Food talk: Rediscovering Bihari peetha

Many of us think that the Biharis thrive on litti-chokha, or at a pinch with other variations on the sattu or choora theme. Very few are aware that Bihar has many sub-regional cuisines like Maithil, Bhojpuri, Bhagalpuri and more custodians of heirloom recipes that rival Awadh, Rampur, Bhopal and Hyderabad.We were left speechless at the unveiling of some ‘crown jewels’ from Bihar at a lunch hosted by gourmet hotelier Anil Rajput, who has had a long innings at the ITC Welcome Group. At present, he’s the moving spirit behind Cuisine India Society’s campaign to elevateIndia’s regional cuisines to the next level, rediscovering long-forgotten recipes. What we enjoyed most was a peetha made with rice flour dough, packed with spicy chana dal mash and steamed. Some guests thought it was a Bihari momo, others were reminded of the Bundelkhandi fara! What stole the show was the stylish peetha, resembling a nargisi kofta, making its debut in a bowl with the mock fish curry.In Bihar, unripe bananas are traditionally substituted for fish fillets and cooked in a pungent mustard paste, spiked with fenugreek, red and green chillies.Arbi ka patta, with hardly a trace of batter, provided the garnish as well as crunch. We fell in love with the dish and have already cooked it twice at home without any jhanjhat. Strongly recommend for days when for one reason or another, mutton, chicken and fish are taboo.Peetha with veg curryIngredientsFor PeethaRice flour (for peetha) 1 cupChana dal (soaked for an hour) 1 cupGarlic-ginger paste 1 tspFresh coriander leaves 2 tbspCoriander powder 1 tspRed chilli powder 1/2 tspTurmeric powder 1/4 tspSalt To tasteGreen chillies 4-6For CurryBananas (unripe) 2Mustard oil 3 tbspOnion (small, chopped) 1Besan 1/2 tspMustard seeds (black, yellow) 2 tbspCumin seeds 1/2 tspCoriander powder 1 tspBlack peppercorns 6-8Fenugreek seeds 1/2 tspRed chilli powder 3/4 tspTurmeric powder 1/2 tspGarlic paste 1 tspA piece of ginger 1 inchFor crunchy garnishArbi/palak leaves A fewGreen chillies 4Besan 1/4 cupRice flour 1 tbspTurmeric powder A large pinchRed chilli powder 1/4 tspMethod:For the peetha: Bring to boil one cup of water with 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp oil. Switch off the gas and quickly add the rice flour, stirring briskly. It may appear lumpy but that should not worry you. Cover and let it cool.Grease your palms and knead the dough until smooth. Add a little water if necessary. Take a small portion of this dough and pressing between palms, flatten it into a thick disc of about 4 inches in diameter.Prepare the stuffing by grinding the chana dal coarsely, along with ginger-garlic paste, the powdered spices and salt to obtain a thick paste. Place a spoonful of stuffing on one half of the disk and cover it by folding the other half over it. Seal the edges by pressing them.Place the peetha on a steamer lightly brushed with oil. Steam for about 10-12 minutes. Alternatively, you may boil these like fara and cook till these rise to the surface.For the curry: Peel and slice the bananas lengthwise. Lightly fry them in mustard oil till golden. Keep aside.For the spice paste, soak the mustard seeds for 10 minutes before grinding them with powdered spices, garlic, ginger and green chillies to obtain a fine paste.Heat oil in a pan. Add half spoonful of cumin seeds and when they crackle, put in the chopped onions and stir-fry until golden. Add the spice paste and cook on medium flame till oil separates. Slide in the fried banana slices and mix gently to evenly coat with masala. Stir-fry for about 5 minutes. Pour half cup of water, bring to boil and simmer till the gravy thickens.For crunchy garnish: Sift rice flour and besan together. Prepare a thin batter by adding water and spices. Heat oil on high flame, reduce to medium and fry the leaves in batches after dipping in batter, gently flipping them over once. Drain on kitchen towels. Place the crunchy garnish over the dish.— The writer is a food historian

Food talk: Rediscovering Bihari peetha

The long-forgotten recipe of Bihari peetha is made with rice flour dough, packed with spicy chana dal

Pushpesh Pant

Food talk: Rediscovering Bihari peetha

The long-forgotten recipe of Bihari peetha is made with rice flour dough, packed with spicy chana dal

Pushpesh Pant

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