A glorious legacy

Modak, may be the immediate link that each of us has to Ganesha Chaturthi, a Satavahana-era royal ceremony that Lokmanya Tilak resurrected to foster community cohesion back in the day. Little did that famous nationalist know then that his attempt to bring the populace together by reinventing the ritual as a sarbajanik custom would result in an exceptional platform that would display our culinary heritage in all its glory. Ganesha Chaturthi became that ruse, says culinary expert Chef Amey Marathe, “for Maharashtrians to celebrate our food tradition, its finer nuances, techniques, and most importantly the indigenous ingredients, which were getting pushed into oblivion against the sudden imports of vilayati bhaji patronised by the colonial powers.” The effect incidentally was felt not just today but at the time when the 10-day festival was taking root as this carnival-like celebration.

According to seasoned chef Mandar Madav, “one gets to understand not just the genesis of food across different communities that formed the erstwhile Maratha kingdom, but the wisdom behind sustainable food practices that result in wellness.” Over the years, that coincidental ace has transformed Ganesha Chaturthi into one of the delicious living documentaries of the rich culinary tapestry of the Konkan belt. Consider the well-known usal as an example. “Lentils are often eaten raw throughout the year, but for the celebration that takes place after the monsoon, they are first sprouted before being cooked. Also noteworthy is the use of spice mixes and vegetables to give the dishes that relishable taste.”  

It is also the time, says culinary expert Chef Ananda Solomon of Bharat Excellensea, “when one can see dishes made of a variety of wildly grown, foraged leaves called Raan Chi Bhaji and the use of fresh, tender coconut in the dishes, and some outstanding lentils and greens paired delicacies like the Khat Khate among others, thus, paying ode to our long-standing tradition of foraging and eating seasonal and hyper-local food.”

Adds legacy chef Viveq Pawar of Roxie, who finds the festive spread, “a fascinating crash course into how classic food scores high on being local, intuitive, nutritive, planet-friendly and bold in flavours.”

The beauty of minimalism

Take for example Jowariche Ambil, says Chef Pawar, “On the face, it is a hearty porridge made of sorghum millet tempered with green chillies and cumin, but one spoon of this treat and you realise the sheer beauty of minimalism, texture and filling nature it has to offer. Another fine dish is the Ghavan Ghatla. Made on the second day of Gowri pooja, this pancake has two components: Ghavan, which is essentially a pancake made with rice flour and cow milk; and Ghatla a concoction of the first coconut milk extract, poppy seeds, jaggery and a little bit of rice flour for thickening. All flavoured with nutmeg, cardamom and saffron. Then of course, there is the Rushi Panchami Chi Bhaji, an erstwhile foraged dish, a medley of five kinds of vegetables that is usually prepared in Pathare Prabhu households on the second day of Ganesha Chaturthi. Also called Hatachi Bhaji, which means homegrown, it is one of the finest formats of farm-to-table dishes that can be made from vegetables in the backyard.”

An equally exciting dish on the same lines is Kelphulachi bhaji which is made from banana flowers, black watana and coconut, and Wadabhat from Nagpur, which is made by squashing small deep-fried dumplings into the rice and eaten with generous helpings of spiced hot oil added and tossed with it. What is so fascinating about the Ganesha Chaturthi feast, says Gaurav Herwadkar, executive sous chef, Conrad Pune, “is not only the hyper-local community dishes that are a part of the buffet but also the interesting way the same dish evolves as it moves miles. In our household, for instance, our Khat Khate has a generous use of root vegetables including squash, corn and sweet potatoes with the sweet-warm taste of Tirphal (Szechuan Pepper). Another interesting dish is Tandalache Vade, which are crisp puris made of rice and are sweet enough to be paired with any spicy curry or side including the Mooga Gathi and Neer Phansachya Phodi, which are fritters made of breadfruit, and resemble the Manglorean bun.”

The parallels

Not just the bun, even the phodi is a close kin of the Fodi and the patole is of the patoli we make during this time of the year celebrating the elephant god, says culinary alchemist Kshama Prabhu, a Manglorean who grew up in Maharashtra and has a ringside view of the coast to coast commonness of both the cuisines.

In fact, continues Chef Kshama, “for every dish made here we have one that is made in Karnataka with similar formats of tastemaking and liberal use of coconuts and leaves. So for the Alu Vadi and Patvadi here, there is the Alavati there that uses a filling of fresh corn, of course, there is the phodi (chips) made of kantola, suran and other yam varieties; appe for modak, and Gajabaje with Ambat in place of Hatachi Bhaji.”

Chef Pawar adds, “while the festival, like most in our country, follows the theme of being vegetarian with minimal use of onion and garlic, seafood is very much part of the feast table courtesy the Koli and Pathare Prabhu community. Two examples are the Prawn Patwad, a cousin of Alu Vadi, made with colocasia leaves, but with an addition of prawns and without the jaggery, steamed and then fried to a crisp goodness; and the Paplet Aambat, which is a special offering to Gowri by the Kolis, where the fish is wrapped in turmeric leaves and steamed.” Curiously, these dishes are just the tip of the iceberg of the culinary extravagance that the festival is, says Chef Solomon, “dig a little more and one realises how the food not only announces the arrival of the vighnaharta, but the start of another agrarian season of eating food that heals and satiates.”

(The author is a seasoned food columnist and curator of experiential dining experiences, pop-ups, and retreats for chefs.)