Hot and spicy thecha is a side dish served with a Maharashtrian/ Indian meal. It goes well with rice-dal, flatbreads and one pot savory dishes.
Recipe Snapshot
- Prep time: 5 minutes
- Cook time: 5 minutes
- Total time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 3 · 3 to 4
- Category: Side
- Cuisine: Maharashtrian
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) oil
- 8 (35 grams) green chilies ((Indian/ Thai/ serrano peppers, slightly slit or pricked with a fork))
- 12 grams medium garlic cloves ((peeled))
- ½ to 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 3 tablespoons (32 grams) roasted unsalted peanuts ((deskin if you prefer or may use raw & roast))
- ½ cup (13 grams) coriander leaves ((with tender stalks, may double if you prefer))
- ⅓ teaspoon sea salt (or as needed)
Method
How to make Thecha
- Add oil to a pan and fry the green chilies and garlic cloves, until blistered. Add cumin seeds and let toast for 30 seconds.
- Cool down and add to the grinder/ stone mortar. Also add the roasted peanuts, coriander leaves and salt.
- Crush to a coarse paste. Taste test to adjust salt. If it’s too spicy for your preference, may sprinkle little lemon juice.
- Serve thecha as a side to spice up your meal. It goes well with flatbreads, dal-rice or any one pot dishes like khichdi.
Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note
Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.