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Authentic Maharashtrian Flavours: A Taste of True Kolhapuri Cuisine

byEvery AromaHome workshops in Santacruz East & food tours across MumbaiStarts from₹2,200 per guestView full gallery

Forget the 'Veg Kolhapuri' you see in restaurants. This is the real deal—the food I grew up cooking with my Aai, defined by honest spice blends, seasonal ingredients, and generations of tradition.

The secret to the deep, smoky flavour in dishes like Chicken Kale Sukkha is charring the ingredients. Here, I'm roasting dry coconut, onion, and garlic directly on the flame before grinding them into a masala.

My essential building blocks of flavour. This prep station includes fiery Kharda (green chilli paste), ginger-garlic paste, Kolhapuri tikhat masala, and pure ghee.

The basics of so many of my mother's recipes. Freshly chopped garlic, ginger, coriander, and lentils form the 'vatan' or paste that is the base of many Maharashtrian curries.

Getting ready to make Bharlela Vanga (stuffed eggplant). My masala box is always by my side, holding all the essential spices for my Kolhapuri cooking.

This is my one-pot Safri Murg, a dish traditionally made by travellers. The chicken is marinated for hours and then cooked in its own juices until tender and flavourful.

A rich and aromatic Karhai Chicken, a royal recipe from Hyderabad that I love to recreate in my kitchen.

A winter special in my kitchen. This homestyle mutton curry is made with seasonal green garlic, which adds a fresh, pungent flavour that is absolutely heavenly.

I love experimenting with seasonal produce. Here, I've used purple yams (rataloo) and chicken mince to create crispy balls, which are then simmered in a zhanzhaneet Kolhapuri masala.

My Kothimbir Wadi (coriander fritters) are packed with flavour because I use a 70:30 ratio of fresh coriander to chickpea flour. You can really taste the herb.

Crispy cutlets frying to golden perfection. These are a perfect snack and a popular item on my festive menus.

About The Soul of My Jevan: Signature Maharashtrian Dishes

The secret to this food is not just the heat; it is the vatan—a hand-ground masala paste of charred coconut, fresh onion, and garlic. It is the backbone of every curry I make, providing a depth of flavour that generic spice powders simply cannot replicate. If you have been searching for that 'Ghar Ka Khana' (home-cooked food) feel in Mumbai, this is where it starts.

Authentic family recipes from my Aai's kitchen. — Approved by the tribe
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Every Aroma

Home workshops in Santacruz East & food tours across MumbaiStarts from ₹2,200 per guest

I am Reshma, and I am on a mission to prove that Maharashtrian cuisine is so much more than just a red gravy. I bring the recipes I learned from my Aai in Kolhapur to my home kitchen in Mumbai, sharing the joy of cooking from scratch with anyone who loves a good story and a great plate of food.

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