Pallav Jha - Authentic Recipes from Mithila

Cooking is the best way one can show appreciation and love. I am very fond of cooking and have expertise in many cuisines including Indian as well as global. In this blog, I will share recipes from my traditional 'home' which is Mithila in Bihar,...

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Khatta Meetha Kaddu - Sweet and Sour Pumpkin

This is a typical maithil preparation also common in other parts of East India like Bengal. This preparation like many other traditional recipes does not need onion or garlic. It goes well with crisp paratha. You need: 1/2 kg pumpkin - ideally the green variety. Do not peel. Cut into cubes and keep aside. Fenugreek seeds - 0.5 teaspoon Amchur powder - 1.5 teaspoon Sugar - 2 teaspoon Turmeric powder - 0.5 teaspoon Whole red chillies - 2 to 3 Salt to taste Mustard oil - 1.5 teaspoon Hing/Asaphoedita- optional Heat oil in a kadai, do not let it get to smoking. When hot, add fenugreek seeds and red chillies, let it turn dark brown, then add all ingredients except amchur and sugar. Saute well. Cover and cook for 5 to 7 minutes or till pumpkin becomes little soft. Give it a good stir, add a cup of water and the amchur and sugar. Cook covered on low flame till done and water dries. If you like the flavour of hing add a pinch of hing when adding amchur and sugar. Enjoy with roti or paratha.

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Bhata Kutbi or Diced Brinjal This dish gets its name from the way brinjals are cut i.e. as diced. You need 1/2 kg long variety brinjals, cut length wise then cut into 1/2 inch pieces. Now take 2 long white radish cut in similar manner. If you like the taste of soya bhaji the a handful cut fine. Heat a tablespoon of mustard oil put 1/2 tsp of whole methi seeds and 1 or 2 whole dry red chilli. Let it turn brown , add brinjals and radish and saute on high flame for 5 mins. Add turmeric and salt and half of the soya leaves. Mix well, lower flame and allow vegetables to leave water and cook. When vegetables are nearly cooked increase heat and cook till well done . There should be no water remaining and brinjals should not become mushy. Sprinkle the rest of the soya leaves. Give a toss and serve with hot chapattis.

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RED CHILLI PICKLE Indian food needs pickle…and the best pickles are home made. Today I have the recipe for a red chilli pickle. It’s being made so here are the in progress pictures. You need: 1 kg red pickling chillies 3 cups synthetic vinegar 1 cup sugar 250 gm tamarind which should be soaked in vinegar and then the pulp should be extracted. 50 gm fresh garlic 50 gm fresh ginger Grind the ginger and garlic, separately, using little vinegar 1 tablespoon methi seeds 1 tablespoon rai/black muatard 1 tablespoon jeera 1 tablespoon salt 400 ml mustard oil

Wash, wipe, dry and slit or cut raw red hillies. Heat the mustard oil. When it starts smoking add garlic and fry till it turns brown. Add all ingredients and mix well. Cook till all liquid evaporates and oil oozes out. It will take about 2 hours on a high flame.

Let it cool completely and then store in dry containers. It will keep for several months.

[pallavjha]

Bhata Kutbi or Diced Brinjal This dish gets its name from the way brinjals are cut i.e. as diced. You need 1/2 kg long variety brinjals, cut length wise then cut into 1/2 inch pieces. Now take 2 long white radish cut in similar manner. If you like the taste of soya bhaji the a handful cut fine. Heat a tablespoon of mustard oil put 1/2 tsp of whole methi seeds and 1 or 2 whole dry red chilli. Let it turn brown , add brinjals and radish and saute on high flame for 5 mins. Add turmeric and salt and half of the soya leaves. Mix well, lower flame and allow vegetables to leave water and cook. When vegetables are nearly cooked increase heat and cook till well done . There should be no water remaining and brinjals should not become mushy. Sprinkle the rest of the soya leaves. Give a toss and serve with hot chapattis.

