I spent all of my teenage years in the state of Maharashtra in western India. As is the case with all other states, it has its own distinctive cuisine and a host of tasty foods to pick from. In Maharashtra, coastal areas are famous for Malvani cuisine (fresh coconut-based hot and sour curries with fish and seafood) while the interiors have the more frugal, Vidharba cuisine which uses a lot of dry coconut.

Bring a taste of this state to your table with my recipes for some delicious Maharashtrian dishes:

• Maharashtrian Chicken Curry (pictured above right)
• Tendli Bhaaji
• Poha
• Puranpoli
• Kayree Panha

_{Image © 2008 Petrina Verma Sarkar, Licensed to About.com}