Thriller called thecha

At a recent sitdown dinner Chef Amninder Sandhu of Punersquos Ammursquos kitchen added thecha prawns to the menu She charcoal grilled tiger prawns added a little confit garlic aioli and a sugarcane glaze served them on a bed of thecha It was a definite winnerSandhu vouches for the thecharsquos versatility and thinks it can be eaten with almost anything Indian ldquoThe spice balanced out the smokiness of the prawn and the sweetness of the sugarcane Thecha gets a nutty flavour from the crushed peanuts and the spice of the roasted green chilli and garlic completed the experiencerdquoHome Chef Swapneel Prabhursquos childhood memories include his Belgaumbased grandmotherrsquos thechaIn her book Pangat author and culinary consultant Saee Korane Khandekar says the name for this fiery Marathi chutney comes from the verb lsquothechnersquo which means to lsquopoundrsquo ldquoAt its most basic a thecha is some green chillies pounded with salt and is what the poorest farmer carries with raw onion and bhakri for lunch to the fields It gains complexity when you add ingredients to itmdashoil garlic peanuts coriander lime juice cumin seeds And with every addition you have a new reciperdquoTraditionally made by hand using a grinding stone or mortar and pestle thecha is served in Marathi homes with the everyday bhajipoli meal or with flatbreads like thalipeeth appe ghaavan and amboli It works well as a marinade for meats or potato too Khandekar says she loves ovenroasted potato wedges that have been slathered in thecha ldquoIt is a condiment that can enliven a meal making you wonder how many taste buds your tongue has It also helps relieve a blocked sinusrdquoHome chef Swapneel Prabhu says the success of the thecha depends as much on its flavours as its texture Coarsely grounded is how it should be A smooth paste fails the test ldquoItrsquos staple Maharashtrian peasant food and is a permanent fixture in the shidori food basketbundle the farmer carries to work Millet bhakris raw onion and sometimes sauteed seasonal greens or a dry pithla make up the contents of the basketrdquoChef Sandip Dalvi drizzles thecha oil over spicy nona pizza at Bandrarsquos Jamjar Diner PicsSameer MarkandeAt home Khandekar makes a dip by whisking thecha in a bowl with hung yogurt This is an excellent accompaniment to chips of all manner as well as cucumber soldiers However at the risk of sounding pessimistic she thinks thecha is the easy way out for commercial eateries trying to lsquogo regionalrsquo ldquoThere is an influx of dishes with thecha on menus I too have used it in many ways but one must try to understand its provenance when you reimagine a dish Like in thetchathalipeeth the thecha is mixed with dahi and served with thalipeeth crackers basically thalipeeth but thinner and baked Irsquove tried to keep the spirit of the condiment and the dish it is paired with intact We often mix dahi with thecha or mirchi loncha to eat with thalipeeth So Irsquove changed the format slightly But making a thecha into a stirfry or marinade is nothing more than using its good press to make an easy dishrdquoPrabhu thinks regional flavours have gained the limelight they deserve but like with all things trending an aspirational following brings with it the fear of compromising on quality The thecha that Prabhu grew up eating is a recipe his maternal grandmother made in Belgaum ldquoOur family version uses broken green chillies whole chillies can burst while frying and peeled garlic pods lightly crushed to prevent them from popping These are fried in a smidgen of oil till they blister and get lightly charred These are cooled and pounded in a stone mortar and pestle along with coarse sea salt Itrsquos an abrasive that helps break down the ingredients Finally some freshlysqueezed lime juice is added for a bright acidic finish and to round off the pungent edge of the garlic and heat of the chillies Rarely we would add roasted skinned peanuts or sesame seeds These cut down the spice and lent the thecha a nutty richness adding to its volume Add coriander leaves if you want a milder versionrdquoSaee Koranne Khandekarrsquos thalipeeth crackers with thecha dipPrabhu says another version uses raw chillies and garlic pounded together and then topped with raw peanut oil before storing in a jar ldquoThe result is something between thecha and a chimichurriesque oil that tastes particularly delicious with stale bhakrirdquo he adds Prabhu replaces lime with kokum for acidity adds lightly toasted cumin for grounding earthiness and mixes a dollop of softened butter before slathering this onto butterflied