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Bore baasi
Soaked rice with onion
Chhattisgarh's cooling soaked rice (बोरे बासी), eaten with raw onion, green chilli, salt and tomato chutney
Bore baasi is the summer meal of Chhattisgarh's farmers: cooked rice soaked in water, either for a few hours (bore) or overnight (baasi), then eaten from the bowl with its slightly sour water, raw onion, green chilli and a pinch of salt. It is cooling, filling and easy on the stomach in the heat, and in recent years the state has made 1 May, Labour Day, the day to eat it as Bore Baasi Tihar. Many families add a ladle of buttermilk or curd and something fried or roasted on the side. Food safety matters with any cooked rice left standing, so this version cools the rice fast and soaks it in the fridge. Chef's tip: cool and cover the rice within an hour of cooking; rice left warm on the counter is the real risk, not the soaking.
- Total time
- 30 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the rice
- 9 oz short- or medium-grain white ricerinsed
- 2 ½ cups waterfor cooking
- 3 cups cold drinking waterfor soaking
To serve
- 1 tsp saltto taste
- 1 red onionthinly sliced
- 3 green chillieswhole or slit
- 2 tomatoes
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tsp mustard oil (optional)
- 1 lime (optional)cut into wedges
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Cook 9 oz short- or medium-grain white rice in 2 ½ cups water in a covered pan on low heat for 15–18 minutes until soft and the water is absorbed. It should be fully cooked, even a little soft.
18 minStep 2: Spread the rice on a wide plate to cool quickly. As soon as it stops steaming (within an hour at most), put it in a clean bowl or steel tin and pour over 3 cups cold drinking water to cover by 3 cm. Leaving cooked rice warm for hours is the mistake to avoid: that is when harmful bacteria grow.
20 minStep 3: For bore, refrigerate for 2–3 hours. For baasi, cover and refrigerate overnight, up to about 12 hours. The grains swell and soften and the water turns cloudy and very slightly tangy. Eat within a day and discard any that smells sharp or off.
180 minStep 4: Before serving, roast 2 tomatoes and 2 garlic cloves in a dry pan on high heat for 5 minutes until blistered, then crush roughly with ¼ tsp salt and a drizzle of 1 tsp mustard oil.
5 minStep 5: Ladle the rice into bowls with plenty of its water, stir in 1 tsp salt and serve with 1 red onion, 3 green chillies, the tomato chutney and 1 lime. Bite the chilli and onion between mouthfuls, the way it is eaten in the fields.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 250 kcal
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbs
- 52 g
- Fat
- 3 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does bore baasi take?
- About 30 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of short- or medium-grain white rice?
- Any long-grain rice, same amount.
- What can I use instead of red onion?
- White onion or shallots, same amount (soak raw onion in cold water for 10 minutes to soften it).
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