Peas Pattice & Khamang Kakdi at Vinay Health Home

Phodnichi Poli & Kharvas at Potoba

We spent hours eating to find the best, home-style phodnichi poli and brinjal poha.As a seven-year-old, I remember visiting my neighbour’s home where a kind-hearted woman that I knew only as ‘Aaji’ gave me Marathi language tuitions. She did it as a favour to my mother, who spent the evenings chatting with her over cups of chai.Every morning, after I had finished reciting the Barakhadi, there’d be a treat waiting for me. There was thalipith lone, kothambir wadi, missal, puri-bhaji and dink ladoo. Flavours, she believed needed to be experienced by someone studying the associated culture.Twenty years later, the search for authentic Maharashtrian food took me to cubby-holed eateries and flashy food chains. But for gharachi athvan, head to these two Maharashtrian fare joints.It’s irony staring you in the face when Vinay Health Home’s menu lists deep fried sabudana vada, kothambir wadi and aloo wadi (patra). But owner Chandrashekhar Tembe and brother Anil are trapped in time, much like the recipes they serve at their Fanaswadi eatery, started in 1940 by their father Ramkrishna (he named it Vinay since it was a contemporary spin on Vinayak, one of Lord Ganesha’s many names).Over the last 74 years, the only changes have been the inclusion of grilled sandwiches and Jain alternatives. The menu lets you choose from garma garam, taaze and tikhat options.The most celebrated dish on the menu is the Puneri missal (Rs 50) made with usal (sprouts), poha and farsaan, doused in a fiery curry. “It’s all in the mixing,” says Tembe, who mentions a long list of politicians and celebrities who love this dish. The 50-strong staff that stays at lodgings behind the restaurant, have been trained in the preparation of each dish.The missal rates high on the tikhat scale, so it’s best you order a glass of chilled piyush, kokum sharbat or the seasonal mango lassi to calm your agitated taste buds.The green pea patties make a filling snack - two large balls of dough coated goodness enveloping potato, coconut and peas, they come with a side of two types of chutney.While poha is an underrated player compared to most breakfast options, lemon yellow potato poha (Rs 35) made simply with beaten rice, onions sizzled to a sweet tinge, jeera minus peanuts or curry leaves, is one of the lightest we have tasted in the city. They also do a brinjal poha option, only on Sundays.Dalimbi (field beans with a subtle hint of kokum, lemon or tamarind) and the khamang kakdi (cucumber salad made with green chilli, roasted peanuts, lemon extract and mustard) are little known dishes we suggest you try.Sixty-seven-year-old Tembe, who has been manning the restaurant since he was 20, says, “Our upvas options are so delicious, people who are meant to be fasting stuff themselves till they can’t move.”This happy coloured restaurant came to Mahim about a year ago, but it’s been a regular haunt for customers with two outlets in Pune’s Kothrud and FC Road. They also have a branch at Santacruz.Owner Parag Inamdar offers a mixed bag menu with manchow soup and paneer, and cheese samosa but our advice is to stick to the old-school Maharashtrian fare.To cash in on the last remaining traces of seasonal delights, we tried the aam panha, a raw mango drink. Gatorade has nothing on this green thirst-quenching super summer drink.In comparison to the oil-laden snacks, a simple lunch offers lighter, easy to digest options. It’s what was once deemed peasant food - jowarchi bhakri served with usal, pithla (a chickpea broth), palebhaji made from green leafy vegetables, varan (a dal prepared with methi, jaggery, mustard seeds and garlic), and masala bhat, a pot rice dish with steamed veggies. All dishes come with a side of pungent green chilli chutney.Our favourite is the underdog called phodnichi poli. It’s called the queen of leftovers which is hardly a title to boast of, but the simple preparation makes for a great snack. It is made by throwing together bits of last night’s chapatis with peanuts, coriander, chopped onions, green chillies, lemon juice and mustard seeds sautéed in ghee.For an added treat, ask if they have kharvas, a milkbased custard-like dessert flecked with nutmeg.