Bara Aau Piyaaji

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Person (not from Katak) : What did you have for B'Fast
Kataki : Bara aau tarkaari
Person (not from Katak) : And lunch?
Kataki : Pakhala bhata, Bara, Piyaaji
Person (not from Katak) : So what are some good snacks in Katak to go with tea?
Kataki : Bara, Piyaaji, Aloo Chop, Baigani, Gul-Gula... and they keep talking till the Non-Kataki person actually orders a plate of everything to try. :)

If you are from Katak, you must have been through one of these conversations with your non-Kataki friends at some point or manner. I know I did and while even answering, I always remembered that street side fried stuff (Chhana - Chhani as Mami says it) is so easy to get, so tasty and so unhealthy that I crave for it every day of my life while in US.. The moment I reach Katak, the smell of deep frying oil drags me to the Kanika Chhaka or Shelter Chhaka and all the diet consciousness goes into the nearby gutter (Yes, Katak still has gutters - open without warnings)

Here's my Mami's way of making bara at home. Piyaaji has been very less in our house, but I have tried it a couple times in the US and even though the taste is not the same, it comes pretty close. Hope you'll find it easy and useful for your next party pleaser. 

For Bara
  • Soak 1 cup of whole urad dal over night (5 hours at least). They'll fluff up.
  • Grind the soaked dal with as less water as you can to a coarse mixture. It should not be very smooth. But if you can't help it, its perfectly fine. 
  • Now, take a big bowl, which will allow your hands to move freely in it. Take the urad dal mix in it. 
  • Add finely chopped onions + finely chopped ginger + finely chopped green chillies + salt and mix well.
  • Heat oil for deep frying. When oil is hot (test it by dropping a little bara mix into the oil to see that dough rise quickly to the top of the oil), grease your hands with little water, take a small amount of bara mix in your hands and make a small puddle in the middle using your thumb.
  • Gently slide the bara into the hot oil, making sure they are no splutters. Hot oil can do real bad damage to skin.
  • Fry on both sides till golden brown and crunchy. 
  • Remove from oil and serve right away with ketchup or aloo tarkaari or ghuguni or pakahla bhata :)
For Piyaaji
  • Soak 1 cup of Chana dal (Split Peas) for about 2 hours or so. They'll become fat.
  • Remove and drain excess water and grind to a coarse mixture. This time, the mixture has to be coarse like the dal should be may be split into 4 pr 5 parts (he he he.. don't worry, you'll be fine, as long as you keep an eye on the grinder and use the slowest speed).
  • Now remove the ground chana dal and add lots of onions to it. Lots means really lots. The name Piyaaji tells us how much.
  • Next goes green chillies chopped + mint leaves chopped + salt.
  • Mean while heat oil for deep frying. 
  • Fry small balls of Piyaaji to the perfect brown color. Again, use slow flame because the chana dal needs to cook through. 
  • Serve hot with ketchup or green chutney.

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