Katakir Misal

Morning breakfast was Katakir Misal. Famous joint on Karve road opposite Garware College for so called Kolhapuri Misal, I guess only because it is hot, But I could not 'taste' any connection between Katakir & Kolhapour's famous Phadtare Misala or Bawadyachi Misal.

Basic ingredient of Misal is suppose to be pulses!  When there is Usal (Pulses) preparation at home, people like us sometime add some sev & curd in it to call it Misal! I could barely found any pulse in Katakir Misal, mainly made up of Farsan, Potato Subji and the special Tarri (hot,oily & Spicy boiled water having all sorts of Masala, onion and oil in it). I think Tarri is the killer here, rest can be easily copied by you & me (no distrust to your cooking skills).

So overall hot experience, pretty crowded in morning, place is small as Misal place is suppose to be! Yes - no matter how famous the misal is or how much money vendor is making, the eatery has to be small & dingy. Show me, famous misla joint with good eating hall & I will buy you that Misal. Small, again small, exception is Vihar Misla at Nasik since he changed from earlier Shyamsundar...I will write sometime about it.

Paneer Archaari Kebab

Hotel Abhishek at Erandwane is not unknown to Puneiets, especially, in western region. There are plenty of good dishes & deserts, crowded on weekends, favourite spot for lunch with office colleagues or ladies kitty parties. The one particular dish I don't miss  every time I go there is Paneer Achaari Kebab, fresh and tender paneer marinated with mouth watering 'achaar' masala. The barbecued combination of achaar & paneer is terrific!

Kebabs or Tandoor dishes would not be expected to be a speciality of pure veg 'generalist' restaurants like Abhishek who serves almost every regional dish like South Indian, Punjabi, Chinese, Pizza, Burgers, Misal, everything! But there are few good exceptions & I would rate this dish as good as Kebabs in likes of BBQ Nation, Sigrees or Kebab factory at Radisson.

Matki Bhel

Today evening visited nice Bhel eatery at nearby locality. Thought of sharing a verbose byte...

This Bhel join is near Kothrud Gaonthan. Come straight from Karve Statue, Y Chavan theater and on DP road a right at small circle (Badhai sweets and Vedant hotel corner). Few meters ahead, the road turns at a video library, the next shop is a Sadanand Bhel. I was greeted by tune of Indian classical m...usic and chef-cum-owner chanting raga while 'cooking' the Bhel with equal passion.

The specialty is Matki Bhel. Matki (Pulses) being healthy food, it is easy to fool your health conscious mind while treating the test buds. The test is amazing. It starts as traditional "farsan" rich bhel, but as you dig your spoon deeper in the bowl , you will start enjoying nice blend of matki with khajur and Imali sauce. Those who enjoy classical music, it’s a double treat, otherwise just focus on the food. Garnishing of Sev and Dhaniya is done wholeheartedly. The place is clean, serving is large enough to skip the dinner if you had a good lunch in afternoon.

Junglee Idli

Today I tickled my test buds with Junglee Idli from Steamy Affair. This is a chain specialized in different types of non conventional Idlis, Dosa, etc. Have outlets in many part of Pune by now. I know the ones in Erandawane & Karve road (near Karishma So. Signal)
As you can see the picture, it looks like marinated Tandoor dish, socked in lots of MASALA. Just when you bite enough, you realize it is not a Kebab. Garnishing is Onion & Pepper.
I know lot’s of such inventions have come and gone for Idli & Dosas. Most of them did not survive for long but some dishes came out well. I consider Junglee as one of it. Good side dish for a mid week boring dinner!

Chandrakala

Yes, I do have a sweet tooth. Sunday afternoon sweet dish was Chandrakala!...and I am still talking about the food. I found this out in one of the Kaka Halwai sweet shop. This time thought of picking up a non regular item from the showcase. Regular aka: Shreekhand, Basundi, Gulab Jamun, etc…
Similar to Maharashtrian sweet dish “Chirota” or “sweet Puri” , it’s shell is layered and seems to be made up of sugi+wheat flour combination. Socked in sugar syrup after the deep fry. Improvisation over Chirota is the stuffed Mawa inside, making it sweet bomb. A good afternoon nap follows. (No, not those healthy power naps, but rather a long one

