Bihar Cuisine

Enriched by the goodness of traditional culture,
Bihari cuisine is famous for its authentic taste and simple preparation,
With a widespread name spreading across continents,
We bring to  you a simple set of instructions,
which will help you prepare these delicious food items
in your very own kitchen, and serve it to your loved ones.

1) Dal Pharah

To make dal pharah, first cook the dal, for this you will have to wash them pulses and cook the dal in a pressure cooker along with turmeric powder, salt, and mustard oil, add two cups of water and let the thing cook until you can hear two whistles. The dal should be cooked but should not turn mushy.

Take wheat flour in a bowl. Add water in requisite amounts and make a semi soft dough. Take a small ball from the dough and roll it into a 1mm thick chapati. Now take a small glass or bowl and cut small circles from the chappati.

Take each circle and then fold it into a flowery caricature by joining its four sides into a middle point. You can make a rose by first bringing two sides together at a point and then reversing the other two sides and then joining them at a point.

Once all the flowers are done. Check if the dal is properly cooked or not. Switch on the gas and put the pressure cooker on flame. Add two cups of water and let it boil. Once it starts boiling, add the wheat flowers and cook it for roundabout 10 minutes.

Check the seasoning, if it requires more water, while it tends to become dense once it is cooled; henceforward keep sufficient water in the dal. When you are able to mash the wheat flowers quickly with your fingers, switch off the gas.

Prepare for seasoning by heating ghee in a small pan. Add chopped garlic and let it fry a bit, add hing and broken chilies and then pour it into the dal pharah.

For Chokha mash the boiled potatoes when they are still hot as they solidify once cooled. Add salt, mustard oil, chopped chilies, coriander leaves and chopped onions. Mix well and serve with the hot dal pharah.

2) Hariyali Dum Aloo 

Boil the potatoes till they are almost done boiling. Peel the skin off and marinate it with 1 tablespoon of ginger, garlic and green chili paste for approximately fifteen to twenty minutes.

In the meanwhile wash and drain the palak , while you put it in a pan. Cook the palak for around ten mintues on low flame. Switch off the gas and let it cool for sometime. Grind the onion and green chilies in a mixer grinder. Grind the palak coarsely and keep it aside as well.

Now heat oil in a pan and fry them marinated potatoes till they turn light brown in color. Take the dish out and keep it aside.

In the remaining oil add bay leaf, onions, green chili paste and fry for around two minutes. Add ginger and garlic paste, chopped tomatoes and palak paste. Fry on low heat for around ten minutes.

Now add fried potatoes, cashew paste, garam masala, salt and sugar to taste. If required add some water and let the gravy simmer for about 10 minutes. Finally add ghee and switch off the gas. Serve Hot!

3) Papda Ki Sabji

Make a smooth batter with the ingredients required to prepare papda. While you heat a non-stick pan and spread it over the pan just like the dosa batter. Make sure it’s not too thin or thick.

Fold the pancake into a half, then fold and Cut it into the desired shape, as you keep it aside. For gravy make a smooth paste with mustard seeds, poppy seeds, black pepper, coriander seeds, garlic, red chilli and salt. Keep it aside as well.

Heat oil in a kadai and add fenugreek seeds until they start to crackle. Now add the paste and stir continuously until the water is evaporated on low flame. Add chopped tomatoes and cook further for another five minutes until the tomatoes are cooked properly. Add water, chopped coriander, garam masala powder and allow it to boil.

Now dip the papda into the gravy and let it cook for another 2 minutes. Serve hot with steaming rice.

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Bihar Handicrafts

The land where lord buddha gained his enlightenment. Bihar is a state rich in cultural heritage, aptly reciprocated in their handlooms. Visit baazkart today and explore a wide range of authentically hand-crafted items. Brought to you from a state of historic importance.

1. Sujini Embroidery

It is usually bedspread, which was initially made out of old clothes, but presently it is made out of easily available fabric, by performing embroidery via simple stitches and designs narrating different stories. Women exclusively make it in fifteen villages of Bhusura, in the Ghaighatti block of Muzaffarpur, and villages of Madhubani, located in the Indian state of Bihar.

Previously it was made with pieces of cloth in different colors; material obtained from used saris and dhotis, where the final product was derived by sewing them together, adopting a simple running stitch. This process involves the use of three or four patches of old saris or dhotis, fitted one over the other finally quilted together using a thread that was also obtained from discarded garments. Motifs expressing the desire of every mother for her new born baby are sewn on the quilt, generally done with a chain stitched in dark colors.

The materials used to make this product are expensive cotton products, such as “Salita” or even a cheaper variety of white or Colored markeen, Tussar silk, and embroidered threads such as moon thread, rangoli or anchor threads. Women fabricate these patterns by sewing a quilt, usually of their choice. The embroidery is done as a fine running stitch with a thread of the same color as the background cloth. For the main outline of them proposed patterns, chain stitch using black, brown and red threads.

2. Madhubani Paintings

Madhubani paintings are practiced in the state of Bihar where paintings are performed with fingers, twigs, and nib pens, using natural dyes and pigments; wherefore this art is characterized by different motifs and geometrical patterns.

Madhubani art has five distinctive styles, Bharni, Katchni, Tantrik, godna and gobar. Marking the content for these paintings by specific occasions, auspicious events such as marriage and festivals. Deriving its name ‘Mithila Art’ from the Mithila region, which was the supposed kingdom of King Janak in present-day Janakpur, situated in Nepal.

Creating Madhubani paintings from a mixture of powdered rice, while confining Madhubani paintings to a particular geographical area, skills required to make such pictures have been passed on through different generations. Madhubani paintings use two-dimensional imagery, as the colors used are derived from indigenous flora.

Nowadays Madhubani art has become a global art form, where there are no more barriers to the work of artists, barriers based on their sex, caste, and creed. Madhubani art has received international and national attention.

3. Sikki Work

Characterizing sikki work by its beautiful golden color, it is also known as Golden Grass. Sikki is dried as them flower heads are cut off. Finally, a fine golden fiber is obtained, which is consequently used to weave toys, dolls, and baskets (dolchi), even painting them items upon specified requirements.

Before using it for weaving, sikki is wet, providing a better support while it is slowly coiled around the munj. After which the coloring is done by boiling sikki in different colors.

Now the final form is achieved with munj (grass) or khar (grass) to provide the original shape and strength to the sikki product.The process of making the products is primarily done through coiling, using Munj. Where a bundle of munj grass is taken, which is covered with Sikki in such a way that the munj almost disappears. As the sikki is wrapped, munj is wound into a spiral coil; wherefore the grass is used to attach two adjacent layers of the coil.

Boxes made of sikki known as pauti, which are given to daughters by their parents during marriages. The boxes are used to hold different jewelry items.

These handicraft items come with an added advantage of usefulness in everyday life, along with their ethnic component, these traditionally handcrafted items are a must in your collections. Buy these ethnic handicraft items today and stand a chance to win exciting prizes.