Bihar -- Litti Chokha

Blogging Marathon# 39 - Indian States: Day 4
State:Bihar
Dish: Litti Chokha

Bihar is a state in northern state. The name 'Bihar' means 'abode' in Sanskrit. Bihar plain is divided into two by the river Ganges that flows through the middle from west to east. This endowed Bihar with fertile Gangetic alluvial soil with abundant water resources. This makes Bihar's agriculture rich and diverse. Rice, wheat and maize are the major crops of Bihar, while toor, urad, moong are some of the pulses cultivated in Bihar. Bihar is the largest producer of vegetables, especially potatoes, onions, brinjal and cauliflower.

Cuisine: Bihari cuisine is predominantly vegetarian because traditional Bihar society, influenced by Buddhist & Hindu values of non -violence, did not eat animal products. But there is also a tradition of meat-eating, especially fish because of the number of rivers in Bihar. Bihari cuisine has many similarities to other North Indian cuisines but is also influenced by the other East Indian states like West Bengal.
Staple Food: Roti, dal, Rice, Vegetables etc.,
Specialties: Kadhi Bari (soft dumplings made of besan cooked in a spicy yogurt based gravy), Ghughni (boiled black chickpeas cooked in mustard oil with spices), Sattu (powdered roasted gram -- a high energy food), Litti etc.

Today's Dish: I decided to make a very traditional Bihari dish today, Litti-Chokha. These can be served for breakfast or snack. Littis are baked balls of wheat and are stuffed with spiced sattu flour (called pitthi) and served with lots of ghee. They are served with Chokha or spiced mashed eggplant or potatoes.

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Lapsi (Broken Wheat Halwa)

For the 3rd day under "Traditional Dishes" theme for this week's Blogging Marathon, I made Lapsi. Lapsi is made with broken wheat, ghee (clarified butter), sugar and milk (or water). From what I gather lapsi is very common in Gujarat and Rajasthan.

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Simple Cabbage Curry

The day started on a high note: one extra hour of sleep, thanks to clocks falling back for day light saving and the anticipation of a warm house after getting the heating unit fixed. I made wholegrain waffles for breakfast (not vegan, so no recipe) and made this simple cabbage curry.

But the heating unit is not fixed yet and we are still trapped in an extremely cold house (average home temperatures have been between 54 to 58F). I have my son in at least 3 layers and he started to complain saying "we are not going out Amma, I don't want this shirt". I don't know when this ordeal is going to end. I was wondering if there's any consumer protection groups in US that we can complain about this very unprofessional company we are dealing with. Any suggestions are highly appreciated. We are extremely motivated to complain to anyone who can help us out with this situation.. Thanks in advance.

Moving on to the cabbage kura/ curry recipe.

Ingredients:

Cabbage - 3 cups, chopped (I like savoy cabbage, but used the regular one this time)

Onion - 1 small, chopped

Green chilies - 2, slit

Salt - to taste

Grind to a powder:

Putnala pappu (Dalia/ split chana dal) - 2tbsp

Grated dry coconut - 2tbsp

Red chili powder - 1/2tsp

Cumin seeds - 1tsp

Tempering:

Senagapappu (Chana dal) - 1tsp

Minapappu (Urad dal) - 1tsp

Avalu (Mustard seeds) - 1tsp

Jeera (Cumin seeds) - 1tsp

Dry Red Chili - 1-2

Curry leaves - 6

Method:

• Heat 2tsp oil in a saute pan; Add tempering ingredients and once the seeds start sputtering, add onion and green chilies and saute till onions turn translucent, about 5 minutes.
• Add chopped cabbage and cook covered on medium low flame until tender, about 10-12 minutes.
• Season with salt and add the dalia powder. Cook uncovered for another 4-5 minutes.

Serve with steamed white rice or roti.

Dalia Murukku

My mom gave this recipe for murukkus with dalia (putnala pappu); I made them for Diwali and they turned out super crunchy and delicious. They are very quick & easy to make too.

Ingredients:
Dalia (Putnala pappu/ Roasted chana dal) – 1 cup
Rice Flour – 3 cups
Sesame seeds – 2tbsp
Ground Cumin – 2tbsp
Red chili powder – 2tsp (or more if you want spicy murukkus)
Salt – 1-2 tsp
Hot Oil – 3tbsp (or ghee for a non-vegan version)

Method:

• Update 10/23: Grind dalia to a fine powder. Thanks Pari for pointing this out.
• Mix all the ingredients; add about 1-2 cups of water to bind everything together and form a dough similar to puri dough.
• Heat about 2 cups of oil in a kadai. Make small lemon size balls and put them in the murukku press; press directly in the hot oil in a circular pattern to get round interlocked murukku. Fry on medium flame till the dough turns golden brown, about 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon flip and cook on the other side for another minute or until it gets golden. Remove on to a paper towel. Repeat with rest of the dough.

Aside from being very addictive, these are super crunchy; so if you want a little bit less crunchy reduce the amount of rice flour. They keep good in a airtight container for at least 2 weeks.

Broken Wheat Upma with Veggies & Peanut Chutney

Growing up I was not a big fan of upmas, especially the one with sooji & godhuma rava (dalia). I would eat them grudgingly but never really liked them. As an adult, I slowly developed a taste to these upmas, may be because they are so quick & easy to make and can be dressed up or down as per occasion. I like the one made with Godhuma rawa more than any other and usually try to keep stock of it in the fridge (so it doesn’t turn rancid).

It is also my go-to ingredient when I have to make something quick for my son’s lunch and he seems to like it (or so I think, 'cos he can't really say "I don't like it" yet).

