A KTC walking companion on our Heritage Walk of Vengurla.
Vengurla market is not a place you “visit.” It’s a place you step into.
On our Heritage Walk of Vengurla, the market becomes a living meusuem, where trade, food, culture, migration, and everyday coastal life intersect. This guide is meant to help you shop the local market with us, and also serve as a reference if you return on your own.
Because in Konkan, markets tell stories.
⭐ The Star Products of Vengurla
Cashew (Kaju)
1. Cashew (Kaju) – The Coastal Classic
If you buy cashews anywhere in India, it is hard to know what you are getting.
India’s demand is higher than its local production. The Konkan harvest lasts only about six to seven months after summer. Once local stock runs out, even factories begin selling imported African cashews. They are cheaper and look similar, but the taste and texture are different. This is what most stores usually carry.
Vengurla is one of the few coastal towns where you can still find locally processed Konkan cashews, especially if you know where to buy.
- Classic White Cashews | Pandhre Kaju: These are the polished, factory-processed cashews most people know.
- Skin-On Cashews | Saliche Kaju (Brown Layer Intact): Some people prefer cashews with the thin brown skin left on.
- Ask for local farm cashews, not factory-packed brands.
Understand grading:
W180 – Large premium
W240 – Mid premium
W320 – Most common table grade
Broken pieces/ Tukda – Best value for cooking
Hyper Local Cashew Types You Should Know ↓
Fire-Roasted Kaju
🔥 Fire-Roasted Kaju
This is where things get real. Traditionally cashew is fire roasted to burn all the resin in the shell to give a superior nutty flavour to the nut inside. This a laboursome process that requires manually extracting the nut from the shell. We do arrange cashew roasting experiences at KTC!
- This cannot be mass-produced and authentic fire roasted cashew is costlier.
- Some shops do sell extra-roasted cashew, however most of these are roasted after the boiled extraction process. You will find one such variety at Vengurla Kaju.
Tender Cashews | Bibbe | Ole Kaju (Pre-Summer Special)
1️⃣ Tender Cashews | Bibbe | Ole Kaju (Pre-Summer Special)
- Available just before peak summer.
- These are softer, mildly sweet, and more delicate in texture.
- Season: February – March
- Local Delicacies: Dessert ‘Kajucha Movla’ & Spicy ‘Olya Kajuchi Bhaji’
- Connect with us to get this in season
- Shelf Life: 8-10 Days refrigerated
Germinated Cashews | Garka | Ghodka (Pre-Monsoon)
2️⃣ Germinated Cashews | Garka | Ghodka (Pre-Monsoon)
- Hyper-local delicacy. Found germinated under cashew tress in pre-monsoon
- These are green, crunchier, healthier
- Locally used in curries & a sweet dish
- Connect with us to get this in season
- Shelf Life: 10-15 Days refrigerated
Not widely available outside producing regions.
Surande Kaju
3️⃣ Surande Kaju
This is where things get interesting. Surande kaju refers to cashews traditionally cured and dried in the sun over a period of time, rather than processed in a factory.
- These retain deeper flavour and again cannot be mass produced and if found in the market will be expensive than the usual.
💰 Approximate Price Range (Varies by Grade & Season)
- Broken/ Tukda: ₹700–₹850/kg
- W320: ₹850–₹1,000/kg
- W240: ₹950–₹1,150/kg
- W180: ₹1,100–₹1,400/kg
- Surande: Higher, depending on availability
- Tender cashew: ₹350 to ₹500 per 100 pcs
Note: Local cashew is costlier than the supermart version which is imported from Africa.
KTC Preferred outlets:
- Vengurla Kaju (Near Rameshwar Temple)
- Ask for Samarth Cashew & Salto variety at Shirsat Bakery
- Narmada Cashews
Do mention you found them at Konkan Travel Club website!
Kokum
2. Kokum Guide: The Konkan Essential
If cashew is the economy of Konkan, kokum is its quiet medicine.
Kokum is one of Konkan’s most underrated essentials. While mango gets the attention, kokum quietly holds the coastal kitchen together. Read more on this miracle fruit here.
What to buy ↓
Dried Kokum Rinds | Sola
Best for cooking: Used in solkadhi, curries, dal
Long shelf life
Look for dark colour with reddish hues and sticky.
- Taste to check flavour
- Good quality kokum at 650/Kg. You can buy packs as low as 200 gm.
Kokum Agal
- This is thick, concentrated kokum extract.
- A preservative in itself- not to be refrdgerated.
- Used in quick solkadhis, gravies, cooling drinks.
- ₹350 to ₹600 per litre. season
- Shelf Life: 8-10 Days refrigerated
Kokum Syrup
- This is the sweetened drink version.
- Commercially, this is made from agal.
- One shop near of ‘Sanjay Trading Company’ in market lane Vengurla sells authentic syrup made of fresh kokum fruit. He calls it ‘Amrut Kokam’
Kokum Butter | Muthiyal
A hidden miracle product in Vengurla Market. Costs only Rs. 30/- here, Kokum butter is otherwise expensive in the industry due to tedious extraction process.
- Traditionally, its been used to treat cracked heels as well as for basting over bhakaris/Chapatis.
