After Anurag Kashyap introduced us to the womaniyas, warring families and the rustic culture of Bihar-Jharkhand in Gangs Of Wasseypur, home chef Dolly Singh will give city patrons a taste of the region&rsquo;s cuisine as a part of the Hungry Traveller Chef Showcase food pop-up this evening.
<img title="Thekua" src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2015/feb/Thekua.jpg" alt="Thekua" /> Thekua
A Bihari by birth, Singh&rsquo;s schooling years in the northern state made her accustomed to the traditional home-cooked Bihari cuisine, and most of the dishes she has grown up eating and cooking will be part of the pop-up, which she says, will be the first Bihari cuisine pop-up in Mumbai.
<img title="Malpua" src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2015/feb/Malpua.jpg" alt="Malpua" /> Malpua
&ldquo;Called &lsquo;Khana and Batiyaana&rsquo; (food and conversation), this pop-up is an attempt to introduce the flavoursome cuisine of Bihar. Traditionally, this cuisine is more of a community eating experience than fine dining. The food is usually cooked over fire and the dishes are heavy on meat, pulses and flours of different kinds,&rdquo; informs Singh.
<img title="Home chef Dolly Singh" src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2015/feb/Dolly-Singh.jpg" alt="Home chef Dolly Singh" /> Home chef Dolly Singh
Sharing borders with West Bengal, many dishes are similar to Bengali food, she reveals, adding, &ldquo;Sometimes, the masalas and ingredients are the same, we might just tweak the way of cooking slightly. For instance, Biharis too eat their fish in mustard gravy but we don&rsquo;t add sugar.&rdquo;
<img title="Khada Masala Chicken" src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2015/feb/Khada-Masala-Chicken.jpg" alt="Khada Masala Chicken" /> Khada Masala Chicken
B to Z of Bihari food
Sattu: Flour made fromroasted Bengal gram, sattu is integral to Bihari cooking. An energy booster, it is often mixed with water or milk.
Litti Chokha: One of the most traditional Bihari dishes, Litti is a stuffed dough ball made from wheat flour, filled with sattu. These are fried or roasted and served with Chokha, which literally means mash. &ldquo;It can be a mash of potatoes, tomatoes, brinjal or even parwal (pointed gourd). I sourced sattu and ghee from my home in Bihar,&rdquo; says Singh, who will be serving this dish as part of the pop-up.
Bajka: Like Mumbai&rsquo;s iconic Kanda-Bhaji, Bajkas are an assortment of fried fritters made using cauliflower, brinjal, bottle gourd and coriander leaves that are coated with besan (gram flour) batter and deep fried.
Khada Masala Chicken: In this dish, the chicken is slow-cooked with whole spices and pods of garlic along with their covering are immersed in the gravy to add flavour.
Matar Daal: A curry made from boiled green peas, traditionally slow cooked on fire.
Malpua: This variation of the Bengali dessert, is made from refined flour, and is coated in sugar syrup.
Suran chutney: Also known as Ol in North India, suran (yam) is boiled, mashed into a paste and fermented in mustard oil along with garlic and green chillies for three to four days. It is tangy in taste.
Thekua: Resembling a cookie and brown in colour, this fried sweet contains a hard upper crust and soft filling. A dough consisting of wheat flour, dry fruits and ghee is prepared and then shaped into cookies using moulds.

From ghee-soaked Litti to coriander fritters and yam chutney, here&rsquo;s all you need to know about Bihari cuisine, as Mumbai hosts its first ever pop-up from the state

Food special: Binge on traditional Bihari cuisine

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Food special: Binge on traditional Bihari cuisine

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