MAHARASHTRA RECIPES
Jains the followers of the ancient Indian religion of Jainism are strictly vegetarians. Jainisim is governed with the idea of non-violence or ahimsa. This ideal has had a tremendous influence on India's cuisine, particularly the Jain cusine.
A typical Jain diet consists of grains like wheat, rice, lentils or pulses and beans, oil-seeds are recommended as they fall under the category of non-injurious food. They are yielded only when their plants get dried of their own after their age ends. Fruits and vegetables that become ripe on the plants or branches of trees or those that fall on their own after becoming ripe, are used for food.
Jains are strict vegetarians and many also avoid root vegetables as it is violent to plants. They also avoid any type of liquor and wine in their food. Other aspects of their food philosophy is that they regularly offer food to poor people, fast on certain days, do not waste any food, drink filtered water and eat after sunrise and before sunset.
BOMBAY POTATO RECIPE 
Ingredients
Baby potatoes
1.5 kg
Red chillies
5
Green chillies
5
Cloves of garlic
5
Saunf
1 tbsp
Khus khus
1 tbsp
Til
1 tbsp
Jeera
1 tbsp
Dates
6
Cloves
4
Cinnamon
2 piece
Channa
1 tbsp
Peanuts
1 tbsp
Dry coconut
1/4
Onion
1
Tomato
1
Whole black pepper
1/2 tbsp
Thick tamarind juice
2 tbsp
Oil
1/2 cup
Salt to taste
Curry leaves
10-15
Method
- All spices to be ground fine including tomatoes, onions and coconut
- Heat oil, add curry leaves, ground spices and fry till blended.
- Add potatoes and cook for 10 to 15 minutes or till done.
- Garnish with chopped coriander. Serve with puris.
UPMA RECIPE
Ingredients
Semolina or sooji
1 cup
Onion
1 no
Salt
1 tbsp
Mustard seeds
1/4 tbsp
Black gram
1/4 tbsp
Cashew pieces
a few
Lime juice
1/4 tbsp
Peas
2 cups
Garlic clove
1
Ginger
1 tbsp
Green chillies
1 no
Method
- Dry roast cream of wheat on a dry pan for 5 minutes and set aside.
- Put two tablespoons of oil in a pan and heat.
- Add mustard seeds, Urad dal, cashewnut, and garlic clove. Wait till mustard seeds stop spluttering.
- Add the onion, chili, and ginger and fry till the onion turns brown.
- Add cream of wheat and fry for 3-5 minutes. Add salt and peas.
- Add two cups of boiling water and stir for 2 minutes. (Switch off the heat as soon as the water is poured.)
- Cover the vessel for 4 minutes.
MAHARASHTRIAN PEPPERY FISH 
Ingredients
Fish fillets mariated with a little salt and 1/4 tsp. of turmeric for 10 minutes
1 lb
Ground turmeric
1/2 tbsp
Salt
to taste
Mustard oil
3 tbsp
Green chillies slit
4
Tomato chopped
1
Mustard seeds
1 tbsp
Ginger pureed
1/2 tbsp
Cilantro chopped
1 tbsp
Water
1/2 cup
Method
- Heat mustard oil in a large frying pan, and when hot add the chiles.
- Turn down the heat to low, and fry for 15-20 seconds.
- Add the chopped tomato and fry for 15 more seconds.
- Add the mustard, ginger, 1/4 tsp. of turmeric and salt to taste. Stir and blend together.
- Add the water, raise the heat to medium, and boil for a few minutes.
- Add the fish and cook until done (5-7 minutes), turning once.
- Garnish with cilantro. Serve.
SWEET AND SOUR PANCHPORAN SQUASH RECIPE
Ingredients
Hubbard squash peeled and cubed
1 lb
Roma tomatoes chopped
2
Sunflower oil
2-3 tbsp
Medium onion cut into thin wedges
1
Garlic cloves finely chopped
2
Medium hot red chili pepper deseeded and finely chopped
1
Fresh ginger finely grated
1 inch
Panchporan
1 tbsp
Sweet paprika
1 tbsp
Ground corainder
2 tbsp
Ground cumin
1 tbsp
Hot chilli powder
1/2 tbsp
Brown sugar
2 tbsp
Lemon juice
1 tbsp
Method
- Heat the sunflower oil in a large frying pan.
- Add the onion wedges, garlic, chilli and ginger, panchporan to the pan and cook over a low heat for 5 minutes, stirring now and then, until the onions are just tender.
- Add the spices and cook for a few seconds more.
- Add the pieces of squash and tomatoes and toss everything together until well coated in the spicy mixture.
- Put the squash into a roasting tin and bake/roast it for 35-40 minutes, or until the squash is tender and lightly browned around the edges.
- This is delicious served together with mint raita and Maharashtrian channa dal.
TOMATO CHUTNEY RECIPE
Ingredients
Ginger
2.5 cm
Cooking oil
2 tbsp
Panch foran
1/2 tbsp
Red chillies
2
Tomatoes
450 gms
Salt
1 tbsp
Sugar
3/4 cup
Sultanas
1/4 cup
Dates
1/4 cup
Turmeric powder
&frac18teaspoon
Lemon juice
1 tbsp
Green chillies thinly sliced
2
Method
- Peel and cut the ginger into very thin long strips.
- Slice the dates into long strips. Heat the oil in a round bottomed pan.
- Add the Panchforan and the red chilli. Wait until it splutters and then add the tomato in it.
- Now add the turmeric powder, salt, sugar, ginger, sultanas and date pieces.
- Reduce the heat and cover the lid of the pan. Allow the tomatoes and the dates to cook.
- Once they are all cooked and it thickensa bit add the green chilli and sprinkle the lime juice over the top of the Chutney.
MAHARASHTRIAN SPINACH RECIPE
Ingredients
Raw almonds
2/3 c
Warm water
2 c
Oil/Margarine
3 tbsp
Black mustard seeds
1 t
Whole cumin seeds
1/2 tbsp
Fenugreek
1/4 tbsp
Brown sugar
1 1/2 tbsp
Grated ginger
1/2 tbsp
Minced green chillies
1 t
Trimmed fresh spinach
2 lb
Shredded coconut
1/3 c
Salt
12 t
Water
2 tbsp
Nutmeg
1/8 tbsp
Method
- Soak nuts in warm water for 4 hours or overnight.
- Drain, wash & drain again.
- Heat oil/margarine in a large pot over moderate heat.
- When hot, but not smoking, add the spice seeds & sugar.
- Fry till the seeds darken & the sugar caramelizes.
- Add the ginger, chilies, spinach, nuts, coconut & salt.
- Cover, reduce heat to low & cook for 10 minutes.
- Uncover, gently turn the spinach over.
- Add water if necessary.
- Cook for a further 10 minutes.
- Stir in the nutmeg & heat through for 1 to 2 minutes.
- Garnish with lemon & serve.