The world of pakoras and wadas in Nashik

Once in Nashik, I was forced to get used to snacks that were totally different to what I had been used to in my days in Kolkata and Kanpur. In fact, I had to reset my taste buds and learn to appreciate different variations of fried stuffs like the pakoras. To me pakoras were concoctions of vegetables that were dipped in a batter of besan and deep fried. The vegetables that lent themselves to being transformed into delicious mouthwatering snacks were could be slices of potatoes, brinjal, or finely cut onions, or cauliflowers. The first three had many takers in Kolkata while the fourth one was a rage in Kanpur.
Anyway, in Nashik, I came cross other varieties like the sabudana and fries made out of pulses. Here the generic name for all such fries was wada – therefore batata wada meant a fry where the potato was the main ingredient. Potato in Marathi was batata. Similarly, there was the sabudana wada and the urad dal wada.
Incidentally, the sabudana wada and its khichdi version were meant usually for the days of fast. Yes, the local Marathi people observe fast on certain days of the week and on these days, the eating joints would serve these snacks.
Of course, I cannot forget the bread pakora – it was nothing but slices of bread dipped in the batter of besan and deep fried. The frying would not be uniform – some would be over fired making it more like biscuit. Others would be under fired – the end product would be soggy.
It was most unfortunate that the culture of rolls (egg roll, chicken roll, mutton roll), which is the delight of Bengalis, had not invaded the kitchens of Nashik. Neither did the north Indian culture of chats and golgappas . The nearest to chats was the bhelpuri – a sort of mixture that was popular in Mumbai. It was similar to jhalmuri of Bengal where fluffed rice would be mixed with a number of unique ingredients and a dash of mustard oil and served in paper cones or packets.
But, alas, the vegetable chops, mutton cutlets, kabiraji cutlets, fish fries and other fast food delicacies unique to Bengal were nowhere to be seen. (to be continued …)