Odisha Chaula Bara Rice Fritter

Method

1. 1

   Soak rice and dal: Wash rice and urad dal separately. Soak each in 2 cups water for 4 to 6 hours.

2. 2

   Grind the dal: Drain the urad dal. Grind in a mixer with 1/4 cup water for 4 to 5 minutes until a very smooth, thick, white, fluffy paste forms. Remove to a bowl.

3. 3

   Grind the rice coarsely: Drain the rice. Grind in the mixer with 1/4 cup water for 2 minutes — the rice paste should be slightly coarser than the dal paste, with some texture remaining.

4. 4

   Mix together: Combine the dal paste and rice paste in a bowl. Mix well. The batter should be thick — thicker than dosa batter.

5. 5

   Ferment overnight: Cover and leave in a warm place for 8 hours or overnight. The batter will become bubbly and slightly sour from natural fermentation.

6. 6

   Add spices and seasoning: Add ginger paste, finely chopped green chilli, cumin seeds, black pepper, asafoetida and salt to the fermented batter. Mix well.

7. 7

   Check batter consistency: The batter should be thick enough to hold a shape when dropped from a spoon — like a thick porridge that falls off the spoon in one thick mass. If too thin, add 2 tbsp rice flour.

8. 8

   Heat oil: Heat oil in a kadai on medium. Test: a drop of batter should rise slowly within 3 seconds.

9. 9

   Fry the bara: Drop tablespoon-sized portions of batter into the hot oil. Each bara will be slightly irregular in shape — this is normal. Fry on medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes, turning twice, until deep golden brown on all sides.

10. 10

    Drain and serve: Drain on paper towels. Serve hot with coconut chutney or tamarind chutney.

11. 11

    Note: Chaula Bara (chaula = rice, bara = fritter) is the breakfast preparation that starts the day across coastal Odisha — sold at tea stalls, near temples and at morning markets. The combination of rice and urad dal in the batter is the same as idli-dosa batter but the bara uses a thicker, less fermented version and is deep-fried rather than steamed or griddled. The black pepper is specifically Odia.