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Bihari khichdi....a winter delight. You need 1cup good rice preferably new rice 1/3 cup yellow moong dal dry roasted on low flame till dark golden Wash the rice and dal and let it soak. Meanwhile grind 1 1/2 inch piece of ginger. Take 4 whole green chillies, 3 bay leaves, some chopped green coriander leaves. Put the soaked rice and dal along with the water it was soaking in. Add all other ingredients now put 1/2 tsp haldi powder and salt to taste. Add more water so that the water level is about 3inches above the rice dal mixture. Close the pressure cooker and give 2 whistles and shut off gas. Now take few flowerets of cauliflower and shallow fry it in mustard oil. Once pressure drops from cooker open and add the cauliflower and a katori of green peas and give one more pressure. When pressure drops temper with 3 tblsp of desi ghee add 3 green cardamom, 1 black cardamom, 4 Clove and 1 1/2 inches of cinnamon and a generous pinch of hing. Khichri is eaten with mashed potatoes or aloo bharta called aloo sanna and baigan sanna. It is said khichri ke char yaar...ghee ,dahi, papad achar.

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Bathua saag with baigan adauri

This is a traditional vegetarian preparation made usually in winters when there is abundance of leafy vegetables including spinach (saag). 

Adauri is a dumpling, used as an additive to various vegetarian dishes. It is made by combining urad dal paste, ground fresh ginger, hing & salt. All ingredients are mixed together and then made into very small nuggets, and then dried in the sun over a few days. It is used in various preparations especially with brinjal, in Maithil cuisine,

This preparation is with Bathua saag - a variety of leafy greens, with baigan, or aubergine and adauri. 

To make this vegetable, you need 

- 1/2 kg bathua saag - separate the stems from the leaves, discard the stem, wash well, chop coarsely and keep aside.

- 3 medium size brinjals - preferably use the long variety. Slit them length wise and then cut into 3 inch pieces. 

- A handful of adauri. 

Mehtod: 

Heat 3 tablespoons of mustard oil in a kadai (wok). When the oil is smoking hot, put the adauri in gently and fry till golden. It wont take very long. Keep aside. 

Put 1 teaspoon ajwain (carrom seeds) and 1 whole red chilli into the remaining oil. Now add the brinjals into this kadai, and fry on high heat till brinjals get coated with oil and start changing colour. Now add the bathua saag and mix well . 

Add 1/2 teaspoon of haldi/turmeric, and lower the flame.Cover and cook. The saag should leave water. Now add a tsp of tamarind puree, salt to taste and 1/2 cup of water, and the fried adauri. Bring the whole dish to a boil and cook covered on low flame till brinjals are very soft and adauri seems juicy...if required add a little more water. There should be enough liquid to form a nice gravy. Goes best with rice. 

P.S: If you don’t have access to Adauri, you can completely omit that ingredient and make a nice brinjal, bathua saag vegetarian side.

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Dahivada with imli chutney 

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Bhuna sukha mutton

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Kachauri, or Kachori - with aloo bhujiya : a brunch favourite. 

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Raw Mango Chutney

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Raw Mango Chutney

Perfect recipe for the Indian summer. The use of raw mango in this chutney ensures a natural intake of Vitamin C and B, in addition to other nutritional elements. This is a must-make in summers in all Maithil households, and in slightly variance across North India. 

The use of jaggery (instead of sugar) keeps it healthy, and not laced with calories. 

You will need 

Mustard oil : 2 tsp

2 Small unripe mangoes, peeled, diced.

Keep the stone too. 

Jaggery powder : 4-6 tbsp

Panch-Phoren: 2 tsp

Red Chilli powder : 1 tsp (optional)

Salt: to taste

Take a small wok, add the oil to this and heat. Add the panch phoren, quickly followed by the raw mangoes. Make sure the mangoes go in quick enough, else the spices will get burnt. 

Cook for about 3-5 minutes on medium flame. When the mango starts to soften up, add the jaggery, Add the salt and red chilli powder (if you are using this). Now add about 1.5 cups of water - this is upto you if you want it more syrupy you can add upto 3 cups of water.

Cook on a low flame for 10-15 minutes till the mango is a soft pulp and most of the jaggery has melted to give you a thick syrup/sauce. 

Taste and check for seasoning. If its too sour, you can balance with a little more jaggery. 

Cool, and enjoy a little bit with your food everyday. It will keep for 3-4 weeks in the refrigerator

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