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Tag: Chhattisgarh

  • Chhattisgarhi Chawal Chila

    Chhattisgarh is called the rice bowl of India, and its kitchens turn rice into dozens of everyday dishes: fara, muthia, angakar roti, dehrori and chila. Chawal chila, the rice pancake, is the quickest of them, made for breakfast or as a light dinner in villages and towns across the state.

    The batter can be made from soaked, ground rice or simply from rice flour mixed with water. It is spread thin on a hot iron tawa, where it sets into a soft pancake with crisp, lacy edges. Chopped onion, green chilli and coriander go into the batter, and it is eaten hot with a sharp tomato or dhaniya-mirchi chutney.

    At a glance

    RegionChhattisgarh
    CuisineChhattisgarhi
    DietVegan
    CourseBreakfast
    Prep time15 minutes
    Cook time20 minutes
    Total time35 minutes
    Serves3
    Spice levelMedium
    DifficultyEasy
    Gluten-freeYes
    Key ingredientsrice flour / onion / green chilli / coriander

    Ingredients

    For the chila

    • 1 1/2 cups rice flour (or 1 cup rice soaked 4 hours and ground)
    • 1 1/2 cups water, approximately
    • 1 small onion, finely chopped
    • 2 green chillies, finely chopped
    • 1/2 tsp grated ginger
    • 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
    • 2 tbsp chopped coriander
    • 3/4 tsp salt
    • Oil for cooking

    For the tomato chutney

    • 2 tomatoes
    • 2 green chillies
    • 2 garlic cloves
    • 1 tbsp coriander
    • Salt to taste

    Method

    1. For the chutney, roast the tomatoes, chillies and garlic directly over a flame or on a tawa until charred. Peel the tomatoes and crush everything with coriander and salt on a sil-batta or in a mortar.
    2. Whisk the rice flour with water into a smooth, pouring batter, thinner than dosa batter. Rest for 10 minutes.
    3. Stir in the onion, green chillies, ginger, cumin, coriander and salt.
    4. Heat an iron tawa on medium-high heat and grease it lightly with oil using a cut onion or a cloth.
    5. Stir the batter, pour a ladleful from the edges towards the centre, and tilt the tawa to spread it thin. Do not try to spread it with the ladle like a dosa.
    6. Drizzle oil around the edges and cook for 2 minutes until the edges turn crisp and the surface looks dry.
    7. Flip and cook another 1 minute. Serve hot with the tomato chutney.

    Tips

    • Rice flour settles to the bottom quickly; stir the batter before every chila.
    • If the chila sticks, the tawa is not hot enough or needs better seasoning; non-stick pans also work.
    • Add a spoon of curd to the batter for a slightly tangy, softer version.

    Serve with

    Roasted tomato chutney, or green chutney and tea.

  • Fara

    Fara is a traditional Chhattisgarhi snack and breakfast that began as a smart way to use leftover rice. The cooked rice is kneaded with rice flour into a soft dough, rolled into long, thin dumplings and steamed, much like a cousin of the south Indian kozhukattai or the Gujarati muthia.

    On their own the steamed faras are soft, chewy and plain. They become a snack once they are tossed in a tempering of mustard seeds, sesame, curry leaves and green chillies, which crisps them slightly at the edges. Some households serve them in a thin, sour curd-based gravy instead. They are eaten warm with chutney and tea.

    At a glance

    RegionChhattisgarh
    CuisineChhattisgarhi
    DietVegan
    CourseSnack
    Prep time20 minutes
    Cook time25 minutes
    Total time45 minutes
    Serves4
    Spice levelMild
    DifficultyEasy
    Gluten-freeYes
    Key ingredientsrice flour / cooked rice / sesame seeds / curry leaves

    Ingredients

    For the dough

    • 1 cup cooked rice
    • 1 1/4 cups rice flour
    • 1 cup water
    • 1/2 tsp salt
    • 1 tsp oil

    For the tempering

    • 2 tbsp oil
    • 1 tsp mustard seeds
    • 1 tsp cumin seeds
    • 1 tbsp white sesame seeds
    • A pinch of asafoetida
    • 10-12 curry leaves
    • 2 green chillies, slit
    • 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
    • 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
    • Salt to taste
    • 2 tbsp chopped coriander
    • 1 tsp lemon juice

    Method

    1. Bring the water to a boil with salt and oil. Add the cooked rice, mash it with a spoon, then add the rice flour and stir quickly to combine. Turn off the heat, cover and rest for 5 minutes.
    2. When cool enough to handle, knead the mixture with greased hands into a smooth, soft dough.
    3. Pinch off small portions and roll between your palms into finger-thick rolls about 8 cm long, or into small balls.
    4. Arrange them on a greased steamer plate and steam over boiling water for 12-15 minutes until they look slightly glossy and are no longer sticky. Let them cool for 5 minutes.
    5. Heat oil in a wide pan on medium heat. Add mustard seeds and let them pop, then cumin, sesame, asafoetida, curry leaves and green chillies. Fry for 20 seconds until the sesame turns light golden.
    6. Add turmeric and chilli powder, then the steamed faras with a pinch of salt. Toss gently on medium heat for 3-4 minutes until lightly crisp in places.
    7. Finish with coriander and lemon juice and serve warm.

    Tips

    • Knead while the dough is warm; cold rice-flour dough cracks when rolled.
    • Steamed faras keep in the fridge for a day – temper them fresh just before serving.
    • For the curd version, simmer the steamed faras in a thin, tempered buttermilk kadhi for 5 minutes.

    Serve with

    Green chutney or tomato chutney and a cup of tea.