Dal Pitha | Steamed Rice Dumplings with Savoury Filling

Cooking a traditional recipe always warms me up. Food always succeeds in spreading happiness. I was treated with steamed dumplings shaped like Gujiyas after I shifted to Ranchi. Was it a momo? Was it a Gujia? No, it’s a Dal Pitha. It is a popular traditional rice flour dumpling in Jharkhandi and Bihari cuisine. Dal pithas are stuffed with spicy masala lentil filling. Pithas are … Continue reading Dal Pitha | Steamed Rice Dumplings with Savoury Filling

Rugda | An Exotic Delicacy of Jharkhand

Jharkhand is the land of forests and forest tribes, so it’s no surprise the state’s cuisine is strongly influenced by the local ingredients of its forests — edible green leaves or saag, flowers, fruit, tubers, mushrooms, and truffles. Rugda is a truffle indigenous to Jharkhand. The rare truffle grows by itself only in the dense Sal (Shorea robusta) forests in Jharkhand. Rich in nutritional value, Rugda has much higher protein content than mushroom and has no carbohydrates. Continue reading Rugda | An Exotic Delicacy of Jharkhand

Ajam Emba | Great Taste & Healthy Food

Slow food is the food that is produced or prepared in accordance with local culinary traditions, typically using high-quality locally sourced ingredients. Slow Food is an idea, a way of living and a way of eating. Promoted as an alternative to fast food, it strives to preserve sustainable foods, traditional and regional cuisine and encourages farming of plants, seeds, and livestock characteristic of the local ecosystem. … Continue reading Ajam Emba | Great Taste & Healthy Food

Sweet Atom Bombs!

While I was posted at Jharkhand zonal office, I used to travel sometimes to Lohardaga, Latehar, Palamau, and Garhwa districts of Jharkhand from Ranchi and a small town named Kuru (कूड़ु), around 60 km from Ranchi, used to be my regular stop. There is a T-junction at Kuru. The road goes straight to the bauxite city of Lohardaga, while the right one heads towards Betla, Latehar, and Daltonganj. There are a few sweet shops selling famous chhena toast and dhushka. Continue reading Sweet Atom Bombs!

Handia | Ancient Desi Fermented Drink

Any tribal festival is incomplete without the rice-beer called Handia, an indigenous alcoholic-fermented beverage. The indigenous peoples have inherited the process of preparing the drink from their forefathers as the craft passes on from one generation to the other since ages. Handia is prepared by mixing boiled rice with traditional fermenting inoculums. Continue reading Handia | Ancient Desi Fermented Drink