Chura Bhuja Mattar: Crispy Flattened Rice and Peas

Chura bhuja mattar – popular snack from Bihar that pits the crunch of roasted chura against the tender butteriness of cooked peas (mattar), to fantastic effect.

What is chura, did you ask? Chura is the Bihari word for flattened rice, called chiwra elsewhere in north India. The better-known way of preparing chiwra is in its moistened form, as poha. Chura bhuja, in contrast, works on chiwra crisp and dry.

What is bhuja, did you ask? That is another Bihari word, meaning a dry roasted snack.

Chura bhuja can be had on its own but tastes best when paired with a mattar (peas) dish.

Here is a simple recipe. If you have the time and inclination you could prepare it as a full-fledged ghughni (curried peas) with onions and tomatoes.

You Need:

• Chura (flattened rice) – 1 cup [buy here]
• Peas – ~1 cup when shelled
• Green chili – 1, chopped
• Salt – to taste
• Amchoor/dry mango powder – a pinch [buy here]
• Vegetable or peanut oil – 1 tsp, for roasting the chura
• Mustard oil – 1 tsp, for cooking the peas

How To Make Chura Bhuja Mattar:

1. Make chura bhuja

Heat vegetable or peanut oil in a kadhai or pan. When the oil is hot, set heat to medium and slide the chura into it. Stir immediately so that the chura absorbs the oil evenly.

Keep moving the chura around while it cooks.

Take the pan off the heat when the chura begins to turn golden (around 5 minutes).

Spread to cool a bit, then mix salt.

3. Shallow-fry the peas

In a non-stick pan, heat mustard oil. Put in the green chili pieces.

When the chilies begin to turn color put in the peas and cook on low flame for 5-7 minutes, or till the peas are tender.

Mix amchoor powder, salt and cook for another couple of minutes.

To Serve:

In a bowl, put in equal quantities of chura bhuja and peas, side by side.

Chura bhuja with peas is ready to gorge on!

Serve as a snack with steaming hot tea.

Notes:

You could substitute white poha with red poha for a healthier variation of this recipe.

Want to try out more food from Bihar? Check out the posts on dahi chura, aloo chutney, nenua chana and more on recipes from Bihar.

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