Gems of Malvani Cuisine.

The relatively undiscovered palm fringed beaches, along the west coast of India, are home to many a picturesque fishing villages. The ribbon-like coastal Konkan belt is a haven of coconut plantations and seafood. Quite predictably, this area has some of the best seafood recipes of India. One of them is the Malvani cuisine. In this blog we are going to take a look at the 6 gems of malvani cuisine.

Toi – Toi is a lentil preparation and is the Malvani version of dal. The flavours are really mild and bring out the taste of dal which is enhanced with dollops of toop (ghee). Thin and watery - much like a clear soup, toi is best eaten with boiled rice and a spicy accompaniment like a dried fish chutney, coconut chutney or a pickle.

Kombdi Vade – Kombdivade is the non-vegetarians’ answer to puri bhaji. These deep fried pooris have a slight crunchiness because of the mix of ragi and wheat flour. Perfect to mop up the spicy Malvani chicken curry – its standard accompaniment. Vegetarians can devour the vades with a kala vatanyachi ussal.

Fried Seafood– Fresh seafood is blessing to the people from the Malvan region. Mackerel, squids, pomfret, crabs, shellfish and prawns are all available in abundance. Marinated in a delicious masala (red or green), coated with rice flour and semolina and fried mostly in coconut oil, these fish recipes are classic Malvani. And there are few things better for a seafood lover than digging into perfectly cooked fried pieces of fish coated in a crisp flavorful covering. Make sure you add a good squeeze of lemon juice before you start devouring these lovelies.

Bombil Fry – Yes, we have mentioned fried fish earlier, but bombil fry definitely deserves hallmark status when we talk about Malvani cuisine. Bombil fish or Bombay duck is unique to this region and has really soft, mushy flesh which contrasts the crispy flour coating it is covered with, perfectly. This deep fried delicacy is light on the stomach and doesn’t stretch your pocket. Fried Bombay duck will definitely have you hooked on from the first bite itself. Special mention, you can have a clean plate while eating Bombay duck as the bones are deliciously soft!

Breads – Right from soft rice flour pancakes called amboli, to thin polis made with wheat flour and vades made with a mix of wheat and ragi flour - you are spoilt for choice in terms of breads in the Malvani cuisine. Easy to make and an absolute essential, these breads are perfect accompaniment to the spicy rassas, bharits and curries of the region.

Dhondhas – Like we mentioned earlier, food from the Malvan coast is different from elsewhere in the country, in terms of ingredients and cooking methods. Not everyone can come up with a delicious steamed sweet cake using cucumber and semolina. Dhondhas gets its wonderfully grainy texture because of the semolina and grated cucumber and sweetness with jaggery. You can also make a version of this almost forgotten in time recipe with jackfruit.

Malvani cuisine - the coastal flavour.

Malvan is a picturesque town situated in the valleys of Sindhudurg district in Maharashtra, India. And Malvani cuisine derives its name from this town’s local food. Malvan has the majestic Sahyadri Mountains looking down upon it on one side and the tempestuous Arabian Sea lapping its shores on the other side. This is why seafood and chicken take pride of place in any Malvani meal since both are available in abundance in this region.

The interesting thing about Malvani cuisine is that it’s an amalgamation of several cooking styles. Some food writers trace its roots to the early 16th century when fisher folk settled along the coastal belts of what is now Maharashtra, Goa, and parts of northern Karnataka.

Though the Maharashtrian variant of Malvani cuisine is heavily inclined towards meat, certain factions within it, like the Konkanastha Brahmin preparations, are entirely vegetarian and comparatively bland in nature.

CULINARY CONFLUENCE

Unsurprisingly, in its present avatar, the cuisine imbibes the vinegary pungency of Goan food, the liberal use of freshly grated coconut from the Karwar belt as well as the sweet-and-sour combination of the Saraswat Goud community. There are subtle differences in Malvani food cooked along with the entire western and southern belts of Maharashtra, Goa, and Karnataka. For instance, kokum imparts tanginess in the Maharashtrian cuisine while the southern towns prefer using tamarind for the same effect.

Condiments like Triphala, tamarind, kokum, red Konkan chilies, peppercorns, mace, cardamom, and coriander lend a fiery punch to the masalas that are fundamental to the cooking style. However, it is the technique of grinding these masalas with fresh coconut or coconut milk that gives this cuisine that edge and oomph.

Despite this varied lineage, Malvani fare has come into its own. What is ironic is that though every taste of dishes like the Shimpli Masala or crab masala might lead one to believe that the preparation is complex, it is actually quite simple in nature. Proteins like fish and chicken are often marinated in a simple marinade of salt, lime juice, garlic-garlic paste, red chili paste and turmeric; later coated in a mixture of rice flour and semolina before being deep or shallow fried.