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Recipe: Nema's Jeeryachi Amti

Last updated on: June 20, 2023 15:26 IST

Maharashtrian amtis are of a hundred species and are the backbone of a lovely home-cooked Maharashtrian meal.

I could explain what an amti is to a north Indian audience and call it a kind of dal but, sorry, it's much more than that because it doesn't always have to have dal in it either. And its style of preparation varies all over Maharashtra and from house to house too.

I learnt this delicious, khatta-meetha, garlicky version of amti, with a tiny hint of jeera, called Jeeryachi Amti from my friend, the super-efficient Nema, who works in ad films and real estate.

She runs a formidable kitchen in her rambling home in Moira, Goa, turning out enormous, perfect meals, where even the scrambled eggs are cooked, orthodoxly, in the morning over a steam bath.

I have adapted her recipe for this amti slightly to my tastes.

It freezes very well, ideally in portions, and when you need some amti in a pinch, fish a portion from the freezer.

Serve with a simple tadka sabzi and steamed rice or rice bhakris and papads.

Nema's Jeeryachi Amti

Photograph: Zelda Pande

Nema’s Jeeryachi Amti

Serves: 3-4

Ingredients

Method

Zelda's Note: It's perhaps not correct to suggest popping a sabzi into an amti, but try adding pan-fried bhindi (okra) or pan-fried brinjals (eggplant) or 2-3 sliced boiled eggs.

For a Jain version of Jeeryachi Amti, skip the garlic and use 1 tsp saunth or dried ginger instead of fresh ginger.

This amti pairs well with fried fish.

Lead Image: Kind courtesy Xylem7/Wikimedia Commons

ZELDA PANDE