MAST MEJWANI:Maharashtrian Food Fest

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 garlic,which was hotttttt!!! Wonder if the chilly was similar to Bhoot Jolokia!

The stall also had Amti made of various dals.

The Hurda Thalipeeth got a thumbs up from my friend Harshal who couldn't believe thalipeeth could be made in a healthy fashion.This exhibition was about local flavors.The cooks are from the very place their stalls are named after so authenticity is paramount.The food was being cooked there so it was hot and fresh.

The next stall had a snack made of gram flour and spices called Massvadi.It had been steamed and cut into pieces.

I tried some....gramflour doesn't suit me but I couldn't not try it.

The stall also had Misal Pao....a spicy concoction of sprouts,onions and gravy served with bread.

Seemed quite popular among the visitors.I was keeping space for the nonveg food.

The Konkan veg stall had steamed Modaks filled with coconut and jaggery..Ukadi che Modak,found in Mumbai at Ganpati festival time.

There were Ambolis or homemade dosas

and spicy red tender Cashew Curry,a speciality of Konkan.

The Pune veg stall had Puneri Misaal.I wish there were posters explaining the different cuisines.Maybe next time.

There were Bhakris and Usal...simple but tasty home fare.

Each stall had a menu outside to choose from with dishes I hadn't heard of,which made this exhibition exciting.

After the veg stalls we moved to the nonveg where I bought some Kolhapuri Chicken Curry.Mind you,it looked very spicy but wasn't, unlike hotel versions

Each stall had huge containers which I am sure must have been over in no time cos the food was so tasty.

The Konkan nonveg stall was all about fish...pomfrets,mackerel,prawns and surmai.I bought some for home.Also some of the Chicken Sukha,which had the chicken cut in minute pieces but was covered in a lovely spicy masala.The lady at the stall told me that the Govt arranged for their transport from various towns and villages and that they did not have to pay a rent for the stalls.She was from Kudal on the Mahrashtra Goa border and was going to Ludhiana next to show her cuisine.

We decided to have Sol Kadi there as it's Harshal's favorite.Besides it was the only veg thing at the stall that she could have :) I could have had a pint that day!

The next stall had Kombdi Wade....a thick multigrain puri served with spicy chicken

There were also stalls selling Masalas such as Turmeric

and pickles from Amravati made of Amla and Kavat

Then there was a stall that had fresh village produce....Poha and White Onions from Pen.I bought some moong and tuvar dal

There were other events with guests such as Sanjeev Kapoor and Anuradha Paudwal.There was a counter with recipe books and cds in Marathi.

All in all it was a fun event though I can't help wishing they had it for one more week, with English posters as well,so that people from other cultures too could understand and relish our wonderful Maharashtrian cuisine.