Shegaon Kachori

I don’t know how many of you have been to Shegaon. It is famous for two reasons; a pilgrimage for great saint Shree Gajanan Maharaj and another is the Kachori that they sell at Shegaon railway station. They have a Bhatti (big stove of bricks) in a room below pedestrian bridge at the station. Usually express trains stops there only for few minutes for pilgrims & you can see numerous Kachori boys ...flocking the train with packs of 4-5 hot fresh kachoris.
The test is quite unique; it’s formula worth patenting (if not done already!). It is smaller than usual oval Kachoris, almost like stuffed Puri. The ‘Maal’ inside is really ‘Kamaal’. Primary ingredient is Gram flour.
I did not go to Shegaon in last 2 years and part of the reason is I could get this formula Kachori now in Pune! While coming from JM road towards Deccan, cross the Bus Stand (opposite to KFC) and turn left before the bridge. Few meters down the road, you will see this shop on your right. Big banners of “Shegaon Station Kachori” will greet you. The guy does not stock much, most of the time, freshly makes with every new lot of customers. The test is quite same. I heard some of the original station guys spread in cities like Pune, Nasik and started their own business with the recipe they mastered over the years. The one in Nasik is just after HPT/RYK College on the college road. At least, it was there last year. Try it – its different & has to be eaten hot fresh – not as Kachori Chaat

Bun Butter Omelet

Sunday Morning breakfast @ Café Good luck, Deccan! One of the few Iranian restaurants still surviving. The specialty is BIG bun and wholehearted spread of butter (yes, from that tin dabba). I have seen they don’t use butter knife, that is too stingy, but instead they use big spoon to take out the butter (read ‘calories’) and splash it into the cut opened Bun. Egg Omelet is crispy and goes well as a stuffing. Good coffee subsequently is a sound finish. Now thinking of skipping the lunch…

Patties from Santosh Bakery

This is not as famous as Kayani, Hindustan, Green, Pune, etc, etc. Santosh Bakery is a small- one shop bakery known for its Patties. Crispy layering and fresh potato subji baked to the perfection. Does not have glass show case or a modern cake shop outfit. Your shopping does not involve microwaving rituals. Hot patties from Bhatti comes out in a aluminum tray straight ...to you.
Placed at the end of Apte road towards Kirloskar Bungalow or near Papa John’s pizza. One of my Punekar relative who studied at Modern college says nostalgically that they would wait to see the chimney smoke near kirloskar bungalow every afternoon only to know that it is time to bunk the boring lecture & have some patties at Satosh!

Sangamner Pohe

 

This time on the way to Nasik, took a deliberate food stop at Sangamner avoiding usual food malls like Daulat or Vithal Kamat. The place I tried is "Athavan Pohe" @ Sangamner, celebrated in one of the "Highway on My Plate" travel & living TV episode, famous for its Pohe. The dish itself it very basic, not very spicy or oily, there is dash of raw onion & bit of sev. Tests like mix of traditional Po...he and "Dadape" pohe, may be because of raw onions. The combination comes together & overall experience is good.

It is maintained like any other small town ST Bus stand side restaurant. But I saw quite a bit of crowd even afternoon. I would not eat there given the ambiance (afternoon bazar, roadfront tables and ST buses hovering around with lot of dust!) But I recommend take away…By the Way…Happy New Year

Undhiyu

This gujarati subzi dish, typically made in winter, was my Sunday lunch special today. You don’t get this at too many places in its traditional form. The place I know is Sagar sweets, beside petro pump on Karve road. Yes, the petrol pump near signal of Abhinav Chouk.
As it looks, subzi is too healthy (that is why I choose Sunday afternoon for a good nap later!). Basic ingredient is “Wal-papadi” which is available in this season. Also have good presence of other vegetables like pumpkin, green peas, small brinjals, etc. And the ‘masala’ does not kill vegetables like common Punjabi curry dishes.
Undhiyu is available from November to January. The shop keeper tells me that he gets the papadi wal especially from Surat. He further adds (may be some exaggeration, I feel), traditionally it would have 3 times more oil compared to what I ate today, but people are turning health conscious & in this region he can’t sell anything with that kind of oil in it