Understanding the flavors of Western India

India, the land of diverse flavors is packed with inspiration every step of the way! From the food enthusiast or “foodie” to the food entrepreneur to chefs from around the world, everyone has found something to write home about. Indian food, like Bollywood movies, is loved by one and all!

Speaking of Bollywood, Mumbai, and the Western Indian state called Maharashtra, let’s head to the Western region of India and discuss the flavor profiles of foods that form the backbone of this regional cuisine. As discussed in my earlier article on the topic of regional flavor tool kit, Indian food changes every few miles and then within that varies by religious and cultural influences in the region- compound this with the seasons and the availability of ingredients and you already have a jumbled web of possibilities. Arising from this chaotic web of possibilities are the skilled hands of the many home cooks, mothers, grandmothers and even street food vendors (who are often men) with years of experience and no written recipes.

The famous street food “Mumbai Vada Pav” a seasoned, spiced mashed potato ball dipped in chickpea flour batter and deep fried then served inside a freshly baked  “Pav” sprinkled with a dry garlic and chillies chutney bears its origins to quick bites created for cotton mill workers-its popularity surpasses many street food staples around the world and enjoyed by people of all ages and income brackets.

Geographically speaking the states that comprise Western India are Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa Daman and Diu. I also like to include the desert land of Rajasthan as a Western regional reference even though some geography nerds will include this royal state in the Northern belt of India.

The soil in Maharashtra and some parts of Gujarat is often a black soil which is a lava soil, primarily in the Deccan plateau of the region. This soil is great for wheat, sugarcane, wheat, rice, citrus fruits, linseed, mangoes, peanuts and cotton. Maharashtra and Gujarat have also been well connected through ports of entry and trade so their trade has flourished. Rajasthan is an arid and semi arid desert with sandy, alkaline soil that has low water holding capacity- rainfall is scarce and the fluctuating extreme temperatures are the norm.

The arid climate of Gujarat and the dry desert winds of Rajasthan require food to have excessive amounts of ghee, sauces/curries often consist of yogurt bases like gattay ki sabzi(chickpea gnocchi), gavarfali sabzi (flat beans), raaboli (buttermilk and cornmeal pasta) and even safed maas(mutton in a white gravy). Considering the fact that the growing season is very short and desert lands are infertile, a lot of lentils and grains are grown and stored in the season so that they can be used all year around to make various dishes. Rajasthan and Gujarat are also known for their lentil crisps or “paapad” and their savory snacks made with chickpea flour collectively called “farsaan” which have great shelf life and can add more variety to any simple meal.

In this category of condiments and meal enhancers we cannot overlook the importance of “achaar” which is the tradition of homemade preserved/fermented pickles, often made with green mangoes, lime, garlic, green chilies and even vegetables like carrot and garlic pickles. These pickles are preserved and eaten over the course of the year when the fresh vegetables are not available-they are our very own prebiotic with every meal.

Admiring the variety in techniques of making items with chickpea flour alone, Gujarati cuisine takes the cake in being able to cook up some of the most amazing dishes with chickpea flour! It fascinates me that  “kadi” (a yogurt and chickpea curry tempered with mustard seeds and asafetida) and “khaman” ( a steamed savory spongy cake ) and “boondi” (sweet sticky deep fried chickpea balls in syrup) all use the same basic ingredient- chickpea flour! If anyone were to study vegetarian and vegan cooling, the states of Rajasthan and Gujarat can offer a crash course and teach them everything just by virtue of the techniques and varieties of plant based dishes that are prepared in everyday life in these two states.

Coming to the region of Goa, flanked by the coastal line of the Arabian Sea and a rich marine ecosystem, it is no surprise that seafood forms a big part of their cuisine. The Portuguese colonized Goa and left their impression on this region with over 450 years of occupancy.  The food, the architecture, the way of life, even some ingredients were introduced to Goa by the Portuguese when they came in 1510.  This is what makes Goan food very unique from the rest of India – dishes like Crab Xacuti (a spicy coconut sauce crab),  Pork Cafreal (a green chilli and cilantro sauce with vinegar etc) ,  Vindaloo (a sauce with red chillies, garlic and vinegar)and breads like Pao (little fresh bread sliders) and Sannas(steamed rice cake with coconut n yeast)  form the backbone of Goan food.  A local liquor of cashew feni, made with fermented cashew apple juice is very popular amongst locals and tourists alike. Another important ingredient used widely in Goa as compared to other parts of India is popularity of pork as a meat over mutton or lamb- an obvious influence from the Portuguese it is a mainstay dish in many local and international Goan restaurants.

The flavor tool kit in the Western region consists primarily of the following:

Curry leaves

Tamarind/Kokum

Peanuts

Sesame seeds

Variety of dried chillies

Coconut and coconut milk

Cashew nuts

Raisins

Ghee

Even though the diversity of India’s regional cuisine cannot be captured in a few paragraphs, I have tried to address it by breaking it into sections based on regions and discussing the flavors in those regions.

Do check out my article on flavors of North India along the same lines in a previous post.

Talking about all these delicious flavors made me really hungry so now I’m going to go and dig through my pantry and refrigerator to see what I can make that combines all the delicious flavors from the list above!