Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa & the West

The Konkan coast to the Rajasthani plains

The west swings from the gentle sweet-sour vegetarian thalis of Gujarat to the fierce red heat of Kolhapur, from the vinegar-sharp Catholic cooking of Goa to the snack stalls of Mumbai and the dry, ingenious cuisine of the Rajasthani desert. It is the most varied table in India, united by a love of balance.

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Every recipe

19 recipes in this region.

A bowl of Mumbai bhel puri — puffed rice tossed with diced potato, onion and tomato, drizzled with dark tamarind and green chutneys and topped with a tangle of golden sev and fresh coriander.

Vegan

Mumbai, Maharashtra / West India · Indian

Bhel Puri (Mumbai's Beach-Style Puffed Rice Chaat)

The definitive Mumbai chaat: puffed rice tossed to order with tangy tamarind chutney, fiery green chutney, crisp sev and papdi, and a shower of onion, potato and coriander. Sweet, sour, spicy and crunchy in one paper cone.

EasySnacksStreet food

A Rajasthani thali of dal baati churma — golden cracked baati soaked in ghee, a bowl of spiced yellow panchmel dal, and a mound of sweet churma crumble with nuts.

Veg

Rajasthan / West India · Indian

Dal Baati Churma (Rajasthani Baked Wheat Balls with Dal and Sweet Crumble)

Rajasthan's iconic three-part feast: hard-baked wheat baati cracked open and soaked in ghee, served with a spiced panchmel dal and a sweet, cardamom-scented churma crumble.

IntermediateMains

A bowl of Goan fish curry — fish steaks in a vivid red-orange coconut gravy — served on a banana leaf beside a mound of steamed white rice.

Keto

Goa / West India · Indian

Goan Fish Curry (Xitti Kodi)

Goa's everyday coconut fish curry — fish simmered in a vivid red gravy of ground coconut, Kashmiri chilli, and spices, soured with tamarind or kokum. Tangy, gently fiery, and built for spooning over plain rice.

EasyMainsCoconut

Goa / West India · Indian

Goan Pork Vindaloo

The real vindaloo: tender pork in a tangy, garlicky, chili-and-vinegar masala born of Portuguese 'carne de vinha d'alhos' and remade in Goa. Deeply spiced, sharp with vinegar — and not just 'the hot one' on the menu.

IntermediateMainsMake-ahead

A bowl of pale yellow, thin Gujarati kadhi with a ghee tempering of cumin, dried red chili, and curry leaves floating on top, beside a bowl of rice.

Veg

Gujarat / West India · Indian

Gujarati Kadhi (Sweet-and-Tangy Yogurt Curry)

The soothing soul of a Gujarati thali: a silky, gently sweet-and-sour curry of yogurt and chickpea flour, tempered with cumin, curry leaves, and a whisper of clove and cinnamon. Light, warming, and made to pour over rice or khichdi.

EasyMains30-minute

A bowl of golden turmeric-yellow kanda poha topped with chopped onion, fresh coriander, toasted peanuts, fine sev and a lime wedge, with a cup of chai beside it in soft morning light.

Vegan

Maharashtra / West India · Indian

Kanda Poha (Maharashtrian Onion Flattened Rice)

Maharashtra's beloved 15-minute breakfast: soft flattened rice tossed with onions, a mustard-and-curry-leaf tempering, toasted peanuts and a bright squeeze of lime. Light, savoury and endlessly comforting.

EasyBreakfastBeginner-friendly

Soft yellow squares of khaman dhokla on a plate, glistening with a mustard-seed and curry-leaf tempering and scattered with grated coconut and coriander, with green chutney on the side.

Veg

Gujarat / West India · Indian

Khaman Dhokla (Gujarati Steamed Chickpea Cake)

Gujarat's beloved snack: a soft, spongy, faintly sweet-and-tangy steamed cake of ground chickpea (besan), finished with a glossy tempering of mustard seeds, green chili, and curry leaves. Light, quick, and irresistible.

EasySnacksBeginner-friendly

A bowl of Goan khatkhate — chunks of pumpkin, yam, raw banana, and beans with lentils in a pale coconut gravy — garnished simply, beside steamed rice.

Vegan

Goa (Saraswat/Konkani Hindu) / West India · Indian

Khatkhate (Goan Hindu Mixed Vegetable and Lentil Stew)

A festive Goan Saraswat dish: a medley of vegetables and lentils in a mild coconut gravy, made unmistakably Konkani by teppal (Sichuan-pepper relative). Wholesome, gently spiced, and central to temple and celebration cooking.

IntermediateMains

A fiery red Kolhapuri chicken curry with bone-in pieces in a thin glossy red gravy flecked with roasted coconut and coriander, beside a stack of bhakri.

Keto

Kolhapur, Maharashtra / West India · Indian

Kolhapuri Chicken (Tambda Rassa-Style Spicy Chicken)

From Maharashtra's fieriest kitchen: chicken in a blazing-red gravy built on freshly ground Kolhapuri masala and roasted dry coconut (kanda-khobra). Bold, fragrant, and seriously hot — the pride of Kolhapur.

IntermediateMains

A fiery brick-red Rajasthani laal maas in a kadhai, bone-in mutton pieces in a glossy red-chili gravy with ghee pooling on top, garnished with coriander.

