Indian Breakfasts - Bihar & Jharkhand

One Page Cookbooks Bihar & Jharkhand Breakfast – A Primer All recipes copyrighted. No reproduction / commercial use without permission. Siramki@Gmail.com
1.: Sattu .(Roast and powdered gram ) Take a handful of roasted gram. Blend to a powder. This is the much loved Sattu, eaten in numerous ways. Sattu Drink::Take half a handful of sattu. Mix in a cup of water with a finely chopped onion, green chili and two pinches of salt. Or mix half a handful of sattu in a cup of chilled water, the juice of a lemon and two pinches of black salt / sugar. Sattu Meal : Take a handful of sattu. Gradually mix in water to make a stiff dough. Pinch off small balls, dip in curry and eat.	Sattu : Probably the simplest breakfast in the world. It is eaten in numerous ways across Bihar. Choora Dahi : Indians have been eating breakfast cereals for overt 2000 years. Beaten rice / rice flakes can be eaten raw / mixed with cream / yogurt / milk / mango puree. Thin rice flakes are usually eaten raw and thick ones are soaked and cooked. Choora ka Bhuja. Roasted rice flakes make a great crunchy snack and can double as a filling breakfast. Khichidi Rice and lentils are cooked together into a one pot meal across India. Various lentils or combinations of lentils can be used here. Roti / Phulkha / Missi Roti : Bihari roti is no different from a typical north Indian unleavened flatbread. Like Rajasthan, a mix of gram flour and wholewheat flours are kneaded with spices to make the missi roti. Sattu Paratha : The regular stuffed paratha of Punjab gets a Bihari twist with a stuffing of spiced gram flour. Litti : Like the Bati of Rajasthan, thick dough rounds stuffed with spiced gram flour are roasted or deep fried to make this unique Bihari bread. Dal poori : Wholewheat dough is stuffed with spiced dal and deep fried. A wholesome meal with carbohydrate, protein and fat. Kachouri : A popular snack in the north, it is a consumed for breakfast in Bihar. Dal Pitha : The closest we get to stuffed pasta in India. Shopping List: 500 gms (Roasted gram flour, rice flakes, whole wheat flour, rice, mung dal, chana dal, mustard oil). 100 gms (Onion, green chili, salt, sugar, ginger, ghee) 50 gms (Chili powder, turmeric powder, amchoor, cumin, dry red chili, garam masala, ajwain, asafetida, curry leaves) www.ramkicooks.blogspot.com
2.: Choora Dahi .( Rice flakes and yogurt) Take a handful of thin rice flakes. Mix with half a cup of yogurt and three pinches of jaggery / sugar. Eat with a spicy pickle. Replace yogurt with mango puree and it becomes Chura Aam
3.: Choora Ka Bhuja .( Toasted Rice flakes) Heat a spoon of mustard oil. Add half a handful of chopped onion and a finely chopped green chili. Add two handfuls of thin pressed rice ( chura) and two pinches of salt. Stir and cook till rice is crisp.
4.: Khichidi (Rice and lentil porridge) Basic Recipe : Mung dal Khichidi In a pressure cooker with lid open, heat a spoon of ghee. Add a pinch of cumin, a bit of cinnamon, a clove, a pinch of chopped ginger, a bay leaf, a slit green chili, a pinch of turmeric & three pinches of salt. Add half a cup of mung dal and a half a cup of rice. Add four cups of water. Close and pressure cook for three whistles. Let cool and open cooker. Mix well and serve with its companions yogurt, papad, ghee or pickles. (khichdi ke chaar yaar - dahi, papad, ghee aur achaar). Use tuvar / masoor / chana dal or a combo of all.
5.: Roti .(Unleavened flatbread ) Take a cup of whole-wheat flour. Mix in three pinches of salt. Gradually add water ( around ½ cup) and knead to a soft dough. Pinch off lemon sized balls, roll them into thin rounds and cook both sides on a hot skillet till brown spots appear. (Toast both sides over naked flame and you have a phulkha). Mix in gram flour, chili powder and turmeric powder and it becomes a missi roti. Serve with dal / curry.
6.: Sattu Paratha.( Unleavened flatbread stuffed with spiced gram flour) ) 1.Take a handful of sattu flour. Mix in half a spoon of mustard oil, a grated onion, a pinch of grated ginger, amchoor, two pinches of salt and chili powder. 2. Mix well and shape into lemon sized balls. Roll a tomato sized ball of whole-wheat dough into a thin disc. place the sattu ball in the center, gather the edges of the dough and pinch, sealing in the sattu. 3. Press gently into a thick disc. 4. Roll into a thin sheet. Cook both sides on a hot skillet.
