Pithla (पिठल) -- a quick-fix maharashtrian side-dish
A simple recipe, with few ingredients and cooked in minutes -- Pithla is a side, you can make when you are out of vegetables (or anytime). Usually, it is served with "bhakris" -- which are flat-breads made of jowar(sorghum) or bajra(pearl millet) flours. You can make it liquidy like a soup or a dal, or slightly thickened !! Whatever way you make it, it tastes great.
Ingredients:
- 1 and half cup besan flour (chick pea flour)
- 2 cups of water
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1/4 tsp asafoetida
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 green chilies
- 1 onion
- 1 tomato
- 4-5 garlic flakes
- some curry leaves
- 1 tsp each of mustard and cumin seeds
- 1 tsp each of cumin and coriander powder
- 1-2 tsp oil
Recipe:
- Take besan flour in a bowl. Add turmeric and salt to it and mix it well.
- Slowly add water and with a help of a spoon or a cake whisk mix the flour and water well, to get a batter of pouring consistency.
- Also, make the batter lump free. Keep it aside.
- Heat oil in a pan. Add cumin and mustard seeds. Let them crackle then add asafoetida and chopped garlic and chilies and the curry leaves.
- Add onions, and stir till they are translucent.
- Add tomatoes. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the besan batter slowly, and keep stirring with the spoon/wooden spatula. Keep the heat to medium-low.
- Keep stirring and cooking, till the batter thickens a bit. (About 3-5 minutes)
- At this point, you can add more water to make it thinner or take it off the flame.
- Serve hot, with chapati or bhakris.
Quantity:
- 5-6 servings
- I have served it with hot chapatis and radish raita.
Notes:
- I didn't add garlic, while making this(at the time of taking pictures), as I didn't have it. But, I feel it is the important part of the dish. So do not skip it.
- Also, you can add dried red chili instead of green chilies. I have chopped the chili lengthwise, you can chop them finely (and increase in numbers) to make it spicier.
- Add, more water if you want it to be of a liquid (daal like) consistency.
Simplicity never fails. Love love this..Might make it tomorrow.
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