It's a fact! Malvanis can be vegetarians too

sawantwadi meals are synonymous with seafood, but a home chef and her mother are keen to introduce foodies to Malvans natural vegan and vegetarian traditions

When you are a child of cross-cultural love, you can exercise choice. Ruchi Soni laughs about Gujarati traits passing her by entirely, and Malvani traditions, which come from her mother Shobha, making a place in her heart. "I don't even speak the language," she says, referring to her father's Kutchi roots, "but Sawantwadi in Sindhudurg, where my mother hails from, has always been a draw for me."

Watching her maternal grandmother cook, strengthened her love for piquant food, and prodded her to dream of setting up a home kitchen business. That meant pulling the plug on her four-year-old marketing career. Part-time internships at BKC's Goan restaurant O Pedro, and Ballard Estate's The Clearing House, whetted her appetite before the lockdown had her realise it was perhaps time to start out on her own. Baraa Maa by Ruchi & Shobha, a food delivery kitchen service was born in June. While the Sonis deliver across the city, they have found loyal fans already in the suburb of Andheri. "A lot of Gujarati and North Indians living there are curious about Malvani cuisine. Though they end up ordering the usual chicken and seafood, I wish to popularise lesser-known vegetarian and vegan eats among them," Ruchi says, adding that Malvanis are big on seasonal foods. Her grandmother, she says, won't eat surmai in this weather. The monsoon is perfect to enjoy bombil or Bombay duck which is available in abundance during this time. From the seasonal vegetarian fare, she discusses the Rishi Panchami chi bhaji, which is usually included on the menu a day after Ganesh Chaturthi. "This vegetable is made using seasonal finds which are foraged. That day the bullocks are given a day of rest and not used for farming. It's cooked simply, and is low on spices, similar to something rishis or mendicants would eat," she explains.

Banana kaap

Ingredients
1 raw banana
2 tsp rawa
Pinch of haldi
1/4 tbsp red chilli powder
1/4 tbsp jeera powder
1/4 tbsp coriander powder
1/4 tbsp besan
Salt to taste
Oil to shallow fry
Pinch of chaat masala

Method
Mix all the above ingredients except the oil in a bowl. Cut the banana into 1/2 cm thick slices. Pour some oil over the pan. Dip the banana slice in the rawa mix, let the banana be completely coated by the rava. Place all the banana pieces on the pan. Let them turn golden brown from both sides. Serve after sprinkling chaat masala.

Red rice, fish curry, banana kaap

Malvani vegan

Because most of their dishes don't make use of dairy, peanut oil, coconut milk and oil, they work well for those following a vegan diet

To order @baraamabyruchi, Instagram Call: 9158122242 (a day prior)

Tikhat dal

Ingredients
1/4 cup toor dal
2 tbsp moong dal
5 cloves garlic
1/2 inch piece Ginger
1/4 cup coconut
1 medium-sized onion
4 tbsp peanut oil
3 Kokum
Curry leaves
1/4 tbsp hing
1/2 tbsp jeera
Pinch off haldi
1/4 tbsp rai
2 tbsp Malvani masala
Coriander to garnish
Water

Method
Pressure cook toor dal, moong dal and haldi and keep aside. In a vessel heat peanut oil. Add rai, jeera and hing. Add crushed garlic and fry a bit. Add fine chopped onions and fry till colour turns brown. Add curry leaves, coconut and finely chopped ginger and sauté well. Add Malvani masala and stir, Add the cooked dal, salt, kokum and water. Let it boil for a bit. Turn off the stove, add fresh coriander and serve.

The Taste Test

We tried red rice, pomfret curry and tikhat dal with alu wadi and banana kaap (golden plantains). Fish darnes cooked in a medium-spicy coconut gravy goes best with red rice. Alu wadi and crispy banana kaap prove to be the best sides accompanying the entrée. While this writer, who grew up savouring spicy Konkani food, thought the tikhat dal would suit her palette, the dish turned out to be mildly disappointing. The moong dal (split green lentil) was tasty but with a subdued taste and not tikhat (spicy).

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