PESTO, BIHARI STYLE with Mustard Greens and Spinach

Equal parts of mustard greens and spinach to make 2 cups
1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1 garlic clove, mashed
1/2 teaspoon finely minced green chilli
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons finely minced cilantro
2 tablespoons mustard oil

 Blanch the greens for 30 seconds in boiling hot water until wilted (a minute or two). Dunk them in cold water, drain and squeeze out excess liquid. Save a cup or so of the liquid. Process the greens in a blender with a bit of the reserved liquid until smooth and thick.Whisk together the remaining ingredients, pour over the greens and mix and a squeeze of lime.

 LITTI

 For atta (flour) dough:

All purpose flour or whole wheat atta - 1½ cup. Littis are more crunchy if made with all purpose flour (maida)

¾ to 1 cup regular or fat-free yogurt (dahi)

 The dough should be soft and fully kneaded. Keep aside covered.

For filling :

1 cup sattu (a special gram flour)

2 or more green chilies, finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 inch ginger, finely chopped

½ cup fresh dhaniya (cilantro) leaves, finely chopped

½ tsp. mangrella (nigella or onion seed)

1 tsp. ajwain (thyme)

Juice of 1 lemon

Salt to taste

2 tblsp. mustard  or olive oil

1 or 2 tblsp achar masala

Mix all the filling ingredients with sattu together nicely. Add ¼ to ½ cup water to make the stuffing moist and easy to fill.

Now make 8 balls from the atta (flour) dough. Dust each ball with dry atta and make a patty roughly 2.5" to 3" diameter in size with hand. You don't need a belan (rolling pin) for this. Stuff 2 to 3 tsp. sattu filling in the center of the patty and close it from all sides. When all the littis are stuffed, pre-heat the oven to 375 F and put all the litties on a foil and bake till one side is brown or black spots come on the litti surface. Then turn over the litti and bake for few more minutes until that side is brown as well. Take out and dip in pure ghee or butter and serve with achar or dhaniya (cilantro) chutney and/or baigan ka bhurta (mashed and prepared egg-plant)

Bihari Aloo Paneer

Ingredients:
2 - boiled potatoes
50g - paneer
1 tbsp - mustard seeds
1 tbsp - garlic
1 tbsp - green chilli
1/2 tbsp - turmeric(haldi)
1 tbsp - kasur methi
1 - chopped tomatoes
salt as per your taste
red chilli powder as per your taste

Method

Take mustard seeds, garlic & green chilli crust it well & make a paste.

Take good amount of oil, cut small piece of panner & deep fry till it becomes golden.

Keep it aside. Remove extra oil from pan & leave almost 2 tbsp of oil in the pan, put paste (mustard seed, garlic & green chilli) and kasuri methi.

Add haldi, salt & red chilli powder and boiled potatoes and mix it well.

Then add tomatoes, add 1/2 - 1 cup of water cover it & cook for 4-5 mins.

Add fried paneer pieces into it. now cook for another 5-7 mins.

Bihari Aloo Paneer dish is ready & you can serve with hot parantas/jeera rice.

Papaya Pickle

Ingredients:

Papaya (Papeeta) , Nigella/Onion seeds (Kalonji) , Carom seeds (Ajwain)

Method

Wash and peel the papaya. Clean the inner layer containing seeds.

Cut small pieces of about 1 inch of length or a little big. Put in boiling water and boil for two minutes. Take out of water and put apart on absorbent paper/news paper under air. Dry it in sun for one day.

Grind coarsely yellow mustard seeds,red chillies,thymol seed(ajwain)and onion seed(Mangraila/kalaunji)and Salt. Mix all the ingredients with the boiled papaya pieces. Mix pure mustard oil to get it completely drenched.

Keep it in tight lid container/jar Radish can also be used in place of papaya butin sun for 3/4 days. Use it within a week.

You can mix coarsely ground garlic also,if you so desire.

 BIHARI KHICHDI

Ingredients

Basmati rice - 200 gm
Moong daal - 100 gm
Masoor daal -100 gm.
Desi ghee - 4 tbsp

For tadka :
Dried red chilly - 2
Bay leaves - 2
Jeera - 1/2 tsp

Ginger -Garlic paste - 1 tbsp

Whole garam masala:
Green cardamoms - 2 peeled and mashed
Black cardamoms - 1 peeled and mashed
Cinnamon - 1-inch stick
Cloves - 4

Powdered masala:
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Red chilly powder - 1 tsp
Jeera powder - 1tsp
Dhania powder - 1 tsp
Garam masala powder - 1 tsp

Salt - to taste
Sugar - 1/4 tsp.
Peas - 1/4 cup
Cauliflower - 5 flowerettes

Method:

Roast the moong daal in a dry karaahi for 5 minutes over medium flame. Then wash this daal and masoor daal. Wash the basmati rice and keep aside In a pressure cooker heat 2 tbsp of desi ghee, add the ingredients of tadka. When jeera begins to splutter add the whole garam masala, and ginger garlic paste. Saute for a minute then add powdered masalas. Add peas and cauliflower. Saute for 2 minutes on low flame. Put the rice and the daals also into the pressure cooker. Add water, salt, sugar and the remaining desi ghee. Close cooker, bring to full pressure on high flame, let it give out its first whistle. Then reduce heat to medium and cook for 4 minutes.

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