Doodhatla Pithla

Every Marathi household has a copy of this, either borrowed from mom or one that was gifted to a new bride. 

I'm talking about Kamala bai Ogale's famous cookbook, 'Ruchira'.  

This is one of the oldest cookbooks and is still very popular. The recipes (in book 1) concentrate on Marathi cuisine and include a range of simple, day to day recipes and some complex ones as well.

The book gained popularity because of the dependable recipes but in my opinion, also because, it used simple measurement tools, the 'vaati' (katori / steel bowl) and 'chamcha' (steel spoon used in every kitchen). This made it easy for the Indian home maker and cook, who largely depended on eyeballing everything when cooking. 

My Mother has an old copy of Ruchira, I never really looked at it, it was just... there. It was because I did not have enough time on my hands to cook (because of work pressure) or just because it was in Marathi, which I was not too comfortable reading. 

But I love reading it now and cooking from the book. 

I grew up up in  a Marathi- Kannada  home, my Mom mostly made Maharashtrian food and it wasn't until I started blogging that I realized how vast the range of recipes was. 

There are so many variations to everyday recipes and just when you think you know a bit more, you realize, ah! no! that was just the tip of the iceberg. 

Take for example, the humble 'pithla'.

This ubiquitous 'curry', is something most people won't bother talking about. It's one of those, 'taken for granted' recipes. When there is a shortage of time or ingredients, this is the go-to recipe. 

It requires few ingredients, the base is 'besan' (chickpea flour) add to boiling (tempered) water. 

There are variations, like using garlic or even a different base (I've used kulith - horsegram flour).

But what I never imagined was using milk, instead of water.

So when I was leafing through the recipes in Ruchira, I spied, 'Dudhatla pithla' I was intrigued. 

I would never have imagined using milk in a recipe that wasn't sweet. You learn something new, everyday! 

  

This recipe comes together in a jiffy and is very mild and makes a nice change, once in a while. 

This recipe is very forgiving, just be careful as it is milk based and follow the steps as mentioned to ensure that the milk does not curdle. 

I halved the proportion, that was more than enough for the 3 of us. 

I used 

2 Cups of Milk

1/4 cup Besan

1 Green chili, chopped 

1/2 tsp Cumin seeds, powdered

Salt to taste

Chopped Cilantro to garnish

Fresh coconut  to garnish ( I did not use )

2 Tbs Oil

1tsp Mustard seeds

Hefty pinch, Asafetida

1/4tsp Turmeric powder

Curry leaves.

Dissolve the besan in 1/4 cup milk and make a smooth paste. Set aside.

Heat a deep sauce pot or a kadhai. Add the oil and one the oil is hot (not smoking),add the mustard seeds.

As the mustard seeds pops, lower the heat and add the asafetida, turmeric, curry leaves  and the chopped green chili. Add the cumin powder and stir to mix. 

Now add the milk (1 1/2 cup) and stir to combine. Let the milk come to a boil, add the besan (mixed in milk) and stir to mix it in well.

Once the besan is cooked ( the consistency changes, it becomes tick and has a slight shine) add the salt.

Let it cook for a couple of minutes.

Garnish with coconut and cilantro before serving.

Serve ladled over plain, steaming hot rice with some pickles and papad for a comforting meal.

Notes:

-This is a mild Pithla, add another green chili if you want to amp up the heat. But this proportion is kid approved. 

- Be careful with the heat, keeping the flame on high or induction on high, will result in milk burning and smelling awful. Keep the heat at medium and stir frequently. 

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Khandeshi Pithla

And so it happened again. Sigh!

My tendinitis is back. Every time I use my right hand (which is ALL the time) I get shooting pain and I feel immobilized for a minute.

The pain subsides and I try again, it hurts. And so it has been going on for a few days now. I decided to take it easy.

Making fulkas was out of the question, so I got some Wheat Tortillas from Kroger to use instead.

( I am not advertising here, merely sharing my experience with you all ) a few months ago, my friend Samta, introduced me to these tortillas and I was surprised that they worked so well as a substitute for fulkas. All it needs is a grill to set atop the stove and high heat, just roast them and smear with ghee and you are set.

