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Ever heard of pithla bhakari? It’s a delicious comfort food from the state of Maharashtra.
Pithla is an authentic Maharashtrian dish from the west coast region of India. It is a very simple, quick and easy recipe with unique flavour and texture.
Pithla is a traditional Maharashtrian Curry made up of Besan (gram flour) and onions. It is a vegan, protein-rich and gluten-free dish popularly served with Bhakri along with chilli thecha and raw onions.
Making pithla is super easy and it gets ready in under 20 minutes. It is a staple food of Maharashtra and every household has its own unique way of making this recipe. It is mostly served with plain rice, chapati, roti, or bhakri.
Pithla has a thick creamy paste / stew-like consistency and hence can be eaten with flatbreads and rice.
The dry version of this pithla is called zunka. Zunka is also very much popular in Maharashtra and is made by adding different kinds of vegetables.
The traditional pithla is made using lots of finely chopped onions that are sauteed in oil and then the paste of besan (gram flour) is added and cooked on high flame.
Using only two basic ingredients this pithla is regarded as one of the most loved comfort food all across Maharashtra.
This is such a versatile recipe, that you can tweak it according to your taste buds. There are numerous ways of making pithla.
At home, we make many variations of this pithla. Sometimes we add only onions and cilantro, some times we make this pithla without onion or garlic (I have shared a recipe of the same, do check it out if interested).
Also, we like to include zunka in our weekly menu in which we use different kinds of vegetables such as cabbage, spring onions, green leafy veggies to name a few.
Today we are making spring onion pithla ie kandyacha paticha pithla which is infused with garlic, onions, coriander leaves and spices. This spring onion pithla tastes delicious and goes well with jowar bhakri and rice.
This flavour-packed pithla is a no-fail recipe if you are a beginner or bachelor and want to make something quick and easy for meals. Apart frome being quick and easy it is also a very healthy & budget friendly recipe, especially for students who stay away from home.
Pithla is not only popular in Maharashtra but all over India and is sometimes it is served as street food along with rice bharki (tandlachi bhakri).
Pithla is best served immediately as the cold pithla does not taste good and the texture changes a lot.
Making pihtla of any kind is very simple as most of the ingredients that go into making this dish are already available in our kitchen.
This is a typical Maharashtrian dish that is tempered with mustard seeds, hing (asafoetida), jeera, garlic, green chillies and then sautéed finely chopped spring onions.
Growing up this was my most favourite dish with hot pipping rice and lemon pickle by the side. Traditionally it is served with bhakri but there is no hard and fast rule. You can serve it with chapati, paratha, or even bread as a side dish for meals.
Do try out this authentic spring onion pithla recipe from Maharashtra and you are going to fall in love with it.
It’s a great dish to make when you run out of vegetables and want to enjoy a nice comfy meal.
This garma garam spring onion pithla along with jowar bhakri, raw onion, and green chilli makes a perfect lunch menu at home! Simple & best!
Bharli Vangi- Maharashtrian Traditional Recipe
Ingredients used in making spring onion pithla
Spring Onions / Kandyachi Paat : We will need 1/2 cup of finely chopped spring onions whites and 1 cup of finely chopped spring onion greens.
Besan (Gram Flour): I have used 5 tablespoons of besan of which I made a paste using water. This paste / batter should be free of lumps.
Herbs: I have used 6-7 garlic pods and 2 green chillies which give a nice depth of flavour to this pithla.
Spices: We will require red chilli powder, turmeric and hing (asafoetida).
Seasoning: I have used table salt to season this spring onion pithla.
Oil: I have used 2 tablespoons of sunflower oil.
Water: We will require water to adjust the consistency of the pithla.
Basic Variations for Making Pithla
Without Onion & Garlic: You can use tomatoes and curry leaves instead of onion and garlic, they give a distinct taste to pithla.
Without Garlic: Use only finely chopped onion in tempering. This kind of pithla is loved at our home.
