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MAHARASHTRAIN FOODS

Maharashtrian or Marathi cuisine is the cuisine of the Marathi people from the Indian state of Maharashtra. It has distinctive attributes, while sharing much with other Indian cuisines. Traditionally, Maharashtrians have considered their food to be more austere than others. Maharashtrian cuisine includes mild and spicy dishes. Wheat, rice, jowar, bajri, vegetables, lentils and fruit are dietary staples. Peanuts and cashews are often served with vegetables. Meat was traditionally used sparsely or only by the well off until recently, because of economic conditions and culture. The urban population in metropolitan cities of the state has been influenced by cuisine from other parts of India and abroad. For example, the South Indian dishes idli and dosa, as well as Chinese and Western dishes such as pizza, are quite popular in home cooking, and in restaurants. Distinctly Maharashtrian dishes include ukdiche modak, aluchi patal bhaji, Kande pohe and Thalipeeth. A number of dishes are made for religious occasions, dinner parties or as restaurant items or street food.


Some vegetarian dishes include Puran Poli is a dish in which a sweet bread called Puran poli is eaten with Saar , Bhaat,Kuradai-papad,bhaji etc.
A Thali from Kolhapur, Maharashtra with red (tambda rassa) and white (pandhara rass) gravies to be served with meat Meat dishes are prepared in a variety of ways:
1)Taambda rassa is a hot spicy curry with red gravy from Kolhapur.
2)Pandhara rassa is also a goat curry from Kolhapur with white coconut-milk-based gravy.
3)Popati (?????) � A chicken dish with eggs and val papdi from the Raigad district of the coastal region.
4)Malvani chicken
5)Kombdi vade � A recipe from Konkan region. 6)Deep-fried flatbread made from spicy rice and urid flour served with chicken curry, more specifically with Malvani chicken curry.

Seafood is a staple for many communities that hail from the Konkan region. Popular dishes include:
1)Fried Bombay duck
2)Prawn pullao rice
3)Stuffed crabs
4)Crab masala
5)Malvani fish curries
6)Kolambi masala
7)Stuffed pomfret
8)Bombay duck fry
9)Prawns fry
10)Bangada curry
11)[Indian salmon|Dry Rawas]](Rawasche sukhe) 12)Fried surmai Various vegetable curries or gravies are eaten with rice, usually at both lunch and dinner. Popular dishes include:
1)Amti � Lentil or bean curry, which is made mainly from toor dal or other lentils such as mung beans or chickpeas.In many instances, vegetables are added to the amti preparation. A popular amti recipe has pods of drumsticks added to the toor dal.
2)Kadhi � This type of "curry" is made from a combination of buttermilk yoghurt and chickpea flour (besan). In some recipes fried balls based on besan are added.
3)Solkadhi � This cold soup is prepared from coconut milk, garlic, cilantro, and kokam concoction, and is a specialty of the cuisine from the coastal region.
4)Saar � Thin broth-like soups
5)Amsulache saar � Made with kokam.

1)Chutney and preserves � Chutneys and preserves popular in the cuisine include those based on raw mango, mint, tamarind, cilantro, panchamrit, Garlic and mirachicha thecha.Dry chutneys include those based on oil seeds such as flax seed, peanut, sesame, coconut and karale. Chutney based on the skin of roasted vegetables such as bottle gourd is also popular. Most chutneys include green or red chili pepper for their heat. Garlic may also be added.
2)Metkut � A dry preparation based on a blend of dry roasted legumes and spices.
3)Lon'che (pickle) � Maharashtrian and Indian pickles in general are prepared using a base of salt, oil and spices.Vegetables and fruits commonly used for pickling in Maharashtrian cuisine include unripe mango, lemons, Aonla, green chillies and Bhokar.Less commonly garlic, ridge gourd etc. are also used.
4)Muramba ? Made with unripe mangoes, spices, and sugar.

In Maharashtra, the traditional offering (for a guest) used to be water and jaggery (Gulpani). This has been replaced by tea or coffee. These beverages are served with milk and sugar. Occasionally, along with tea leaves, the brew may include spices, freshly grated ginger and cardamom or lemon grass. Coffee is served with milk or ground nutmeg.
Other beverages include:
1)Kairi cha panha � A raw mango and jaggery-based drink which is popular during early summer, served cold. 2)Piyush � A shrikhand and buttermilk-based sweet preparation.
3)Kokum sarbat � kokum and sugar, served cold.
4)Solkadhi -prepared with kokum and coconut milk
5)Mattha � Spicy buttermilk, served cold.
6)Sugar cane juice � The juice is obtained by crushing peeled sugar cane in a mill. In Maharashtra in every town there are dozens of juice centers where freshly squeezed sugarcane juice is served.
7)Banana Shikran � This is consumed with chapatis or puri as part of a meal.
8)Masala doodh � Sweet and spicy milk.

Desserts are important part of festival and special occasions. Typical desserts include, flatbread called puran poli with stuffed lentil and jaggery mix, a preparation made from strained yogurt, sugar and spices called shrikhand, a sweet milk preparation made with evaporated milk called basundi, semolina and sugar based kheer and steamed dumplings stuffed with coconut and jaggery called modak. In some instances, the modak is deep-fried instead of steamed. Traditionally, these desserts were associated with a particular festival. For example, modak is prepared during the Ganpati Festival.
1)Puran Poli is one of the most popular sweet items in the Maharashtrian cuisine. It is a buttery flatbread stuffed with a mix made of jaggery (molasses or gur?), yellow gram (chana) dal, plain flour, cardamom powder and ghee. It is consumed at almost all festivals. Puran Poli is usually served with milk or a sweet-and-sour dal preparation called katachi amti. In rural areas it used to be served with a thin hot sugar syrup called gulawani.
2)Modak is a sweet dumpling that is steamed (ukdiche modak) or fried. Modak is prepared during the Ganesha Festival around August, when it is often given as an offering to Lord Ganesha, as it is reportedly his favorite sweet. The sweet filling is made up of fresh-grated coconut and jaggery, while the soft shell is made from rice flour, or wheat flour mixed with khava or maida flour. The dumpling can be fried or steamed. The steamed version called ukdiche modak is eaten hot with ghee.
3)Chirote is a combination of semolina and plain flour.
4)Anarsa is made from soaked powdered rice with jaggery or sugar. The traditional process for creating the anarsa batter takes three days.
5)Basundi is a sweetened dense milk dessert.
6)Aamras is a pulp or thick juice made from mangoes, with added sugar and milk.
7)Shrikhand is strained yogurt flavoured with sugar, saffron, cardamom and charoli nuts. Shrikhand is served with puri on auspicious occasions such as Gudhipadwa (Marathi new year).
8)Amrakhand is Shrikhand flavoured with mango, saffron, cardamom and charoli nuts.
9)Ladu are a popular snack traditionally prepared for Diwali. Ladus can be based on semolina, gram flour or bundi.
10)Pedha are round balls made from a mixture of khoa, sugar and saffron.
11)Amba barfi is made from mango pulp.
12)Gul Poli is a stuffed wheat-flatbread with gul(Jaggery) paste.
13)Amba poli or mango poli: Although called poli, it is not a flatbread but more like a pancake. It is made in summer by sun-drying thin spreads of reduced mango-pulp, possibly with sugar added, on flat plates. (Traditionally large leaves were used instead of plates.) It has no grain in it. Since it is sun-dried in harsh summer, it is durable and can be stored for several months.
14)Phanas poli (Jackfruit poli) is similar to Amba poli but made with jackfruit pulp instead of mango.
15)Ambavadi
16)Chikki is a sugar peanut or other nut preparation.
17)Narali paak is a sugar and coconut cake.
18)Dudhi halwa is a traditional dessert made with dudhi and milk.
Other sweets popular in Maharashtra and other regions of India include: Kheer, kaju katli, gulab jamun, jalebi, various kinds of barfi, and rasmalai.

