HIRVYA MIRCHI CHA THECHA (Crushed Green Chillies)

HIRVYA MIRCHI CHA THECHA (Crushed Green Chillies)
Being married to a Maharashtrian who hails from Sholapur which is known for its spicy food introduced me to their most spicy Hirvya Mirchi cha thecha.

Ingredients
Green Chillies – 10-12
Salt to taste
Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
Oil - 1-2 tsps

Method
Pound the green chillies along with some salt in a motar with a pestle.(known as Khalbhatta in Marathi). In a small pan, heat oil, add the cumin seeds when they start to fry, add the pounded Chillies and fry till you see the skin of the chilly getting lighter in color. Transfer to a small bowl. Your thecha is ready to be eaten with Bhakri or Chappati.

Note: Since you are handling chillies, be careful as to not touch your eyes or face. Be careful while pounding. Maintain a distance.

MAHARASHTRIAN PITLA

MAHARASHTRIAN PITLA
Being married to a Maharashtrian exposed me to the rich Maharashtrian cuisine and one of the best things I learned and absolutely adore is their Pitla and ocfourse Zunka which is a slight variation to the Pitla. This can be had with Bhakri(A jowar or Bajra roti) or Chappati. It is an instant dish and can be prepared in a jiffy. If you don’t have any vegetables at home except onions and you are hungry and need to dish up something, Pitla would be the best option.

Ingredients
Besan (Gram flour) – 1 cup
Onion - 1 finely chopped
Green Chillies – 2 finely chopped
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder – 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Asafoetida – a pinch
Salt to taste
Curry leaves - 1 sprig (optional)
Coriander leaves for garnish
Oil – 1-2 tbsps

Method
Fry the besan in a little oil till it turns light brown. It should loose its raw smell. Keep aside.

Heat some oil and add the mustard seeds, once it starts to crackle, add the onions and fry till the onion becomes transparent and nicely fried. Add the curry leaves and fry for a minute.

In a bowl, Take the Besan, turmeric powder, red chili powder, asafoetida and salt and mix it with water, to form a batter with a liquid consistency. This is a sure shot method of preparing a successful Pitla for beginners according to my mother-in-law. As when you make a batter, there wont be lumps and it will be easier to handle the cooking. Once it simmers. Garnish with coriander leaves. The Pitla is usually in liquid consistency like the Dal. So you can even mix it with rice and eat.

Serve the Pitla hot with chappatis or white rice.

BHAKAR WADI

BHAKAR WADI
(Spicy gram flour snack)
Ingredients
240 g. Gram flour
120 g. Wheat flour
100 g. Grated coconut
60 g. Sesame seeds
60 g. Poppy seeds
A marble sized ball of tamarind, soaked in a little water
Salt and chilly powder to taste
A pinch of sugar
A pinch of asafoetida
100 g. coriander leaves, chopped fine or 1 tbsp Coriander powder.
Black masala powder known as “Kala Thikkat”, if it is not available u can use a normal Garam Masala, according to taste
Oil for deep frying
Method
Mix together gram flour and wheat flour. Add salt, asafoetida, 60 ml. hot oil and
enough water. Knead to a stiff dough. Keep it aside. Roast the grated coconut, sesame seeds and poppy seeds and grind to a powder. Add sugar, salt, chilly powder and coriander leaves to the masala powder to prepare the filling for bhakar wadi. Add tamarind pulp and black masala powder and mix well. Divide the dough into small portions and roll each portion into a thin rectangular shaped chappati. Spread the filling all over the chappati and roll up the dough with the filling into a tight cylindrical shape. Seal the edges with a little water. Cut into three cm. long pieces and deep fry in hot oil till brown and crisp. Remove from oil and store in an airtight container.

Tip : Using Coriander powder instead of Coriander leaves can make the Bhakar wadi last longer.

Serves: Four
Time required: One hour

AAMTI (Lentils cooked in Maharashtrian style)

AAMTI (Lentils cooked in Maharashtrian style)
My mother-in law usually cooks plain toor dal with a little salt and asafetida for the morning to be mixed with the rice and ghee and the same dal(varan) is converted into the most mouth-watering Aamti for dinner.

Ingredients
Toor dal – 1 cup
Onion - 1
Tomato - 1
Green chilies – 3-4
Curry leaves – 1 sprig
Turmeric powder – 1 tsp
Asafetida – ½ tsp
Dried Kokam(Amsul) – 1-2 pieces
A small piece of jaggery (optional)
Maharashtrian Goda masala or garam masala – 1 tsp
Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
Salt as per taste
Coriander leaves for garnish
Oil – 2 tsps

Method
Soak the toor dal for around half an hour. Rinse the toor dal well and then Pressure cook the dal with a pinch of asafetida and ½ a teaspoon of turmeric powder till soft. Remove from the cooker and mash it.
Finely chop the onion, tomatoes and chilies.
In a kadhai (wok), heat 2 teaspoons of oil, add the mustard seeds and when they start to crackle, add cumin seeds, the Dried kokam(amsul), asafetida and turmeric powder.

Add the green chillies and curry leaves and let it fry, now add the Onions and fry until transparent, Add the chopped tomato pieces and fry again till tomato pieces turn soft. Add the mashed dal, mix well and then add 1 cup water. Stir and cook on a high flame till you see the Aamti simmering. Once it starts to simmer, reduce the flame and add salt, jaggery and goda masala. Mix well and allow it to simmer for a while. Your Aamti is ready, Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves. Serve it with plain rice, or chappatis.
You can add Brinjals or drumsticks to the above recipe.