Lal Tikhat Thecha - the fiery side for bhakri
Thecha is a small but essential part of a Maharashtrian meal. For anyone working in the fields, bhakri is not complete without it. Everyone knows the green chilli version, but a red chilli thecha keeps longer and tastes deeper. It sits happily in the fridge for a week.
Ingredients
- Garlic - 15-20 cloves
- Peanuts - 1/2 cup
- Chavsamrat Chilli Powder - 2 tsp
- Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
- Oil - 3 tbsp
- Coriander leaves - 1/2 cup, chopped
- Salt, to taste
Method
- Dry-roast the peanuts, rub off the skins and crush them coarsely.
- Heat the oil and crackle the cumin.
- Fry the garlic on low until golden - do not burn it, or the thecha turns bitter.
- Turn off the heat, add Chavsamrat Chilli Powder and stir at once. The residual heat is enough to cook it.
- Mix in the crushed peanuts and salt.
- Once cool, pound coarsely in a mortar or pulse in a mixer - do not make it smooth.
- Stir through the coriander and serve with bhakri.
Tips
- Never add chilli powder over a live flame - it scorches instantly and turns bitter.
- A coarse thecha is the point; do not grind it to a paste.
- A film of oil on top keeps it for a week.