Culinary finds from the Konkan for millennials

In 2008 Nayan Khadapkar took a trip to Vengurla in Sindhudurg to sell a family home and buy a piece of land It was to be a quick trip but she ended up staying for a few months The connect she experienced with the women of her ancestral village wouldnt let her leaveThey were eager to learn and seeing the poverty they were battling I wanted to empower them with a skill says 67yearold Nayan who has been a political and social activist all her life even serving jail time before the Emergency in 1974Nayan taught the women to make chips out of jackfruit available in abundance and until then used to feed animals or as compost When it was time to return to Mumbai she identified a group with entrepreneur skills and encouraged them to send her products so she could find a market for them in MumbaiKhalbatta Mortar Pestle For making chutney curry paste Made by the Vadar community of AlibaugThis is how Kokan Bazar was set up within Shiv Sena Bhavan at Shivaji Park Dadar It started with six products sourced from women along the Konkan belt Today Nayan speaks proudly of a range of over 50 products that see loyal customers visit her from as far as Vashi and ThaneNayan is now ready to let her son Sanjay and daughterinlaw Devika take over The couple are keen to expand the familys passion project to newer consumers and in the bargain revive heirloom recipes for the next generation This through a YouTube channel that features a confident Nayan executing recipes for Malvani prawn curry kolambi bhat and kombdi vade They have also launched an Instagram handle to take the story to the Maharashtrian youth It took us three years to convince mom to let us make this a more profitable business without losing the essence of what she achieved over 19 years Sanjay 35 saysJata Hand Mill To grind grains Next week the store will sport a new look and fresh packaging for its products The flours we sell are all slow ground on a much lower RPM than the industry benchmark to retain the nutrition and taste of grains he shares The rest of the product range includes handpounded spices curry mixes and red rice grain and poha ragi pasta chia seeds from the North East sorghum flakes from the Western Ghats cashew and dried fish from Vengurla organic jaggery from Aatara They also have an interesting line of kitchen wear including betel leaf plates and cutlery from Alibaug castiron cookware from Sindhudurg and wooden toys from SawantwadiNayan decided to set up a workshop in Lonavala where all the flours and spices are ground We decided wed grind our own spices and grains sourced from the Konkan to retain top quality I was worried about losing this legacy and wondered how it would carry on the after me I am glad the kids are with me on this one Nayan saysCast iron appe makers Preseasoned sourced from SindhudurgWhen Sanjay and Devika decided to analyse why the business was not profitable they realised that procurement cost for most products was higher than other commodity brands I asked mom why our papads were expensive They are hand rolled and made without machine cutting Thats when I realised that we are a niche segment a lifestyle product platform not a commodity platform Sanjay explainsThey realised that raising the price by 30 per cent would need justification We have to tell the story of how the grains are cleaned prewashed in the sun dried and roasted or slow ground says Devika clear that their products are for those who wish to make a change in lifestyle through food but dont wish to pay a huge premium for it She says We are keen that customers go back to their roots eat the way their grandparents didCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates