Hirvi Mirchi Cha Thecha
pounded green chilli and garlic relish, fierce and smoky, eaten with bhakri
Allergens in Hirvi Mirchi Cha Thecha: peanuts.
Ingredients
Quantities for 6.
- 15 hot green chillies (about 100g), stems removed Green Chilliuse fewer if you value your evening
- 10 cloves, peeled Garlic
- 1 tsp Cumin Seeds
- 3 tbsp Groundnut Oil
- 1/4 cup, chopped Coriander Leavesoptional
- 1/2 Lemonbrightens it; optionaloptional
- 1 tsp, or to taste Salt
Cookware
stovetop, tawa, blender
Checked against the ingredient list for ten allergens: milk, egg, fish, crustaceans, tree nuts, peanuts, sesame, mustard, soy and gluten. Brands vary, so read the label on anything new to you.
Before you start
- Open a window and turn on the extractor before you start. Dry-roasting fifteen green chillies fills a kitchen with capsaicin fumes.
- Wear gloves or oil your hands before handling the chillies, and do not touch your face for the next hour.
- A stone mortar (khal-batta) gives the real texture. A blender works but use short pulses only.
Method
- Heat 1 tbsp oil in a flat pan and add the whole chillies and garlic cloves.
- Roast over medium heat 6-8 minutes, turning often, until the chilli skins blister and blacken in patches and the garlic is soft and browned.Those blistered patches are the smokiness of the whole dish. Blackened is right; uniformly charred is not.
- Add the cumin seeds in the last 30 seconds, just to warm them through.
- Cool for 5 minutes, then pound in a mortar with the salt to a coarse, uneven paste. Visible flecks of chilli skin, not a smooth puree.If using a blender, pulse 3 or 4 times only. Thecha ground smooth turns watery and loses its bite.
- Work in the coriander with a few more pounds.
- Heat the remaining 2 tbsp oil until it just smokes, pour it over the thecha and stir it through.
- Squeeze in the lemon if using, taste for salt, and serve alongside jowar bhakri, plain rice or dal.
Storage
Keeps 5 days refrigerated in a clean jar with a film of oil on top. It gets hotter for the first two days, then settles.
Nutrition Good estimate
One serving of Hirvi Mirchi Cha Thecha (31 g) is about 77 calories, or 250 calories per 100 g.
Low protein: 1 g a serving, 4% of the calories
| Per serving31 g | Per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 77 kcal | 250 kcal |
| Protein | 0.8 g | 3 g |
| Carbohydrate | 3.6 g | 12 g |
| of which sugars | 0.9 g | 3 g |
| Fibre | 0.4 g | 2 g |
| Fat | 7.0 g | 23 g |
| of which saturated | 1.2 g | 4 g |
| of which unsaturated | 5.4 g | 18 g |
Estimated from raw ingredients using USDA FoodData Central.
More like this: Quick Indian recipes (30 min) · Vegan Indian recipes · Vegetarian Indian recipes · Gluten-free Indian recipes · Dairy-free Indian recipes · Maharashtrian recipes
Times, yields, allergens and nutrition are guidance. Use your own judgement on doneness and on storing. More in About.