Mom’s magic
Akash Deshpande, chef, Luv Restaurant

One of my favourite Maharashtrian meals is made from aloo (or Aroo) leaves, particularly the stems. Growing up, my mom had this genius way of turning humble ingredients into something memorable. She would boil the aloo stems, coat them in Malvani masala, and shallow-fry them till crisp just like bombil fry.  A plate of crisp fry and varan bhaat with a light kokum saarwas pure nostalgia. It reminds me how Maharashtrian food can be incredibly smart and deeply comforting at once. In the city though, I like going to Konkan Swad for their bombil fry thaali and sol kadhi which are absolute favourites.