People attend Hurda parties in winter.This Thalipeeth was softer than those I had eaten and was cooked on tava and not fried.It was served with Theecha made of green chillies and g...