New pop-up in Chembur present a new face of Maharashtrian cuisine

Its a busy morning inside the sprawling open kitchen at Chemburs Pot Pourri with bloggerauthor Saee KoranneKhandekar helming the activity with help from executive chef Vinod Garde In the last 10 days she has been pretty much relegated to this section of the 175seater space The only time we see her stepping out is to answer a phone call or greet a guest The reason is a new culinary experiment that will see the restaurant known for dabbling in global cuisine present a new face of Maharashtrian food One that you might not identify by its appearance mdash we did not mdash but certainly by tasteChicken Bhujing is a street dish available inVirar Bhujing derived from the Marathi word bhujne is a process of roasting chicken with potatoes on charcoal and then mixing it with nylon poha and masalasCreating a new avatarStarting today Pot Pourri will roll out a new menu curated by Khandekar that will be available only till October 24 The objective is to showcase how traditional Maharashtrian recipes can be tweaked and made palatable to an evolving audience who might otherwise gawk at the idea of eating faraali misal or varan phala at a gourmet restaurant Having said that Khandekar is clear that food wont carry any deconstructivist baggage Portion sizes are hearty and there are no foam vapours and gasses to accompany itPathare Prabhu pot pie with tomato saarI had to mainly work on the way I approached certain traditional dishes says Khandekar who in 2016 authored Crumbs Bread Stories and Recipes for the Indian Kitchen that offered more than 40 recipes of Indian and international breads She adds For instance if I said thalipeeth with koshimbir people who are not familiar with the cuisine might say Oh this is just too experimental for me They might find it intimidating and rustic and not want to eat it at all In order to give the spiced Maharashtrian pancake a makeover Khandekar has created thalipeeth tostadas topped with a creamy guavabased yoghurt salad The dish prepared using bhajanee flour made from roasted grains legumes and spices has been fashioned to look like the Mexican tortilla with guacamole If you have tasted the Maharashtrian snack a powerhouse of nutrition the taste will hit home Its the yoghurt that helps balance the spiciness of the pancake making it a sumptuous bar snackFaraali misal is eaten while fasting Heres its served with a peanut dipKhandekar believes that although thalipeeth has for centuries been a multigrain offering the idea of bringing into the mainstream never took off due to its seemingly regional strappings Somewhere in the name of evolution we have drifted away from whats intrinsic to the culture Our cuisine which was earlier very millet and riceheavy has now moved to being wheat heavy Seasonal items like gourds barely make an appearance she addsModak icecrean with crispy vermicelli Baked coconut fudge karanji with vanilla icecreamGetting global recognitionFor any regional cuisine to reach the pedestal of a fine dine it needs to go through a rite of passage believes Rajendra Agnihotri executive chef at White Charcoal Fine Dine Empressa Hotel Andheri In terms of food the key lies in the attention to detail when it comes to ingredients and methods of preparation The ingredients need to be sourced from where it originates and the chefs need to be local who have specialised in the cuisine it has to be authentic to the T If youre making the classic kombdi rassa you would need gavthi chicken The one purchased from a supermarket wont have the same taste he says When it comes to Maharashtrian cuisine its the diversity that makes it complex In fact the vegetable Kolhapuri that you might have seen on almost every Indian restaurants menu doesnt exist in the region adds KhandekarSaee KoranneKhandekar with chef Vinod Garde PicsSayyed Sameer AbediThere is nothing called as Veg Kolhapuri If you go to Kolhapur there are so many different masalas Theres no onesizefits all masala Akshay Deshpande Sous Chef Indian specialty Conrad Pune who grew up eating Maharashtrian food at home admits that hes seen little of the food on the fine dine space It has been over eight years that I have taken up regional cooking professionally but I admit that the cuisine in its entirety is an extremely unexplored cuisine I think its because its extremely rustic and theres no standardisation so to speak he saysThe cuisine from Vidharbha the northeastern region of Maharashtra known for its extreme climates is famous for its extremely spicy flavours while Konkan is more mellow given all the coconut and kokum that goes into it According to Khanderkar who has extensively researched traditional Maharastrian cuisine what has made winners out of misal pav and puranpoli are the people who migrated from Western Maharashtra introducing it to Mumbai through khanavals They made a business out of it and thats why it is what it is she says But those dishes that did not transition to the mainland are yet to enjoy their moment in the sunBack to basicsThe unsophisticated appearance makes it a tricky business She for one had to battle one critic in her own home My husband was of the opinion that Maharashtrian food is not visually appetising she says But chefs are now channelling their energies into presentation The modernist element is consistent throughout Khandekars menu Take the Pathare Prabhu Pot Pie with tomato saar served in a shot glass The latter is a spicy tomato soup made with curry leaves and chillies Its eaten with rice in parts of Maharashtra and Karnataka Here the dish is a take on the shepherd pie The taste is unmistakably Pathare Prabhu courtesy the signature fragrant garam masala which gets its edge from the fennel seeds that are ground along with Bengal gram fenugreek whole wheat and black peppercorn All ingredients we are told have been sourced locallyAgnihotri feels the local and regional cuisines are slowly making their way into the mainstream And its a lot to do with the growing realisation of the food miles concept which is a way of expressing just how far the food we eat travels from the farm where it is first produced before it ends up on our tables Although the expression was first coined back in the 1990s it has entered public consciousness given the awareness of carbon footprint and environmental degradation You want to tap into indigenous resources Its to do with chefs who are going back to roots Theres a return to basics he saysThe winnersChicken Bhujing a signature street dish popular in the confines of Virar and Vasai Those living outside the parameters may have no clue The chicken is roasted along with potatoes and then fried and steamed with onion Its then mixed with nylon poha and a special masala mixOrange kharvas with dink crumb and kaakvi is a colostrum pudding served with fried edible gum fresh orange and sugarcane molassesVaran Phala Ravioli is their take on the Maharashtrian pasta It is made with whole wheat and stuffed with coriander and goda masala in a tuar dal sauceCatch 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