In many metropolitan areas, including Mumbai and Pune, fast food is popular. The most-popular forms are bhaji, vada pav, misalpav and pav bhaji. More-traditional dishes are sabudana khichadi, pohe, upma, sheera and panipuri. Most Marathi fast food and snacks are lacto-vegetarian.
Some dishes, including sev bhaji, misal pav and patodi are regional dishes within Maharashtra.
1)Chivda is spiced flattened rice. It is also known as "Bombay mix" in the UK.
2)Pohe is a snack made from pounded rice. It is typically served with tea and is the most likely dish that a Maharashtrian will offer a guest. During arranged marriages, kanda pohe (literal translation, "pohe prepared with onion") is most likely the dish served when the two families meet. It is so common that sometimes arranged marriage itself is referred colloquially as kanda pohay. Other variants include batata pohe (where diced potatoes are used instead of onion shreds). Other variants recipes of pohe are dadpe pohe, a mixture of raw pohe with shredded fresh coconut, green chillies, ginger and lemon juice and kachche pohe, raw pohe with minimal embellishments of oil, red chili powder, salt and unsaut�ed onion shreds.
3)Upma, sanja or upeeth is similar to the South Indian upma. It is a thick porridge made from semolina perked up with green chillies, onions and other spices.
4)Vada pav is a fast food dish consisting of a fried mashed potato dumpling (vada), eaten sandwiched in a wheat bread bun (pav).
This is the Indian version of a burger and is almost always accompanied with red chutney made from garlic and fried red and green chillies. Vada pav in its entirety is rarely made at home, mainly because home baking is not common.
5)Pav bhaji is a fast food dish consisting of a vegetable curry (Marathi: bhaji?) served with a soft bread roll (pav).
6)Misal Pav is a dish made from curried sprouted lentils, topped with batata bhaji, pohay, chivda, farsaan, raw chopped onions and tomato. It is sometimes eaten with yogurt. Usually, the misal is served with a wheat-bread bun.
7)Thalipeeth is a type of flatbread. It is usually spicy and eaten with curd. It is a popular traditional breakfast that is prepared using bhajani, a mixture of roasted lentils.
8)Sabudana Khichadi: Saut�ed sabudana (pearls of sago palm), a dish commonly eaten on religious fast days.
9)Khichdi is made of rice and dal with mustard seeds and onions to add flavor.
10)Varanfal is traditional Maharashtrian cuisine made up of pieces of dough cooked in the curry of Toor dal. Dal dhokli is a similar dish popular in Gujarat and Rajasthan.
11)Chana daliche dheerde is a savory crepe made with chana dal.
Like most Indian cuisines, Maharashtrian cuisine is laced with many fried savories, including:
12)Aluchi vadi is prepared from colocasia leaves rolled in chickpea flour, steamed and then pan fried.
13)Kothimbirichi vadi is made with cilantro leaves.
14)Suralichi vadi is a savory snack made from gram flour and yogurt. It consists of yellowish, tightly rolled bite-sized pieces with garnishing of coconut, coriander leaves and mustard.
15)Bhelpuri: Bhelpuri (Marathi ???) is a savoury snack, and is also a type of chaat. It is made of puffed rice, chopped vegetables such as tomatoes and onions and a tangy tamarind sauce. Bhelpuri is often associated with Mumbai beaches, such as Girguam or Juhu. Bhelpuri is thought to have originated within the cafes and street-food stalls of Mumbai, and has spread across India where it was modified to suit local food availability. It is also said to be originated from Bhadang (????), a spicy puffed-rice dish from Western Maharashtra. Dry bhel is made from bhadang.
16)Sevpuri type of chaat. It originates from Mumbai. In Mumbai, sev puri is strongly associated with street food, but is also served at upscale locations. Supermarkets stock ready-to-eat packets of sev puri and similar snacks like bhelpuri.
17)Ragda pattice is a popular Mumbai fast food. This dish is usually served at restaurants that offer Indian fast food along with other dishes. It is a main item on menus of food stalls. This dish has two parts: ragda, a spicy stew based on dry peas and fried potato patties.
18)Dahipuri is a form of chaat and from Mumbai. It is served with mini puri shells that are more-popularly recognized from the dish pani puri. Dahi puri and pani puri chaats are often sold from the same vendor.
19)Sabudana vada is a deep-fried snack based on sabudana. It is often served with spicy green chutney and hot chai and is best eaten fresh.
In this way there innumerous dishes in maharashtra.