Poita Bhat
cooked rice soaked overnight until faintly sour, eaten cold with mustard oil and onion
Start the day before. The soaking alone is 12 hr, against 30 min of actual work.
Allergens in Poita Bhat: mustard.
Ingredients
Quantities for 4.
- 300g, short-grain Ricejoha or any local non-basmati; long, slender basmati stays too separate to sour properly
- 1.5 litres for boiling, plus more to cover the rice overnight Water
- 2 tbsp, raw Mustard Oil
- 1 small, finely chopped Onion
- 2, chopped Green Chilli
- to taste Salt
- 2, boiled and mashed Potatothe pitika that is nearly always served alongsideoptional
- 2 tbsp, chopped Coriander Leavesoptional
- 1/2, juiced Lemonoptional
Cookware
stovetop
Checked against the ingredient list for ten allergens: milk, egg, fish, crustaceans, tree nuts, peanuts, sesame, mustard, soy and gluten. Brands vary, so read the label on anything new to you.
Before you start
- The rice sits under water for 8 to 12 hours, so start it the evening before. Soak it in the refrigerator: cooked rice left standing warm is the one real risk in this dish.
- The souring is the point and it goes slower cold, so give a fridge soak the full 12 hours. The traditional soak is not refrigerated at all, which is the reason this needs saying.
- Use an earthen or glass bowl if you have one. Metal picks up a tinny edge from the sour water.
Method
- Boil the rice in the 1.5 litres of water for 15-18 minutes, until the grains are soft and just past the point you would normally stop.Slightly overcooked is correct here. Firm rice never softens properly in the soak.
- Drain and spread the rice in a wide bowl. Leave it uncovered until it is completely cool to the touch, about 30 minutes.Covering it hot traps steam and the rice sours in a stale, unpleasant way.
- Pour in cold water to cover the rice by about 3cm, cover the bowl and refrigerate it overnight.
- Next morning the water should smell faintly sour and clean, a little like buttermilk. Pour off most of it, keeping 3-4 tbsp in the bowl.If it smells sharp, yeasty or off, throw it out. The soak has gone too far.
- Break the clumped rice up with your fingers until it is loose again.
- Fold through the raw mustard oil and salt.
- Stir in the onion, green chilli and coriander, and squeeze over the lemon.
- Serve cold, with the mashed potato and a green chilli on the side.
Storage
Eat the morning it is ready. Once soured, the rice keeps only a few hours and does not refrigerate well. The texture goes chalky. Cook a fresh batch rather than saving it.
Nutrition Good estimate
One serving of Poita Bhat (383 g) is about 407 calories, or 107 calories per 100 g.
Low protein: 7 g a serving, 7% of the calories
| Per serving383 g | Per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 407 kcal | 107 kcal |
| Protein | 7.1 g | 2 g |
| Carbohydrate | 76.5 g | 20 g |
| of which sugars | 1.7 g | 0 g |
| Fibre | 2.3 g | 1 g |
| Fat | 7.6 g | 2 g |
| of which saturated | 1.0 g | 0 g |
| of which unsaturated | 5.9 g | 2 g |
Ingredients given to taste count as zero, so the real figures run a little higher. Estimated from raw ingredients using USDA FoodData Central.
More like this: Quick Indian recipes (30 min) · Vegan Indian recipes · Vegetarian Indian recipes · Gluten-free Indian recipes · Dairy-free Indian recipes · Northeast Indian recipes
Times, yields, allergens and nutrition are guidance. Use your own judgement on doneness and on storing. More in About.