Phodanichi Poli

Khatta-meetha, tongue-tickling, crunchy-munchy! Who’d believe that left-over Chappathis can be turned into something so lip-smacking as this! And they taste best when made with chappathis that are a day old. Fresh chappathis don’t do much for this dish…so for once, eating something stale can be fun! I learnt this from my Marathi friend Bharati Kadam. Bharati, if you’re reading – Thanks very much for sharing this yummy and quick-fix Maharashtrian snack with me. We loved it, and it sure will be a regular on our menu from now on.

Ingredients:

• Chappathis (a day old) – 6 nos (made into small pieces by hand or coarsely powdered using a mixer. I chose man over machine!)
• Onions – 2 nos (medium-sized; finely chopped)
• Green Chillies – 2 nos (vertically slit)
• Curry leaves – a sprig; finely chopped
• Coriander/Cilantro – a fistful; finely chopped
• Lime juice – from one large lime
• Red Chilli powder – 1 tbsp (alter to suit your taste)
• Turmeric powder – a pinch
• Sugar – 1 tsp
• Salt – to taste
• Water (if required) – 2-3 tbsps

For the Tadka:

• Raw Peanuts – 4 tbsps (I like them more. If you find it too much, reduce as per your taste)
• Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
• Jeera – 1 tsp
• Asafoetida/Hing – a generous pinch
• Oil – 1-2 tbsps

Serves: 2 persons

Procedure:

• In a wok, heat the oil. Pop the mustard seeds and jeera, and add the asafoetida.
• Add the peanuts and fry till they turn golden brown.
• Add the finely chopped onions, green chillies, curry leaves and turmeric powder. Saute till the onions are cooked nice and tender.
• Throw in the powdered chappathi pieces.
• Add red chilli powder, sugar, salt and stir well to incorporate.
• Sprinkle 2-3 tbsps of water if the chappathi pieces are a little hard. You could skip this step if they are still soft.
• Cover the wok with a lid for a couple of minutes.
• Once done, remove from flame, stir in the lime juice (remember to remove from flame before you add the lime juice, else your dish will turn butter, oops bitter!!)
• Garnish with finely chopped coriander/cilantro and serve hot! I realised it also tastes lip-smackingly good with cool curd…try for yourself!