Pithla with Jowar Bhakri
Maharashtra's fast, comforting besan curry, cooked with garlic, green chilli and onion to a soft, spoonable consistency, with bhakri and curd — a farmhouse supper.
- Region
- Maharashtra
- Status
- Traditional
- Diet label
- Strictly vegetarian, egg-free
- Time
- Prep 10 min · Cook 15 min (plus bhakri)
- Serves
- 3
- Difficulty
- Easy (pithla); moderate (bhakri)
- Good for
- Quick dinner from pantry staples
- Tags
- Good source · Quick · Soy-free · Whey-free · Gluten-free* · No added sugar
- Allergens
- Milk (curd)
Nutrition (estimated)
- Calories
- 485 kcal
- Protein
- 21 g
- Carbs
- 71 g
- Fat
- 12 g
- Fibre
- 14 g
Headline values are for the full plate.
| kcal | Protein | Carbs | Fat | Sat fat | Fibre | Total sugars | Protein per 100 kcal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pithla only (about 220 g) | 190 | 10 g | 23 g | 6 g | 1 g | 7 g | 3 g | 5.0 g |
| Dinner plate: pithla, 1 jowar bhakri, 150 g curd | 485 | 21 g | 71 g | 12 g | 4 g | 14 g | 10 g | 4.5 g |
Good source. Values checked against IFCT 2017 on 14 Oct 2026.
Ingredients
- 120 g besan · about 550 ml water
- 100 g onion, finely chopped · 6 garlic cloves, crushed · 2–3 green chillies · 10 curry leaves · 2 tbsp coriander
- 12 g groundnut oil · ½ tsp mustard seeds · ½ tsp cumin · pinch of hing · ¼ tsp turmeric · 5 g salt
- Plate: 180 g jowar flour for 3 bhakri (method in L04) · 450 g curd
Method
- Whisk besan with 450 ml water, turmeric and salt until completely smooth.
- Heat oil; add mustard, cumin, hing, garlic, chillies and curry leaves until the garlic turns golden. Add onion; cook 3 minutes.
- Lower the heat. Pour in the besan mixture, stirring constantly to prevent lumps.
- Cook 6–8 minutes, stirring, adding up to 100 ml more water, until it thickens to a soft, spoonable consistency and no longer tastes raw. Cover and steam on low for 2 minutes.
- Garnish with coriander. Serve hot with bhakri and curd.
Protein optimisation
- Besan supplies 8.5 g per serving; bhakri 6 g and curd 5 g on the plate.
- Boost: crumble 50 g paneer into the pithla at the end (+9 g protein, +130 kcal per serving), or serve with 150 g hung curd instead of curd (+4 g protein, +50 kcal).
Variations, serving and storage
- Regional: zunka — a dry version with less water, cooked until crumbly; serve with thecha (green-chilli garlic chutney).
- Substitution: whole-wheat chapati or rice bhakri.
- Storage: best fresh; it sets as it cools. Loosen with hot water.
- Food safety: refrigerate within 2 hours.
- Meal prep: chop onion and garlic ahead.
Nutrition values are estimates calculated from the Indian Food Composition Tables 2017 (ICMR-NIN) and typical product labels. They have not been laboratory-analysed and will vary with your ingredients, brands and cooking. Recipes are for healthy adults and are general information only, not a substitute for advice from a doctor or qualified dietitian. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, cooking for children, have food allergies, or live with kidney disease, diabetes or any other medical condition, please take professional advice about your diet. From the collection Protein-Rich India by Dr. Shantanu Deshpande · drshantanudeshpande.com