The Solapuri Meal - the real taste of Maharashtra



Palace turned Municipal Corporation

 I have been in Mumbai for more than 10 years and being a foodie always thought the Maharashtrians are known for these 3 dishes (in Veg, ofcourse) - Misal/Usal, Vada-Pav, Poha. And also Jhunka-Bhakhar which you dont sight that often in the city, well even in Nasik for eg, where I explored all possible eateries for the best Misal Pavs - One should not forget CIDCO and Panchwati area of Nasik to grab one of the best Misals, even better than the Kolhapurs.

 

But when I travelled deep within the state, got to explore some of the rich cuisines of Maharashtra like the Solapuri Meal consisting of (1) Jhunka-Bhakar (Grain bread and pulse gravy) (2) Pitla (Besan + Onion gravy) (3) Shengdana Rassa (Crished Peanuts in Spicy gravy)  and much much more and one should not forget asking for a speciality called (4) THECHCHA (Its a grated chilli-garlic paste/aachar) and Fried Garlic along with the food and (5) Sol Kadhi (Kokam buttermilk) as you finish. For Nov-Veggies there are various options available in Fish-Meat-Chicken.... my colleagues Milind, Sameer keep asking for whatever of the above in "Gaavran Style" which means "Village bred" and not factory bred.

So, if you travel towards Solapur, dont miss these delicacies. There are various restaurants and one may ask the localites for a lead, specifically mentioning "No High Ambience- Simple-Marathi Thaal compulsorily with Jhunka-Bhakhar" ...else you would be led to some city like wannabe places serving you Kashmiri Aloo Dums in Solapur...

Poha - Kachori of MP - Just amazing !

MP has always been unique in its food.... Different from the Punjabi or North indian Food you get in the North and much different than the North Indian food you get in Mumbai.... One Common background to the MP Food is the SPICE !!! One needs to carry a Mineral Water bottle along while relishing any MP Food.

Keep visiting MP for my Wildlife flicks at Bandhavgarh, Kanha etc, but when it comes to snacking for an MPite...one can not miss POHA & KACHORI at any MP Home or even Road side stalls. Its like the "STAPLE BREAKFAST/MINI LUNCH/SNACKS" for an MPite, like you get Vada-Pav or Misal in Maharashtra, Jaal-Muri-Poochka in Calcutta, Aloo Dum-Vada in Bhubaneshwar, Dahi-Bhalle or Chole-Samosas up North and Jalebi-Ganthiya in Gujarat !

While on my way from Ujjain to Bhopal, on a strong recommendation of my friend Rahul Gupta, we stopped by a Mini Road side Dhaba...were amazed to see the Heap of Sev (must be of 3 feet of height, as you can see in the picture) , a huge Kadai (pan) of Poha with lots of corriander on it and the man serves you on a piece (1/4th of a full page of a Hindi Newspaper, if you seem to be from the city ...looking at you, you might get a glossy paper leaf to hold your breakfast.) They sprinkle the Spicy Sev on top of it.

2nd item which I was asked not to miss was the KACHORIs....absolutely fab.... which ideally you get at most roadside food / tea stalls....                                                                                    

Poha-Kachori is a daily diet for the MPItes....rich or poor and one need to taste this to find the difference between the Maharashtrian Poha (Onions, Peanut & Cocunit based), Gujarati Poha (Sweet tasting sprinkled with what not- pomegranate, peas etc).



MP Store selling Dry Spicy Chakhnas



And MP is famous for "CHAKHNAs" (what do you call them in English?? Well, dry starters fried-non fried which could be had just like that and tastes better with alchohol than the cheese-cheery-pineapple). Walk into any Sweet-Meat (Sweet Shop) and you would find not 10, but minimum 50-60 varieties of Salted Chakhnas....and if you are the weaker soul, than you may need to precisely tell the person on the counter to give you "less spicy-less teekha" stuff..

Well, Rahul says.... Come with me to Indore and I will show you what you get to eat.... So does my friend Ashish Srivastava...who insists on a Road drive from Mumbai to Indore savouring the delicious food of MP right from the Highway to the towns !

The Real South Indian food in Mumbai

When you come from any part of India, especially the South or East, or lets say even North, you would sulk over the South Indian food in Mumbai at large*. The issue is the Gujarati touch of the city and the Manglorian lords who make your Sambhar and even the Dosa Batter too sweet ending up in a proper South Indian fiasco.

Though, there are a selecte’ few who stand out with their age old tradition and success of holding back the real taste of South India or Udipi in real.

Some of the bigger names in this area are BANANA LEAF (Versova, Juhu), Woodlands (Juhu, Got shut it seems), but the real South Indian Snackiterians know where to go for the real taste.

Where – Matunga is the HUB for South Indian snacks/ delicacies. This is between Dadar and Sion. There are various Udipis and Restaurants which serve you rich value food at a reasonable price.
What not to miss –

1. 
   
   One would have heard about MADRAS CAFÉ in Matunga. They are around 50 years old and serve real good variety of snacks. Highly professional people right from the owners to the staff. Dev is the young owner, the third generation restauranter who runs the show. I have already made him and offer of a Private Equity placement for expanding the business into a chain ! I did not know much besides Madras Café, since the owners were close friends of my MBA friend Nikso (Nikhil) and I happened to visit this place with him around 10 years back. A business colleague, Mr.J.K.Srinivasan, who is a passionate about this food told me about some amazing places in the same vicinity – MATUNGA which is the real hub of South Indian Snacks/Delicacies. A few not to be missed places are :
2. 
   
   AMBA BHAVAN (when you enter the road from the Highway towards station
3. 
   
   
   SARADA BHAVAN (this is opposite Ram Naik’s)
4. 
   
   RAMA NAIKS (On the Highway – they serve Idlis only and the Lodging Boarding one near the Matunga Railway Station serve Amazing Thali Meals
5. 
   
   RAMA NAIK Near Station - Lodging Boarding also known as Srikrishna Udipi
6. 
   
   MANIS – like Rama Naik, near the station serve you a Full Meal on the traditional Banana Leaf. Mani’s also serve you the meals and have a little more variety but Ram Naik has a better ambience and hygene. One gets Roti, Puri, 3 vegetables, Daal, Sambhar, Rice and Lots of ghee on it (optional;) and lots of papad, chaas (butter milk) and traditional sweets/dessert to choose from…UNLIMITED…all real taste oozing with simplicity.

These all are half a century old joints and many still maintain that feel (Amba Bhavan, Sarada Bhavan)

• Idli, Vada, Dosa, Pongal. (All places)
• Meals (Ram Naik, Mani’s Lunch Home, Ram Naik is a better ambience, but Mani better taste)
• Rasam Vada (Madras Café),
• Kadi Wada (Amba Bhavan), 
• Bisi Bele Bhat (Amba, Madras Cafe)
• Undendoo Dosa (Madras Cafe, Amba) 
  

  

  The Real Meal on the Banana Leaf @ Ram Naik

  
• Uttapams (Sarada Bhavan, Madras Cafe)
• Idli Podi (Madras Cafe)
• Idli (Ram Naik and Sharada Bhavan)
• Upma Podi (Madras Café)

Price Range - Rs 20-40 per plate for snacks and Rs 80-90 for Full Meals on Kela Leaves ie the traditional Banana Leaves.

USP – Real Taste and Quality. If you are the one who gives ambience more weightage over food, please excuse yourself from reading further down.



Rating : Food Quality (4/5), Ambience (2/5), Service (3/5) Overall - 4/5

Take off an evening from work or a Saturday/ Sunday morning to try your hands on the real South Indian snacks in Mumbai and if you like the fake South Indian stuff you may walk into your nearest restaurant !

Filter Kaafee



And yes, don’t forget the real filter coffee post your meal. While you walk out, you may buy some real south indian papad, banana chips, masalas post your meal and dont grab more than 2 paans !



*Pls Note that South Indian food is a generic term each state in South India like Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala etc have their own cuisines, tastes which are not even close by. This blogpost is covering South Indian snacks and the hub for it in Mumbai.





Chole Bhature in Mumbai - The Punjab Style

Miss the Delhi or North style Chole Bhature in Mumbai ? 

The shetty's screw it up badly (RKs, ShivSagars of the world) that the definition of Chole Bhature or Chole Kuclhas go for a toss for any Mumbaikar. My wife who is from Mumbai never knew the real taste of Chole Bhature till we tried the GULATI's

We explored this 40 year old 20X20 Outlet in Andheri E, which offers you Mainly 3 items - the North style

(1) Chole Bhature (2) Samosa/Chole (3) Jalebis.... thats it... Its better than being a jack of all trade and king of none. They do keep some sweets too.

Where - This is off the WE Highway towards Seepz in the area called Shere Punjab. Opp the Gurudwara.You may call on 02228227705 - A courtseous Sardarji who is the owner would guide you but some arrongant staff might hang up too !

What not to miss - Chole Bhature, Chole Samose, Jalebis and Chass/Lassi next door at Punjab & Sind

Price Range - Rs 40-50 per plate
USP : Taste, Simplicity
Other Good Competitiors - Only Parathas (Khar, too much ghee and calories), Cream Centre (Marine Lines), New Yorker (Marine Lines, Juhu), Bombay Blues (Juhu, Phoenix Mills), Gurukripa (Sion, OKish)

Where to avoid - Shetty restaurants like Shiv Sagar, Radha Krishna, Rama Krishnas of the world as they far understand what is Chole Bhatures.
Rating : Food Quality (4/5), Ambience (1/5), Service (3/5) Overall - 4/5

We often go there for a Sunday breakfast and relish the amazing yet simple North style Chole Bhature's - worth not a miss !