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Thechwani
थेचवाणी (thechwani): Garhwali crushed radish simmered in an iron pot with mustard oil and jakhya
Thechwani is a winter dish from the hill villages of Garhwal, Uttarakhand, cooked when the radishes are fat and sweet. Instead of chopping, the radish (or potato) is bashed with a stone or pestle so it cracks into rough pieces with lots of surface, then simmered in an iron kadhai with mustard oil, jakhya seeds and a little tomato. The broken pieces soak up the spices, and the iron pot darkens the gravy. It is eaten with rice or mandua (finger-millet) roti. Jakhya, a crunchy wild seed, is sold in hill stores; cumin is the swap. The usual mistake is slicing the radish neatly with a knife, which keeps the spices on the outside. Chef's tip: add the radish greens, finely chopped, in the last 5 minutes for colour and a peppery bite.
- Total time
- 40 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 1 ⅓ lb white radish (mooli), with its greenspeeled; greens chopped
- 3 tbsp mustard oil
- 1 pinch asafoetida (gluten-free hing)
- 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
- 2 green chillieschopped
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- 1 ½ tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp red chilli powder
- 1 tomatochopped
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 cups water
- 3 tbsp fresh corianderchopped
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Cut the 1 ⅓ lb white radish (mooli), with its greens into 5 cm chunks. Crush each chunk with a stone pestle, a heavy rolling pin or the bottom of a heavy pan until it cracks into rough pieces.
5 minStep 2: Heat 3 tbsp mustard oil in an iron kadhai or heavy pot over a medium-high heat until it just smokes, then lower the heat. Add 1 tsp jakhya seeds (or cumin seeds) and 2 dried red chillies; when the seeds crackle, add 1 pinch asafoetida (gluten-free hing).
2 minStep 3: Add 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste and 2 green chillies and fry for 1 minute, then add the crushed radish, ½ tsp ground turmeric, 1 ½ tsp ground coriander and ½ tsp red chilli powder. Fry for 6 minutes, stirring, until the radish is lightly coloured.
7 minStep 5: Add the chopped radish greens and cook uncovered for 4 minutes until the gravy thickens slightly. Finish with 3 tbsp fresh coriander and serve with rice or millet roti.
4 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 130 kcal
- Protein
- 2 g
- Carbs
- 9 g
- Fat
- 10 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does thechwani take?
- About 40 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 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 asafoetida (gluten-free hing)?
- A pinch each of garlic powder and onion powder (asafoetida stands in for onion and garlic).
- What can I use instead of ground turmeric?
- Leave it out (it mostly adds colour).
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