Ganeshotsav brings together the flavours of Maharashtra

In the wake of the COVID-19 situation, the Ganeshotsav celebrations, much like last year, will be muted this time, too. That doesn’t mean you can’t gorge on your favourite festive food though! While modaks are synonymous with the festival, there are several other lip-smacking sweets and savouries prepared in different regions of Maharashtra — Konkan, Paschim Maharashtra, Khandesh, Vidarbha and Marathwada — that you can gorge on.As we welcome Bappa today, Marathi celebs speak about the regional delicacies they are looking forward to feast on...
Vidarbhacha goda bhaat
Among many traditional Ganeshotsav dishes, actress Samidha Guru ensures that she makes Vidarbha’s special goda bhaat without fail every year. The actress, who is a proud Nagpurkar, says, “The besan goda is rolled with different spices and put on the rice. My grandmother used to explain to me that the dish signifies the coming together of different people. A tempering of hing and mustard seeds is poured over goda bhaat. I recently made this Varhadi dish on the sets of Shubhamangal Online and can’t wait to make it again during Ganeshotsav.”

Love for ukadiche modak and chhole-chapati
Pune boy Akshay Waghmare can’t imagine Ganeshotsav celebrations without chhole-chapati. “While the ukadiche modak definitely top my list of my favourite Ganeshotsav delicacies, the celebrations at home seem incomplete without chhole-chapati. It is made round the year, but the festivities add more taste to the already delicious dish,” says Akshay.

Alu wadi and naralachi wadi
Resham Tipnis has a long list of delicacies that she loves to indulge in during Ganeshotsav. She says, “Panchamrut and aluchi wadi (colocasia leaf and besan fritters) are my absolute favourites.”

Meanwhile, Kranti Redkar is a big fan of naralachi wadi, also known as chunkap. “As kids, we would savour chunkap for prasad whenever we used to visit our native village in Konkan for Ganesh Chaturthi. My aunt would make them and we would bring boxes full of it on our way back to Mumbai. This is one tradition that has not changed even today,” she shares.

Khaparavarchi puranpoli, a Khandeshi delicacy
For actress Pallavi Patil, who originally is from Jalgaon, Ganeshotsav is incomplete without Khandesh’s khaparavarchi puranpoli. She explains, “This version of puranpoli is made on an inverted earthen pot and resembles roomali rotis. In addition to this amazing dish, I also persuade my mother to make tandalachi kheer every year during Ganeshotsav.”

Patoda ladoos from Marathwada
In Ajinkya Raut’s household, besan ladoos, especially made in Patoda (Beed district) are a must. “They are called Patoda ladoos. They are prepared in a different way compared to regular ladoos. It’s a time-consuming recipe but these ladoos have a special significance in our lives and so, my mother and ajji have been making them for years on every Ganeshotsav,” shares Ajinkya.