DHIRDA (aka Pooda)
I was reading through one of my Marathi cookbooks for ideas, and while it’s not surprising that there is overlap with Gujarati food (they used to be a single state), the extent is still surprising to me.
So, today I learned that the simple, anytime crepe I know as Pooda is known as Dhirda (pl. Dhirdi) in Marathi.
It’s made from a simple flour-and-water batter with powdered spices (turmeric, cumin, coriander, red chilli, salt, sugar) and optional aromatics (which I skipped today). The flour can vary from wheat to lentil to assorted millets to a mixture; I used mainly wheat today.
Simple and quick, this was a nice breakfast with a cup of ginger tea (Alyachi Chaha).
