The place, a tropical paradise two hours from Goa, lies in Maharashtra’s Sindhudurg, known for its Konkani and Malvani culinary traditions, tropical climate and a thousand sacred groves.
A report by Deepanwita Gita Niyogi
A glimpse through the coconut trees reveals the facade of Sawantwadi. Built by Khem Sawant III, a royal of the Sawant Bhonsle family during his reign from 1755 to 1803, the palace’s colonial-style architecture makes use of red laterite, a regional building material.
The place, a tropical paradise two hours from Goa, lies in Maharashtra’s Sindhudurg, known for its Konkani and Malvani culinary traditions, tropical climate and a thousand sacred groves. There are also two beaches within 30 km, Shiroda and Vengurla, along the Arabian Sea.
Though the palace’s museum and Darbar Hall had drawn history buffs over the years, it is now a gourmet destination. This became possible when the 19th generation royal couple, Prince Lakham Bhonsle and his wife Shraddha, turned it into the Sawantwadi Palace Boutique Art Hotel two years ago.
Lakham and Shraddha knew each other in New York where they both trained at the Culinary Institute of America. But the couple’s love story hit off in Mumbai, Theirs was a romance where two hearts met and hands were held, but the taste buds accomplished the rest. For two professional chefs, it could not have been a more perfect walk down the aisle.
“As our vision for the future matched, we fell in love. Our passion for food played a part in bringing us together. Initially, the plan was to settle down either in Mumbai or Goa and run a restaurant. But then the idea of converting the palace into a hotel crossed our minds,” Prince Lakham shared over a phone conversation.
A gourmet destination
Today, the royal family’s labour-intensive and flavourful recipes are no more limited to its kitchen. Food connoisseurs get to taste the delicate Sunti Gola, a dish of boneless mutton meatballs, and the Kesari Maas, a delicacy in which the mutton is shredded into thin strands similar to saffron, after touring the 6.5-acre palace.
Apart from two of these Sawantwadi’s royal dishes, a few recipes also travelled from Baroda’s Gaikwad family as a result of marital alliances in the past. One such import is the Bagra Kadha Masala used to cook crabs, said Shraddha, who is from a business family in Mumbai, and moved in to Sawantwadi after marriage.
“Palaces are meant to be lived in. But at one time, there were just the four of us here at night. Besides Lakham and myself, there were my in-laws. This has now changed with our guests,” she said.
Sawantwadi guarantees visitors a taste of home away from home. Right from its sauces to pickles, to the breads and croissants, everything is prepared fresh. There is also a great variety to try from. From the Rajwada recipe Mutton Sukha, to the simple Bhogichi Bhaji, a Maharashtrian curry made with winter vegetables, to Shraddha’s soul-stirring Ramen, food here promises diversity.
An added attraction is Sawantwadi’s fusion food, combining the best of Asian and Western cuisines. This has been made possible due to Shraddha’s interest in Japanese and Korean food. As a tribute to her student days in America, the princess has given a twist to the classic Po Boy sandwich. Spicy, but with a cooling effect perfect for the summers, it is made with fried rawa (semolina coated) prawns, Vietnamese pickles and herbs, Thecha or garlic herb butter and Sol Kadhi (kokum) sauce.
Fusion food need not be complicated, as Yuvraj Lakham shows visitors with his skill at plated desserts. Taking time off from his busy schedule, he makes the Flavours of Sawantwadi which incorporates a chocolate shell resembling that of a coconut and filled with coconut mousse. Along with it, cashew soil in powder form, a pineapple sorbet and kokum jelly are served. Kokum and cashew are popular in this region. The different ingredients come together to make a wholesome dessert, the prince explained.
“I grew up in Belgaum, Karnataka. My maternal grandmother was passionate about baking and entertained orders for Christmas and birthday cakes. Even my mother did the same. So, I was inclined towards desserts since childhood,” he said. As often “people eat with eyes”desserts have to look attractive. For this, the prince observes nature and sketches for culinary inspiration.
Prince Lakham’s future plan is to introduce a dessert tasting menu where visitors will be able to taste small portions of four to five sweet dishes. “Indians love sweets but the varying tastes of something sweet and sour served together in a plated dessert still don’t tempt them that much.” His favourite ingredients are cashew, coconut, pineapple and kokum, all found in abundance in Sawantwadi.
However, some ingredients are not readily available. Shraddha agreed that it is a challenge. “But luckily Goa is nearby. The palace’s kitchen garden ensures a fresh supply of herbs and greens.”
Engaging locals
True to its tradition of boosting regional employment, the palace hotel employs local staff, who belong to nearby houses. There are about 60 of them at present. Along with the palace food, they enliven the place by carrying forward their cultural traits. For instance, the women still sport bindi seen with western outfits like pants.
Shraddha, who worked at a Michelin Star restaurant in America, pointed out that though it was easy to hire employees from Metro cities as part of the palace restoration process, the royals took this opportunity to do something for Sawantwadi’s population and its economy. It has also helped the princess to learn. She learnt to make the Bhogichi Bhaji after daily visits to local houses.
Head chef Gautam Balchandra Mathekar’s family has always enjoyed its ties with the palace. Mathekar returned to Sawantwadi after a four-year stint in one of Kochi’s five-star hotels. Before that he completed his degree in catering science from Goa. “Around 2016-2017, I had an idea that Sawantwadi may eventually turn into a hotel. As my grandfather had also worked at the palace during his time, it was a natural choice to try my luck here. So, when the interviews opened in 2022, I came back.”
Becoming a chef was natural on Mathekar’s part. As a child, he helped his mother by chopping onions in the kitchen. The professional, whose interest lies in non-vegetarian dishes, underlined the importance of coconut in Sawantwadi’s recipes. He shared an easy recipe suitable for breakfast. Just add vermicelli or rice noodles in coconut milk and temper it with cardamom and jaggery. This is the famous Malvani region recipe Shirvale Ras, of which the Sawantwadi palace touched by swaying coconut trees, is a timeless testimony.
