Vegetable Thalipeeth | Multigrain Flour and Vegetable Flatbread

Vegetable Thalipeeth | Multigrain Flour and Vegetable Flatbread

While growing up, until my age of eight, my maternal grandparents home was that haven for me, to which I ran whenever holidays made their appearance.

It was the place where I could have the choicest Mangoes from Maharashtra, Sitaphal from Hyderabad, Pedhas from Dharwad and Kardantu from Gokak, my grandfather being a great connoisseur of fruits, sweets and other food. It was also the place I could play dress up to my heart's content without the watchful eye of my mother.

But what appealed to my young heart the most was the ice cream I had every day either at the erstwhile Century Club or the Bangalore Club. Soon after my grandfather arrived from work, he would promptly send me to one of these places, instructing his driver to bring me back carefully after I had my share of ice cream. I must confess that at times, I went overboard and had two ice creams at a time, an indulgence that my parents would have never allowed.

And then there was the food cooked by my grandmother which I have talked about many a time, in this space. The soft fluffy hot puris with a spicy potato bhaji, rice and its many variations and accompaniments, crispy chaklis, sheera, laddus and other fare cooked by her. And ofcourse there was the thalipeeth.

No one could match the taste of her thalipeeth. A maestro in the kitchen, whenever there was a need to make thalipeeth, she quickly mixed the flours, added the spices, salt, some yogurt or curd to bind the dough, add flavor and tang and then she patted the dough on an iron tava. This way of making thalipeeth yields the most flavoursome results.

Thalipeeth, still warm from the heat of the iron tava would be scooped with dollops of fresh homemade yogurt or curd along with a spicy red chili chutney called ranjak or kempu chutney (kempu meaning red in Kannada). This mouthwatering combination is still very close to my heart.

We often make thalipeeth in our household. It tastes great with mango chutney or with amla chutney.

You can add vegetables of your choice to make it more nutritious. I use carrots, cucumbers, pumpkin or bottle gourd with great results.

Thalipeeth comes together quickly, is very satisfying and delicious. For me, it always brings back memories of my grandmother, from whom I learned the basics of my cooking and who is largely responsible for many of the great results that come out of my kitchen.

Thalipeeth is commonly known as a dish from Maharashtra, but this is something that is not only popular but is quite commonly cooked in the northern parts of Karnataka as well. One of the highlights of thalipeeth is its versatality. It can be served as a breakfast, at lunch, as a part of a brunch menu, as a snack or a small meal or even dinner.

If you happen to try this thalipeeth recipe from our household, let me know about it by mailing me or sharing it with me here, on mail or on social media.

This recipe has been brought to you in association with 24 Mantra Organic.They have a wide range of organic products to choose from, which makes it easier to switch to an organic life. Do check out the Organic Mantras initiative and stay connected on Facebook and Instagram.

Vegetable Thalipeeth Recipe

Indian flatbread from Maharashtra and North Karnatak made with a variety of flours, spices and vegetables.

You can use a variety of flours and any  vegetables like ash gourd or pumpkin to make these flatbreads.

Ingredients:

150 gm (3/4th cup) rice flour

60 gm (1/2 cup) sorghum millet (jowar) flour

60 gm (1/2 cup) gram flour (besan)

60 gm (1/2 cup) wheat flour

1 tbsp coriander seed powder

1 tsp cumin seed powder

½ tsp turmeric powder

½ tsp asafetida powder

1 tsp red chili powder

½ cup plain yogurt or dahi or tamarind water

1 ½ tsp salt or to taste

1 cucumber, grated

1 carrot, grated

Method:

In a large bowl combine all the dry ingredients, the flour and the spices. Mix with a fork, make a well in the centre and add yogurt and the grated vegetables. If your cucumber is bitter, make sure that you remove the bitterness by rubbing a slice over the cut cucumber until all the bitter juices ooze out.

Mix well and make a dough. Add a few spoons of water if required to make a soft dough.

Keep a griddle or a pan on the heat.

Grease a medium sized (enough to fit over a chakla) baking parchment or butterpaper with oil. Grease your hands with some oil.

Take a portion of the dough and pat it over the paper, to get a circular 6” to 8” disc. Make 3 to 4 holes with your fore finger near the centre of the disc. This will make sure that the oil seeps into the corners of the dough making a crisp thalipeeth.

Place the paper over the hot pan and carefully peel off the paper.

Spread a few drops of oil around the edges of the thalipeeth. After the base is cooked and dark brown spots appear, flip it over and cook on the other side as well.

Grease the paper again and repeat the above procedure until you finish up the dough.

To receive recipes, tips and inspiration that feeds your body, mind and soul subscribe to Divine Taste newsletter



4 thoughts on “Vegetable Thalipeeth | Multigrain Flour and Vegetable Flatbread

  1. Hi Anu,

    Very nice pictures and comforting memories.
    Your grandmother looks divine, very respectful and loving.
    At my home, we have a dish passed on from my grandmother a little similar to this dish.
    Rice flour, grated bottlegourd, cumin seeds, coriander leaves,curry leaves, green chillies, salt all these are mixed into a nice dough. Then in an aluminium vessel which is quite deep and has wide sides, this dough is taken into balls , and the roti is made inside the aluminium vessel(the vessel is greased a bit and the ball is stuck onto the wall of the vessel and beaten into a roti),once a few are made , this vessel is kept on the stovetop and closed. It cooks via steam, as the lid is closed. The end result is so amazing, outside layer which is stuck to the vessel will be crisp, and the other side which is open will be soft.. this is served with ghee.
    This was ,is and will be a treat for us.
    Similar to akki roti, but lot of difference in the texture and tase, as the technique is different.

    Sunitha

  2. I love when you tell stories about your grandmothers and other relatives, their recipes and your childhood. So interesting 🙂

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *