By Sonali Kumar
Taste Of Bihari Home Cuisine
Toor Dal, or ArharDal as it called in Bihar, is also popular in many regions of India. In South India, it is turned into Sambhar, which is so popular that it is served for all three meals —breakfast, lunch, and dinner. In Gujrat, use of chillies in the preparation of the same dal is often tempered with sugar.
A Friend of mine from Kashmir looked at me quizzically when she heard I was writing about Bihari Cuisine. She knew my recipes were converted into 10 cookbooks, some of which were international bestsellers. But Bihari cuisine? Huh?!
What’s that? “Is it not that Litti Chokha thing?” She finally blurted out, hesitatingly. I smiled because while she was going gaga over my home food, little did she realise that they were all, intrinsically Bihari recipes, of course, with a little modern twist.
Yes, I am proud to be born on the banks of the river Ganga as a true-blooded Bihari. I’m also proud to have done all my schooling from Patna, where after I moved to Delhi for college and made it to the IAS.
But coming back to food, I’m grateful that my Bihari heritage had drilled into me the mantra that if you want to be healthy, just focus on what you eat.
The ability to cook has otherwise fascinated me as God’s greatest gift to mankind, one that distinguishes us instantly from animals.
I have also felt grateful for the opportunity to travel around the world, to taste world cuisine, and to appreciate why all cuisines reflect the culture of the place they come from and the ingredients that are locally available.
So, while olive oil is an important ingredient in Mediterranean cuisine, because olives grow everywhere in that region, we will be falling prey to some clever marketing spin if we accept that olive oil is superior to, say, our mustard oil.
In that little backdrop, I need to assert that the Bihari cuisine also reflects the simplicity and the humility/moderation which is such an integral part of the Bihari people.
That’s why you find that the spices or the quantity of oil/ghee used therein never drown the taste of ingredients or overwhelm your taste buds. But let me explain this further.
Toor Dal, or Arhar Dal as it called in Bihar, is also popular in many regions of India. In South India, it is turned into Sambhar, which is so popular that it is served for all three meals —breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Sambhar is spicy no doubt but what distinguishes it is the liberal use of tamarind and curry leaves. In Gujrat, use of chillies in the preparation of the same dal is often tempered with sugar and lemon juice.
However, go to Maharashtra and you will find them preferring a less sweet version of the same Toor Dal.
