Aloo Chokha

One of my closest friends during my schooldays hailed from Bihar. Yet, I learnt almost nothing about Bihari cuisine from him or his mother. I just remember a lot of yellow and white, both in his lunchbox and on their dining table. I was wondering what I should make for the RCI: Bihar. I asked my colleague (who happens to be married to a Bihari) about their cuisine and she revealed that her mother-in-law was Bengali and so she was confused about which foods belonged to which state. She gave me 2 recipes which I wanted to try, and I am certain I will sometime soon. Another friend stayed with a Bihari family in the U.S. and is currently staying with us. She told me about this simple recipe using mashed potatoes called Aloo Chokha. Since I have Aloo Mash at home, we were able to whip this up very quickly. I used the leftovers this morning as a stuffing for parathas.

2 cups Mashed Potatoes

2 Onions, chopped finely

1 tbsp Ginger-Garlic-Green Chilli paste

1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder

1/2 tsp Chilli Powder

1/2 tsp Cumin-Coriander Powder

1 tbsp Oil

1/4 tsp Mustard Seeds

Salt to taste

Coriander Leaves for garnish

Heat the oil in a pan. Add the mustard seeds. When they crackle, add the onions and fry until they turn pink. Add the ginger-chilli-garlic paste and fry for a few minutes. Add the turmeric powder, chilli powder and the cumin-coriander powder and fry for a minute. Add the mashed potatoes and the salt. Cook for a few minutes and garnish with coriander leaves.

We ate this with some Adraki Dal and rice. I am sure this will go well with rotis as well.

Off this goes to Sangeeta's place as my entry to RCI Bihar. Happy hosting Sangeeta. And thank you for this opportunity to explore the cuisine of a state that was totally new to me.