Vijaya Deshpande cooks like a dream – she uses interesting, home-made spice blends to add that spike to daily meals and home-made whole grain flour to whip up Maharashtrian goodies. Her Thalpeeth is as delicious as the crisp dosas or the Punjabi chole that she doles out. Though she is a Maharashtrian and an expert in the cuisine of the region, Mrs. Deshpande rustles up dishes from other parts of India with equal ease. A teacher by profession, this culinary expert is passionate about her craft – cooking.

Mrs. Deshpande had been interested in cooking right from the time she was a small child. Her mother was a fantastic cook and little Vijaya spent hours watching her mother cook tasty and aromatic delicacies in her kitchen. It was from her mother that she learnt how to make unique spices such as Metkoot, Goda masala, Supari and Garam masala that are not only delicious but also packed with medicinal value.  Since everyone in her family loved to eat, food played an important role in her life.

Mrs. Deshpande pays a lot of attention on the taste as well as the nutritional value of the food she cooks. And Maharashtrian food has elements of both. A regular meal at the Deshpande household consists of rice and chapatti; a curry in light gravy usually made with butter milk and goda masala; amti (dal) tempered with curry leaves, asafetida, mustard seeds, tamarind juice, kokam and jaggery; salad or raita; and, buttermilk. “A simple but wholesome meal that is rich in vitamins, iron, carbohydrates and fibre,” explains Mrs. Deshpande.

“In Maharashtrian cuisine every ingredient has its own importance and every dish has a little of everything. So this kind of healthy food is good for all seasons and for all people,” she adds.

Mrs. Deshpande goes on to explain how each dish plays an important role in Maharashtrian cuisine and the significance of placement of almost a dozen dishes on the plate. “Earlier, girls of marriageable age had to know about the foods placed on the right and left hand side of the plate. This knowledge was put to test to ascertain if the girl had learnt well in life,” says Mrs. Deshpande. She goes on to add that though this is not so important these days when most girls are working, but it is a matter of pride for in-laws if their future daughter-in-law knows how to set a plate the traditional way.

Mrs. Deshpande had shared her recipes for home made spice blends such as Goda Masala and Metkoot; and Raita made with Metkoot masala.