From ajji’s karela chips to steaming modaks, festive food is more than prasad — it’s a celebration of love, legacy, and the joy of cooking together
File pic
For people across the globe, food defines a festival. It’s what gathers families around a table, carries traditions forward, and adds flavour to celebration. Every dish tells a story — of culture, memory, and belonging. This time of the year, when Lord Ganesh comes home, Mumbaikars’ rejoice in the fun, food and revelry rituals of visiting each other’s homes for aarti (prayers) every night.
At restaurateur Mitra Walke’s home in Malvan, they’d form a little group, go from house to house, and check what prasad was being served. “If it was something we loved, we’d happily stay. If it were something less tempting, like kadak bundi or salad, we’d make our exit,” laughs Walke.
Pic/iStock
Bringing Bappa home was the highlight of their year. The home would fill with the festive aroma of food, flowers, and devotion, and with people gathered, Like in most homes during festival, the cooking itself is an event. “My ajji, mami, and kakis would come together, each taking up their speciality, preparing food for 40–50 people. I still remember it so clearly, as every woman in our family had her signature dish. One mami would make the bhaji, another crafted those perfectly crisp karela chips, my mom would be stirring her famous kala vatana usal, and of course, everyone made modaks in different sizes and shapes, each one unique, just like they are. The whole house filled with the smell of vade frying, laughter, and a little chaos. It wasn’t just food, it was love served in different forms. Those moments shaped me — that kitchen, those people, they taught me that food is not just about taste, it’s about heart. I’d be in the kitchen cooking, serving, and soaking in all the energy and love. That aroma still lingers in my memory,” he adds.
Walke is bringing that memory to his restaurant, Nav Chaitanya in Andheri with a festive menu called Pangat (a traditional Marathi vegetarian sit-down feast served on a banana leaf, the name is derived from the Sanskrit Pankti, meaning a row of people dining together).
Mitra Walke
“Every dish on the menu carries the essence of those festive scents, the spirit of togetherness, and the beautiful, no-frills celebration we grew up with,” says Walke. Salt and lemon, always served first, opens the palate. Next, in quick succession, the Bharli Mirchi, Pickle, Red Chutney (tirphal chutney), Karela Bhajji, Koshimbir, Fryums, Kothimbir and Allu Vadi are served. The Kala Vatana Usal, paired with vade, is a hearty black pea curry rooted in everyday Malvani tradition. Next comes the Batata Bhaji, Pavta Bhaji Allu Patal Bhaji, Masale Bhaat, and Varan Bhaat, simple dal and rice that speaks of home and devotion and served with ghee and salt during Ganesh Chaturthi. Chibudache Shikran, Solkadhi, Soji (sheera) and of course, Modak — Lord Ganesha’s favourite sweet, steamed or fried — make for the perfect closure.
Ganpati Visarjan is always bittersweet. “Watching Bappa leave for the sea in 10 days brought a pang of sadness, but also the joy of waiting for next year. And for us, the celebration continued on for 17 days at my mama’s place, with even more grandeur, décor, and feasts.
Kala Vatana Usal; (right) Allu Patal Bhaji
Nav Chaitanya
Where: Andheri Link Road,
DN Nagar, Andheri West
WHEN: August 27, 11 am | 12.30 pm | 2 pm | 3.30 pm
PRICE: Rs 899. Takeaway boxes available with pre-booking
TO BOOK: 9324482100
Five dishes from the Pangat you must try this year
1. Karlyachi bhaji
This bitter dish, avoided most of the year, becomes a must-have during Ganpati. Walke’s ajji (grandma) would insist on taking one bite with varan-bhaat, and the bitterness would vanish. She called it medicine. Over time, we came to appreciate it.
2. Bharleli mirchi
A dried, stuffed chilli fried until crisp is a fiery favourite that adds excitement to a meal. Full of flavour, it adds a spicy yet mellow kick to varan-bhaat. It works with everything, even the Vade and Kala Vatanachi Usal that was a staple at Walkes’, especially when the bhajan mandal came over. “While pav was common elsewhere, at our home, naivedya was always vade. On the second and last day of Ganpati, we offered vade and kheer to Bappa’s vahana, the mouse,” he adds.
3. Tirphal Chutney
During Ganapati, Walke turns vegetarian but, he doesn’t miss seafood, thanks to the Tirphal Chutney. It is made with tirphal (Indian prickly ash) that has a numbing, citrus flavour like the Sichuan pepper and is a rare spice from the Konkan coast, The chutney ties the meal to its regional roots.“It is bold and tangy and the flavour comes so close to the base of a classic fish tikhla that it almost tricks the taste buds. It’s comforting, familiar, and fits perfectly into the festive thali.
4. Chibudache shikran
As a child, Walke preferred eating plain chilled chibud (musk melon) with sugar. “It was my version of dessert,” he says, adding, “but as I grew, I relished shikran too, especially as prasadam. The Chibudache Shikran is a no-cook dish that has diced melons mixed with milk (some prefer coconut milk), yoghurt, sugar and just a hint of cardamom powder, enough to lift the dessert.
5. Pavtyachi Bhaji
Walke remembers how, the night before making the Pavtyachi Bhaji, kids were given the task of peeling the soaked pavtas. A vine-grown bean, seasonally abundant, pavta is used in festive cooking as a celebration of what the land offers during this time. “While the others were outside bursting crackers, I’d happily sit with my mami, helping her in the kitchen. There was something so comforting about being part of the process,” he adds.
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
