Chokha- (Potao Bharta)

Chokha, a simple, tasty and healthy food, liked by all class of people in Bihar and represents the tradition of Bihar.
A perfect combination of potatoes, onion, salt, roasted red chilies, mustard oil and tradition.

Things needed for making ‘Chokha’ for four persons-

- Potatoes- 4 medium sized (Boiled and pealed)
- Onion- 1 medium sized (Finally chopped)
- Red Dried Chilies- 2 medium sized (Roasted and crushed) or Green Chilies- 2 (finally chopped)
- Ginger- 1 inch (Finally chopped)
- Whole Garlic- 2 flakes (Roasted and crushed)
- Mustard Oil- 2 tsp.
- Salt- ½ tsp. or to taste

Recipe-

1. To boil potatoes, first of all clean the potatoes with skin. Put them in to a pressure cooker or any deep utensil. Fill the utensil with water, just enough to cover the potatoes. Put it on the flame for boiling. One whistle will be adequate for boiling in pressure cooker.
2. Once the potatoes are properly boiled, take them out of the water and peal them off
3. Finally mash the potatoes in a bowl
4. Add finally chopped onion, roasted chilies, roasted garlic, chopped ginger, salt and mustard oil in the bowl of mashed potatoes
5. Mix everything with hand in a uniform blend
6. Serve it with Multani Khichdi, roti, bhat-dal etc.

* A combination of Boiled Potato and Roasted Tomatoes’ Chatni can also be prepared by just mixing boiled mashed potatoes and roasted tomatoes’ Chatni of 4 tomatoes together.

Garlic-Red Pepper Chatni-

Perfect for adding real spicy and tangy taste to starters, pakodas, parathas, Kababs and Multani Khichdi

Ingredients for four persons-

- Garlic- 3 medium sized bulb (Cleaned and pealed) or 50 gms freshly made garlic paste
- Red Dried Chilies- 4-6 medium sized (Perfectly soaked in clean water) or 1-2 tsp of red pepper powder
- Salt- ½ tsp or to taste
- Lime juice- 6 table spoons or squeeze of 3 medium sized fresh lemons or 4-6 tsp of Mustard oil

Recipe-

1. Add soaked red chilies, garlic and salt in mixer and ground them till a fine, uniform blend is ready. Little water can be added for easy grinding.
2. Add lime juice or mustard oil and mix it in to a perfect blend.

Green Coriander or Pudina Chatni-

Chatnees has a very special place in Indian cuisine and often preferred with daily meals as a taste enhancer. It has a direct impact on taste buds and nostrils. Immediate salivation is a must for those, who know the taste of Indian chatnees. It goes with all desi starters like Pakodas, Samosas, Veg/Non-Veg Kababs or with stuffed parathas (potato, onion, cauliflower, and radish and sattu parathas) and also with the Multani Khichdi.

Ingredients for four persons-

- 50 Gms. fresh coriander or pudina leaves
- Green chilies- 2-4 (cut in to 2-3 pieces)
- Whole Garlic- 25 gms or 1 medium sized bulb (Cleaned and pealed) or 1 tsp freshly made garlic paste
- Salt- ½ tsp or according to your taste
- Lime juice- 4 table spoons or squeeze of 2 medium sized lemons or 4 table spoon of mustard oil

Recipe-

1. Add coriander leaves or pudina leaves, garlic, chilies and salt in mixer and ground them till a fine, uniform blend is ready. Add little water in the mixer if needed for grinding.
2. Add lime juice or 4 table spoons of mustard oil.
3. Serve it with the Multani Khichdi, desi starters, pakodas, kebabs, and parathas and with whatever you like.

