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Pithla with jowar bhakri
Gram flour curry with sorghum flatbread
पिठलं भाकरी: quick garlicky gram-flour curry with hand-patted sorghum flatbread, and its dry cousin zunka
In villages across the Deccan plateau of Maharashtra, pithla bhakri is what a farmer's family eats when the pantry is low and the day is long: a pan of gram flour simmered with garlic, green chilli and onion until it sets to a soft, spoonable curry, with thick jowar bhakri patted out by hand and a raw onion on the side. It became a symbol of rural Maharashtra, served at roadside stalls near Sinhagad fort to trekkers and at political rallies alike. Zunka, the dry version, uses the same flavours but is stirred until crumbly. Serve with thecha or a wedge of lemon. Chef's tip: whisk the gram flour into cold water before it meets the pan; that one step is the whole secret to a lump-free pithla.
- Total time
- 50 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 3
Ingredients
For the pithla
- 2 ⅝ oz gram flour
- 2 cups cold water
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp groundnut oil
- 1 tsp black mustard seeds
- ½ tsp cumin seeds
- ¼ tsp gluten-free asafoetida
- 6 garlic clovescrushed
- 3 green chillieschopped
- 1 small onionfinely chopped
- 2 tbsp fresh corianderchopped
For the jowar bhakri
- ½ tsp salt
- ¾ cup hot waterabout
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Method
0/10 doneStep 1: Whisk 2 ⅝ oz gram flour into 2 cups cold water with ½ tsp ground turmeric and 1 tsp salt until completely smooth, with no dry lumps. Set aside.
Step 2: For the bhakri, mix 9 oz jowar (sorghum) flour and ½ tsp salt and pour in ¾ cup hot water little by little, stirring with a spoon. When cool enough, knead with the heel of your hand for 3–4 minutes to a smooth, soft dough that doesn't crack at the edges. Jowar has no gluten, so knead each portion again just before shaping.
5 minStep 3: Heat a heavy tava over a medium-high heat. Take an orange-sized ball, knead it briefly, then pat it out on a floured board with your palm, turning as you go, into a 15 cm round about 4 mm thick. Rolling it on baking paper with a pin works too.
Step 4: Lay the bhakri on the tava, then brush the top all over with water. Cook for 1 minute until the water dries and the base sets, flip, and cook 1 more minute. Flip again onto a direct flame or press with a cloth until it puffs in patches. Wrap in a cloth and make the rest, about 6.
15 minStep 5: For the pithla, heat 2 tbsp groundnut oil in a pan over a medium heat. Add 1 tsp black mustard seeds; when it crackles, add ½ tsp cumin seeds, ¼ tsp gluten-free asafoetida, 8 curry leaves, 6 garlic cloves and 3 green chillies and fry for 1 minute until the garlic is pale gold and fragrant.
Step 6: Add 1 small onion and cook for 3–4 minutes until soft and translucent.
4 minStep 7: Whisk the gram-flour water again and pour it in, stirring constantly. Common mistake: walking away now. It thickens within a minute, and lumps form on the bottom if you stop stirring.
2 minStep 8: Turn the heat to low, cover and cook for 6–8 minutes, stirring every minute or two, until it is thick, glossy and leaves the sides of the pan, and no longer tastes of raw flour. It firms up as it cools, so take it off while still soft and spoonable. Stir in 2 tbsp fresh coriander.
8 minStep 9: For zunka instead, fry the onion a little longer until golden, then sprinkle in 100 g dry gram flour with the spices and stir on a low heat for 8–10 minutes, sprinkling water now and then, until crumbly and toasted.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 440 kcal
- Protein
- 14 g
- Carbs
- 68 g
- Fat
- 14 g
- Fibre
- 9 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does pithla with jowar bhakri take?
- About 50 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 35 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 3 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of ground turmeric?
- Leave it out (it mostly adds colour).
- What can I use instead of black mustard seeds?
- Cumin seeds, same amount (different flavour, same crackle).
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