Katachi Amti Recipe
Katachi Amti is a Maharashtrian spicy dal with a watery consistency. It is usually prepared as a part of Puran Poli thali along with Batata Bhaji. This dal is prepared with the leftover water of after cooking chana dal for Puran Poli. Keep aside some cooked chana dal while making Puran Poli for making Katachi Amti. I just love this amti the way my mom makes it and I have taken this recipe from her.
- Leftover water of cooked Chana dal – approx. 1.5 to 2 cups
- Water – 1/2 cup (125 ml.) or as required
- Groundnut oil – 1 tbsp
- Coriander seeds – 1/2 tsp
- Cumin seeds – 1/2 tsp
- Pepper cloves – 2-3
- Peppercorns – 3-4
- Cinnamon – 1 small piece (approx. 1 inch)
- Kokum – 2-3
- Jaggery – 3-4 small pieces
- Salt – 1/2 tsp or as per taste
- Coriander leaves for garnishing
- For tempering:
- Curry leaves – 7-8
- Garlic cloves – 4-5
- Dry coconut/ khobra – 1 small piece
- Maharashtrian Goda masala (Use red chilli powder if you do not have this masala) – 1 tsp
- Asafoetida – 1 pinch
How to make Katachi Amti:
- Dry roast the whole spices – Coriander seeds, Cumin seeds, Pepper cloves, Pepper corns and Cinnamon. You will start getting a spicy aroma once the spices start getting roasted and they will also slightly become darker in colour. Keep stirring on a low flame to avoid them from getting burnt.
- Once the whole spices are roasted, switch off the gas flame and take them out in a different container. Let them cool down for a few minutes and grind them.
- Roast the dry coconut piece on direct heat from all sides without burning it. This is a tip given by my mom and believe me it adds a great flavour to Katachi Amti. But in case you do not want to do this, you can saute the dry coconut for a few more seconds while preparing the tempering.
- Grate half piece of the roasted dry coconut, add garlic cloves and pound them together in a mortar pestle.
- Heat oil in a deep vessel or kadhai. Keep the gas flame low.
- Once the oil is hot, add the dry coconut and garlic paste and saute continuously till it turns light brown.
- Next you need to add Maharashtrian Goda Masala (it’s a special type of Masala prepared by grinding a lot of whole spices with dried red chillies), asafoetida and curry leaves and saute for a 5-7 seconds. If you do not have Maharahstrian Goda Masala, worry not! You can use red chilli powder instead. The Amti will still taste good since we are going to add the freshly ground dry roasted whole spices.
- Switch off the gas flame for preventing the masala from getting burnt if you are using a vessel which gets heated quickly. I did the same in my Katachi Amti video which you can see below.
- Switch on the gas flame again just before adding the dal water. If you have kept aside some cooked chana dal to be added in the Katachi Amti you can add it now. Since this Amti has a watery consistency, you can add little water or keep the Amti little thick if you like it that way. Mix well.
- Add the powder of dry roasted whole spices.
- You now need to add the salt, kokum and jaggery and let the Amti boil for 4-5 minutes on a medium flame. Kokum and jaggery give an authentic Maharashtrian sweet and sour taste to this Katachi Amti.
- You can see that the colour of the Amti has turned little darker due to kokum. Katachi Amti is ready! J Switch off the gas flame and garnish it with chopped coriander leaves.
Katachi Amti is generally served with Puran Poli thali to add a spicy flavour to the festive meals. It is usually had with plain rice.
If you are looking for other authentic Maharashtrian recipes you can check out Modak recipe, Til Gud ladoo recipe, Koshimbir recipe, Tomato Saar recipe, Sabudana Khichadi recipe and Kande Pohe recipe.
Hope you cook and enjoy this dish. Do share your thoughts and feedback in comments section. SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube channel for more recipes.
Watch video – Katachi Amti
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