Newari Specialties
Bara (Wo)
बारा
Bara — wo in Nepal Bhasa — is a thick, savoury patty of ground black lentils shallow-fried until the outside crackles and the middle stays custardy. It carries real ceremonial weight among Newars, handed over as part of the sagun good-luck offering at birthdays, weddings and rites of passage. Bhaktapur is the town most associated with it, where shops sell it plain, crowned with an egg, or blanketed in minced meat.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Total
- 55 min
- Serves
- 4
- Difficulty
- Medium
At the stove
Method
Rinse the lentils until the water runs clear, then soak them in plenty of cold water overnight or for at least six hours.
Drain well and grind to a thick, fluffy paste, adding only a tablespoon or two of water at a time. The batter should hold its shape on a spoon rather than run off it.
Beat the paste vigorously by hand for a couple of minutes — this aerates it and gives bara its light interior. A blob dropped into a cup of water should float when it is ready.
Fold in the ginger, garlic, cumin, turmeric, timur, chillies, salt, coriander and asafoetida. Do not overmix once the salt goes in.
Heat a flat griddle over medium heat and pour in a generous slick of mustard oil until it just begins to shimmer.
Wet your palm, scoop up a handful of batter and spread it on the griddle into a disc about the width of your hand and roughly a centimetre thick.
Fry for 4 to 5 minutes until the base is deep gold and lacy at the edges, drizzle a little more oil around the rim, then flip and cook the other side.
For kheyn wo, crack an egg over the patty just before flipping and let it set into the surface; for a meat version, press a thin layer of spiced mince on top instead.
Drain briefly and serve hot with chutney or as part of a Samay Baji platter.
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