Corn Pakoda

Ingredients for four persons-

- Besan (Gram Powder)- two table spoons
- Corn- 100 gms. (tender and fresh, crushed)
- Onion- 1 medium sized (finally chopped)
- Green chilies- 2 medium length (Finally chopped)
- Garlic Paste- ½ tsp.
- Ginger paste- ½ tsp.
- Turmeric Powder- ½ tsp.
- Black Pepper Powder- ¼ tsp.
- Red Pepper Powder- ¼ tsp.
- Cooking Oil (Preferably Mustard oil) - (for deep fry)
- Salt- ½ tsp. or to taste

Recipe-

1.Put crushed corn in a bowl
2.Add besan (Gram flour), onion, chillies, turmeric powder, red pepper powder, black pepper powder, ginger-garlic paste and salt to the corn
3.Mix it well, a very little water may also be added in order to make uniform mix
4.Add mustrad/cooking oil, enough for deep frying, in the deep pan and put it on the high flame
5.Once the oil is fully heated, start adding medium sized besan-corn-masala mix
6.Don’t put more pakodas at once in the hot oil than you can handle
7.Fry the pakodas till it becomes golden brown and separate them from the oil
8.Serve hot with pudina/coriander/garlic/ Chilly chatni

CREDIT- The above recipe is adaptation of recipe by Deepika Singh, Gujarat

Sweet Sunday: Shahi Piece for you

Ingredients for four persons-

- White Bread- 4 loafs (Each loaf diagonally cut in to 4 triangles)
- Desi Ghee- 6 table spoons
- Sugar Syrup- 1 cup (200 gms.)
- Khoya / Mava- 50 gms. (Heated and fried in Ghee)
- Kesar (saffron) color- (8 threads of kesar (Saffron) soaked in 2 table spoon of water)
- Cashew- 15 (Soaked in milk and made paste; to be fried and mixed with the Khoya or Mava)
- Cardamom powder- 4 pinch (for Garnishing)
- Pistachino- 4 (Sliced, for garnishing)
- ishmish (Raisins) - 16 (For garnishing)

Recipe-

1. Heat the ghee in a deep frying pan
2. Fry bread triangles in the heated ghee till they turn light brown or golden
3. Take the fried bread triangles out from the frying pan and put it aside for cooling and drain the ghee from fried bread pieces
4. Put khoya (Mava) and cashew paste in the heated ghee and stir them till it gains a dark creamish color
5. Remove the khoya (Mava)-cashew mix from the frying pan
6. For making sugar syrup- add one cup / 200 gms of clean crystal sugar in 1 ½ cups of clean water and put it on high flames. Stir constantly till the sugar crystal melts and thick and sticky syrup is ready.
7. Now add kesar (Saffron) color in the sugar syrup
8. Dip the bread triangles in sugar syrup and leave it for 30 minutes, so that sugar is uniformly mixed with the bread triangles
9. Cover the fried bread triangles with khoya (Mava)-cashew mix
10. Garnish with cardamom powder, Pistachino and raisins
11. Serve without freezing

Raita

Raita helps balance oil and spices of any food.
Since, Multani Khichdi is full of vegetables, so simple raita (with less spices and less vegetables) will go best with it. Usually, it is preferred dish with all main course dishes and goes with all occasions and gathering.

Ingredients for four persons-

- 300-400 ml of fresh dahi (Curd)
- 25 gms or one small onion (finally chopped) or half cucumber (Cut in to fine 1 inch fingers) or 1 medium carrot (Cut in to very fine 1 inch fingers)
- Green chilly (1/2, Finally chopped)
- Roasted cumin powder- ½ tsp
- White Pepper powder (2 pinches)
- Red Pepper (1 pinch for garnishing at the end)
- Salt- 4 pinches or 1/6 tsp
- Black salt- 2 pinches (For garnishing)

Recipe-

1. Blend fresh curd uniformly, either with a blender or with hand
2. Add ¼ cup of water to the curd and again blend it till a creamy layer appears
3. Add salt, roasted cumin powder and white pepper in to the curd and mix it
4. Put the finally chopped onion or cucumber fingers or carrot fingers and finally chopped green chilies in to the blend and mix it evenly
5. Garnish it with red pepper powder and black salt
6. Serve it in a serving bowl