Mirchi Thecha

Fresh green chilli-peanut crush — the most essential condiment on every Vidarbha and Maharashtra table: fresh green chillies (four to eight, depending on desired heat level), dry-roasted peanuts, garlic cloves, salt, and a squeeze of lime pounded together in a stone mortar into a coarse, fragrant paste where the chilli's fresh heat, the peanut's nuttiness, and the garlic's pungency are preserved intact rather than blended smooth. The thecha (from the Marathi word thech, to pound) is not a smooth chutney but a rough, chunky paste; the texture of identifiable peanut pieces and chilli skin is essential. A small amount added to varan bhat or bhakri transforms the meal. The combination of peanuts with fresh chilli is specifically Maharashtrian; the thecha is Vidarbha's most everyday flavour addition, present at every meal from simple bhakri-varan to elaborate feast plates.