food hotels resorts travel: MAATI BAANI for awesome food

MAATI BAANI

Maati Baani….language of the earth "मिट्टीकी भाषा" implies the ties with the roots.

Maati Baani is a restaurant of Saj By The Lake in Malshej Ghat, Maharashtra. Saj group of hotels is known for it's vegetarian cuisine over the past 20 years. I am a hardcore non-vegetarian but I love to be vegetarian at Saj properties at Mahabaleshwar & Malshej Ghat.

Over the years the kitchen head "maharaj" has now evolved to "chef", the greeting from "केमछो महाराज?" has been replaced by "hi chef".

At Maati Baani the menu was added with NonVeg dishes….the theme & location demanded them. The local flavours of spices, the farm produce of Indrayni Rice, Jowar & corn, fresh fish from the lake and 100 year old grandma recipes helped in designing a menu fit to say " Maati Baani".

Maharashtrian food, local flavours to cover all the meal sessions of the day are available. Breakfast begins with poha or thalipeeth or misal with matki/ white vatana

. The Misal is made in 3 varieties…..local with 2 pulses, puneri with 2 pulses & potato, nagpuri with red chana only but in all one thing is common….they all are spicy "झटाक" to say in local lingo.

To the discerning the chef can produce "घावणे" (rice pancakes)

to be eaten with sweetened milk or peanut chutney.

You must try the crispy sabudana wada (sago pattice) or sabudana khichdi (with potato & crushed roasted peanuts).

The Speciality of food also lies in Pit Cooking where the food is put in mud pots, sealed, covered with grass in a pit and cooked on slow fire. The "माटी पका मुर्गा" (pit cooked chicken), भाजका मसाला कोंबडी (chicken cooked in dry coconut & roasted spices), भरलेली अंडी (stuffed eggs) recipes are 100 years old as they were passed on from grandma to menu ! Another unique egg dish " कांद्यावरचे अंडे" sunny side up eggs on a bed of sauteed spiced onions (tibetien shakshuka is similar but with tomatoes added). These all can be devoured with rice or jowar or nachani (millets) bhakri (flat breads). There is the special rice preparation "मसाला भात" typically made with आंबेमोहर variety rice but a local variety available here "ईंद्रायणी" is equally aromatic n flavorful.

Maati Baani also has some selected dishes from gujarat, kathiawad, south india along with the popular Punjabi dishes. Snacks to suit the atmosphere pakodas, tikka, bangdi samosa are truly delicious. Don’t forget to order MB special Kheer as dessert. Any request of an out of menu dish is cooked by chef with love depending on availability of ingredients, restaurant being at remote location.