Plain Pithla: A very basic, that contains only the tempering of mustard seeds, jeera, hing , turmeric powder and besan (gram flour) paste. Season with salt and garnish with lots of coriander leaves.
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Here is a step-by-step recipe of kandyacha paticha pithla – spring onion pithla
How To Make Spring Onion Pithla – Kandayacha Paticha Pithla
First, let’s make besan (gram flour) batter for our pithla.
- In a mixing bowl, add 4 tablespoons of besan (gram flour) along with a teaspoon of red chilli powder and salt.
- Add water and make a paste. The consistency should be thin as besan will thicken when cooked.
- Using mortar pestle roughly crush garlic pods and green chillies.
- Heat oil, add mustard seeds, and cumin seeds let them crackle, and hing (asafoetida).
- Add garlic-chilli paste and saute till the raw smell of garlic fades away.
- Add finely chopped spring onion whites and saute for 4-5 minutes.
- Cook till the onions are a little soft.
- Add spring onion greens.
- Cook for 3-4 mintues.
- Add turmeric powder and mix.
- Cook till onions are soft.
- Add besan (gram flour) paste and keep on stirring continuously.
- You may also check out: kandyacha paticha zunka (spring onion sabji) , cabbage zunka (kobi besan sabji)
- You may adjust the consistency by adding water here. We prefer a thick paste-like consistency hence I haven’t added much water.
- Cook this pithla for 5-6 minutes on medium flame. Keep on stirring occasionally as besan tends to stick to the bottom of the pan.
- Cook the pithla till it becomes glossy, that’s the sign that pithla is cooked perfectly. Add coriander leaves (cilantro) and mix.
- Our delicious kandyacha paticha pithla / spring onion pithla is ready. Serve with bhakri or rice along with raw onion and thecha (spicy green chilli paste) .
Notes:
I used raw besan (gram flour) and cooked it directly in the pan. You may also roast the besan first and then make the paste and add it to the onions, this will lessen the cooking time.
You can serve this pithla with rice bhakri, jowar bhakri or phulka.
Serve pithla immediately, cold pithla does not taste good.
Do not store this pithla, it is supposed to be served immediately.
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Detailed Recipe Card
Spring Onion Pithla – Kandyacha Paticha Pithla
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons Besan (Gram Flour)
- 1 teaspoon Red Chilli Powder
- 6-7 Garlic Pods (peeled)
- 1-2 Green Chiliies
- 1 teaspoon Mustard Seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon Turmeric Powder
- 1 teaspoon Cumin Seeds
- 1/4th teaspoon Hing (Asafoetida)
- 1/2 cup Spring Onion Whites
- 1 cup Spring Onion Greens
- Salt to taste
- 2 tablepsoons Oil
- Water to make paste & cook
- 2 tablespoons Coriander Leaves to garnish
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, add 4 tablespoons of besan (gram flour) along with a teaspoon of red chilli powder and salt.
- Add water and make a paste. The consistency should be thin as besan will thicken when cooked.
- Using mortar pestle roughly crush garlic pods and green chillies.
- Heat oil, add mustard seeds, and cumin seeds let them crackle, and hing (asafoetida).
- Add garlic-chilli paste and saute till the raw smell of garlic fades away.
- Add finely chopped spring onion whites and saute for 4-5 minutes.
- Cook till the onions are a little soft. Add spring onion greens & cook for 3-4 mintues.
- Add turmeric powder and mix.Cook till onions are soft.
- Add besan (gram flour) paste and keep on stirring continuously.
- Adjust the consistency by adding water here.
- Cook this pithla for 5-6 minutes on medium flame. Keep on stirring occasionally as besan tends to stick to the bottom of the pan.
- Cook the pithla till it becomes glossy, that's the sign that pithla is cooked perfectly. Add coriander leaves (cilantro) and mix.
- Our delicious kandyacha paticha pithla / spring onion pithla is ready.
- Serve with bhakri or rice along with raw onion and thecha (spicy green chilli paste) .
delicious recipe
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