Bhater kofta or rice kofta. A very aromatic and delicious deep fried snack made with cooked rice, mawa/khoya or dried milk, saffron and some aromatic spices and coated with spiced curd/yogurt and semolina. Sounds interesting isn’t it? A wonderful recipe from a cookbook written by Pragagyasundari Devi, published on 1902. A very old cookbook with many new and old recipes which are forgotten now. Sharing one of my most favourite recipe from this book.
Pragyasundari Devi was a niece of Rabindranath Tagor. Daughter of Rabindranath Tagor’s elder brother Hemendranath Tagor. This Amish O Niramish Ahar was her first cookbook.
According to Wikipedia Pragyasundari Devi (born 1872 – died 1950), also seen as Pragyasundari Debi, Pragya Sundari Devi, Pragasundari Debi, or Prajnasundari Bezbaroa, was an Indian cookbook author and magazine editor. Her Amish O Niramish Ahar was a “significant” early cookbook in the Bengali language.
Earlier shared some different rice recipes and recipes using rice cooker on this blog. Get the recipes here. And you may also like Rice pakora from the blog of Kalyani Sri.
Now coming to this wonderful recipe. You can use leftover rice to make this delicious rice balls. Fragrant Gobindobhog rice is best for this recipe. But I don’t have gobindobhog rice so I used my regular Basmati rice. You can use any rice but for best result try to use some fragrant rice. I always store powdered spices so I used these. You can also use freshly ground spices. Here are the measurements of spices. You can grind them before making these bhater kofta.
1. 3 gram Jaiphal or nutmeg
2. 4 Cloves
3. 2 Green cardamom
4. 4&1/2 inch cinnamon
5. 2 dry red chilli
With 75 gram cooked rice. Use the spices according to your taste. I have skipped dry red chilli and used spices in very small quantities to make the balls mildly spiced. First add small amount of spices taste and add more if required.
This bhater kofta is a completely no onion garlic recipe. You can use brat ka chawal/Sama rice or Barnyard millet to make these kofta for fasting days.
In the original recipe ghee or clarified butter fried raisins are used but my kids don’t like raisins so I used cashew nuts instead. You can use raisins if you like.
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Recipe
Cooked rice – 1 cup
Green chilli – 1-2 or to taste
Jaiphal or nutmeg powder – 1/8 teaspoon
Salt – 1 teaspoon or to taste
Clove or laung powder – 1/8 teaspoon
Green cardamom or ilaichi powder – 1/4 teaspoon
Cinnamon or darchini powder -1/4 teaspoon
Curd/yogurt or dahi – 2 tablespoon
Khoya/mawa or dried milk – 1/4 cup
All purpose flour or maida – 2 tablespoon
Semolina or suji – 1/2 cup
Cashew nuts – 8-10
Or
Raisins – 60 gram
Milk – 2 teaspoon
Saffron- a pinch or 600 Milligram
Ginger – 1&1/2 teaspoon grated or paste
Ghee or oil- 4 tablespoon
Method
1. Soak saffron in 2 teaspoon hot milk. When cool crush the saffron with your finger tips.
2. Mash the cooked rice with your palm. Mash with wet hands to avoid sticking the rice on your palm. I have ground the rice in my mixer grinder. Rice should be mashed well.
3. Fry the cashew nuts in 1 teaspoon ghee till light golden brown. Don’t make too brown. You can microwave the cashew nuts in a microwavable glass bowl with ghee for one minute stir and microwave for one minute more or till cashew nuts start to change it’s colour. Immediately switch off the oven and keep the bowl in oven for a few minutes. Cashew nuts will becomes brown in a few minutes. Chop the cashew nuts in small pieces when cool.
4. Or if you are using raisins fry the raisins in ghee. Immediately remove from ghee when raisins fluff up. Raisins shouldn’t be burnt. Keep aside to cool down. You can use both raisins and cashew nuts if you want.
5. Grind ginger and green chilli into a smooth paste. You can also crush the chilli and ginger in mortar pestle or use grated. I have ground the ginger and chilli in small chutney jar of my mixer grinder.
6. Whisk the curd or yogurt with little salt and half teaspoon ginger green chilli paste and keep aside.
7. Add crumbled mawa or dried milk in the mashed rice and mash again. I have used homemade fresh mawa. Get the method of making khoya or mawa here.
8. Add salt, all the dry spices, remaining ginger, green chilli paste, saffron soaked milk and chopped ghee fried cashew nuts or raisins. Add whatever you are using or add both. You can also add dry red chilli paste or powder if you want as mentioned in original recipe. I didn’t.
9. Mix everything well. Taste and adjust salt and spices if required. Make small balls. I have made 7 balls with this mixture. You can make small or large balls as you like.
10. Spread all purpose flour or maida on a plate and in another plate spread half of the semolina or suji. Later spread more semolina if required.
11. Roll the balls on all purpose flour or maida. Then dip into the spiced curd or yogurt and coat the balls with semolina or suji. Arrange all the balls on a plate.
12. Heat ghee or oil in a pan or wok. Fry all the balls evenly from all the sides till golden brown. Remove from oil and serve hot as teatime snack.
Notes
1. Use spices according to your taste.
2. If making for kids omit or reduce the amount of green chilli and ginger.
3. Ghee or clarified butter and oil both can be used for frying. Or you add some ghee with oil for flavour.
4. To make the bhater kofta more aromatic use gobindobhog rice or any fragrant rice.
5. Sama rice can be used to make this kofta satwik or fasting food.
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