Must Try Dishes In Patna: A Culinary Journey Through Bihar’s Authentic Flavors

Patna's food scene is a blend of authentic Bihari flavors with a dash of regional influences. From Litti Chokha to sweets like Khaja and Malpua, every dish offers a unique taste of tradition. Relish the richness of sattu parathas, dal pitha, and Bihari kebabs during your visit.

Patna, the capital city of Bihar, is a busy metropolis popular for its rich history and vibrant culture plus its great dishes. The food in Patna is an interesting mix of Bihari authenticity with influences from other places. If you are ever in Patna, here are some of the dishes you should not leave without trying.

Litti Chokha

Litti Chokha is the signature dish of Bihar and a must try when down at Patna. A traditional dish comprising little- round balls made from wheat flour dough filled with a spicy mixture of roasted gram flour or chickpea flour, ghee and spices. They have always been made over coal fires while serving them with chokha roasted eggplant mashed together with tomatoes and potatoes seasoned using mustard oil and spices. This combination gives it smoky flavor to the litti hence making it tangy and spicy.

Sattu Paratha

Sattu Paratha is another common Bihari delicacy eaten in most homes. To make parathas, sattu which is roasted gram flour mixed with spices is stuffed into whole wheat dough. These parathas are cooked on a griddle using ghee then served with pickled curd butter as a side dish. With their nutty taste resulting from sattu as well as ghee richness this dish becomes tasty full-bodied food.

Chana Ghugni

Chana ghugni besides being a street food in Patna happens to be prepared by boiling black chickpeas alongside capsicum fried together with onion tomato paste along other sorts of seasoning including cloves, cinnamon etc., ginger-chili paste among others; garnished usually diced onions coriander leaves chopsticks: lemon wedges can also be added too puffed rice or flattened rice; Besides being delicious chana ghugni is as well rich in proteins; this is why it has become a favorite snack among locals.

Khaja

Khaja is one of the famous sweets in Bihar and you must try it once you find yourself in Patna. It is made from floor, sugar and ghee which are mixed together to make a dough, then deep-fried to get golden brown khajas. The fried khajas are then soaked in the sugar syrup that renders them sweet with a unique texture. Khaja is usually eaten in between festivals and special occasions for its nice aromatic taste and is also good for souvenirs.

Thekua

Thekua happens to be another popular snack in Bihar especially at Chhath festival; It's a traditional cookie made out of wheat flour/jowar flour butter flavored with cardamom seeds and fennel seed; shaping this dough into small discs it can be deep fried until golden brown. They are soft inside while being crispy on the outside; they have lovely burnt taste thanks to jaggery.

Dal Pitha

Dal pitha is a steamed dumpling made from spicy Bengal gram(chana dal) paste within rice-flour dough. These dumplings are served best with tangy tomato chutney or spicy curry gravy and makes dal pitha even tastier. In fact, Bihari cuisine revolves around simple dishes such as this staple food called Dal Pitha since every household prepares it daily because of how filling it can be alongside its simplicity which makes it an ideal representative of Bihari cuisine.

Malpua

Malpua, like pancakes, is a tasty dessert of Bihar. The batter is made using flour, milk and mashed bananas as well as cardamom as a flavoring agent. It is fried until golden brown and then soaked in a sugar syrup which imparts sweetness and aroma to the malpua. This dish is frequently served at festivals or special occasions and should be eaten hot with rabri (sweetened condensed milk).

Kadhi Badi

The term Kadhi Badi refers to deep-fried badi made from gram flour (besan) soaked in kadhi. Spices such as mustard seeds, curry leaves or masalas are added to the kadhi which makes the texture thick and creamy. Most people serve Kadhi Badi with plain rice or chapati, making it an all satisfying meal.

Bihari Kabab

Bihari Kebabs are highly recommended for meat lovers who visit Patna. These kebabs are juicy and succulent because they are prepared by grilling marinated pieces of meat, mostly mutton or chicken. The marinade commonly comprises yogurt, mustard oil, ginger garlic paste among others thus conferring the taste of the kebabs with richness and smoky quality. They can be made into delicious snacks or appetizers by garnishing them with onion rings, lemon wedges along with green chutney.

Anarsa

Anarsa sweet of Bihar has been prepared from jaggery rice flour and poppy seeds usually being utilized while preparing it. After shaping dough in small discs they should be cooked till achieving golden brown coloration on both sides. As its name suggests, anarsa has a crispy texture that comes from frying it in oil mixed with caramelized jaggery making it taste quite good especially during festivities.