Maharashtrian cuisine comprises of a variety of mild to very spicy tongue tickling dishes. The food is tempting and delicious and makes use of aromatic and flavorful ingredients. Peanuts and sesame seeds are widely used in curries and chutneys. Garlic and chilies are liberally used in many of the dishes which give a characteristic zesty and spicy taste to the food. One such fiery hot chutney is the hirvi mirchicha kharada thecha.
Hirvi Mirchi is green chili in Marathi and kharada / thecha is to crush. So basically thecha is a green chili crush. Traditionally Mirchicha thecha is made using only two main ingredients , green chili and garlic. A thecha has green chilies and garlic crushed together using a stone mortar and pestle with some salt. This thecha is very spicy and served with bajra or jowar roti. Kharada recipe calls for use of some more ingredients like peanuts, coriander leaves which lower the hotness and make the preparation more aromatic.
Hirvi Mirchicha Kharada is a delicious fiery hot chutney which can spice up any meal. It is generally served with Bajrichi Bhakri and this classic combo is a comfort food during winters.This is one of my most treasured personal heirloom recipes. Have added onions , fresh coriander leaves and little peanut powder apart from the main ingredients , green chili and garlic. Addition of very small quantity of jaggery powder gives a slight sweet hint to the otherwise fiery hot preparation. Hirvi Mirchicha Thecha / Kharada can be served with Bajra or Jawar roti ( flat bread). It goes well as a side dish with curies like Bharli Vangi ( stuffed Brinjal) , Vangyacha Bharith ( roasted eggplant stir fry) , Zunka etc. The thecha/ kharada can be made in bulk and used in other curries and stir fries for its fantastic flavor and aroma. It stays good for 2-3 days on refrigeration and for about a week if you do not add onions and coriander leaves.
Serves: 1/2 cup
Preparation Time : 5 minutes
Cooking time : 10 minutes
Ingredients:
- 10-12 Green chilies
- 5-7 Garlic cloves
- 1 Onion , finely chopped
- 1 small bunch of fresh Coriander leaves
- 1 tablespoon roasted Peanut powder
- 1 teaspoon Jaggery powder
- 1 tablespoon Oil
- Salt to taste
Method;
- Wash the chilies and pat dry with a kitchen towel. Discard the stems. On a heated skillet drizzle few drops of oil and add the green chili and garlic cloves .
2. Fry them on a low to medium flame for 3-5 minutes or until light brown spots appear all around the chilies and garlic cloves. Keep stirring so they get evenly fried.
3. Transfer the fried chilies and garlic to a mortar and pestle along with salt and make a coarse crush. You may use grinder for this, but just pulse it once or twice as we do not want a fine paste.
4. On the same skillet add remaining oil and fry the chopped onions until translucent.
5. Add the chili ginger crush to it and stir fry on a low flame for 1-2 minutes.
6. Add the roasted peanut powder and jaggery to the mixture and stir well. Saute for another 1 minute.
7. At the end add finely chopped coriander leaves and mix well. Put off the flame.
8. Remove the mirchicha kharada and allow to cool down before serving.
9. Serve the lip smacking hirvi mirchi cha kharada with bajrichi bhakri and enjoy ! Transfer the remaining in an airtight container and refrigerate until further use.
Notes:
- You can add cumin seeds also in this recipe for variation.
- Put on the exhaust fan while frying the green chilies, as the steam from the chilies may cause irritation and running nose.
- After peeling the garlic cloves, allow them to sit on the counter for 5-10 minutes before using them for cooking or eating. Waiting for 5-10 minutes allows the health promoting alliicin to form. So it is worth the wait.
- You may squeeze lemon over the hirvi mirchi cha kharada just before serving.
If you are also a spice lover like me and haven't yet tried this kharada, do try out this simple recipe, as you would love it for sure.
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