Babru: A fried fermented delight. Babru is mainly a ball of dough that is made with stuffed split black gram (known as Urad Dal in India). The dal is ground to a coarse paste and left to ferment, then added into the dough ball before frying. A decadent treat for all seasons, babru is a snack that’s commonly had with a chickpea gravy known as madra or on its own with a steaming cup of tea.
Siddu: Siddu is a wheat based delicacy with slight similarities to Babru. It is a stuffed bread made of wheat and urad dal. And yet the two couldn’t be more different. Babru is fried, Siddu is steamed. Babru can be sweet or savory, Siddu is undoubtedly the savory base for a gravy/chutney. Siddu is fermented stuffed bread that is steamed and is typically enjoyed early in the morning although you’ll find people selling it all day. Flour is mixed with a bread starter of warm water and yeast and the resultant dough is left to rise for a good 6 hours.
Aktori: One for the sweet tooths out there! Aktori is a rustic cake made with buckwheat flour and wheat flour (have you noticed? A lot of these foods are wheat based). Typically prepared during the festive seasons, Aktori can also occasionally be found in sweet shops or some households who were tempted to have a bite off season. The preparation itself is simpler than the other two: Mix buckwheat and wheat along with a few other ingredients like sugar, butter, milk, water and baking soda and then slowly keep adding this batter to hot oil and gently frying. Mouth watering Aktori that’s straight from the pan, good luck refusing this dish!
