Chaurak Kheer

Chaurak Kheer:

Chaurak Kheer is a very common dessert that is prepared in evry maithil home almost in evry good occasion. Apart from this being a dessert, somtimes it also serves the purpose of a side dish for an example with Daaila wala Puri ( bread stuffed with boiled and seasoned cereals) or some other normal bread preparation.

The dish could be compared with the similar Bengali preparation called "Payesh" with a few difference like in the quality of rice used and the addition of flavouring ( mostly Bay leaf). Maithil practice is to use "New Crop Basmati grains" that is longer in size and gives a very good consistancy to the final product, while bengalis prefer using smaller grains like GobindoBhog rice ( a rice quality majorly used for making Payesh only) which has a very sweet aroma.

However, in this preparation, I've used a blend of both, and also added an additional flavour of rose water which is optional which you can definately avoid using .

Ingredients:

Basmati rice and Gobidobhog rice Blend: 75 gms

High fat milk: 2 Ltrs

Sugar: 100 Gms

Raisins: 50 Gms

Cashew Nuts: 50 Gms

Cardamom: 04 in Nos

Rose water (optional) : 2 spoons

Preparation:

Wash and soak the rice and soak raisins separately.

Bring milk to the boiling stage with cardamom and reduce it to 1.5 ltrs (approx)

Add the soaked rice to the milk and let it cook well with continuous stirring.

when the rice is cooked and mixture becomes little thickened, add sugar and cashew nuts to it.

Put it on a slow flame and stir.

Serve hot garnished with raisins.

Thadia Saagak Teeman

Thadia Saagak Teeman: Pure vegetarian
A very easy preparation which could be taken well with chapati and rice both and equally rich in nutritius value as Red spinach is the great source of Iron and Lentil has high Protien content. The dish could be compare with French Puree with the only difference that Purees are liquidised while Teeman is Ghontod (a way of manual churning). One can also bring the variation in the dish by adding Paneer (cottage cheese) or some other non-veg items like Shrimps/Prawns etc which will make the dish very palatble.

Ingredients:

• Thadia saag/Laal Sag (red spinach) : 500 gms.
• Masoor daal (Lentil): 75 gms
• Green chillis: 3-4 in nos
• Fennel seed: 4 gmsDry Red chilli: 4 gms
• Mustard oil: 10 ml
• Garam masala Pd: 2 pinches
• Salt : as per taste

Method:

• Pick, clean and wash Thadia saag and reduce them to smaller in size if they are too big.
• Wash and soak daal for some time.
• Put together daal, saag and split green chillies with salt (as reqd) in a pressure cooker and let it cook till 4-5 whistles.
• When the pressure is removed churn the mixture well with a churner.
• Now heat oil in a pan and add a tempering of fennel & red dry chilli followed by the mixture of saag.
• Let it simmer for some time and adjust the consistancy and seasoning.

Serve hot with rice or chapati.

Daail-Jhinguni (Fried Ribbed Gourd cooked with Lentil and cereals)

Daail-Jhinguni (Pure Vegetarian)

This is one of the very popular vegetarian preparation of Mithila and goes well with rice or bread both. They say, one does not require to have another vegetable preparation along with Daal-Jhinguni as it serves the purpose of both as an one accompaniment. Some people even prefer relishing its flavour plain as a soup or starter.

Authentically, the preparation of this dish is very simple in which chopped ribbed gourds are fried before with the tempering of black mustard seedsand mixed well with Daal, but here one can put an extra flavouring of ginger paste which will simultaneously enhance the flavour of the dish. The little dark color of the dish that you are seeing is because of the addition of ginger paste.

Regarding the type and variety of cereal used you have a flexibility to choose any, but here i've used a blend of lentil and split gram in the proportion 2:1 respectively.

Ingredient:

• Ribbed gourd (Jhinguni) : 300 gms.
• Daal (blend of lentil and split gram) : 100 gms
• Ginger: 30 gms
• Black mustard seed: 1 tbsp
• Mustard oil: 30 ml.Seasoning: As required

Preparation:

• Wash, peel and cut Jhinguni and soak it in cold water.
• Pick, clean and boil daal with salt and turmuric.Make a paste of ginger.

Cooking:

• Heat oil in a pan/kadhai and add a tempering of mustard seed.
• Put ginger paste and fry till golden brown.
• Add Jhinguni and fry. Dont add salt at this time as the Jhinguni will start sweating.
• When Jhinguni is cooked and shrinkd in size add salt as per your taste and mix it with the cooked mixture.
• Now pour over the boiled daal in the kadhaai and simmer it for 5-7 minutes.Finish it up with garam masala powder and garnish with ginger juliens.

