Food and Drink of Kayasthas 07 – The fried dal faras will beat any fast food, what used to happen in the kitchen then?

Even today the talk will be about the various uses and dishes of rice in Kayastha kitchen. In which there will be talk about khichdi and dal faras. The method of making them is not very difficult and the taste is amazing. This is a very favorite dish in Kayastha kitchen.

I do not mean at all that the Kayastha cuisines about which I am writing belong to Kayasthas, but all these food items have been liked in their kitchen, they have been eaten with relish and a new style has also been given to them. Has been going.

If we are talking about rice, then it was discussed in the previous episode that how rice started being grown in India when farming started in 9000-10,000 BC or earlier. However, rice is much older than this. This grain is actually India’s gift to the world.

There used to be ‘mighty’ rice like cowpea
If we have to talk about the best rice then only one name comes to our mind – Basmati. There was a time when a special variety of rice named Mahashali was grown in India, before which all other rice crops failed. If we search for Mahashaali in ancient texts or references, its name will definitely be found there. But we could not preserve it, it gradually disappeared. A grain of this rice was quite big.

its aroma was unmatched
In the seventh century, a famous Buddhist Chinese traveler Xuan Zhang came to India. He toured the whole of India. Saw farming on the banks of Ganga. Went to Buddhist monasteries. He kept roaming in India for many years. Then when he wrote his travelogue of India, he mentioned Mahashaali rice in it. He wrote, A grain of Mahasali rice was as big as a black bean (like a grain of cowpea). When it was cooked, the aroma and shine coming from it was amazing. There is no competition for him.

This variety of rice was cultivated only in Magadha. It was also used by kings and special people. It was used extensively in Ayurveda.

The mystery is where and when this wonderful rice breed of ours became extinct. Well coming to the rice dishes. If in the kitchen of Kayasthas, delicious and moist aromatic dishes like tahari, pulao and biryani made from rice found a place, then the socialist rice dish Khichdi was also very much liked.

lunch plate and dinner food
Generally, if you go to the houses of Kayasthas in Eastern Uttar Pradesh, then in the afternoon, a complete meal is prepared there for lunch i.e. roti, rice, pulses, dry vegetables, vegetables with broth, pickles etc. Lunch is heavy. Rice is usually missing from dinner. Dinner is light. Often one gets in the mood for khichdi during dinner. Hot khichdi used to be cooked and served in plates (now plates have been replaced by plates), their taste was divine.

Fara made from rice flour and pulses
A special dish made from rice is dal and rice faras. So, these are called dal ke phare. Mainly rice flour is used in this. A paste of ground pulses of urad and gram is filled inside. These are largely of the size of Gujhiya. Special care is taken that the rice flour being kneaded should neither be too soft nor too hard.

When rice flour was kneaded. Then they are made into small balls and shaped into small and slightly thick rotis. Now this rolled round raw roti is folded from both the sides and filled with a paste mixed with pulses, spices and salt in proportion. Care is taken to grind the dal only after soaking it in water for a few hours, this will not only grind it better but it will also taste better. Earlier the work of grinding it was done on cob-mill. Now there is a mixer grinder in the kitchen for that. Lentil paste should also not be very wet.

When the round shapes of rice are filled with dal, then its inner edges are applied water and stuck by pressing with hands. Since it is rice flour, it sticks to water immediately. This is Fara. But it is still raw. When several pheras are made, each one is put in lukewarm water in a vessel like a steamer, closed and boiled. It gets cooked after sufficient boiling. Now take it off the flame and get ready to eat.

Eat it with chutney, you will enjoy it, even fast food will seem dull.
If you eat these fruits with chutney, it will not only taste delicious but it is also very nutritious. If you cut these furs into several pieces with a knife and fry them. If served with chutney or sauce, pickle, any fast food will look pale in comparison to it.

