Food · Barauli
Cook a Tharu meal with your hosts
Join the women of Barauli in the kitchen to cook a Tharu meal on a clay stove: rice, lentils, greens, pickle, a curry, and steamed rice-flour dhikri or bagiya shaped by hand. Then you sit down and eat it together.
Tharu cooking is simple and seasonal, built on rice, lentils, greens and whatever the river and fields provide. Your host starts with the basics: washing rice, setting the lentils on to boil and grinding spices on a flat stone. Mustard oil, garlic, chilli and turmeric carry most of the flavour. Many kitchens still have a clay stove fed with wood, though gas stoves are increasingly common.
The centrepiece is often dhikri, a dough of rice flour and warm water rolled into long shapes and steamed over a cloth, or bagiya, a filled rice-flour dumpling. Depending on the season you may cook greens from the garden, fish from the Narayani, chicken, or ghonghi, freshwater snails in a spiced gravy. Hosts may also show you how pickles are made from radish or tomato and left in the sun.
Then you sit down together to eat. Hosts are happy to share recipes and explain which dishes are made for Maghi, weddings or everyday meals. Vegetarians are easily catered for; let your host know in advance about allergies. Some hosts will write down recipes on request, so bring a notebook. Sessions take two to three hours, including the meal.
Good for
Questions
What is traditional Tharu food?
Tharu food centres on rice, lentils and vegetables, with fish, snails, chicken or pork on special days. Typical dishes include dhikri, a steamed rice-flour cake, bagiya, a filled rice dumpling, ghonghi snail curry and dried fish. Mustard oil, garlic and chilli give the main flavour.
Is Tharu food spicy?
It can be, especially pickles and meat curries. Hosts in Barauli are used to guests and will cook with less chilli if you ask. Pickles are served on the side, so you can control the heat. Rice, lentils and dhikri are mild.
Can vegetarians eat well at a Tharu homestay?
Yes. Rice, lentils, seasonal vegetables, greens, pickles, dhikri and bagiya are all vegetarian. Tell your host in advance so they plan the meal. Vegans should mention ghee and milk, which may be used in some dishes. Tell your host early in the day.
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