A Bihari Kadhi Bari Chawal

This recipe is part of the series The Recipe I Mastered This Year

Some foods are extraordinarily evocative; tasting them after many years can bring back a rush of emotions and memories. One such food, for me, is my mother's kadhi bari chawal - it takes me back to summer afternoons in Patna, where I spent most of my childhood. We'd sit on the cool floor in the dining hall, as hot chawal and kadhi bari was served. This is a meal eaten in summer, and each family prepares it differently all over Bihar.

Now that I am married and have moved away from home - and country - I cook whenever I miss home. This year I tried Maa’s kadhi bari recipe and was transported so many years, back to my dining hall in Patna with of us all eating together, and it was truly the best feeling ever.

Recipe: Toshi’s Khadi Bari Chawal

Ingredients
For bari (dumplings)
3-4 tablespoons besan (gram flour)
½ tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp garlic paste
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
A pinch of ajwain powder
Salt, to taste
Water, to blend

For Kadhi mixture
2-3 tbsp besan (gram flour)
Turmeric powder, a pinch
1 cup yogurt
1 tsp garlic paste
1.5 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp Kashmiri chili powder

For gravy
1 tsp cumin seeds
3-4 dried bay leaves
3-4 full dried red chillies
1 tsp asafoetida powder
8-10 fresh green curry leaves
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tsp garam masala
1 tbsp ghee

Method
Whisk the besan, salt, water and turmeric powder into a batter making sure it isn’t very thick. To check if the batter consistency is right, drop a little bit of batter into a bowl of water. If it floats the batter is ready, if it sinks then it needs more blending. (This recipe doesn’t use soda so it’s important that you get the consistency right, or else the baris will not fluff up and become hard)

Once the batter is ready, add the rest of the bari batter ingredients into the mix and whisk until the batter is smooth and even.

Heat mustard oil on medium flame in an iron skillet or any deep pan. Once the oil is hot, gently drop a handful of batter into the oil. If the oil is too hot, the dumplings will get burnt on the outside and remains uncooked inside, so be careful to keep the heat at medium to medium-low.

Turn the dumplings over with a spatula, to make sure they are evenly cooked. Drop in not more than two at a time.

Once the dumpling turns golden brown, remove and place on a kitchen towel to drain any excess oil

When all the dumplings are ready, let them sit for a few minutes, then drop them into a bowl of water at room temperature. Allow to soak for 10-15 minutes, then remove and place on a kitchen towel.

For the Kadhi
Mix all the ingredients. Keep stirring; there should be no bubbles. The final mix should be the consistency of milk

Set aside

For Kadhi - Bari
Drain the oil in the skillet leaving 2-3 tablespoons of oil behind. Heat this on medium flame

When the oil is hot, add cumin seeds and stir, then add asafoetida powder, bay leaves, and dried red chillies. Stir for a few seconds and then add the curry leaves and chopped onion.

When the onion has browned, pour the kadhi mixture into the skillet and stir well. Bring to a gently boil.

Add half a teaspoon of garam masala and one spoon ghee just before the boil. (The mixture starts to thicken right before the boil; that is the cue to add in the garam masala and ghee)

Now add the dumplings to the mix and stir gently so they don't break.

Turn off the heat but allow to sit for a while before serving, so the dumplings can soak in the juices.

If the gravy becomes too dry, add hot water mixed with salt to adjust the consistency.

Serve with hot steamed rice or phulkas. In Bihar Kadhi Bari chawal is eaten mandatorily with crispy fried aloo as sides.

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