There are many ways to fry it. Some people fry it only in mustard oil with cumin and mustard seeds. Some deep fry it and add prepared roasted spices along with onion to it. Many deep fry it. You can also make spicy vegetable by deep frying it. Now it is your wish how you want to eat and prepare it. There can be many variations of frying it. If you are fond of Momo then believe that this is her elder brother. Gives great pleasure with all types of chutneys. By the way, instead of rice flour, wheat flour and millet grain flour are also used in Fara.

This rice dish
Now before coming to Khichdi, let me talk about another special rice dish, which I used to eat often in my childhood. If there is a lot of rice left for lunch or dinner, then knead it with light gram flour or without gram flour, cumin, coriander and chilli and fry it like pakodas. Wow what a taste. The recipe of frying and eating leftover rice has been prevalent in all of our homes since time immemorial. Earlier this khuban was made in homes.

That kitchen of 70-80s

Before moving on to Khichdi, let us discuss something about the old-fashioned kitchen. I often remember my maternal grandmother’s kitchen in the name of the old kitchen. It was closed by walls on three sides and completely open to the roof on the fourth side. On one side of the wall, some hole-like spaces (also called punches) were deliberately made between the bricks to allow the passage of smoke, fumes and air. In this kitchen, two cages of parrots were kept outside. When the parrots became stable after jumping around in the cage, they kept watching the food process from time to time. He himself used to eat green chillies and gram pulses soaked in water. Then he used to recite some words of whatever you said by heart in his own style.

Silbatta, Imam Dasta, various types of pickles in jars
In the kitchen, cob-batta was kept on one side and Imam Dasta, pestle and curd churner were kept on the other side. The shelves contain spices and oil, pulses and other items. Many types of pickles in ceramic jars. Which were used regularly to enhance the taste of food. The kitchens were so big that one could sit there to eat on sackcloth or wooden seats, also called Peedha, and food could be served in plates and bowls in front. Now this tradition has been ended by modular kitchen.

various types of fireplaces
Three types of fireplaces were used in the kitchen. Coal fireplace, sawdust fireplace and wood stove. The sawdust fireplace has also disappeared now. This was of a special kind. It was filled with wood sawdust by pressing it inside, then burning wood was put from below, which slowly kept the sawdust burning. In those days, there used to be some wood stalls around the localities, where one had to carry a sack to collect sawdust. Then it had to be brought on a rickshaw or bicycle. Now there are no wooden stoves or such fireplaces. LPG gas was used in very few homes at that time.

There are two types of coal
Two types of coal were also used. One coal was obtained from burnt wood and the other was mineral coal, which was called coal stone. There was also an iron pan in every kitchen, in which sweet potatoes, potatoes and other roasted food items were cooked by burning charcoal or cow dung cakes. While an earthen pot was mandatory in the kitchen, there were also brass and bronze pots. By then, stoves running on kerosene oil had arrived but they were used only for light purposes.

Khichdi reflects the humility of Indian culture.
Now coming to Khichdi. Khichdi is our oldest dish. According to Ayurveda, both food and special medicines are perfect. Just as there is humility and diversity in Indian culture, the same is the case with Khichdi. The journey of Khichdi also shows the cultural journey of our country. The flavors and methods of Khichdi change in every state. Any kitchen story is incomplete without the story of Khichdi in the Indian subcontinent. So let’s talk about Khichdi story tomorrow. (Continuing to be continued)

read this also
Food and drink of Kayasthas1: How is the kitchen of Lalas decorated, what is cooked in it
Food of Kayasthas 02: From kebabs to new style of biryani which came out of their kitchen
Food and drink of Kayasthas 03: Shab Degh meat which was very tasty and dal liver
Food and drink of Kayasthas 04: If there is no Shami Kebab and Seenk Kebab, then what kind of food will the Lalas of Lucknow have?
Food and drink of Kayasthas 05: Meat utensils were never mixed in the main kitchen utensils, wonderful Nimona was prepared in winters.
Food and drink of Kayasthas 06: Lalakat Tahari i.e. delicious dish with divine taste.

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Tags: food, food 18, Food Recipe, healthy food, Prayagraj cuisine