Mumbai Food: Delicious non-veg fare during pre-Shravan festivities

Mutton thali

Once a year, Anvay Kolwankar's farmhouse in Alibaug plays host to a Popti party. The celebration gets its name from the Popti Chicken. "A hole is dug in the ground, and filled with charcoal. Upon this, we place a matka containing chicken and vegetables, and cover it with banana leaves. This is cooked for four hours," says the partner at Light House Café. This dish is an integral part of Kolwankar's Gatari festivities.

Gatari Amavasya, or Gatari, is popular in Maharashtra. This year, it falls on July 23. "It is celebrated a day prior to the start of Shravan and is a day of merriment. We cook authentic local food and celebrate with family and friends," says Makarand Samant, head chef at Juhu restaurant Estella.

Chicken Rada. Pics/Datta Kumbhar

Meat feast
"The focus is on food," says Kolwankar. He usually heads to a farmhouse with friends to celebrate, and the food there differs from region to region. "If we are in Kolhapur, we eat Tambda Rassa or Pandhra Curry. If it is Alibaug, then there's a lot of seafood, like a Surmai Fry or BBQ Grilled Fish or a fish curry. If it's on the Konkan coast, then we have Chicken Sukka or Popti Chicken," he says.

In his family, everyone has their own celebrations - his father steps out with friends, his mother attends kitty parties, and he makes trips to his farmhouses. "We also have a big dinner, our last non-vegetarian meal with the whole family before Shravan begins. My mom makes her specialties - Chicken Biryani and Chicken Curry. Those dishes are legendary in the family," he reveals.

Oomber

If you head to Mi Hi Koli in Thane this weekend, you can sample traditional Koli dishes as part of a three-day Gatari festival. On the menu are Chikna Chikni (stuffed crab), Nanachi Taang (chicken leg cooked in masala), Zhingat (Gauran Kombdi), Atrangi (seafood rice), Lal Bhadak Khekda Kadak (crab basket), Ek Number (mutton chop fry) and Lai Bhari Surmayi (steamed surmai). "We celebrate Gatari at home, so it made sense to bring it to the restaurant too. We have new dishes on the menu for the festival," says owner Bhavesh Koli.

Samant hails from the Konkan coast. At his home, the Gatari menu involves dishes like Sukhi Kaleji Chicken, Mutton Chops, Bombil Fry, Mutton Masala, Sukha Chutney (with dried shrimp) and Crab soup. "My family is fond of fish and lamb. These dishes are highly indulgent and spicy, and are a great way to get the family together to celebrate laugh and make memories," he says.

Diveli Amavasya

Beyond food
At food blogger Soumitra Velkar's
home, the day is celebrated as Diveli Amavasya. "We, Pathare Prabhus, do not have the concept of Gatari, primarily because most of us do not give up non-vegetarian food. We do a 'deep pujan', where, at dusk, we gather all the lamps, place them on a decorative stand with flowers and light them and pray for prosperity. We eat only vegetarian food on that day," he says. The offering made during the puja is called oomber - a banana and rice flour fritter - which is served as prasad.

Anvay Kolwankar

"As children, we would do the deep pujan in the evening, but the entire day would be spent at my granny's home, where we stuffed ourselves with chicken, mutton and crab dishes," says home baker Janhavi Sahasrabuddhe.

Bhavesh Koli

Now, she does only the pujan. "It is a day when the whole family comes together to pray and celebrate."