“If I had to describe Kolhapuri cuisine, I would call it masaledaar (full of masala), rustic, and robust,” said author, content creator, and Kolhapuri home chef, Smita Deo, in an exclusive conversation with Outlook Traveller Eats. With her roots in Aversa, Karnataka, it was only after marriage that Deo was introduced to the Kolhapuri cuisine by her mother-in-law.
“I fell in love with the cuisine because of how my mother-in-law described the dishes and narrated the stories around them,” said Deo. Along with enjoying a social-media community of over 2.5 lakh followers, Deo is the author of an anthology and cookbook called Karwar to Kolhapur via Mumbai (published in 2016).
Talking about the history of the cuisine, Deo mentioned how princesses who got married in Kolhapur brought dishes, ingredients, and cooking methods from their respective hometowns. “Like Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj’s wife, Lakshmibai, belonged to Baroda, and she might have brought the culinary practices from her native city,” Deo added.
She also mentioned how the Kolhapuri cuisine revolves around the region’s excellent quality mutton. “The goats in Kolhapur graze on grass that grows on the rich Kolhapur soil, and this gives us the mutton central to our cuisine,” said Deo.
Another ingredient that dominates the cuisine is the kaanda-lahsun masala (onion-garlic powder). It is prepared using 30-35 whole spices, fried onions, coriander, garlic, ginger, and dried coconut. “Some ingredients used in the jhatpat (quick to use) masala are fried, to remove the moisture from them and thus increase the mixture’s shelf life,” said Deo.
The masala is prepared in a large batch for the entire year and becomes a star ingredient in many preparations of the Kolhapuri cuisine. Some of the most loved dishes from the cuisine include sukha mutton ( a dry mutton preparation), tamda rassa (red-coloured mutton curry), pandhra rassa (white coloured coconut gravy/curry), Kolhapuri missal pav (traditionally prepared with peti pav), and bharli vangi (stuffed brinjal).
One dish called kheemyache gole is mutton mince balls that are usually served with pandhra rassa. It is a dish that is a regular in Kolhapuri households, and the standout ingredients include the coconut milk and kanda-lahsun masala.
Deo recommended that while frying the meatballs, one should be careful about keeping a low to medium flame to ensure that the kheema balls are well-cooked from the inside and don’t burn from the outside.
She also mentioned that instead of ready-made coconut milk, one should prepare it at home to strike the most flavourful pandhra rassa. Use Deo’s recipe to prepare kheemyache gole with pandhra rassa.
