Kala Vatana Usal

This Kala Vatana Usal, also fondly known as the Kala Vatana Sambar or Kalya Vatanyachi Usal is one of those really comforting vegetarian dishes from Malvani cuisine. It is one of the key preparations that is offered as a ‘prasad’ or ‘naivedya’ (sans onion and garlic) to Bhagwan Ganesha during the auspicious Ganesh Chaturthi festival.

About Malvani Cuisine

The South Konkan areas of Maharashtra and Goa basically form the Malvan region, also the home of the rich Malvani cuisine. So, obviously there is an influence of both Maharashtrian and Goan cuisines as well in this independent food culture.

Some noted features of the Malvani cuisine include the generous use of coconut in varied forms – from fresh coconut and dried desiccated coconut to coconut milk and paste as well; use of dried red chilies, ginger, garlic and other spices. All these essentially make this cuisine a robust one.

However, Malvani cuisine also uses souring agents like kokum, raw green mango and tamarind to balance the heat or spiciness. For instance, one of the sub styles in this cuisine practiced by the Konkanastha Brahmin community have a less spicy food culture.