lobsters or jumbo prawns grilling them on halfshellsSandhursquos Ammursquos Kitchen serves a delicious plate of thecha prawnsOne of Prabhursquos peculiar breakfast favourites is a thick slice of crusty bread toasted till shatteringly crispy slathered with thecha and topped with sliced hardboiled eggs and a drizzle of honeyChef Amninder SandhuldquoThe combination may sound a bit outlandish but it works surprisingly well together I also love to serve it like a gremolata alongside roasted meats While I do like to innovate nothing beats thecha paired with a hearty millet bhakri and piping hot pithla The flavours epitomise the unpretentious charm of Maharashtrian Cucina Povera for merdquoThecha goes westNiyati RaoSahil Timbadia partner and cofounder at Jamjar Diner says the latest favourite dish on their menu is the spicy nonna Rs 575 ldquoThe idea was to replace the usual jalapenodried chili topping with another spicy condiment And what better than thechardquo Head Chef Sandip Dalvi adds ldquoWe felt it provided the necessary heat and depth of flavour to complement the roasted eggplant on the pizza The response has been good Itrsquos still a traditional pizza just a little bit more interesting than usualrdquo On Ekkarsquos tapas menu one of the most loved dishes is churro with potato silk smoked thecha dip Rs 180 Chef Niyati Rao says ldquoThe thecha gives the dish a sharp edge because of its smoky flavour People love mixing it with the potato silk and dipping the churro in itrdquoBombil thechaMaharashtrians love their dried fish as much as they do chillies so another version uses dried bombil sundried Bombay ducks pounded with chillies and garlic and charred dried coconut This puts a coastal spin on the iconic condimentGoing redParth PurandareThe Kolhapuri laal thecha corn ribs Rs 175 has sat firmly on the Bombay Tacorsquos menu since it opened in Bandra in December 2021 Founder and chef Parth Purandare says ldquoWe wanted to give street food a facelift and nothing hits home quite like the thecha Green being common we worked with the red one that has a robust flavour and gives the dish an awe factorrdquoBottled successThe thecha hummus Rs 299 from Wonder Foods and Farms is a spicy dip launched a month ago after it was served at an event they hosted and realised that it was polished off in no timeMayuri RaoMayuree Rao CEO and founder says ldquoI wanted to make spicy hummus for a lunch I was hosting and experimented to combine both flavours It turned out so good we had to have it on the menu It works as a dip spread in a wrap or a sandwichrdquo Little Treats also hawks a thecha flavoured butter Rs 403 while Nomad Foods mixes chilli with pork in their bacon thecha Rs 350 which has long been a successStarring at restaurantsThecha babka dough at Goan eatery O Pedro BKCEasytomake and store thecha is incredibly versatile and can be turned into a delicious spread flavourful marinade a base for compound butters aiolis or dips and even worked into dough and batter Prabhu thinks ldquoIn the hands of skilled chefs thecha is the perfect flavour bomb that can set off some seriously flavourful fireworks on the palaterdquo For vegetarians especially itrsquos a simple but welcome change in flavour profilemdashdifferent from the usual but familiar still and chefs in the city are cashing inChef Hussain ShahzadThe Bombay Meri Jaan Sandwich Rs 490 at O Pedro made with thecha babka is inspired by the humble vada pav and packs in masala aloo cheddar cheese and pickled chillies Babka is traditionally a sweet braided bread that comes with chocolate Here it is reworked with a puree of thecha so that itrsquos easy to smear over the dough which is then braided and baked It lends a savoury note and spicy flavour profile to the sandwich Hussain Shahzad Executive chef atHunger Inc Hospitality tells us ldquoIndians love the combination of spicy green chilli with garlic and the thecha is a beautiful amalgamation of both The ability to use it wisely can transform a dishrdquo Chef Gaurav GidwaniBrewDog Bandrarsquos chef and FampB director Gaurav Gidwani has put an aloo thecha naan bomb Rs 390 on the menu Here samosa patti is stuffed with hand crushed baby potato and openfire roasted Vaishali chilli and garlic cloves crushed with sea salt In goes a hint of mustard oil Itrsquos served with a tangy tomato chutney from Telangana ldquoThe dish is a subtle melange of flavours Indian customers can relate to The spice comes from Gujaratrsquos Vaishali chillies and the earthiness from openfire roasting of the garlic and the khada whole namak offers a salty burst but in a pleasant wayrdquo Gidwani says