Ghavane

T ypically a breakfast dish served in Malvani cuisine, the Ghavane or Ghavan is an Indian crepe that is made from rice. Served specifically with coconut chutney or even tea (popularly known as 'pyala' in Konkani), the dish's preparation is fairly simple. The soaked rice grains are ground in a mixer to form a fine batter. This mixture is then mixed with salt and water so that it has a slight savoury tinge. And then the batter is poured over a steaming hot tawa or skillet using a ladle, quite similar to the procedure used while making pancakes or dosas.

Much like the Neer Dosa (a thin, soft version of the thicker, popular version), Ghavane is mainly a light snack item. Unlike traditional dosas, the batter used for Ghavane needs no fermenting and the crepes can be made instantly once the ground rice batter is ready. One just needs to be careful with the consistency of the batter -- it cannot be very thin or thick. They also need to be consumed hot, straight from tawa because the rice crepes tend to get chewy and sticky when cold.

It can be eaten with a hot bowl of curry or even a tangy, fiery chutney. A blend of tomato and garlic is the perfect combination for the chutney, capsicums are also used sometimes for this. Ghavane is also served with black peas curry ('kala vatanyachi usal' in Marathi), or even fish/prawn or chicken/mutton curry.

There is also a sweet version of Ghavane that is prepared with coconut and jaggery, and this dish is served at many festivals in the Konkan region as a celebratory starter. The combination of Ghavane and Ras (sweetened coconut milk with jaggery and spiced with a sprinkle of cardamom and nutmeg powder) is a much-loved snack in western India.

Given the ingredients are extremely basic, one can always try and experiment with different versions of Ghavane. From adding thinly-chopped or grated vegetables to the batter or just spicing it up with other condiments (such as garlic, black pepper, fenugreek, coriander etc), there could be several varieties of these crepes with added nutritional value. 

The fact that Ghavane is primarily made of rice reflects the cultivation patterns in the Konkan region of Maharashtra. Several indigenous varieties of rice such as Ambe Mohar (Mango Blossom), Indrayani, Kolam, and Basmati are vastly grown in the area. As a result, the region's indigenous cuisine comprises several dishes that feature rice -- in different forms -- as the primary ingredient. However, today a lot of households are integrating other grains and pulses along with rice and coming up with newer and healthier versions of the dish.