Some say that the entity- Jharkhand existed even in the times of the Magadha Empire. During the Moghul rule , this place was referred to as Kukara.
The need for a separate state was initiated to preserve the tribal culture and heritage and to evoke a Jharkandi identity.There are 32 tribes in this region.
Jharkhand houses some of the National parks and animal reserve sites.
The cuisine of Jharkand is similar to the Bihari cuisine.The food is said to be very light on the stomach and easy to digest.Dal ,bhat and tarkari [Lentil stew/ rice and vegetable side] is a famous trio of this region. Also Bihari specials like Litti Chokka is a favorite and a staple here.
A faint hint of Mughal cuisine can also be felt in the Jharkhand cuisine.
Along with the rice-dal-vegetable trio, chutneys and pickles are also present in a meal.
The people here are fond of light snacks and sweets and have many varieties of these too in their cuisine.
Today's menu is a simple dish that goes with rice. This gravy can be made just for the sake of tasting it or can be made when there are no vegetables at hand. With this I have served steamed rice and a cooling beverage...
Behind the scene:
I was looking for something different from this state and landed on this recipe. I found it to be vaguely similar to the Vegetarian Fish curry I have posted earlier. And I found this similarity to be a blessing! Why, you ask?Well, when I was making this dish, I forgot to click a pic for the step wise guide and I ended up using a couple of pics from teh earlier recipe.So in the recipe you can find the besan chila of a different color towards the end of the pictorial guide.
Coming to the taste and ease of preparation, it is very simple to make and tastes good too. We had it with rice. There were no special comments on this dish so I guess there was either nothing wrong with the taste or the dish was palatable.
I loved the vibrant color which comes from the very ripe tomatoes that were used in this recipe.
Coming to the drink, I was wondering what sattu was and where it will be available and after a few discussions with our BM members, I realized it was so simple! Just powder the roasted chana dal and you have the famous sattu flour ready.
While preparing this drink, i was not sure about its taste. But it was refreshingly cool and I really enjoyed it . Summer is in its peak already and the day I made this drink, it was really hot and I loved to sip this coolant.
Let us move on to the recipes...
Besan Ki Sabji
I used:
Recipe Source - Rasoia
For the besan chila
Besan-1/4 cup
Turmeric powder- a pinch
Chili powder- 1/2 teaspoon
Garlic paste- 1/2 teaspoon
Salt to taste
Other ingredients
Fenugreek seeds- 1/4 teaspoon
Oil-2 teaspoons
Salt to taste
Coriander leaves to garnish
For the masala paste:
Garlic-2 pods
Turmeric- a large pinch
Coriander powder- 1 teaspoon
Chili powder- 1 teaspoon
Cumin seeds- 1/2 teaspoon
Mustard seeds- 1/2 teaspoon
Pre- prep
Take all the ingredients mentioned under- to make masala paste in a blender jar and add a little water and grind to a smooth paste.Puree the tomato.
In a bowl, take the ingredients mentioned under besan chila. Make a paste adding a little water. It should not be too watery. Something like dosa batter. Heat a pan and pour the batter in the centre and spread it to t circle. Cook on both side till light brown spots appear.
Fold as shown in the pic below and cut into pieces. Keep aside.
Heat oil in a pan and add fenugreek seeds. After a few seconds, add the masala paste and cook on low flame for 2 minutes. Then add the tomato puree.
Cook till the moisture evaporates and the oil oozes out from the paste.Add 2 cups of water and bring to boil. Add salt and simmer till the raw flavor of tomato goes off.
Gently put in the besan chila pieces and simmer fro 2 more minutes and remove from heat.
Serve garnished with steamed rice.
Note:
- Make this on the watery side as the besan pieces will absorb the moisture and the gravy will thicken. As you can see in the pic collage, the gravy was very watery in the pan and by the time I plated it and took pics, it thickened!
- Traditionally mustard oil is used. I used the sunflower oil.
Next comes the cooling beverage. This sattu ka sherbet is famous both in Bihar and Jharkahnd. This beverage is a traditional one and very popular too esp. during summer months. It is supposed to be high in fiber and has cooling properties.
This drink can be made in combination with barley flour. I have used only roasted gram flour.
I used:
Roasted gram flour - 2 teaspoons
Water- 250 ml
Black salt / kala namak- 1/4 teaspoon
Roasted cumin powder-1/4 teaspoon
Salt to taste
Pearl onion-2, finely chopped
Mint leaves, finely chopped
Mix all the ingredients together except the mint leaves. Refrigerate and serve chilled garnished with mint leaves.
- I powdered the roasted gram flour a bit coarsely. Powder it finely if you do n't like the grits in your drink.
And before I forget,let me let you something.I am taking you all home tomorrow. Yes, to Karnataka!Be sure to come on an empty stomach. I have a scrumptious spread waiting there for you indulge...
Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 39
