Make Yourself Bihari Food Part – 41: Mixed Bihari Achar

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 – 40: Parwal ka chokha

Mixed Bihari Achar 

An Indian vegetarian thali remains incomplete without a dollop of pickle and a Bihari thali does not differ with achar being an integral part of the menu. Aachar or pickle is not just a recipe but one of the sweetest and everlasting memories passed on from generation to generation. There is a wide variety of pickles found across the country but each one of them has different aroma, flavours and method of preparation. There are seasonal as well as instant achar recipes in a Bihari kitchen and it is my humble attempt to collect and document  these Bihari achar recipes in  the pickle series so that it could pass on to the next generation.

Ingredients

Potato : 100 gms

Brinjal : 100 gms

Raddish : 100 gms

Cauliflower : 100 gms

Green sem : 100 gms

Turmeric powder : 1 tsp

Red chilli powder : 2 tsp

Fenugreek seed : 1 tsp

Saunf : 2 tsp

Mustard seed : 4 tsp

Asafetida : ¼ tsp

Ajwain : ½ tsp

Black carom seed : ½ tsp

Salt

Mustard oil : 5 to 6 tsp

Step 1

Cut the vegetables into big equal sized chunks.

Step 2

Boil potatoes, peel them and cut into cubes and keep them aside.

Step 3

Boil water along with a tsp of salt into it. Add sem and let it boil for about a minute and then add the sliced radish and leave it in the boiling water for a few seconds . Next add the cauliflower florets and boil it along with the rest of the vegetables for further one minute. Finally add the sliced brinjals and let them all come to a boil for about couple of minutes. Once soft strain the excess water and keep the vegetables aside.

Step 4

In a pan dry roast the methi dana for a couple of seconds. Switch off the flame and add the saunf and sarson dana in the same hot pan and mix them all together. Once cool, grind them.

Step 5

In a mixing bowl put the boiled vegetables and add salt, turmeric powder, red chilli powder,hing, ajwain, mangrail along with the ground masala. Finally add the mustard oil and give them all a good mix.

Step 6

Place the achar in an airtight container and the winter special vegetable achar is ready to be consumed.

*Nandini Bhushan is a well-known food blogger