Pithla is a traditional Maharashtrian dish made using chickpea flour or besan. Make it using my easy recipe.
Also, try some other traditional Maharashtrian dishes from the blog: Misal Pav, Bharli Vangi, Shengdana Amti, and Puran Poli.
About Pithla
Some traditional recipes are very simple but have a unique taste and texture. This Pithla recipe is one of them!
Pithla is a traditional Maharashtrian recipe made with besan (gram flour, chickpea flour).
It is a pasty curry that goes very well with bhakri. Pithla Bhakri Thali is very popular in Maharashtra; It consists of Pithla, Jowar Bhakri, Gavar ki Sabji, and Thecha.
Every household has its way of making this dish. In this post, I am sharing the recipe I learned from a neighbor during our stay in Pune.
This recipe is vegan and can be easily made gluten-free.
Ingredients
Besan makes the base of pithla recipe.
Onions – Onions add a nice crunch to the soft pithla.
Green Chili Ginger and Garlic are used to flavor it.
Spice Powders – To spice it up, use basic spice powders such as Kashmiri red chili powder, turmeric powder, garam masala powder, and salt.
Oil – This dish is traditionally made in peanut oil. If it’s not available, use any other cooking oil.
Others – You will also need cilantro (fresh coriander leaves), curry leaves, asafetida (hing), brown mustard seeds, and cumin seeds for the tempering.
Skip adding hing for a gluten-free recipe.
You can add some yogurt to the besan mixture to make dahi pithla.
Add chopped greens like fenugreek leaves (methi), spinach(palak), or spring onions to the pithla to make a new version. You can also add chopped green bell peppers (capsicum).
How To Make Pithla
Add the following ingredients to a mortar and crush to make a coarse paste.
- 1 teaspoon chopped ginger
- 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
- 1 teaspoon chopped green chilies
Sieve 1 cup of besan using a large sieve to avoid any lumps.
Add the following ingredients to the bowl and mix well.
- ½ teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ¼ teaspoon garam masala powder
Add 3 cups water slowly and whisk to make a lump-free batter. If the batter still has lumps, you can pass it through a mesh strainer.
Heat 2 tablespoon peanut oil in a pan over medium-high heat.
Add the following ingredients once the oil is hot, and let them crackle for 4-5 seconds.
- ¼ teaspoon asafetida
- ½ teaspoon brown mustard seeds
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
Add garlic green chili paste, and 8-10 curry leaves, and saute for 20-30 seconds.
Now add 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro and ½ cup chopped onions and cook for 1 minute.
Reduce the heat to low.
Add the besan mixture and 1 teaspoon salt to the pan and mix well.
Cover the pan with a lid.
Cook the pithla on low heat for 7-8 minutes, stirring frequently. The consistency of pithla is like a thick paste.
Garnish with fresh coriander and serve hot.
You Might Also Like
Recipe Card
Best Maharashtrian Pithla Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon chopped ginger
- 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
- 1 teaspoon chopped green chilies
- 1 cup besan (chickpea flour, gram flour)
- ½ teaspoon red chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ¼ teaspoon garam masala powder
- 3 cups water
- 2 tablespoons peanut oil (or any other cooking oil)
- ¼ teaspoon asafetida (hing) (skip for gluten-free)
- ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- 8-10 curry leaves
- 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro (fresh coriander leaves)
- ½ cup chopped onions
- 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
Instructions
- Add ginger, garlic, and green chilies to a mortar and pestle and crush to make a coarse paste.
- Sieve besan using a large sieve to avoid any lumps.
- Add chili powder, turmeric powder, and garam masala powder to the bowl and mix well.
- Add water slowly and whisk to make a lump-free batter. If by any chance there are still lumps in the batter, you can pass the batter through a mesh strainer.
- Heat oil in a pan over medium-high heat.
- Once the oil is hot, add asafetida, mustard seeds, and cumin seeds, and let them crackle for 4-5 seconds.
- Add garlic green chili paste, and curry leaves, and saute for 20-30 seconds.
- Now add cilantro and onions and cook for 1 minute.
- Reduce the heat to low.
- Add the besan mixture and salt to the pan and mix well.
- Cover the pan with a lid.
- Cook the pithla on low heat for 7-8 minutes, stirring frequently. The consistency of pithla is like a thick paste.
- Garnish with fresh coriander and serve hot.
Lakshmi M Phadke
On our no vegetable day, we prefer Pithla and Thecha.
Neha Mathur
Same here 🙂