One ingredient meal – Bhakka is a popular winter street food of Eastern Terai. A traditional delicacy of Tharus of Eastern Terai of Nepal, Bhakka is made with steamed rice flour and usually served with spicy tomato and coriander pickle. Started as a traditional dish of the Rajbanshi community of the Tharu ethnic group, it has become a go-to meal in the winter mornings for people who want to skip breakfast.
Though it fits perfectly on your palm, carry it on paper to avoid skin burn. Yes, Bhakka is served hot! If you are in or around Eastern Terai in districts like Morang and Jhapa, go out on a morning walk between 6 am to 9 am and you will find men and women selling Bhakka on roadsides occupying a small space.
The Bhakka is neither sweet nor salty, so it is up to you, what kind of taste you want to have. Mostly people like it with a salty achaar. You can buy one Bhakka for the price between NPR 5 to NPR 10 depending upon the size and for the same price, achaar (pickle) is complementary. The roadside Bhakka goes well with the roadside aalu chop (potato fried dish).
Every piece of Bhakka or rice cake holds Tharu culture and with the price of NPR 10, you get the taste of the entire Eastern Terai, and get to eat the food cooked in a traditional Chulo, in a traditional clay pot, by traditional Tharu people (mainly women). Doesn’t it sound exotic and exciting?
The only sad thing about Bhakka is one has to wait till winter to eat it in traditional way. These days, it is getting popular in cities like Kathmandu and one can eat it any day of the year in cafes. But trust me, nothing comes close to eating Bhakka at roadside in early mornings of winter in cities of Eastern Terai. Well, if you talk about hygiene and health, yes, the roadside food cannot be as healthy as the one cooked inside four walls, and it is up to you if you want to risk a little to taste outstanding roadside heaven!
Here’s the recipe if you want to create a little happiness on your own:
First of all, soak rice, grind it to prepare flour. Sprinkle some water to lightly moist it. Massage the rice with palm well and prepare a sand-like texture. Now, steam water in an earthen pot and cover the narrow opening with a clean muslin cloth where the rice cake sits. Prepare a small cake out of the rice and put it over the cloth after water in the pot begins to steam. Cover the cake with a lid and cook for 30 seconds or a minute depending upon the temperature of the water.
Aleena Rayamajhi
12/16/2020
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