I find these very convenient to use when in trouble like now or even on days I cannot make any at home. 

I am also very lucky, I have friends who pitch in and help.
My friend, Tanu, made and sent over some choley and sheera, that took care of our dinner and M's lunchbox and I got invited to lunch at her place, the next day. 

This was one invitation I did not turn down. Tanu and I, apart from being good friends, share quite a few things in common, we both like good food, we both love a good laugh. This makes for a very good combination and we look forward to eating, laughing and sharing recipes.

Our cooking styles are pretty similar too and that makes us very comfortable and confident of what is being served.

So when I rang her doorbell today, I knew what she was making, however, I was not prepared to be dazzled by the taste of her version of 'Khandeshi Pithla' a recipe passed on to her by her Mother-in-law.

Now pithla is typically the poor man's food and is paired with bhakri (a gluten free and fat free skillet flat bread). This classic combination is comfort food to most Maharashtrians. In the USA, it is a big deal! Making bhakri requires skill, patience and believe it or not, luck. If you are lucky, you will get fresh flour ( Jowar, in this case). So you can imagine my delight and eager anticipation!

The bhakri making began in earnest, with a warning not to expect something wonderful,which was quite unnecessary.  In the meantime, I checked the Pithla and stirred it around, letting the aroma whet my appetite. I knew then, this was a wonderful recipe and I had to blog about it. 

As I broke off piece after piece of the bhakri and scooped up pithla and ate, I realized that this recipe was a bit different than what was made in my home, Tanu explained that this was the 'Khandeshi' style.
And in between her explanation and my eager shoveling the fire alarm went off like a banshee, scaring us out of our wits. We ran around like squawking chickens, grabbing a towel here or a t-shirt there and flapping away at the alarm and switching on the fans and opening doors letting in the cold breeze.
It almost became a routine, talk and eat, run around flapping some odd garment to make the pealing alarm stop, rinse....repeat...
But overall, a great meal packed with the usual dose of fun and laughter and a common love of good food.


To make pithla , you need,

2/3 (scant) cup Besan ( chickpea flour)
1 medium Onion, finely chopped
3-4 green chilies ( +\- depending on how much heat you can tolerate)
A few curry leaves
3 cloves of Garlic
2 tbsp Oil
1 tsp Mustard seeds
1 tsp Cumin seeds
1 tsp Turmeric powder
1/4 tsp Kashmiri red chilies powder ( just to enhance the color) - optional
1/2 tsp Asafetida powder
Salt to taste
2-3 tbsp Fresh Fenugreek ( Methi) chopped  or 1 tbsp Kasuri Methi
Warm water ( thrice the quantity of besan)
Cilantro  to garnish

In a mortar and pestle, crush the garlic and green chilies or pulse them in a mixer/ blender to a rough paste. Heat oil in a pan. Add the mustard seeds. As they pop, add cumin. As the cumin sizzles, add the asafetida followed by garlic-chilies paste. Saute briefly (so the raw smell goes away) and then add onions and cook till done. Add curry leaves, turmeric, salt and red chilies powder, if using. Add the besan and mix well to incorporate all the spices into the besan and roast the besan till it smells nutty.
The color will change to a warmer shade. Ensure that you roast besan on medium heat.
Once the raw smell of besan is replaced by a nutty spicy aroma, add the fresh or Kasuri Methi and mix well.
Now slowly add the warm water while constantly stirring the besan mix. Break any lumps that have formed and stir to make an even pasty gravy.
As it cooks, the gravy will lose the pasty look and will be replaced by a deeper shade and a glossy look. Taste and check salt, adjust if necessary.  Cook for 3-4 minutes stirring at regular intervals.
Switch off the heat, cover and let the flavors mingle for 10 minutes.
Garnish with cilantro and serve with bhakri or even white rice.
If you like, serve finely chopped onion alongside.

NOTES:
-The above proportion will make plenty of pithla, will serve 4 really hungry adults.

- Be sure to roast the besan well, that lends a wonderful depth of flavor

- The longer the pithla sits ( or in case of leftovers) the heat quotient goes up, so make sure to add green chilies judiciously

- The besan will soak up the water and make the pithla dry and thick.

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