By Nandini Bhushan*
From Vat Savitri to Chhath Puja, and from humble litti chokha to the traditional dal pitha, Bihar is blessed with all the flavour and spirit of pomp and splendor. Eddie Kennyson rightly said, “when opportunity presents itself, don’t be afraid to go after it.” In these columns I shall not only be telling something about my native state Bihar through the window of its festival and food, but shall also offer the recipe so that one can try it oneself.
Bihari cuisine, I believe deserves its long overdue credit, as it is one of the most unexplored and under rated food today despite being full of flavours and among the most palatable cuisines. In today’s world of marketing and flamboyance, we seriously need a makeover of the sumptuous Bihari food to find its rightful niche in the gastronomical world. We need to present our recipe to the global audience, and being a food enthusiast myself, it is my humble attempt to present a traditional Bihari food with an interesting variation
Also try: Make Yourself Bihari Food Part – 42: Bharwa lal mirch achar
Aam ka kucha
Falon ka raja aam is one such fruit that is consumed both in the raw as well as ripe form.As summer knocks the door, the raw mango comes in demand since it is one of the most popular ingredients used for preparing pickles in an Indian household. Kucha literally means pressing anything really hard and here too the raw mango is grated and then pressed hard to drain the excess water . The use of kabuli chana gives a crunchy bite to the kucha. It is an instant achar recipe that can be consumed within a few days of its preparation.
Ingredients
Raw mango : ½ kg
Yellow mustard : 2 tsp
Methi dana : 1 tsp
Saunf : 1 tsp
Kalonji : ½ tsp
Ajwain : ½ tsp
Turmeric powder : 2 tsp
Red chilli powder : 2 tsp
Asafoetida : 1 tsp
Salt : 2 tsp
Black salt : 1 tsp
Kabuli chana : 2 tsp
Vinegar : 2 tsp
Mustard oil : 2 tsp
Step 1
Wash the chana and spread it over a kitchen towel and finally wipe it with a dry cloth.
Step 2
Wash the mangoes and wipe it with dry cloth. Once dry peel and grate it and squeeze the extra water.
Step 3
Transfer the mango in a wide bowl and add haldi (Turmeric powder) and salt to it and give a good mix . Tie a dry piece of cloth over the bowl and keep it under the sun so that the excess moisture dries up .
Step 4
In the meantime coarsely grind the methi dana, sarson, saunf, ajwain and kalonji.
Step 5
Add the ground masala along with hing, Black salt, kabuli chana, vinegar and mustard oil to the raw mango.
Step 6
Give it all a good mix and transfer the achar to a sterilised jar. Keep it in the sun for a couple of days and the kucha is ready .
*Nandini Bhushan is a well-known food blogger
