Maharashtra is one of India's largest states and can be divided into many
regions. But for those of us living on the coast, it has always been coastal
Maharashtra and the hinterland. More so for me, coz the family belongs to Goa,
and parts of Konkan, like the Sindhudurg district are almost like home - owing
to geographical proximity and cultural similarities. Cross over the Western
Ghats however, and it becomes a little different. The language loses its
familiar nasal tone, there are fewer palm trees and the landscape becomes more
arid. All in all, it feels less like home.
Having said that, a lot of places in Maharashtra's hinterland hold a significant place in its history, and are of great interest from a cultural and touristic viewpoint. Ranking very high on that list is Kolhapur. The ancient Mahalaxmi temple and its status as an erstwhile princely state make it historically significant, while its contributions to Indian classical music and Marathi theatre point to a remarkable cultural heritage. It is also home to - most importantly - a delectable regional cuisine.
So when a colleague came up with the idea of driving to Kolhapur (his hometown) over a long weekend, it didn't take much convincing. The fact that he had a house in a quaint village on the outskirts of the city was an added incentive. Many office hours were spent online (obviously), trying to find Kolhapur's best food offerings, before the weekend finally arrived. After an eventful drive, with an unscheduled night halt at Pune, we finally arrived a little before noon on Saturday.
Kolhapur cuisine is best known for its mutton preparations, and after a quick visit to the famous Mahalaxmi temple, we set out looking for Kolhapur's best Mutton Thali. Always ask the locals when in doubt, and it was the owner of one of the many chappal shops outside the temple who suggested Padma Lodge. The place is in a crowded lane in the market area near the temple and looked quite promising till we got to the entrance only to be told that they were not serving mutton that day (a Puja had been organized at the restaurant). Luckily the owners were right there and told us they had another outlet next to their house a short distance away.
'The other Padma Lodge' was in a nicer, less crowded part of town, right next to the owners' palatial house. They serve a variety of mutton thalis and while the other carnivore in the group ordered the Mutton Masala Thali, I went for the interesting sounding Mutton Lonche Thali (Lonche - pickle in Marathi). Most meat preparations in Kolhapur are served with two broth-like sides which are synonymous with Kolhapur cuisine. These are the Pandhra Rassa - a white broth, and the Tambda Rassa - a red broth. Both are served in generous quantities in all the Thalis at Padma Lodge. The Pandhra Rassa is the broth from cooking the meat, which is then flavoured with pepper, while the Tambda Rassa is a chili-laden plain curry.
My 'Mutton Lonche Thali' as the name suggests had a dry mutton pickle and some chapattis with rice, the two awesome broths and rice with some sides. It lived up to all the hype and looked like this.
After what was a late lunch filled with meat and spice, it was time for some dessert. Apparently, Kolhapuris love their ice-cream and there is one parlor tucked away in a quiet corner of the city that regularly comes up with innovative flavors. Raj Mandir Ice-cream took some finding, but while we were getting there, we were told that their 'Red Guava' flavor was not to be missed. And it was the best food-related advice we got during our time in Kolhapur. While many Ice-cream houses in the big cities (Natural's in Bombay notably) pride themselves on creating new flavors using natural ingredients, this one item at Raj Mandir wins hands down. The very first bite and you feel something is messing with your system. Is it the ice-cream or a piece of the real fruit you're eating? They even season the ice-cream scoop with the salt and chili powder mix commonly eaten with guava. Maybe that does the trick!
The trip was short and we had to head back the next afternoon, given the long drive back. But not before trying another Kolhapur special - the Misal! Well, this is something popular all over Maharashtra. It's basically potato bhaji mixed with a pungent lentil curry topped with Farsan, chopped onions and coriander, served with a lemon wedge and bread. Every city and town (including Bombay) has a few joints that claim to serve the best Misal. That said, Kolhapur has a very strong claim on the 'Best Misal' title and it owes that to one legendary restaurant.
Phadtare Misal Centre looks pretty much like a large shack - and it is, with a lot of cramped seating and a huge queue outside. But, like I've said before, its places like these that most often serve the best food. Add to that the fact that the place is a landmark in itself. Almost everyone in Kolhapur can tell you where it is and it has been covered in multiple TV shows and travel/food articles in newspapers and magazines.
The popularity and cult like status has its flipside though, and a visit almost always involves a long waiting time. It wasn't any different when we landed up there and it took us about 45 minutes to get seated. The wait didn't end there though. The serving here happens in batches and our Misal took about 15 minutes to get to our plates. The wait, however, was well worth it!
Misal is one food item that tastes different at every place that serves it. There is no standard recipe and every restaurant and stall has its own. At Phadtare, the curry is thinner than usual and instead of Pav, it is served with a peculiar slice bread (the loaf is sliced at the shop itself). The curry is topped up regularly for free, while one has to pay for extra servings of potato, crisps and bread. The verdict - right up there with the best!
Apart from what we ate in Kolhapur, we also got a few eatables for back home, that are worth a mention.
Mithai - Kolhapur has a few notable local sweets and the best of the lot are the Kolhapuri Peda and the Gulkand Barfi.
Bhadang - This is an interesting snack made with spiced puffed rice and peanuts and is sold in packets in a lot of the shops. It is very popular among the locals and is eaten with chopped onions, tomatoes, coriander and a squeeze of lemon. Sounds a lot like Bhel, but it’s different.
And then there were some things we missed, given the short duration of the trip
Appe - This is a snack very similar to the Tamil Kuzhi Paniyaram and one can see stalls selling Appe all over Kolhapur.
Malwani Food - Malwani cuisine is originally from the Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra, which neighbors the Kolhapur district. Owing to this proximity, a lot of people from places like Sawantwadi and Kudal can be found living and working in Kolhapur. Naturally, their cuisine also makes its presence felt and you'll find a lot of good Malwani restaurants in the city.
