MAHARASHTRA Chi MITHAI
Just as everyone here awaits the homecoming of Ganpati, the Maharashtra chi Mithai are a feast for our palates. Let me take you through a mouthwatering sweet journey of some of the unique traditional mithais of this state.
I will start with my all time favourite the Maharashtrian festive sweet Puran Poli. This traditional sweet is lavishly prepared during Ganesh Chaturthi, Diwali and Sankranti . The puran is a sweet lentil filling which is stuffed into a flatbread called Poli . Together the Puran Poli is always a delight to bite into with a generous helping of ghee.
Modak and Ganesh Chaturthi go hand in hand. Modak is a stuffed rice flour dumpling with a sweet filling of jaggery, khoya, nuts and coconut. The delightful Modak is a commonly known as kozhukattai in Tamil Nadu .
The popular gujiya of Bihar has a cousin in Maharashtra known as the Karanji. Gujiya has a stuffing of mawa with dry fruits whereas karanji is usually stuffed with desiccated coconut and dry fruits. The crescent-shaped, deep-fried Karanji is always a treat for sweet lovers.
The festival of Makar Sankranti in Maharashtra is inseparably linked with Tilache Ladoo or Til ke ladoo.
Did u know that on this day people generally greet with the words “ Til-Gud ghyaa, aani goad-goad bola” which means ‘accept this Til-Gud and speak sweet words’ . This delicacy is prepared with white Sesame seeds and jaggery which are also a rich source of Iron and considered very good for health as per Ayurvedic science.
Naralachi Vadi is a very easy and simple recipe. This is usually made for narali poornima or raksha bandhan . This common sweet is made of coconut , khoya , sugar and dry fruits. The creamy crunch of coconut and nuts makes it a unique mithai.
Gavhale Kheer is a traditional sweet which is rare these days as it requires major effort to make. Gavhale is handmade from scratch and then this delicious kheer is prepared and offered to goddess Gauri as naivedya on Ganpati.
Also known as khaja, Chirote is crispy, flaky, sugar-coated sweet that is prepared on special occasions. Found mainly in the city of Pune, these sweet treats are made with refined flour, deep fried and coated with cardamom-flavoured sugar syrup..
Just as in Gujarat , Shrikhand is popular in Maharashtra. The creamy delicacy is made of hung curd ,sugar , cardamom, nuts and saffron. In summers, aamkhand or mango-flavoured shrikhand also becomes a sought-after affair. People generally enjoy this sweet dish with hot hot puris.
Maharashtra chi mithais are a truly lip-smacking affair . Hope you also equally cherish this sweet glimpse of the vast variety of desserts here.