Karhi Badi

Karhi Badi (Chickpea Flour Dumplings in Yoghurt Sauce)



Karhi Badi is a dish to be prepared on special occasions. This dish is almost always prepared when the married daughter comes to her parents home.

Ingredients:

Badi (Chickpea Flour Dumplings)

• Besan: 250 gms
  

• Ajwain: 1/4 tsp

• Turmeric powder: 1/4 tsp

• Salt to taste

• Water: Few tbsp
  

• Oil for frying

Karhi

• Besan: 2 tbsp
  

• Dahi: 200 gms
  

• Water: 1500 ml

• Salt to taste
  

• Mustard Oil: 2-3 tsp

• Jeera: 1/2 tsp

• Hing: Pinch

• Whole Garam Masala: 2 bay leaves, 3 green cardamom, 1 black cardamom, 2" piece cinnamon, 2 dried red chillies

• Turmeric powder: 1/4 tsp

• Coriander powder: 2 tsp

• Red Chili powder: 2 tsp

Tempering

• Ghee: 2 tbsp

• Jeera: 1/2 tsp

• Whole Coriander Seeds: 1/2 tsp

• Dried Red Chillies: 2 nos
  

Method:

Badi:

Mix all the dry ingredients. Add enough water to the besan to make a thick batter without any lumps. Mix the batter vigorously with your hand to make the batter light. This is done so that the badis are soft in the centre after they are fried. Baking soda can be added to make the badis soft but i don't prefer it. The best way to check if the batter is light enough, is to put one drop of the batter in a bowl of water. If the drop floats the batter is perfect; if it sinks more effort is needed to beat the batter.

Heat oil in a karahi. Drop spoonfuls of the batter in the oil. Fry the badis on medium heat to a brown colour. Drop the badis in a bowl of water. After 5 mins remove the badis from water & keep aside.

Karhi:

In a bowl take besan. Add dahi to it and make a smooth batter. Add water to the batter and mix well. Add salt and keep aside. Heat mustard oil in a karahi. Add jeera & let it splutter. Immediately add the whole garam masala & let it crackle. Stir. Make a paste of hing, turmeric, coriander & red chilli powders with 2 tbsp water & add to the karahi. Fry till the oil separates from the masala. Now add the dahi-besan mixture and keep stirring continuously on high heat. When the mixture comes to a boil reduce to low heat and let it simmer for 5-7 mins.

Add the badis and simmer for 2-3 mins.

Tempering:

Heat ghee in a tadka pan. Add the jeera and the whole coriander seeds. Let it crackle. Put in the red chillies and stir. Pour this over the Karhi Badi.

Serve with steamed rice.

Litti

Litti is one of the most famous Snack or Meal (as well) in Bihar. In Mithila during winter it is quite famous, especially when winter is at its peak. The most famous combination is Litti-Chokha (of Egg-plant). This is a low calorie, high-fibre meal for those calorie conscious people.

Ingredients

For Dough

1. Wheat Flour (Atta) - 2 Cup
2. Water - 1/2 Cup
3. Salt - 1/2 Tea spoon.

For Filling

1. Sattu - 1 Cup (Gram baked in Sand and powdered)
2. Garlic(Chopped) - 4 Cloves
3. Ginger(Chopped) - 1 Tbl spoon
4. Green Chilies (Chopped) - 2
5. Coriander Leaves (Chopped) - 2 Tbl spoon
6. Onion Seeds (Mangarella) - 1/2 Tea spoon
7. Thyme (Ajwain) - 1/2 Tea spoon
8. Lemon juice - 2-3 Tea spoon
9. Pickle Masala (Chilli pickle is the best) - 3 Tea spoon
10. Mustard oil - 2 Tbl Spoon
11. Salt to taste so that the Sattu mix is not Salty.

Method

1. Mix all the filling ingredients with Sattu. Start with dry mixing all the herbs and spices with Sattu.
2. Add 1/4 cup water to make the stuffing moist and easy to fill. Keep aside.
3. Mix flour with water knead it into stiff dough. Add pinch of salt to add to the taste.
4. Make balls out of dough of approx 3" diameter in size with hand.
5. Stuff 2 to 3 teaspoon sattu filling in the center of each balls and wrap it from all sides. Ensure that there are no holes or gaps etc and the flour is covering the sattu filling properly.
6. When all the littis are stuffed, pre-heat the oven to 375 F and put all the littis on a foil .
7. Bake till one side is brown and black spots come on the litti surface.
   
8. Turn over the litti and bake for few more minutes until that side is brown as well.
9. Take out and dip in pure ghee or butter and serve with baigan (Egg-Plant) ka bharta.
10. Serve while hot.
    

One variation of this could be using Egg-Plant and Tomato ka Chokha instead of Egg-Plant bharta (Chokha).