Thalipeeth and Chanda Mami

A little known nutritious and delicious local Indian breakfast

I met Suvarna  when we went on a fact or should I say food finding mission while searching for the best regional produce of Maharashtra for Aazol. Suvarna and her family had relocated to their village from Mumbai in 1998, because they felt a call from within to do something meaningful for society. With a limitless vision to grow and see others around her grow, Suvarna spends a big part of her day motivating her all-women workforce to give their best every single day. She runs Kasthuri, an all-women-staffed restaurant and dabbles in a variety of activities, from vegetable farming to experimenting with all-natural products. Her attention to detail comes in handy when preparing her slow-roasted and meticulously ground flours which are supplied to Aazol. Customers have told us that their homes becomes redolent with the fragrance of her Thalipeeth Bhajani as soon as they open the pack.

Thalipeeth for those of you who are not from Maharashtra is a quintessential Maharashtrian flatbread made from mixing different flours. Its versatility is such that it can be a wholesome breakfast or an accompaniment to any subzi or dal or even a mid-meal healthy snack to be had with a lasoon-khobra chutney or a thechas. One of the staple breakfast foods in North Indian homes is the besan chilla or besan-puda as we call it. Over a period of time I started feeling a sense of bloating when I ate these chillas because of the besan which is nothing but channa dal ka aata and thus difficult to digest. For a while breakfast which is my favourite meal of the day reduced to a boring eggs and bread version, till I discovered thalipeet bhajani and voila! I once again had a chilla option ready for breakfast, and a far healthier one this time. To increase the health quotient of your thalipeeth add whatever vegetables take your fancy to the dough, like grated carrots, mashed peas or spinach and rustle up a nutritious meal in a jiffy. 

A naturally shy person, Suvarna can be found bustling around, a smile on her face as her team of women spreads happiness and contentment not only with the great food they serve at the restaurant, but also because of the positivity they all exude, despite the travails each of them have faced in their journey. We call Suvarna Chanda Mami at Aazol . You will know why when you take a look at her picture 😊

Author: Apurva Purohit, Co-Founder | Aazol