Pithla with Bhakri

Ok ... this recipe has been in my draft for over a week now ... and I cannot ignore it any more.This is again one of my simplest recipes .... and often call it 'lazy day recipe'.

It is a staple fare of Maharastrians and is one such food that is available across the state .... and a little off the borders too .... all at a very minimal price that the common hardworking man can afford.

My introduction to this dish was in Sinhagarh ... a fort off the city ... which turns into a small green heaven during the rains. Shivering in the misty rain and fog (it gets real cold during monsoons here) and gorging on hot Pithla Bhakri is one of my most treasured memories.

It is usually eaten with Bhakri (Jowar roti) but when I was still mastering the trick of making one ... we used to have it with plain atta roti too. On a recent visit to didi(SIL)'s place I saw that she serves this with rice. Liked that too.

A simple, rustic meal for the simple soul.


Pithla

Need :

1/2 cup besan / gram flour,
A pinch of haldi / turmeric powder,
Red chilli powder,
Salt to taste,
5 cups water,
1 tsp cooking oil,
A little jeera / cumin and rai / mustard seeds for tempering,
1 chopped onion,
3-4 cloves of garlic chopped ( you can use more if you like the flavour) ,
Fresh coriander leaves,
Chopped green chillies.




How to :

Mix the haldi, red chilli, salt to the besan and add the water to make a mixture of very thin consistency.



Heat oil in a heavy bottomed kadhai.
Add the jeera and then the chopped onion,garlic and green chillies.
Fry for a little while.

Then add the besan mixture. Now leave it to cook on its own. Stir once in a while so that it does not stick to the bottom and burn ( which is why a heavy bottomed kadhai is imp).

Once the mixture starts to thicken, keep stirring so that no lumps are formed.

The whole point of making a very thin mixture is by the time the dish reaches its desired consistency ( all gooey stuff), the besan will have been completely cooked and lose its raw taste.

Remove from heat and sprinkle chopped corainder leaves. Serve hot (it won't taste good when cold) immediately with bhakris or rotis and raw onion sprinkled with salt.

Bhakri :

Knead Jowar atta with a little salt and lukewarm water (this is imp).

Make small balls and use maida / apf or rice flour to roll out bhakris. Cook them like phulkas / rotis on a tawa.