7.: Litti .( Roasted buns stuffed with spiced gram flour) Follow steps 1 to 4 in the recipe for Sattu Paratha. Make half a dozen discs and place all on a hot skillet. Cook both sides on medium flame till the surface browns. Or bake in an oven till surface browns. Or deep fry both sides till golden. Serve with Chokha / Bhartha.
8.:. Dal Poori (Deep fried stuffed flatbread) Basic Recipe : 1. Take half a cup of channa dal. Add a cup of water and pressure cook for three whistles. Drain water. 2. Add dal to a blender with a pinch of cumin, a dry red chili, a pinch of turmeric powder, two pinches of garam masala and salt. 3. Blend to a coarse paste. 4. Shape into tight lemon sized balls. 5. Roll a tomato sized ball of whole-wheat dough into a thin disc. Place the channa ball in the center, gather the edges of the dough and pinch, sealing in the dal. 6. Press gently into a thick disc. 7. Roll into a thin sheet. Deep fry both sides.
9.: Kachouri (Deep fried dumplings) Basic Recipe : Take a handful of whole wheat flour. Mix in a handful of gram flour ( besan), four spoons of oil, a pinch of ajwain and two pinches of salt. Gradually add water and knead into a soft dough. Pinch off lemon sized balls. Roll into palm sized discs and deep fry both sides in oil. Serve with Ghughni / chutney. ( Replace flours with Suji for Suji Kachori)
10.: Dal Pitha (Boiled & Stir fried dumplings ) Follow steps 1 to 6 exactly in above recipe for Dal Poori. Bring six cups of water to a boil. Add the discs and cook for 10 minutes. Drain water. Let cool and cut into pieces. Heat a spoon of ghee. Add two pinches of mustard seeds, a pinch of curry leaves and asafetida. Add chopped pithas and stir fry for a minute. Serve with chutney.

Indian Curry Families - Bihar & Jharkhand

One Page Cookbooks Bihar & Jharkhand Curry Families – A Primer All recipes copyrighted. No reproduction / commercial use without permission. Siramki@Gmail.com
1.: Tarkari (Stir fried vegetable curry)::. Basic Recipe : Kadima Tarkari : Take a handful of skinned, deseeded and chopped squash flesh. Heat a spoon of oil. add a pinch of fenugreek seeds, asafetida and a dry red chili. Add the squash, a pinch of turmeric powder, chili powder and two pinches of salt. Stir and cook on medium flame till squash is cooked. (Microwave squash for two minutes before adding in for faster cooking). Use your favourite vegetable in place of squash.	Bihari cuisine building blocks : Rice, Wheat, Vegetables, lentils. Key Starches: Rice & wheat (Maize, millets, tubers, mahua flour (from dried flowers of Madhuca longfolia) in tribal regions. Typical breakfast:: Sattu , Litti with chutney, curry or pickle, Chura Dahi, Khichidi ( Rice and lentil porridge), Kachauri with Ghughni, Roti/ Paratha / Poori with dal / curry. Tribal Cuisine : Boiled cereals, millets, vegetable/ meat curries, boiled tubers seasoned with salt and chili. Milk and milk products are uncommon. Lunch : Rice , Roti, Dal, Curries, pickle. Key Flavourings: Panchforan,. Asafetida, red chilies, curry leaves, turmeric, ginger, and garlic are also common. Making Panchforan : Mix equal measures of five seeds- ajwain ( carom), Fennel (saunf), Mustard (sarson), Fenugreek (methi) and Nigella (mangraila) together. Curry Bases: Spinach, Yogurt, Dal Preferred fats : Mustard oil, Ghee, Protein Source: Lentils (Tuvar dal, Mung dal, Channa Dal, ), Fish and seafood), Chicken, Mutton & Eggs. Beef & Pork are uncommon. Common Vegetables: Eggplant, Parval ( pointed gourd), French beans, Cauliflower, Radish, Potato, Squash, Ridge gourd, Spinach, raw banana, yam, onion, tomato. Popped fox nut (makhana) Snacks: Kachori, Samosa, Jhal Muri, puffed and salted makhana Souring agents : Amchoor, Tamarind, Green mangoes, Yogurt, Tomatoes . Desserts : Sweets from cooked down milk (Kheer, Mohan Bhog), Sweets from milk solids (peda), Sugar syrup based sweets ( Malpua, Sesame Laddoo ) Shopping List: 500 gms.(yogurt, , tuvar dal, gram flour, salt, mustard oil) 200 gms (Squash, Parval, Potato, Green peas, Spinach, Eggplant, Cilantro) 50 gms (Panchforan, tamarind paste, fenugreek, coriander seeds, garam masala, amchoor, turmeric powder, pepper, ginger, dry red chili, green chili, garlic, curry leaves, asafetida, cumin, chili powder) www.ramkicooks.blogspot.com
2.: Dal (Lentil curry):: Basic Recipe : Tarka Dal : Heat a spoon of oil. Add a pinch of Panchforan. Add a dry red chili and a pinch of asafetida. Add a handful of boiled tuvar dal ( to one cup of dal add 2 cups water and pressure cook for three whistles). Mix in two pinches of salt, a pinch of chili and turmeric powder. Add half a cup of water. Stir and cook for a two minutes. Use any masoor / mung / your favourite dal in place of tuvar dal.
