Peanut Coconut Thecha

While travelling North to Central India by trains normally they cross 3 – 4 States depending on the route and the preference of travel.People like me love to stay inside the trains,looking out at the scenery and also checking out the various wares peddled by the hawkers and trying to see if it appetites my senses. I remember back in 1997 when still in school I was travelling to Mumbai with my uncle and his family when the train stopped at Itarsi – a very important station on the Central Railway line. My aunt had a tendency (which I totally agree with) to get whatever snack they came peddling with but I had a tendency to avoid many things as I cared (even now) about my figure,looks and personality! It is an LOL moment here as I feel it is stupid sometimes as it interferes with my peace of mind and frustrates me at times but then at the end it satisfies me that I am to putting trash into my body.

However what she got at Itarsi had me completely floored. It was a plate of Vada – fried lentil balls with something they called “Thecha”. It was a semi-dry powder which went absolutely great with the Vadas and it was so delicious that I had to order another plate and it was even more heavenly. However I cherished the taste so much that I wanted to make it as soon as I got back home. I asked for the recipe from the hawker and he gladly obliged smiling at the fact that a school girl asked for the recipe whom he thought of as “small and cute”!I had my cheeks pulled after he gave the recipe!

I love Coconut….

So here is the delicious recipe for the Thecha! You can have this with snacks,Idli,Dosa or even paratha. I love to have it by the spoonful as it is so extremely delicious! You can adjust the number of chillies according to taste. I love a hot Thecha so proceeded to put in 7 green chillies. Please note the heat in the Chillies,as some of them are too hot that even 1 is sufficient.

I served it with fresh Croissants which tasted awesome with the Thecha!

This recipe was entered for the Shhhhh Secretly Cooking Challenge where the theme was Madhya Pradesh Cuisine!

Preparation Time : 10 minutes

Makes : 1 cup of Thecha

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup salted peanuts (I tool the roasted barbecue for a more substantial taste)

7 Green Chillies

1/4 cup shredded coconut

1 tbsp oil

2 tbsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp sugar

1 tsp tamarind paste

METHOD

Put all the ingredients in a blender and pulse in durations of 2 seconds till it becomes a semi-dry powder or paste whatever you will call it.

Store in a glass bottle and use as needed.

14 thoughts on “Peanut Coconut Thecha”

Lathiya says:

November 5, 2018 at 7:41 am

This looks like an awesome recipe…I love coconuts too.. so this is definitely in my to do list

The Girl Next Door says:

November 5, 2018 at 12:03 pm

This looks so inviting! Lovely share for the theme! 🙂

Vidya Narayan says:

November 6, 2018 at 7:28 am

Chutneys are an integral part of our food, isn’t it and we manage to even stuff it inside the croissants and enjoy (totally loved the idea). The chillies look like bird eyes chilli variety? Must be extremely spicy which is actually essential for thecha.

Rafeeda - The Big Sweet Tooth says:

November 6, 2018 at 12:49 pm

Train journeys are always wonderful, but nobody allows me to eat the food 🙁 Even I am scared since I have a very turbulent gut… hehe… The thecha sounds interesting, lovely chutney…

Ashima says:

November 6, 2018 at 5:56 pm

This might be the only time I have seen thecha served with Croissants 🙂 remember eating it in train stations and crying my eyes out with the spicy chillies but that’s where the taste and the whole experience of thecha is! I didn’t think it was so easy to make! Thank you for the recipe.. I am definitely going to try it albeit with a little less chillies 😛

Priya Suresh says:

November 6, 2018 at 9:23 pm

Just prefect to carry while travelling, thecha looks absolutely nutty and dangerously delicious.. Lovely chutney there..

mayurisjikoni says:

November 12, 2018 at 11:56 pm

Have not heard of this dish, but introducing to me is great as I love chutneys that are versatile. However, I’d probably go easy on the chilis. Must have tasted great with croissants.

Batter Up With Sujata says:

November 14, 2018 at 8:45 pm

Thanks for sharing a new type of chutney. Bookmaking it to try soon. I love coconut. Thecha looks lip-smacking. Superb share.

Kalyani says:

November 15, 2018 at 4:24 pm

thecha with croissants.. that’s surely a first, amrita ! loved reading ur anecdote… (the cheek pulling way back then seemed to be the norm, isnt it ? ;p) bookmarked to try with mildly spiced chillies

themadscientistskitchen says:

November 21, 2018 at 9:39 pm

LOL! cheeks pulled?? And croissants with thecha! Now you are speaking my language. As for the thecha I am bookmarking it these days my kid is eating these chutneys and will love to introduce some more to her. But she will not take kindly to her cheeks being pulled. ;D

jayashreetrao says:

November 23, 2018 at 3:48 pm

Thecha looks spicy and tasty, it’s good for the winter season now. Nice share.

PepperOnPizza says:

November 25, 2018 at 8:02 pm

Croissants with Peanut Coconut Thecha! What a lip smacking idea. The thecha itself sounds a delicious variant of the chutneys we are used to. I must try it as a substitute for my molagapodi with dosa, soon!

Veena Krishnakumar says:

November 27, 2018 at 8:17 pm

Now stuffing them in croissants is an awesome idea and I am going to make these soon. Lovely share

poonampagar says:

November 29, 2018 at 12:08 pm

The idea of stuffing the deliciously addictive thecha in crossiants is simply brilliant Amrita ! Thanks for the wonderful share.