New Delhi: Bihar cuisine is mainly seasonal and comparable to North Indian and East Indian cuisines. Watery dishes like watermelon and sharbat prepared from the pulp of the wood-apple fruit are popular in the summer, while dry foods like sesame seed and poppy seed preparations are more popular in the winter.
Additionally, Bihari cuisine is also diverse and nutritious. Deep-frying, roasting (bhoonna), and steaming are common cooking procedures. Although vegetable oils are also utilised, mustard oil is the primary cooking oil. The use of panch-phoran, or a mixture of five spices including cumin seeds (jeera), fenugreek seeds (methi), nigella seeds (mangrael/kalonji), fennel (saunf), and carom seeds(ajwain), is one of the most characteristic cooking techniques. Seasoning the cuisine with smoked red chilli for enhanced flavour and aroma is another prevalent element.
From Litti Chokha to dal peetha and sweets like naivedyam, and kesar peda, Bihari cuisine has numerous mouth-watering dishes to offer. Let's have a look at a few of them.
1. Litti Chokha:
The mouthwatering Litti Chokha, enjoyed by many, requires no introduction. It is made of wheat and sattu with spices, which are kneaded into spherical spicy balls and bathed in ghee. On the other hand, Chokha is made by mashing boiled vegetables (most commonly potatoes, brinjal, and tomatoes). The spices are then added along with chopped onion, garlic, and other ingredients, and ais finally served as a complementing delicacy with Litti.
2. Dal Peetha:
Dal Peetha is the Bihari method of making dumplings. This traditional Bihari dish is coated in rice flour and packed with lentil paste, spices, and pickles. The dumpling is then steamed or fried and serves as a nutritious breakfast.
3. Tilkut:
Tilkut is a nutritious sweet dish made with pounded sesame seeds. It has a sugar base and is wrapped into a ball with tonnes of crushed sesame seeds. With the addition of sesame seeds, the tilkut becomes sweeter, softer, and more ethereal. After being heated to the ideal temperature with the proper quantities of jaggery and lint, they are then hammered and beaten into biscuit-like shapes. It is a seasonal dish that is only accessible throughout the winter especially, during Makar Sankranti time.
4. Pedakiya:
Pedakiya, which is comparable to Gujia, is another divine delicacy for individuals with a sweet tooth. It is a dish from Bihar's traditional cuisine that is stuffed with sweetened khoya, coconut, cardamom powder, and dry fruits in a crispy coating and dipped in sugar syrup.
5. Kheer Makhana:
Bihar also provides us with healthier solutions for satisfying our sweet cravings. Kheer Makhana, a delicious concoction of milk and fox nuts, has a lot of fibre, protein, and other nutrients all in one treat.