3.: Cooked chutney:: Basic Recipe : Parval Chutney Heat a spoon of oil. Add a handful of thin parval slices. Stir and cook on medium flame for around five minutes till they start browning. Let cool. Add to a blender with a garlic clove, four pinches of amchoor ( dried mango powder), two dry red chilies, two pinches of salt and a spoon of mustard oil. Blend to a paste. Instead of parval blend with boiled yam and you have Ole Chutney. Also try using tomato / ridge gourd/ your favourite vegetable.
4.: Ghughni (Whole bean / peas curry):: Basic Recipe : Matar Ghughni Heat a spoon of oil. Add a pinch of cumin. Add half a handful of chopped onions, two pinches of chopped ginger and a chopped green chili. Stir and cook till onions brown. Add a pinch of turmeric, three pinches of salt, half a handful of chopped and boiled potatoes and a handful of fresh green peas. Stir and cook for five minutes. Use any fresh bean/ cooked dried beans like Chickpeas / Chana dal / Kabuli Channa / your favourite pea / bean in place of green peas.( Coking dried peas/ beans : Soak in water overnight, drain, add two measures of water to a measure of beans and pressure cook for three whistles)
5.: Gudila . (Soaked and ground lentil curry):: Basic Recipe : Matar Gudila . Soak a handful of dried green peas in water overnight. Drain and blend to a coarse paste. Heat a spoon of oil. Add half a handful of chopped onion, half a spoon of ginger garlic paste. Stir and cook for a minute. Add half a handful of chopped and boiled potato, ground peas, two pinches each of cumin, turmeric, chili, garam masala powders and three pinches of salt. Add a cup of water. Cook on medium flame till all are cooked. Use / your favourite fresh / soaked and ground pea / bean / lentil in place of green peas.
6.: Saag (Spinach curry):: Basic Recipe : Palak Saag : Heat a spoon of oil. Add four handfuls of chopped spinach and two pinches of salt. Stir and cook on medium flame till spinach is cooked. Let cool and squeeze out excess water. Mix in a pinch of chopped ginger, a finely chopped green chili and a dash of mustard oil. Shape into lemon sized balls and serve. Use any leafy green in place of spinach.
7.: Chokka (Boiled & Mashed Vegetable curry ):: Basic Recipe : Aloo Chokka Take a handful of peeled, chopped and boiled potatoes. Add half a handful of chopped onions, two pinches of salt, a dash of mustard oil and a finely chopped green chili. Mash well. Use any mashed and boiled tubers in place of potato. Use grilled vegetables instead of boiled vegetables and a Chokka becomes a bhartha.
8.:. Raw chutney (Blended curry):: Basic Recipe : Kothamir Chutney Blend two handfuls of chopped cilantro, two garlic cloves, two pinches of salt and a dash of lemon juice to a paste. Mix in a spoon of mustard oil. Use onions/ radish / mint / any salad vegetable in place of cilantro to make numerous chutneys.
9.: Bachka (Battered and fried veggies):: Basic Recipe : Baingan Bachka Take a handful of gram flour ( or rice flour). Add three pinches each of salt, chili powder and mix in enough water to make a thick batter. Dip in thin eggplant slices and deep fry in mustard oil till golden. Use capsicum, onions, raw banana, chili in place of eggplant. Eaten across India as Bajji/ Pakora / Pakoda, there are served with a meal in Bihar.
10.: Kadi (Cooked yogurt curry):: Basic Recipe : Bari Kadi Take half a cup of yogurt. Mix in a cup of water, half a handful of gram flour, a pinch of turmeric powder, two pinches each of cumin, chili powder and salt. Add to a pan and cook on medium heat till mixture starts boiling. Add a handful of bachka ( see above). Let simmer for 5 minutes. Heat a spoon of oil. Add a pinch of cumin, asafetida, and a dry red chili. Mix in with kadhi and serve.