Thalipith Recipe

Thalipith

I have spent most of my life being told that I do not look, act, or speak like a Maharastrian – a group of people from the Western Ghats of India. This is slightly surprising as genetically as I am a 100 percent Marathi, with ancestors on both sides being nothing else for hundreds or even thousands of years.

However, the same friends who say this roll about laughing when I encounter Maharashtrian food in their presence. Why? Because my genes start doing a quick march and I turn into a Marathi Monster. I love, love, love Marathi food – varan bhath, masala bhath, waalachi usal, thalipith – I could go on and on.

What is disturbing though is that the son is acquiring the same taste for Marathi food. Disturbing, because now I have to share, and sometimes hand over, my thalipith to an upstart who is only half a Marathi. Humph!

For the uninitiated – thalipith is a thick pancake that is made from spicy flour comprising channa dal, black dal, rice, cumin and a bit of wheat flour. As you can imagine it is almost nigh impossible to get it here in the UK. The online Indian grocer www.idtadka.com has the flour, I think, but a quick online chat to ascertain whether this was actually the case revealed that the “support staff” had absolutely no idea, not a clue, and more cruelly – they asked me if I was a “seller”.  But you can check their product here

Anyway, should you get your hands on the flour – here is a quick recipe. And make sure you have the finished article with a  healthy dollop of butter!

Thalipith Recipe

Serves 3
Prep time 10 minutes
Cook time 15 minutes
Total time 25 minutes
A quintessential Maharashtrian pancake made of spicy flour flavoured with onions, chillies and coriander.

Ingredients

  • 150 grams Thalipith flour (Please ask your Indian grocer or get some from your next trip to India!)
  • 1 small onion (chopped fine)
  • 1 deseeded chilli (chopped into small pieces)
  • A handful of coriander leaves (chopped fine)
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp. chilli powder
  • 4 tbs. sunflower oil
  • Salt to taste

Note

A useful tip is to pat the pancake on a leaf or a plate rather than on the griddle itself. This will save you some burns! Also, make sure that you use oil sparingly.

Directions

Step 1
Mix the onions, chillies, turmeric, chilli powder and salt into the flour
Step 2
Knead the mixture to make a dough. Make sure that the dough is slightly hard and not too soft.
Step 3
Heat up a little of the oil in a griddle or an Indian tawa
Step 4
Take a bit of the dough and pat it into a circular shape on the griddle.
Step 5
Fry, turning on both the sides until brown. Keep aside.
Step 6
Repeat steps above until you finish the dough.
Step 7
Serve hot with butter or yoghurt and a salad of tomatoes and onions.