Keto

Rajasthan / West India · Indian

Laal Maas (Rajasthani Red Mutton Curry)

A fiery Rajasthani classic from the royal hunting kitchens: mutton braised in a brick-red gravy of Mathania chilies and yogurt, with an optional ember-and-ghee smoking that gives it a hunter's smokiness. Bold, lean, and unforgettable.

IntermediateMains

A bowl of misal: brown sprouted-bean curry under a fiery red oily gravy, topped with crunchy yellow sev, chopped onion, and coriander, with soft pav rolls and lime alongside.

Vegan

Maharashtra / West India · Indian

Misal Pav (Maharashtrian Sprouted Bean Curry)

Maharashtra's fiery street-food breakfast: a spiced sprouted-moth-bean curry (usal) under a slick of spicy tarri gravy, topped with crunchy farsan, onion, and lime, scooped up with soft pav. Big, bold, and built for a crowd.

IntermediateBreakfastMake-ahead

A bowl of Parsi mutton dhansak — thick brown puréed lentil-and-vegetable curry with pieces of goat — beside a plate of caramelised golden-brown rice and a kachumber salad.

Parsi (Gujarat & Mumbai) / West India · Indian

Parsi Dhansak (Lentils, Mutton and Vegetables)

The Parsi Sunday classic: mutton slow-cooked into a thick purée of lentils and vegetables, spiced with a sweet-sour dhansak masala, and served with caramelised brown rice.

IntermediateMains

A plate of Mumbai pav bhaji — a red-brown buttery vegetable mash topped with a melting knob of butter, raw onion and coriander, beside golden butter-toasted pav and lemon wedges.

Veg

Mumbai, Maharashtra / West India · Indian

Pav Bhaji (Mumbai Buttery Vegetable Mash)

Mumbai's beloved street food: a spiced, buttery mash of mixed vegetables served with soft, butter-toasted pav rolls. Built on a smoky griddle and a fistful of pav bhaji masala.

EasyMainsBeginner-friendly

A bowl of soft yellow Maharashtrian pithla (chickpea-flour curry) tempered with mustard seeds, curry leaves and garlic, garnished with coriander, beside a jowar bhakri and raw onion.

Vegan

Maharashtra / West India · Indian

Pithla (Maharashtrian Chickpea Flour Curry)

Rural Maharashtra's 10-minute comfort food: chickpea flour whisked into a tempered, garlicky base until it thickens into a soft, savory curry. Pithla-bhakri is the farmer's lunch — humble, fast, and deeply satisfying.

EasyMains30-minute

A stack of golden puran poli on a brass plate, the top one torn open to show the dark jaggery-and-chana-dal filling, a small bowl of warm ghee and a lit diya beside it in soft natural light.

Veg

Maharashtra · Indian

Puran Poli (Maharashtrian Sweet Stuffed Flatbread)

A soft, ghee-glossed flatbread stuffed with a spiced chana dal and jaggery filling — the festive sweet of Maharashtra made for Holi and Gudi Padwa. Fragrant with cardamom and nutmeg, tender enough to tear with your fingers.

AdvancedSweetsFestive

A bowl of Sindhi kadhi — a golden-brown tangy gram-flour curry with drumsticks, cluster beans and potato, beside a plate of steamed rice and twice-fried aloo tuk.

Vegan

Sindhi (Sindh, now diaspora across Western India) / West India · Indian

Sindhi Kadhi (Gram-Flour and Vegetable Curry)

A tangy, gram-flour-thickened vegetable curry from the Sindhi kitchen — roasted besan, tamarind and a medley of vegetables, traditionally served over rice with aloo tuk.

IntermediateMains

A stack of thin, soft Gujarati methi theplas with golden-brown spots, flecked green with fenugreek, served with mango pickle and a bowl of yogurt.

Veg

Gujarat / West India · Indian

Thepla (Gujarati Fenugreek Flatbread)

Gujarat's travel-ready flatbread: soft, thin rounds of whole-wheat dough kneaded with fresh fenugreek, yogurt, and spices, griddled with a little oil. They keep for days, which is why no Gujarati journey leaves home without them.

EasyBreakfastBeginner-friendly

A rich Gujarati undhiyu of mixed winter vegetables — purple yam, flat beans, small eggplant, potato — and fried fenugreek dumplings coated in a green coconut-coriander masala, in an earthen bowl.

Vegan

Gujarat / West India · Indian

Undhiyu (Gujarati Mixed Winter Vegetable Casserole)

Gujarat's grand winter dish: a slow-cooked medley of seasonal vegetables and fried fenugreek dumplings (muthia) in a fragrant green masala of coriander, coconut, and green garlic. Festive, layered, and the pride of Uttarayan.

AdvancedMains

A vada pav — a golden deep-fried potato vada in a soft white pav bun smeared with red dry garlic chutney — on paper with a fried green chili beside it.

Vegan

Mumbai, Maharashtra / West India · Indian

Vada Pav (Mumbai's Spiced Potato Burger)

Mumbai's beloved street snack and unofficial city sandwich: a spiced, deep-fried potato dumpling (batata vada) tucked into a soft pav with dry garlic chutney and a fried green chili. Cheap, fiery, and completely addictive.

IntermediateSnacksStreet food