So here we are. Off to a good start. I took a while deciding how exactly to go about cataloging this list. Considering the vastness of the spectrum, it is difficult to pick a starting point: A-Z of Indian cuisine- by the region? Meaning, try and find dishes to fill the list within all the major regions of India, one region at a time? Or pick a dish for each letter, one for each state, perhaps? The latter seemed less intimidating, so that’s what I’m going for now. When I’m through with this catalog, I will start over, the next time going through regions, one at a time.

For now, A-Z of random Indian cuisine it is. And we start with Amti.

Amti is a Marathi lentil dish. Marathi is pertinent to the state of Maharashtra. For those unfamiliar with the geographical layout of India, Maharashtra is a state on the north western part of the peninsula. It is the 3rd largest state in terms of area, and the 2nd most populated. It is also the location of Mumbai, which perhaps rings a louder bell-outsourcing? Bollywood? Formerly known as Bombay? There you go. Right on all counts.

Maharashtra is abundant in both coastal area and plateaus. As a result, coconut, sugarcane, seafood, and rice play a major role in the cuisine. While the state is varied in its dishes with respect to its cities, the overall conjecture that it is equally spicy, tangy and even sweet at times can be safely made.

What made me pick Amti? Don’t know really. Perhaps I came across the name in my daily rounds of blog hunting. I wasn’t completely unfamiliar with it; I have had the privilege of tasting Marathi cuisine while growing up (I spent my toddler years in Tanzania, where my parents’ friends were mostly Marathi and Gujarati). So it was a sort of rekindling of memories. I looked up recipes and found it wasn’t hard to make at all.

Amti has the classic mixture of spicy, sweet and tangy flavors. Like almost all gravy like dishes-dal, curries, etc.-that are predominant features in Indian cuisine, Amti too has the base of a masala. It helps to be already stocked with the Amti masala, which isn’t too hard to make from scratch. If not, I’m positive it’s available as such in Indian grocery stores. Here’s an authentic recipe:

Amti Masala

1/2 cup coriander seeds
1/4 cup cumin seeds
2 tsp Shahi jeera (black cumin seeds)
10-12 cloves
1 inch cinnamon

Roast all the spices together on very low heat till they turn a couple of shades darker. Then grind together to a fine powder and store in a dry container.

The recipe also calls for Jaggery, which is unrefined sugar made from sugarcane molasses, which features greatly in several Indian cuisines, and is called gur in Hindi and vellam in Tamil; as well as tamarind paste, available in most Southeast Asian markets. Needless to say, these two are what give the Amti its sweet and tangy edge. And now, for the recipe:

A traditional yet simple Marathi meal, I’m told (thanks Ravi!) would be serving the Amti with rice and a vegetable curry of sorts; along with roast papad.

Until ‘B’ then; Bon Apetit!