Peetha :: Pitha :: Fara :: Steamed Lentil Dumplings :: Breakfast from Bihar :: Bihar ka khana

So am back again with some delectable Banarasi Khana. Wondering why so much Banarasi touch into me these days ? Well,  am just coming back from a visit to India which evidently included my visit to Banaras as well to meet my in laws. So, here it goes all the bragging about the city’s Chatpata Food and how much did  I like it. And am cussing me for not having to get to know it before. Not only is it rich in flavors ( and Fat !! ), its also unique in its cooking methods as well.

Now, we all know Momos are considered to be from East Asia. But did we know that we do have something similar to boast upon in our own UP/Bihar. At least I was not aware of it. This unique dish is called Peetha or Faraa in some of the areas depending upon the language used. Just that instead of the vegetable or meat filling we have used Lentils. So it would be considered a total package of Carbs ( flour covering ), Proteins ( Lentil stuffing ), flavours ( spices used ) and fiber. Its a very filling dish which is traditionally eaten along with eggplant gravy but could be had on its own too.

 

 Ingredients:
For the dough :

• 1/2 cup fine semolina
• ½ cup rice flour
• 1 cup Whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp Salt
• Water for kneading

For the stuffing:

• 1 cup Chana daal  ( soaked for 3-4 hours )
• ¼ cup Urad daal  ( soaked for 3-4 hours )
• 1 medium size ginger piece
• A pinch of asafoetida
• 2-3 Green chilies
• 4-5 Garlic cloves
• 1 tsp Black pepper powder
• 1 tsp Garam Masala
• 1 tsp Red chili powder
• Salt to taste

 Method:

• Mix all the things listed for dough and knead it well. Keep it aside for almost 30 min.
• Meanwhile, prepare the stuffing: Grind the two Daals together with minimum water to a course paste and mix together. I usually give a last pulse with both the lentils togther for mixing them good. Please only use water quantity barely to  keep the lentil tigether and not dry up. Make sure you add water spoon by spoon to get a  thick consistency, not like a batter.
• Again in the grinder, blend together green chilies, ginger and garlic in a paste. Add this paste along with all the spices to the lentil mix and combine everything together.
• When the stuffing is cool enough to be handled by bare hands, start with the main process:
• Take a ball of dough in palm, roll it into a small and thin circle, like the size of a puri or luchi. Fill one tbsp. of filling inside it and just roll back from one end to another leaving the corners slit open which helps in cooking the mix inside faster. Fold them just like in the shape we make Gujhiya or Karanji. Keep it aside till you prepare all of them in the same way.

• Now, we can cook them with three different processes, Boiling, Steaming and Baking. Out of which I personally love steaming. Since its less messy and gives the best texture. S likes to have baked ones more as he finds them crisp and not mushy. choose your pick or just try all of them to get your favourite.
• Boiling:  For the process of boiling, just boil the water in a large pan with a pinch of salt and 1 tsp of oil and slip the Peethas into it. Let it boil uncovered for next 10 minutes on medium flame. Take them out and drain.
•  Steaming: For the steaming process, steam the Peethas in an Idli  or Dhokla maker or in a steamer. I did that in my new Dhokla steamer. I also tried the same in my Microwave steamer and it worked equally well. 
• Baking: For baking, I added a bit of baking soda in the dough separately. And just filled the stuffing in the same fashion as the above two and baked them for around 25 minutes turning them once in between.
•  All the above methods of cooking gave me tasty and perfectly cooked Peethas but I shall prefer Steaming from next time onwards. If you are also making them first time, you can try all three and then pick your bit. 

  NOTES:

• I shallow fried them with 2 tbsp oil and mild spices for a quick snack the other evening. It was a crunchy bite with tea.
• You can keep the Peethas for upto 2 days. Dont keep them in fridge, or they might get soggy. Just keep them covered in an Air tight container and they should be fine for the next two days.
• I am wondering what will it taste if I dip them in any sauce after steaming. You  know, just like Ravioli !! I shall try that and post very soon.
• Addition of semolina and rice flour results in a more pliable and grainy texture of the Peethas and also help in retaining the moisture. You can skip it though and make it completely with Wheat Flour.
• Another methods could be to use Rice flour and semolina only and skip Wheat flour, this is more authentic recipe but since I dont use rice flour so much hence did not cook it that way.

For more recipes from Bihar, click    here