Bafauri

EVENT: SHHH COOKING SECRETLY

THEME: CUISINE FROM CHHATTISGARH

RECIPE: BAFAURI

Theme:

For the month of January the Shhh Cooking Secretly group is sharing dishes from the state of Chhattisgarh.

Renowned Religious Place

Chhattisgarh literally means 36 Forts. This central eastern state was formed by separating the Chhattisgarhi speaking southeastern part of Madhya Pradesh in the year 2000. The north and south part of the state are hilly and the central part is  covered by plains.

It is believed that Lord Rama along with his wife Sita and brother Laxman spent 10 years of their 14 year exile in the regions of Chhattisgarh. It is also in this state that Lord Rama was offered half eaten berries by the old blind lady Shabari.

Shabari was a devout follower of Lord Rama. She waited patiently in the ashram for Him to arrive so that she could seek his darshan. As an offering to the Lord she had picked berries from the nearby forest. She tasted each one of them and left the sweet ones for Lord Rama. For her pure devotion Lord Rama blessed her with his vision. Shivrinarayan in Chhattisgarh is a famous pilgrimage and tourist place as its believed that Shabari lived there.

The other famous religious place in Chhattisgarh is Champaran, the birthplace of Saint Mahaprabhu Vallabhacharya of the Pushtimarg (worshippers of Shrinathji).

Rice Bowl of India

Chhattisgarh is known as the rice bowl of India. No wonder many of the dishes from this region are rice based. It is the foremost producer of steel in India. Also, it produces tendu leaves which is used to roll into bidis. This state also produces coal, tin and iron. India’s largest waterfall Chitrakote (Niagara of India) is in Chhattisgarh. In fact Chhattisgarh has 10 falls in total.

Most of the traditional dishes are made from rice, yogurt and leafy greens which grow in abundance in this state. Some of the more popular dishes from Chhattisgarh are fara(muthiya), cheela, angakar roti, chousela roti, borre baasi, iddhar, bafauri, aamat, bara, tilgur, khurma, dubki kadhi to name a few.

My Partner For The Theme

My partner for this month was Vidya who blogs at MasalaChilli. Her blog is all about food, travel and gardening.Do check it out. She gave me chana dal and onions as my two secret ingredients and in return I gave her rice and black sesame seeds.

With the ingredients she gave me I had a choice of making bafauri, bhajia or dubki kadhi. I’d never heard of bafauri till I started my research for Chhattisgarh cuisine. What attracted me to this recipe was the healthy and steamed part.

I checked out quite a few videos before I made this version of bafauri. My first attempt was a total failure as the recipe called for 1 tsp of soda bicarbonate! The end product was reddish and tasted awful. So again I searched for other variations. Though my version of bafauri looks like the South Indian idli, it definitely tastes so different.

While making the batter I thought “is this going to taste like dokhra?” But no it doesn’t taste like dokhra as its got onions in the batter and is not sour and sweet. Enjoy bafauri with a chutney of your choice. Hubby and I enjoyed a healthy guilt free light dinner with some homemade extra hot garlic red & chilli sauce.

Ways Of Making Bafauri

• One way is to leave the batter quite coarse and thick. This way you will be able to shape them into spindle shapes. Steam the spindle shaped bafauri. Serve as it is or sliced.
• Second way and the one I prefer, is to leave the batter a bit runny. Steam it moulds, like an idli mould or silicon cake cups. This way the bafauri turns out much softer. Ideal for toddlers and the elderly.

Some Other Steamed Snacks You May Want To Check Out

MOONG DAL DHOKLA

Dhokla is a very famous Gujarati snack whereby a batter of rice and lentils is allowed to ferment before it is steamed. Its served as a snack on its own with chutneys or as a part of a full or thali meal. I've replaced the chana dal with moong dal.

Check out this recipe

MOONG IDLI

Enjoy soft, melt in the mouth, gluten free, vegan, healthy and protein rich Moong Idlis as breakfast or as a light meal.

