Twitter
Advertisement

Seafood extravaganza at Koliwada

dna partook in a celebration of authentic Koli food and culture by the seaside at Versova Koliwada

Latest News
article-main
FacebookTwitterWhatsappLinkedin

It was a date with the Versova Seafood Festival last Sunday at Versova Koliwada. Popularly known as Vesave Koliwada, this festival is held for three days every year, with not just Versova residents but the westcoast of Mumbai looking forward to it.
The festival, now celebrating its tenth year, included 45 stalls with lots of seafood delicacies, and was trending on social media with the likes of Chef Saransh Goila and bloggers like BlogwatiG commenting, "Pure delight!" as she posted pictures from the festival on her blog.
Lily Wad, a resident of Andheri (E), who is a regular at the festival, says, "On entering the venue lit by fairy lights, you are transported to a different world. The stage is set for traditional Koli performances, surrounded by stalls boasting myriad of dishes."

This year, the festival was bigger and better compared to its earlier editions, probably due to the tenth anniversary celebration. Sunny, a stall owner at the festival, elaborated, "We have served over 200 people in the first two days of the festival. All our dishes were made with the day's fresh catch." By that scale, we can assume that approximately 12,000 people thronged the festival this year. The seafood on sale ranged from a modest Rs. 50 to Rs. 1,000 based on the choice of food. Each stall had a Koli family manning it.
Festival-goers were spoilt for choice this year as well. Wad explains, "Among the variety seen, the prawns were a huge hit given how versatile they are—they can be cooked into a biryani, made as pakodas, roasted or fried. Almost everyone tried out the fried kingfish; there were crabs and lobsters like you have never seen before. For people who love seafood, this was heaven. The two things that could have been done better were the seating arrangement and crowd control."

Tasters from dna sampled Bamboo ki Bombil, which is bombil fish partially dried and cooked in local spices, Calamari Curry from stall no. 1 served with Rice Bhakri, Tandoori Lobster, Masala Crab, Fried Prawns, Fish Roe Masala and Shrimp Cutlets. All of this was washed down with Solkadhi and the palate was then ready for dessert, which included sweet fried banana and paan.
Helen Pinto, one of the tasters, said, "Food is my passion. I love to experiment when I cook and I enjoy trying out different cuisines. The Versova seafood fest was an extremely enjoyable experience in terms of the variety of dishes available, music and dance and most importantly, the warmth of the Koliwada community. The Fish Roe Masala would have tasted better with some simple dal and rice and the Calamari Curry would go well with bhakri. The sweet banana stuffed with coconut was an easy-to-make but interesting dessert that I tried for the first time."
Cynara, Pinto's daughter, confessed, "I am a prawn and calamari fanatic. So the seafood fest was paradise to me. Every item that we picked was stuffed with delicious meat so that made the purchase well worth it."
The main objective of the festival is to make a sale of the delicacies. It is also about letting the masses know about the Koli culture. The festival saw participation from more than hundred Koli womenfolk, who prepared the dishes that were served at the stalls. After having tasted their food at Vesave Koliwada, these women typically receive bulk orders from people across the city.
We were enthralled by the way these Koli women, decked up in their Sunday best, served platefuls of fish and bhakri, with a smile and an authentic air of service and we look forward to next year's Versova Koli Food Festival.

Find your daily dose of news & explainers in your WhatsApp. Stay updated, Stay informed-  Follow DNA on WhatsApp.
Advertisement

Live tv

Advertisement
Advertisement