United in celebration

Whether Raj Thackeray likes it or not,Maharashtrians have plenty in common with the inhabitants of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar,including the festival of Makar Sakranti.

Whether Raj Thackeray likes it or not,Maharashtrians have plenty in common with the inhabitants of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar,including the festival of Makar Sakranti. Also known as Pongal in the South and Lohri in Punjab,the harvest festival is celebrated across more than half the nation the only way Indians know how towith delicious food. While this city is naturally more aware of cuisines in neighbouring states,we visited the Grand Hyatt Mumbais Indian restaurant,Soma,to explore food from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.

In Bihar and UP,the festival begins on the eve of Sankranti with a lavish feast featuring rice,meat and jaggery or cream-based dessert. The next morning,black sesame,white rice and black lentils are mixed together during a prayer; the whole mix is then given to a priest at a temple. These ingredients are then used to make khichdi,and distributed amongst all temple visitors, explains Chef Neeraj Rawoot,Chef de Cuisine at Soma. The Bihari breakfast on that day is often chewda with jaggery and yogurt and additionally,laddoos and other sweets made of jaggery with sesame,rice or dal are relished. Despite the geographical differences,Bihar and UP arent very gastronomically different from western or southern states.

The basic tenets of Sakranti food from these two states are rice,chana dal (chickpeas) and potatoes. The meal starts with Khabonideep-fried ground rice and potato cakes. These were graciously not greasy but the mild flavour made us lose interest soon. Mutton piththa was a revelation as it resembles pasta and tastes like gnocchi The minced meat had subtle hints of garlic and the dish was worth ordering. Dhooska chholia consists of deep-fried rice and chickpea bread with an accompanying black lentil and potato curry. The bread would have been nicer if it was hollow and lighter but the curry was healthily appetising. One of the nicer dishes was Belua roti with mangsho jhol,a lovely pan-grilled rice roti with a curry featuring very tender mutton. While it was off the menu,the best dish though was a simple yet satiating dish Litti chokha,which has a baked ball of chickpea flour coated with regular atta. This was served with some gorgeous baingan ka bharta (eggplant curry). Rawoot explained that this is a staple dish for the poor and he had only altered the recipe by adding some ghee.

The dessertjaggery,coconut and sesame stuffed rice dumplings topped with rabdiwas fabulous. Given the simplicity of the rest of the meal,it seemed extravagant in comparison. Throughout the entire meal,it was fascinating that there are such similarities across cuisines at differing ends of the country. Perhaps we are not so different after all,Mr Thackeray.

Makar Sakranti promotion,January 14-24,Soma,Grand Hyatt Mumbai,Santacruz (E); Meal for two: Rs 2,400; Tel: 022 6676 1234

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