RCI :Bihar

This month’s Regional Cuisine of India (RCI) is dedicated to Cuisine of Bihar. Honestly I had no idea what Bihari cuisine consisted of until I read about it because of RCI :) I have never tried other states’ cuisines other than the states in South India. So this was a good experience to explore as well as get a good taste of the yummy Bihari food varieties.

To know about the history, geography, economical status and culture of the state of Bihar one can take a look at its cuisine. Food habits of the people in Bihar show how the cuisine of the state has evolved over centuries under the influence of various cultures and regimes which controlled it from time to time.

Lord Buddha attained enlightenment in Bihar and hence the impact of Buddhism is significant of the state. People are largely vegetarian though many are fond of chicken and meat dishes. Bihar has also been under the reign of mighty Moghuls and naturally the exotic Mughal cuisine affected the Bihar style of cooking and the taste of the inhabitants of the state. A remarkable factor of Bihari cuisine is that the state has imbibed the best and most suitable aspects of the Gupta, Mauryan, Turk, Afghan, Persian and European style of cooking and at the same time retained a food culture that bears a distinct hallmark of Bihar.

I went about making a Bihari thali, I tried to find out what exactly constitutes a Bihari thali but came up with nada online! So I made my own thali with one Subzi, one Daal, rice, paranthas and a sweet dish.

Bihari Thali

Aloo Gobi Matar ki Sabzi

You will need:

2 Boiled Potato (medium sized, cubed)

1 cup Cauliflower florets

2 Tomatoes chopped

1 cup Fresh or frozen peas

1 cup Mustard Oil

½ tsp Cumin seeds

2 Bay leaves

2 Dried red chillies

4 Cloves; 1 Big Cardomom ; 2 Small Cardomoms ; 1” pc Cinnamon stick

1 Onion chopped

1 tbsp Ginger Garlic paste
1 tsp Haldi powder ; 1 tsp Cumin powder ; 1 tsp Corriander powder ; 1 tsp Red Chilly powder ; 1 tsp Garam masala powder
Salt to taste
1 tbsp Ghee

Heat enough oil for deep-frying in a pan. Sprinkle some salt on the boiled cubed potato pieces. When the oil is hot, put the potato in it and deep fry till potatoes are crisp and golden brown. Drain the excess oil and keep aside. Deep fry the cauliflower florets too in the same oil, till they turn golden brown. Drain excess oil.

Heat 4 tbsp of oil in another pan. Add cumin seeds, bay leaves, dried red chilli, cardamom, cloves and cinnamon stick. When the cumin begins to splutter, add onion and saute till it becomes soft and translucent. Add ginger garlic paste and tomatoes. Saute for 3 minutes, then add all the powdered masalas. Add the fried potatoes and gobhi, peas and salt. Saute everything for 2 minutes. Cover and cook on low for 5 minutes, this helps cook the peas. Uncover, pour one tsp of ghee on top and serve hot with chapathis, paranthas or steamed rice.

Chana Dal Masala Fry

You will need:

1 cup Chana daal
8 tbsp oil
½ tsp Cumin seeds
2 Bay leaves
2 Dried red chillies
4 Cloves; 1 Big Cardomom ; 2 Small Cardomoms ; 1” pc Cinnamon stick
1 Onion chopped
1 tbsp Ginger Garlic paste
1 tsp Turmeric powder ; 1 tsp Cumin powder ; 1 tsp Corriander powder ; 1 tsp Red Chilly powder ; 1 tsp Garam masala powder
Salt to taste
2 tbsps Ghee

Pressure cook the chana dal with salt and turmeric powder in 2 cups water. Do not overcook, the daal should not be flat or broken, shape must be intact.

Heat oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds, bay leaves, dry red chillies, cardamom, cloves and cinnamon stick. Add the chopped onion and fry till it becomes soft. Add the Ginger garlic paste and sauté for a minute. Now add the cumin, coriander, red chilli and garam masala powders. Add ½ tsp of salt. Saute for 5-6 minutes till all the powders come together and the individual smells are gone. Now add the boiled daal with little water. Mix well and bring to a simmering boil. Garnish with chopped coriander and ghee. Serve hot with chapathis/paranthas or steamed Basmati Rice

Palak Parathas

You will need:

1 large bunch Spinach
Wheat flour as required
2 tsp Oil
½ tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp Amchur powder
2 Green chillies finely chopped
¼ “ pc Ginger finely chopped
3 small garlic pods finely chopped
½ cup finely chopped Corriander
1 ½ tsps Corriander powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
Salt to taste
3 tbsp Butter/ghee

Wash and roughly chop spinach. Add it to boiling water and let cook for 3-5 minutes. Drain and make a smooth puree in a blender. Reserve in a large bowl.

Heat oil in a pan. Add the cumin seeds, green chillies, ginger and garlic. Saute till garlic is light brown. Add this to the spinach puree along with the amchur, coriander and red chilli powders. Also add salt to taste. Now add wheat flour as required to make a soft pliable dough. Let sit for 30 mins or more. Roll into thick parathas and roast on a hot pan, apply butter on both sides and serve hot.

Malpua

I hadn’t heard of Malpuas until now and the images online looked so good, that I had to try them myself! All I can say is “Why didn’t I know sooner!”

You will need:

2 cups All Purpose Flour (Maida)
3 cups Milk
2 Bananas mashed
3 tbsp Fine Sooji (semolina)
2 cups Sugar
3 cups Water
½ tsp Cardamom powder
Few saffron strands
1 cup Ghee (for frying)

Mix flour, fine sooji, milk, saffron strands, cardamom powder and mashed banana in a bowl to make a thick pouring consistency batter. Keep aside for 30 mins.

Meanwhile make the sugar syrup by boiling sugar and water till it thickens to form a clear sticky syrup. Heat ghee in a pan for deep frying. Pour a small cup of batter in the centre of the hot ghee and fry on both sides till its light golden brown. Soak in sugar syrup for a minute and plate. Garnish with chopped pistachios and almonds and serve hot.

Malpuas are ritually eaten with kheer or rabdi, but for me Malpuas were sweet enough so skipped the rabdi.

It was a wonderful experience exploring the cuisine of Bihar. Bihar Thali & Malpua is my entry to this month's "RCI: Bihar" hosted by Sangeeta of Ghar Ka Khana.