- Kokum butter is known to have skin regeneration properties.
Kokum butter contains:
Stearic acid (gives firmness and structure)
Oleic acid (supports skin moisture balance)
Palmitic acid
Antioxidant compounds
- It is naturally stable and resistant to rancidity.
- Melts easily on skin contact and can provides deep moisturisation without clogging pores, supports skin barrier repair, helps soothe dryness and mild irritation
- Used in lip balms, as body butter, for hair as well as lips and elbows.
Coconut (Naral)
3. Coconut: The Coastal Constant
If you’ve had meals here, you will notice something immediately. Coconuts from this region are often sweeter, denser, and creamier, with less dry flakiness than those grown in commercial belts or far from the coast. Coastal salinity, laterite rich soil, heavy monsoon rainfall, and mixed forest style farming influence the tree’s growth and oil composition. Many are harvested closer to natural maturity rather than industrial cycles.
The result is flesh that feels compact, oily, and full bodied, not dry or chalky.
What to buy ↓
- Mature Coconuts
- Coconut oil
Rice, Grain & more
In Konkan, rice is the base of the meal. Most coastal households prefer parboiled rice, locally called ukda tandul, which holds shape well, digests slowly, and pairs perfectly with fish curry and solkadhi.
What to buy ↓
- Rice Varieties: Surai, Walai,
- Local Red Poha
- Nachni/Ragi
- Kulith
Dry Fish (Sukat/Golma)
4. Dry Fish
You cannot understand a coastal market without stepping into the dry fish section.
Dry fish is not just preserved seafood. It is monsoon strategy. When the sea turns rough and fresh catch drops, preservation keeps kitchens running. Salt curing and sun drying have shaped coastal food systems for generations. The smell may be strong, but so is the story.
What to buy ↓
- Mackerel or Bangda is a coastal staple here and also available in dried form. It carries a strong, oily flavour that works beautifully in chutneys and curries.
Dried shrimp, both tiny and large varieties, are commonly found. Processing quality can vary, especially with shrimp.
For hygienically sourced dried shrimp or fish from trusted local fishermen, connect with us at 8669810485.
Spices & Masala
Spices & Masalas
If coconut is the base, masala is the signature.
Malvani kitchens rely primarily on the bold red ‘hirva masala’ and the earthy ‘bhajka masala’, each has a distinct role in the kitchen. Bhajka Masala has mutiple spices roasted & ground. Aroma matters more than colour here.
What to buy ↓
Masalas, Pickles, Premixes
You might find multiples outlets for masalas, but here’s what we recommend for a quick access. ‘Laxmi Masale’ Homemade masalas run by Mahesh Khanolkar.
- Different types of masalas. Packed as preferred.
- Variety of homemade pickles & premixes
Tirphal/Teppal
- Tirphal is one of the most distinctive fiery coastal spices.
- Often compared to Sichuan pepper, it carries a sharp citrus aroma and a mild tingling sensation on the tongue.
- It is used selectively in fish curries and certain coastal preparations, where it adds brightness and depth rather than heat.
- It is powerful, seasonal, and loses potency quickly if stored poorly.
Kulith Pithi Mix
If there is one ingredient that deserves more respect in this market, it is kulith.
Also known as horse gram, this humble legume is one of the most nutrient dense foods in the coastal belt, yet it remains strangely overlooked. Packed with plant protein, iron, fiber, and antioxidant compounds, kulith has long been part of traditional Konkan kitchens, especially during cooler months when the body needs warmth and strength.
You will see it in the market, do not ignore it.
- Check the packet if it is made in ‘Walaval’ as that is where the best pithi premixes are made.
- Ground into a coarse pithi mix, it transforms into pithla that is deeply earthy and satisfying.
- It is functional food in the truest sense. It fuels. It fortifies. It sustains.
Other
- Bhajniche Wade Pith: Special roasted multigrain flour used to make fragrant puris that are paired with Chicken.
- Tamarind in the market is of great quality.
Processed Food Items
Ambapoli, Fanaspoli, Chun Kap (Coconut sweet), Homemade ladus, jackfruit chips, are few of the many food items available.
More ↓
Bakery
For the best bakery items in the whole town, you hvae to head to ‘Shirsat Bakery‘. The owner is welcoming especially if you tell him you’re a KTC guest 😉
- The owner shall guide you on what to buy but this place has the best Kaju katli ever.
- You will also find a special salto cashew here.
- No Vanaspati Ghee (Dalda) is used
Chaukoni Pav
- Chaukoni pav is Vengurla’s heritage square bread, baked in compact blocks by age old bakeries.
- Unlike commercial pav, it is naturally fermented, using lentil based starters instead of packaged yeast, which gives it a deeper flavour.
- Elastic crumb structure.
- Best paired with chicken, usal & tea.
Cocktail
Yup, cocktail is a unique blend of milk colddrink, seasonal fruits, icecream, nuts & accompaniments thats unique to the region!
- Quality Colddrinks
- Rajashree Colddrinks
Other
More info loading- Stay tuned!
Think we missed something? Let us know—we’d love to hear your thoughts!