Having said that, a lot of places in Maharashtra's hinterland hold a significant place in its history, and are of great interest from a cultural and touristic viewpoint. Ranking very high on that list is Kolhapur. The ancient Mahalaxmi temple and its status as an erstwhile princely state make it historically significant, while its contributions to Indian classical music and Marathi theatre point to a remarkable cultural heritage. It is also home to - most importantly - a delectable regional cuisine.
So when a colleague came up with the idea of driving to Kolhapur (his hometown) over a long weekend, it didn't take much convincing. The fact that he had a house in a quaint village on the outskirts of the city was an added incentive. Many office hours were spent online (obviously), trying to find Kolhapur's best food offerings, before the weekend finally arrived. After an eventful drive, with an unscheduled night halt at Pune, we finally arrived a little before noon on Saturday.
Kolhapur cuisine is best known for its mutton preparations, and after a quick visit to the famous Mahalaxmi temple, we set out looking for Kolhapur's best Mutton Thali. Always ask the locals when in doubt, and it was the owner of one of the many chappal shops outside the temple who suggested Padma Lodge. The place is in a crowded lane in the market area near the temple and looked quite promising till we got to the entrance only to be told that they were not serving mutton that day (a Puja had been organized at the restaurant). Luckily the owners were right there and told us they had another outlet next to their house a short distance away.
'The other Padma Lodge' was in a nicer, less crowded part of town, right next to the owners' palatial house. They serve a variety of mutton thalis and while the other carnivore in the group ordered the Mutton Masala Thali, I went for the interesting sounding Mutton Lonche Thali (Lonche - pickle in Marathi). Most meat preparations in Kolhapur are served with two broth-like sides which are synonymous with Kolhapur cuisine. These are the Pandhra Rassa - a white broth, and the Tambda Rassa - a red broth. Both are served in generous quantities in all the Thalis at Padma Lodge. The Pandhra Rassa is the broth from cooking the meat, which is then flavoured with pepper, while the Tambda Rassa is a chili-laden plain curry.
My 'Mutton Lonche Thali' as the name suggests had a dry mutton pickle and some chapattis with rice, the two awesome broths and rice with some sides. It lived up to all the hype and looked like this.
After what was a late lunch filled with meat and spice, it was time for some dessert. Apparently, Kolhapuris love their ice-cream and there is one parlor tucked away in a quiet corner of the city that regularly comes up with innovative flavors. Raj Mandir Ice-cream took some finding, but while we were getting there, we were told that their 'Red Guava' flavor was not to be missed. And it was the best food-related advice we got during our time in Kolhapur. While many Ice-cream houses in the big cities (Natural's in Bombay notably) pride themselves on creating new flavors using natural ingredients, this one item at Raj Mandir wins hands down. The very first bite and you feel something is messing with your system. Is it the ice-cream or a piece of the real fruit you're eating? They even season the ice-cream scoop with the salt and chili powder mix commonly eaten with guava. Maybe that does the trick!
The trip was short and we had to head back the next afternoon, given the long drive back. But not before trying another Kolhapur special - the Misal! Well, this is something popular all over Maharashtra. It's basically potato bhaji mixed with a pungent lentil curry topped with Farsan, chopped onions and coriander, served with a lemon wedge and bread. Every city and town (including Bombay) has a few joints that claim to serve the best Misal. That said, Kolhapur has a very strong claim on the 'Best Misal' title and it owes that to one legendary restaurant.
Phadtare Misal Centre looks pretty much like a large shack - and it is, with a lot of cramped seating and a huge queue outside. But, like I've said before, its places like these that most often serve the best food. Add to that the fact that the place is a landmark in itself. Almost everyone in Kolhapur can tell you where it is and it has been covered in multiple TV shows and travel/food articles in newspapers and magazines.
The popularity and cult like status has its flipside though, and a visit almost always involves a long waiting time. It wasn't any different when we landed up there and it took us about 45 minutes to get seated. The wait didn't end there though. The serving here happens in batches and our Misal took about 15 minutes to get to our plates. The wait, however, was well worth it!
Misal is one food item that tastes different at every place that serves it. There is no standard recipe and every restaurant and stall has its own. At Phadtare, the curry is thinner than usual and instead of Pav, it is served with a peculiar slice bread (the loaf is sliced at the shop itself). The curry is topped up regularly for free, while one has to pay for extra servings of potato, crisps and bread. The verdict - right up there with the best!
Apart from what we ate in Kolhapur, we also got a few eatables for back home, that are worth a mention.
Mithai - Kolhapur has a few notable local sweets and the best of the lot are the Kolhapuri Peda and the Gulkand Barfi.
Bhadang - This is an interesting snack made with spiced puffed rice and peanuts and is sold in packets in a lot of the shops. It is very popular among the locals and is eaten with chopped onions, tomatoes, coriander and a squeeze of lemon. Sounds a lot like Bhel, but it’s different.
And then there were some things we missed, given the short duration of the trip
Appe - This is a snack very similar to the Tamil Kuzhi Paniyaram and one can see stalls selling Appe all over Kolhapur.
Malwani Food - Malwani cuisine is originally from the Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra, which neighbors the Kolhapur district. Owing to this proximity, a lot of people from places like Sawantwadi and Kudal can be found living and working in Kolhapur. Naturally, their cuisine also makes its presence felt and you'll find a lot of good Malwani restaurants in the city.
Kolhapur may not have been on your radar as a place to visit, but I
sincerely hope this post changes that. Apart from the variety of food on offer,
it also has interesting medieval architecture, remnants of historic forts and
striking cleanliness that will put Indian metros to shame. Do visit!
