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.

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