Maharashtrians showcase their tempting food on a thali, and their flavours shall never disappoint you. Maharashtrians are big-time foodies who take immense pride in their cultural diversity and put ingredients on a plate that perfectly complement each other. From snacks and crisps to sweet and sour pickles, you will find every food type and texture on a Maharashtrian thali.
Often the lip-smacking snacks like Vada-Pav, Pav-Bhaji, Misal Pav, Sabudana vadas, and Kanda Poha take all the limelight, when in fact, there is so much more to explore here.
A Maharashtrian thali will do justice to everything, from Maharashtrian sweets like Puran-Poli, Ukadiche Modak, Shrikhand, and Basundi to explosive chutneys, thechas (green or red chilli wet chutney), and lonchas (pickles).
Maharashtrians use a lot of peanuts, garlic, sesame seeds, chillies, tamarind, and curry leaves that add zest and spice to the meal. This cuisine comprises an array of super spicy to mild flavours. A typical Maharashtrian thali is incomplete without varan bhaat, a flat bread or poori, a koshimbir (salad), kurdai or papads, a chutney, a dry vegetable, a curried vegetable, loncha or pickle, chutney and some of the best Maharashtrian sweets.
Based on the occasion, these thalis are given a grand makeover with some specialties like Ukadiche modak (sweet coconut and jaggery dumpling) on Ganesh Chaturthi; Puranpoli (sweet lentil flatbread) on numerous festivals, including Holi and Akhasytritiya, tilgulache laddoo (sesame and jaggery Maharashtrian sweets), Gulachi poli (jagger roti), and other sesame seed goodies on Sankranti; Narali barfi ( coconut fudge) and Narali bhaat (a sweet coconut rice) on Raksha Bandhan, and Shrikhand (flavoured strained yoghurt Maharashtrian sweet) for Gudi Padva.
Don’t worry; we are here to break down these fancy names for you!
- Varan bhaat, in simple words, is dal rice. It is served with a substantial dollop of tup (ghee). Since other ingredients are incredibly distinct in their flavours, most people keep this simple. You can temper it on special occasions.
- Puran Poli is a whole wheat flatbread with sweet lentil filling. It is one of the best Maharashtrian sweets served with a generous amount of ghee, and no one can stop at one!
- Limbucha Loncha is a lemon pickle that is both spicy and sweet.
- Thecha or Hirvi Mirchicha Kharada is a fiery hot chutney made using garlic and green chilies to spruce up any meal. You can get a variety of thechas and dry chutneys online from Aazol foods. This authentic store also has excellent condiments, authentic Maharashtrian masalas, and irresistible Maharashtrian sweets.
- Kurdai is basically string papad that adds a crunchy and fun element to the thali. You can find this and a variety of papads at Aazol foods.
- Koshimbir is a salad; the most popular one is Kakadichi Koshimbir, or cucumber salad which is finely chopped cucumber coated in thick homemade curd. This is very refreshing and perfectly offsets the spice in the curries.
- Matar Usal is a curry vegetable that is made using fresh green peas. The base is made using coconut and spice and is slightly sweet, tangy, and spicy.
- Aamras is the quintessential summer Maharashtrian sweet. It is the pulp of a ripe mango that is pureed and flavoured with Cardamom and Saffron. This is best eaten with puri.
- Kothimbir Vadi is a popular and classic Maharashtrian fritter. This snack is made from chickpea flour, fresh coriander leaves, and spices.
- Masaale Bhat is a one-pot aromatic and spicy Maharashtrian rice preparation. It is wholesome and delicious with seasonal vegetables, spices, and rice.
- Matha is refreshing spiced buttermilk served along with the thali.
- Bharali Wangi is another typical vegetable curry dish that makes its way to the thali. This is a baby eggplant curry dish with a spicy filling of ginger, crushed peanuts, onions, garlic, coconut paste, and powdered spices.
Nothing beats the burst of flavours that a Maharashtrian thali brings to the table. The aromatic and flavourful ingredients make the entire platter very delicious and tempting.