Kesari mutton, a delicious snack from Kolhapur, is unique in appearance and flavour. This mildly-spiced dish, though named after saffron, does not contain it. “Kesari mutton got its name for its looks. The meat is shredded to look like sev and has the colour of saffron,” says Chef Aditya Bal. In Season three of his culinary-travel show, Lost Recipes, Aditya explores this ancient Kolhapuri dish that was once popular in Maratha households.
The process of making kesari mutton is long, yet rewarding, he says. Cooked mutton is shredded very finely (it has to look like strands of saffron) and deep-fried. It is then seasoned generously with a typical Kolhapuri kanda lasun chutney, a blend of Kolhapuri chilli powder, onion and garlic. A popular dish in erstwhile affluent households in the Maratha region, this historical dish is now almost forgotten, Aditya adds.
Aditya Bal preparing Kesari Mutton in Kolhapur | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
The heart of Maratha cuisine is mutton. Until the 1980s, the traditional diet in this region did not even include vegetables, says Aditya. Mutton was consumed up to three times a day, prepared in diverse ways with fresh cuts delivered home two times a day by meat sellers. However, over time, as cost and health concerns surfaced, this dish was pushed into oblivion.
Understanding cultural history
Lost Recipes, streaming on EPIC Channel, has been reviving and documenting age-old recipes and traditional cooking methods since its first season, which premiered in 2015. While Season one included a few lesser-known Parsi recipes among others across 13 episodes, Season two, aired in 2019, featured dishes from the old kitchens of Visakhapatnam, Hampi, Darjeeling and Bodh Gaya.
Season three, dropped on April 28, 2022, will take viewers through the fascinating foodscape of southwestern Maharashtra, Patiala in Punjab, Kullu in Himachal Pradesh and Ahmedabad in Gujarat.
Chef Aditya Bal | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
The show is not only about the dishes, says Aditya. “It is about understanding a region, its cultural history, the evolution of its culinary tradition and interacting with the people of the region.”
While many of these dishes are practically impossible to recreate in a traditional manner, it can inspire viewers to seek the culinary heritage of their own families and regions. “Each dish has an interesting story behind it. Food gives a rare insight into the past,” he adds.
Rural flavour
Another dish featured in the Kolhapur edition is the ukdi handi, a rural recipe prepared during the harvest. Made using a variety of beans grown in the fields of Kolhapur, which are packed into a clay pot along with free-range eggs and a kind of grass, it is cooked over a fire, with the pot positioned upside down. The result is a flavourful smoky dish relished with rice or rotis and authentic Kolhapuri chutney.
Ever since he started hosting the show, Aditya says he has developed a greater understanding of the diversity and complexity of Indian food. “It is so vast and varied and it throws surprises at every corner. I have played around with contemporary Indian cuisine, but exploring long-lost dishes and reliving the experience has made me richer,” he adds.
While Aditya usually has local experts cooking on the show, Season three has him trying out a dish. “I made katlama, an ancient version of a pizza, which is deep-fried.” The Patiala leg of the show contains recipes from regions that are now in Pakistan.
The team involved in research usually connects with old families seeking recipes handed down for generations. Says Aditya, “While many of them might seem elaborate and impractical to the kitchens of today, it is wonderful to see how some people still keep these traditions alive.”
(Lost Recipes Season three airs on EPIC Channel and EPIC ON every Thursday at 9 pm)
