Jowar Bhakri and Mirchi Lasun Thecha

I have to, have to, have to thank my dental assistant Mrs. Kalpana Koduskar for giving me great tips about how to make a great bhakri.

I have been trying to make a good fluffy bhakri unsuccessfully for many months. But with the tips I got from her, I finally got it right. It isn't as though my bhakri was perfect, but it puffed up! Imagine my ecstasy!

I made 'assal gaavraan jevan'. Jowar bhakri, mirchi lasun thecha, baingan ka bharta and raw onion. And for dessert? Jaggery with ghee!

It was an awesome meal, and I am sure most of you would enjoy it too.

Ingredients

• 5 cups jowar flour (makes about 8 bhakris)
• 1 tsp salt
• water for making the dough

For the Mirchi Lasun thecha

• 7 to 8 dry red chillies
• 10 to 12 garlic cloves
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp dry mango powder
• 2 tbsp jaggery (this is my own little touch and it tastes great!)
• salt to taste

First make the thecha and keep it in the refrigerator. It is as simple as assembling all the ingredients, and blending them to a chutney in a blender. Remove it and refrigerate it. But beware! This chutney is mind-numbingly hot!

Now make the hot bhakris. The best way to eat a bhakri is right off the stove.  Warm about 2 cups of water. It should feel slightly hot to the touch. Add salt to the jowar flour and mix it well. Now add the warm water a little at a time and incorporate it well into the dough. Knead a soft dough. You have to knead it well for a long time with the heel of your hand to make sure that the dough becomes soft and pliable.

Heat a griddle. You can't roll a bhakri with a rolling pin. Dust a little wheat flour on your hands and make a ball of the jowar flour. Slap it in between both your hands till you get a nice flat round bhakri. Now place it on the griddle and apply a little water on the exposed surface of the bhakri. Wait till the water gets absorbed. Now flip the bhakri over and roast it till it gets browned. (The surface to which water was applied should get browned).

Now pick up the bhakri and place it directly in the flame. Roast it well on both sides till the bhakri puffs up. Serve hot with a drizzle of ghee on its top and with a dollop of the thecha.

Happy Cooking!