Ingredients:
Godhuma Rava (Broken wheat/ Dalia) – 1 cup
Onion – 1 small, chopped fine(I used a medium sized shallot)

Mixed veggies – 1 cup (I used chopped potato with frozen mixed veggies with carrots, string beans, peas & corn)

Tomato – 1, chopped
Chili powder – ½ tsp
Lemon juice – 1 tbsp
Salt – to taste

For Tadka:
Mustard seeds – ½ tsp
Cumin seeds – ½ tsp
Curry leaves – 6

Method:

• Heat 1 tbsp oil in a sauce pan; add the tadka ingredients and after the seeds pop add the chopped onion and sauté till translucent.
  
• Then add mixed veggies (thawed if frozen) and tomato; cover and cook till veggies are cooked and tomato is mushy. Season with salt and chili powder.
  
• Add rava and sauté for couple of minutes. To this add 2½ cups of water; bring the mixture to a boil on medium-high heat. Turn the flame to low; cover and simmer till all the liquid is absorbed and the rawa is completely cooked.
  
• Stir in lemon juice and enjoy with either peanut chutney or raitha or any pickle.
  

This is my entry to CFK: Healthy Lunch Boxes being hosted by Neha @ Easy n Tasty Recipes. Cooking for Kids is the brainchild of Sharmi @ Neivedyam.

Peanut Chutney: This is my favorite chutney and I make it all the time. Great for idlis, dosas, upma or pongal.

Ingredients:
Peanuts – 1 cup
Dhalia (Putnala pappu) – ¼ cup
Grated coconut – ¼ cup (I use dry, but fresh coconut will make the chutney taste much better)
Tamarind paste – 1 tbsp
Garlic cloves – 2
Green chilies – 2
Coriander leaves – ¼ cup

For tadka:
Mustard seeds – ½ tsp
Cumin seeds – ½ tsp
Dry Red chili – 1
Curry leaves – 6-8

Method:

• Grind all the ingredients from Peanuts to Coriander with salt and ½ - 1 cup water into a smooth paste. Remove into a bowl.
  
• Heat 1tsp oil in a small saucepan; add the tadka ingredients and once the seeds start spluttering add to the chutney; mix and serve.
  

This is my entry to JFI: Peanuts. Remember to send in your entries before July 31st.

Dalia Khichdi

This is my contribution to Shaheen's (@ Malabar Spices) Summer Express Cooking event. Shaheen wants all of us to don Rachel Ray's cap and make 30 Minute meals.

I shared an apartment with 2 American girls few years ago and thats when I truly realized that Indian cooking does take a lot longer than American cooking. I used to slave in the kitchen to make my dal and rice (I didn't have a pressure cooker and had to microwave my dal which took almost forever) and my roommates used to make (mostly sandwiches and pastas with store-bought sauces), eat and clean in matter of minutes.

Thanks Shaheen for coming up with this event, it definitely made me re-think about my cooking and prepping process. I'm eagerly waiting for the round up for tips and recipes from fellow bloggers.

My contribution is my mother-in-laws recipe. There is no need to plan anything ahead for this recipe and takes about 30 minutes including the preparations. It is great as a quick dinner, lunch or breakfast.

While the khichdi was cooking, I even had time to make Majjiga charu (spicy buttermilk) as a side dish.

Ingredients (For 2 people):
Dalia (Cracked Wheat) - 2/3 cups
Moong dal - 1/3 cup
Onion - 1 medium
Carrot - 1 medium
Potato - 1 medium
Peas - 1/4 cup, frozen, thawed under running hot water or in microwave
Green Chilies - 4
Ginger - 1"piece
Curry leaves - 10
Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
Hing - a pinch
Salt & Pepper - to taste

Method:

0 - 5 minutes: Prepping the veggies and heating the pans.

• Heat a pressure cooker on medium-low flame and a non-stick pan on medium-high flame.
  
• Chop the veggies into chunks (don't have to be finely chopped, but make sure that all the veggies are almost the same size).

5 - 20 minutes:

• Add dalia to the non-stick pan and roast till light brown. Remove and keep aside. Next roast the moong dal until fragrant and slightly brown. This will take about 5-6 minutes. I rinsed and drained roasted dalia and moong dal at this stage, but it is optional.
  
• Mean while add 1tbsp oil in the pressure cooker, add cumin seeds and hing. After the seeds crackle, add ginger, green chilies and curry leaves. Fry for 30 seconds, add the onions, potatoes and carrots. Saute for 3 minutes.
  
• Add the roasted dalia and dal along with 2 cups of water, peas, salt and pepper. Pressure cook on high till 2 whistles.
  
• Let the cooker cool and enjoy khichdi with any chutney, pickle or left over curry.

I served my khichdi with left over (thanks Lavanya from Cookery Corner for the recipe) and majjia charu (spicy buttermilk).

Note: You can make it even faster by eliminating the roasting dalia and dal part and using frozen mixed vegetables instead of fresh ones.

If you don't add the dal that makes it a terrific vegetable upma.

Dalia Khichdi w/Long beans Thoran & Spicy Buttermilk

For Majjiga Charu:

Ingredients:
Red Onion - 1/2 medium or 1 small shallot, thinly sliced
Green chilies - 2
Curry leaves - 4
Yogurt - 1 cup
Turmeric - a pinch
Salt - to taste

For tempering/ popu:
Ural dal - 1/2 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Hing - pinch

Method:

• Whisk yogurt with 1/2 cup of water to make smooth buttermilk (or simply use buttermilk). Add turmeric and salt, mix well.
  
• Heat 1tsp oil in a small sauce pan. Add the popu ingredients and when the seeds splutter, add curry leaves, ginger and green chilies. Fry for 30 seconds, add onions and saute till slightly brown. Add this to the curd, mix well.

You can have this with plain rice also.