10 Bihari foods that you must try

When it comes to Bihar food, people often talk about Litti Chokha and Champaran Mutton Curry. But, you will be surprised to know that the food of the state of Bihar is much more than these two. The state has a plethora of home-grown herbs and greens that add to the richness of the culinary scenario. Here is a list of some lesser-known Bihari delicacies that you can prepare at home. (Image courtesy: Instagram/@pragyaparira)

This is a lip-smacking pakoda recipe made with the yellow flowers of the jute plant. This dish is made by mixing the sanai phool with chilli-garlic paste, salt, gram flour and spices like coriander powder, garam masala and red chilli powder. You can roll this mixture in desired shapes & sizes and then deep fry in mustard oil. Make sure that you don’t use the partially or full-bloomed flowers, as they are bitter in taste.

It’s a sweet dish made by cooking rice in milk with some sugar, cardamom and cashews. When this mixture is thick enough, it's cooled down and then given a round or oval shape. Afterwards, this mixture is fried in ghee and soaked in sugar syrup. It is Bihar’s answer to North India’s Gulab Jamun. (Image courtesy: Instagram/@deepshikha_794)

This is a kind of pakoda made with soaked masoor dal or chana dal. The soaked dal is first added to a grinder to make a paste and then mixed with chopped onion, ginger-garlic paste, green chilli and various spices. Spoonfulls of this mixture are fried in hot mustard oil and enjoyed with green chutney. Some versions of this pakoda use boiled potatoes and other seasonal vegetables as well. (Image courtesy: Instagram/@arun1_986)

It's another Bihari sweet made with powdered rice but has a filling made of khoya and dry fruits. The rice dough is made in the shape of cookies and then deep-fried. This deep-fried Anarsa is then coated in sesame seed and then enjoyed.

It’s a delicious sweet dish made by kneading dough of fine chhena, cardamom, and sugar. This mixture is then cut into various shapes and sizes, and then deep-fried. Afterwards, the fried pieces are soaked in sugar syrup and enjoyed. (Image courtesy: Instagram/@exotic_or_desi)

It is one of the lesser-known sweets and is only found in Bihar. To make this mithai, the peel of parwal is first removed and then all the seeds are removed. Afterwards, a slit is made in the centre and all the parwals are boiled in water. Once done, remove the extra water from boiled parwals. Now, boil these drained parwals in sugar syrup for 3-4 minutes. Then, add the khoya filling inside the parwals and the mithai is ready. (Image courtesy: Instagram/@crazy_food_corner)

One of the most popular dishes of Bihari cuisine is Dahi Chura Gud, which is prepared by mixing curd with washed poha or flattened rice and mixing jaggery with it. You can also add chopped banana in it to increase the flavour of this dish. It is mainly enjoyed as a popular breakfast in Bihar. (Image courtesy: Instagram/@friends4aman)

It's none other Jimikand or Suran ki subzee. This vegetable is taken out during the time period of Diwali only and is known to have various nutritional benefits. This subzee is made in a gravy of tomato, onion, ginger-garlic along with various spices.

Also known as tomato chokha, thus chutney is super-delicious and is prepared by grinding the roasted tomatoes (already peeled), garlic cloves, coriander leaves, green chillies in mustard oil. A litte lemon juice is added to increase the flavour of the chutney.

This flavourful chutney is made by grinding together roasted flax seeds, gralic cloves, green chillies, mustard oil and lemon juice. You can add a little salt to increase the flavour of the dish. (Image courtesy: Instagram/@alankrita_priya)

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