THE TASTE OF Malvani Cuisine

As a business traveller visiting India, one would undoubtedly spend a few days in Mumbai and get acquainted with the street food delicacies vada pav, pav bhaaji, and dabeli. The lip smacking food comes from the picturesque Konkan area alongside the coast of Maharashtra up to Devbaag, and is commonly referred to as the Malvani cuisine. Malvan, an unassuming town in the Sindhudurg region birthed some food gems, such as kombi vade-chicken curry, bombil fry (Sachin Tendulkar’s choice of fish!), mori masala (baby shark gravy), and kaju chi aamti (a spiced curry with cashews, downed with solkadhi—a drink made from kokum and coconut). The region’s cakes and pancakes— dhondas, ghavan, and khaprole are equally sumptuous. Almost 16 dry spices go through various steps of roasting and grinding to create the zesty Malvani masala. The cuisine is an honest mélange of food flavours of Maharashtra, Goa, and north Karnataka, imbibing characteristic tastes, a tone of seafood, and deep reverence to coconut.