JOIN USBihar is a state well-known for the civil servants it produces and for its rich cuisine which is crossing the state’s boundaries and becoming one of the most mouth-watering delicacies across India.
Bihari cuisine is not born out of experiments, but is a food genre giving people’s taste buds an ever tantalising experience. The cuisine is predominantly vegetarian as the traditional Bihari society is influenced by Hindu and Buddhist norms which included abstaining from eggs and other animal products such as chicken and fish.
Bihari cuisine, classified into many genres, consists of traditional dishes, vegetarian and non-vegetarian varieties, breads, appetisers, saag and fast food variants and sweet dishes.
Some of the most tantalising dishes include Kadhi Bari, Khichdi, Ghugni, Pittha, Sattu, Dhuska and Litti in the traditional variety; Kafta, Bharwan Karela, Veg Korma, Paalak and Shahi paneer in the vegetarian variety, Mutton Biryani, Chicken Tandoori and Bihari Kebabs in the non-vegetarian category; Daal puri, Makuni and Makai ki roti in the variety of breads; Jhal Murhi, Tarua and Kachori as appetisers; Munga Saag, Kalmi Saag, Gandhari Saag and Koinar Saag in the saag variety; Chokha, Bajka; Bhurta and Bhunjia are some the most famous fast food varieties; and Khaja, Tilkut, Malpua, Parwal ki Mithai, Balushai and Anarasa are some of the most exotic Bihari sweet dishes.
Following is a list of 15 famous must haves. Litti Chokha, a dish baked and prepared from wheat-gram flour, filled with a mixture of gram flour, spices and lemon served with chokha, mashed mixture of tomatoes and baked brinjals.
Bihar is a state known for its sweet tooth! Khajuria, is a sweet dish prepared on every occasion in a Bihari household. The dish is prepared by mixing wheat with jaggery, moulded and deep fried. Khaja, a wafery, deep fried sweet snack is prepared with flour and sugar and dipped into sugar syrup after frying. Khurma is also an addition to this genre.
If you haven’t tasted a Malpua, you probably do not know what sweet dishes are! Malpua is a sweet dish that every true blue Bihari swears by. The dish is prepared from a batter of flour, milk, sugar and mashed bananas, cooked in a manner that leaves the edges crispy and the middle soft. Daal puri is no puri is a Dussehra special and is prepared by stuffing Bengal gram into yummy puris.
Balushai, the little desi doughnuts are prepared from gram flour and buttermilk. You would be surprised to know that Pedakiya belongs to Bihar. Pedakiya or the popularly known Gujiya is a preparation of Khoya, grated coconut and suji, often made during Teej festival.
One really marvels at the amount of sweetmeats a Bihari household prepares as the next two are iconic Bihari sweets. Kala Jamun, yes it is a dish from the Bihari kitchen and is prepared with sugar, spice and everything nice such as khoya, paneer and milk. Who would think that vegetables can be used to prepare sweets. But Parwal Ki Mithai, pointed gourd filled with khoya, with a sweet and salty flavour, is afamous sweetmeat from the state.
Dal Pitha is Bihar’s answer to the dumpling rage. Kneaded rice flour balls are stuffed with Bengal gram paste and then steamed. While a lot of Bengal gram is used for stuffing purposes, Chana Ghugni uses it the other way round making Bengal gram mixed with lemon syrup, tomatoes and onions perfect for a Sunday brunch.
A hearty meal ends with desserts, so does the rich Bihari cuisine. Laktho is an innovative snack prepared from rice flour, kneaded, deep fried and then soaked into a thick jaggery mixture. Not the least is kheer makhana, (also known as foxnut), is a different version of kheer, with the foxnut lending it a sweet salty flavour.