Check out this recipe

BUCKWHEAT IDLIS

Buckwheat Idli is a soft, fluffy, nutritious ,steamed and  healthy breakfast or snack to enjoy. Enjoy it with some sambar and chutney, or on its own with some chutney and ghee drizzled over it. Or, you can stir fry them with some podi masala or spice powder.

Check out this recipe

INSTANT SEMOLINA IDLI/RAVA IDLI

Instant Semolina Idli/ Rava Idli is a soft, fluffy and moist steamed breakfast or snack option. Healthy, filling and nutritious, it is so easy to make semolina, rava or sooji idli. 

Check out this recipe

BAJRA METHI MUTHIYA/ BAJRE METHI KE MUTHIYA

Bajri Methi Na Muthiya is a healthy and steamed Gujarati snack. Easy to make and delicious. Especially when stir fried with garlic and served with a drizzle of lemon juice.  

Check out this recipe

Papdi No Lot – Gujarati Khichiya

Arvi Paan Bhajia

• Chana Dal – split chickpea lentil is easily available in most Indian stores.
• Onion – used red, white or yellow. Need a medium size one. Peel and chop finely.
• Fresh Ginger – grated or paste
• Garlic – peel and minced or paste
• Green Chilli – chop 1-2 finely or crush to a paste. Add according to your taste.
• Fresh Coriander – chopped along with the tender stems
• Oil – can add 1 tbsp oil to the batter if you wish. You will need some to grease the moulds.
• Ajwain, – also known as ajmo or carom seeds. Easily available in Indian Stores.
• Soda bicarbonate  –baking soda. Without it the bafauri can turn out a bit hard.
• Salt – add according to your taste
• Turmeric powder –  haldi or hardar.
• Red chilli powder – optional. Add according to your taste.
• Asafetida – hing. This is an optional ingredient. For gluten free bafauri make sure you use pure asafetida or omit it.
• Water – normal drinking water.

BAFAURI

mayurisjikoni

Bafauri is a healthy, steamed snack from the state of Chhattisgarh in India. This delicious snack is made from chana dal and simple spices. Usually it is enjoyed as a breakfast or evening snack with some chutney.

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Soaking Time: 2 hours hrs

Total Time 2 hours hrs 20 minutes mins

Course Breakfast, Snack

Cuisine Indian

Servings 12 pieces

Ingredients

  

• 1 cup chana dal
• 1 medium onion finely chopped
• 1 tsp ginger paste
• 1 tsp garlic paste
• 1 tsp chilli paste or 1-2 finely chopped
• ¼ cup fresh coriander chopped
• 1 tbsp oil optional
• ½ tsp ajwain
• ¼ tsp soda bicarbonate baking soda
• ¾ - 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp red chilli powder
• ⅛ tsp asafetida
• ½ - ¾ cup water
• little oil for greasing

Instructions

 

• Soak the dal in warm water for 2-3 hours.
• Drain out the water from the dal and wash it.
• Save a tablespoon of the soaked dal.
• Put the rest in the blender along with the measured water.
• Blend the dal till it becomes a semi smooth paste. It should not be runny or too thick.
• Add rest of the ingredients including the saved dal and mix the batter well.
• Heat some water in the idli steamer.
• Grease the idli moulds with some oil.
• Spoon about a tablespoon full of the batter into the cavities.
• When the water is begins to boil, put the idli stand into the pan.
• Cover and let the bafauri steam for 10-15 minutes.
• Bafauri is cooked if the top does not appear wet.
• Take the stand out of the pan.
• Let the bafauri cool down for a 2-3 minutes.
• Remove bafauri carefully from the idli moulds.
• Serve it with your choice of chutney or sauce.

Notes

• If you do not have an idli stand, then use small heatproof bowls (steel) or silicon cake cups.
• Be careful not to add too much water when you blend the dal otherwise the bafauri will be shapeless when steamed.
• The batter should be semi smooth.

Keyword bafauri, bafauri recipe, steamed bafauri

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