Traditional dishes vanish from Marathi menu
Menus have changed across households in the state following the farmers’ strike. The only vegetables seen in the markets are now only potatoes, onions and chillies. Prices of chicken and meat have also skyrocketed and not many could afford to enjoy mutton curry or chicken fry every day.
Cloth store owner Meena Mahesh Avhad said earlier his family used to have at least two vegetable dishes on the table – one dry and the other a curry.
“Now, we are adjusting with different dal types. We go for aamti, the sour and pungent dal similar to sambhar. Since tomatoes are also unavailable, we use amsul or tamarind, which is common in Konkan but seldom used in other parts of the state,” he said.
In Khandesh, khichdi is a popular during dinner but in a different manner now, social worker Madhuri Deepak Bhadane said. “Nearly 90 per cent households in Khandesh have only khichdi as the last meal along with ‘thecha’ (chutney). In other parts of Maharashtra, khichdi is plain dal cooked with rice and seasoned with mustard, jeera and onion. But in Khandesh, the khichdi contains, dal, rice, potatoes, spices, garam masala and chilli, as the usual ingredients are not available,” she said.
During shortages, ‘vade’ is popular and many are opting for it, said masala mill owner Mandakini Sonawane. Vade is made from soaked chana or mung dal is ground, mixed with spices, chilli, coriander and dried as small balls. It is made into a curry. I prepare vadis or kurdai or usal (sprouted pulses) tiffin for my granddaughter Pallavi, she said.
Children are, however, fussy eaters, especially of vegetables, and given this shortage, we are hardly able to fulfil their demands, says beautician Sarika Sharad Jagtap.
“They like certain vegetables and hate others. Coriander is unavailable and a potato dish sans sprinkled ‘kothmir’ is not relished. “I try to make aloo dum or make boiled and diced potatoes sprinkled with chilli and chat masala. The problem is that children love it dry and not with chapatti or rice,” she said.