Some Puneri Mazaa

Over the Diwali break, I made a short trip to Pune, Maharashtra. While I was there, I had a few iconic Puneri foods – Misal Paav and Mastani.

Misal means mixture. Much like the Mumbai paav bhaji, misal paav was invented to use up leftovers like subzis, daals, etc. All these leftovers are stewed in a gravy of onions, tomato, garlic and loads of chili powder, and then served topped with crunchy sev and chiwda, and accompanied by paav bread.

So one cold drizzly morning, we trooped off to Bedekar Tea Stall, just off Pune’s famous Laxmi Road, for a breakfast of spicy, steaming misal paav. Bedekar’s is a family-run establishment on Narayan Peth, serving up traditional Maharashtrian fare since 1962. The ladies as well as men of the family help to run it. And its popularity is endorsed by the long queues, both at the front for tables, and at the back door for take aways!

After the hearty, invigorating breakfast, we went walking through the Laxmi Road market to Kawre Ice Cream (“Since 1952”) for another famous item on the Pune menu – the Mastani. It is essentially a flavoured milkshake topped with ice cream of the same flavor, and sprinkled with nuts.

Today this may not seem like anything special because ice cream milkshake is available at every corner ice cream parlour. But this particular concoction dates back to the 18th century, when it was created for Mastani, the wife of Peshwa Baji Rao I, a famous Maratha general who lived in the Shaniwar Wada Fort in Pune. She took a special liking to it, and since then, the drink became famous with her name.

Although much of the Maharashtrian fare available in the city is not exclusive to Pune, there are a few of these hidden gems. On this trip, I got a taste of some of them, and on future visits I hope to explore the nooks and local markets of the city a little more.