Red-Hot Chile and Coconut Blend

Kolhapur, a vibrant community of artists and sportsmen (especially wrestlers) in the western state of Maharashtra, is best known for its hand-sewn, open-toed, flat-bottomed leather sandals known as chappals. Culinarily, the city is overshadowed by its neighbor Ratnagiri, where the world’s best mango, the Alphonso, is grown. Don’t expect that to last much longer, however, because Kolhapur’s bold masala finds its way into many fish, chicken, vegetable, and legume curries.