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Home , Dal, Dhokla, Dosa, Idli, Pitha

I. based (with/without pulses) fermented foods 1. Koozhu (Khanji ) Finger millet koozhu, Sorghum koozhu, koozhu, Little millet koozhu, Foxtail millet koozhu. 2. Fermented ( Pazhaiya soru ) 3. Kancheepuram idli , Fried idli , Idli uppuma 4. Dosa varieties 5. Adai dosa 6. Channa dhokla 7. Ambali 8. Nan Nan 9. Siddhu (Khobli ) 10. Chilra (Lwar ) 11. Marchu 12. Pinni (Bagpini ) 13. Chapathi , Phulka , , Batura 14. Sez 15. Chakuli 16. Enduri 17. Munha pitha 18. Jhan chang 19. Babru 20. Taotjo 1. Koozhu Place of origin/usage: . Nature of food: Cereal based. Time of consumption: Break fast and festival seasons. Importance of the food: Easily digestible and cause cooling of the body. Usual composition/ingredients: A cup of (ragi) , a couple of tablespoons of boiled rice, half cup of non- yoghurt/ and a table spoon of crystal . Method of cooking: A cup of Eleusine coracana (ragi) flour is nicely mixed with two cups of water and left overnight to sour. It is cooked using medium-low heat till most of the water is evaporated and ragi is well cooked. It has to be continuously stirred every second to avoid formation of any lumps. Water can be added if needed. When the koozhu is in the right consistency ( consistency), a tablespoon of is added. The cooking is stopped and allowed to cool. The preparation is mixed with half a cup of yoghurt and salt for consumption. Related/Varied forms of the food: Koozhu made with sorghum, pearl millet, little millet and foxtail millet. Method of consumption: Consumed with side dishes such as black-eyed (‘ Karakozhambu’ in ), dried fish curry (‘ karuvaatu kozhambu’ in Tamil language) or fish curry.

2. Fermented rice Place of origin/usage: Tamil Nadu. Nature of food: Cereal based. Time of consumption: . Importance of the food: Easily digestible. Usual composition/ingredients: Rice, and salt. Condition(s) of : Overnight duration at 30-32°C. Microorganism(s) involved: Streptococcus faecalis (2.7x10 7gm -1), Pediococcus acidilactici (2.7x10 7gm -1), Bacillus sp. (1.6x10 8gm -1) and Microbacterium flavum (1.1 x 10 8 gm -1). Method of preparation: Water is added to cooked rice and allowed to ferment overnight. Changes in physical and chemical profile: There is no change in volume, amino nitrogen or free . The pH decreases from 6.1 - 5.7 in 16 hours. Other usages: After fermentation, the water is drained off from the rice and used for cooking or mixed with butter and salt and consumed directly. Reference(s): Ramakrishnan 1977; 1979.

3. Idli Place of origin/usage: South . Nature of food: Cereal and pulse based. Time of consumption: Breakfast and . Importance of the food: Low calorie starchy food having high degree of acceptability in . Batter is protected against food poisoning and pathogenic organism due to acidity. It is globally used with various combinations of grains and pulses. Usual composition/ingredients: Three or four parts of rice to 1 part of black gram dhal (either raw or ) plus table salt (0.8-1%). Some prefer to add one tablespoon of seeds per kg of rice to get smooth idlies . It is processed along with dhal. Preferred quality of raw materials: Rice with 22% amylase (to avoid low amylase content and waxy rice) is preferred. Normally, high amylase content and gelatinization temperature coupled with low amylopectin content and water uptake activity is desirable. Method of preparation of initial batter/raw materials: White polished rice and black gram dhal are carefully washed and soaked for 5-10 hours. The rice is then drained and coarsely ground in a stone mortar or grinder. The black gram dhal is then drained and finely ground in a stone mortar. During grinding, water is added to 1.5 to 2.2 times initial dry weight of the rice and black gram. The rice and black gram slurries are combined to form a rather thick batter which is stirred with the hands. Salt (approximately 1% w/v) is added to taste. The batter is placed in a warm place to ferment overnight. Nature of fermentation: Acidic fermentation due to the major role played by Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB). Condition(s) of fermentation: Usually overnight duration at 30-32°C Microorganism(s) involved: Leuconostoc mesenteroides and Streptococcus faecalis are the dominant microorganisms. The other organisms are Saccharomyces cerevisiae , Debaromyces hansenii , Hansenula anomala , Torulopsis candida, Trichosporon beigelii and Pediococcus cerevisiae . Other organisms tested for fermentation: Lactobacillus fermentum , Torulopsis sp. , Candida sp. and Trichosporon pullulans . Whether native fermentation or inoculum is added: Usually native LAB microflora rises up. Some reported addition of sour butter milk or commercial yeast pellets. Method of cooking: The batter is poured into cups of an idli steamer which is placed in a covered pan. It is steamed until the starch is gelatinized and the idli become soft and sponge. Nutritional profile of food: 3.4% , 20.3% carbohydrate, and 70% moisture, 1% verbacose, 0.2% stachyose and raffinose.

Changes in physical and chemical profile: Leavening due to the generation of CO 2 causes softness in idli . Batter volume increases by 113%, pH fell to 4.5%, total acidity rises to 2.8%, reducing sugar decreases to 0.8 mg/g, protease activity and amino nitrogen increases, phytase phosphorous and phytic acid content decreases. Improvement of flavour: Formation of ketones, dioles and acids due to fermentation. Related/Varied forms of the food: Kancheepuram idli (1 part of rice to 1 part of black gram dhal plus nuts, , salt, pepper, and added to taste). Idli with the cereal Paspallum scrobiculatum (kodo) or finger millet or foxtail millet instead of rice, idli with green gram or gram or soybean instead of black gram are known. Fried idli and Idli uppuma are products obtained using idli . Anti-nutritional Factors in Idli Fermentation processes appear to have a significant effect on elimination and/or reduction of antinutrients (phytic acid and enzyme inhibitors) and the flatulence problem. A reduction of 35.0-40.0% of phytic acid was reported during idli preparation. Fermentation and also resulted in appreciable reduction (33.8%) of oligosaccharides (verbascose, stachyose and raffinose) in idli . The final product contains 1.0% verbascose and 0.2% stachyose and produces low flatus (8.4 ml Ht) in rats, when fed to rats at a 50% level in the basal diet. Chymotrypsin inhibiting activity can be eliminated completely by fermentation and steaming during the preparation of idli but not the trypsin inhibiting activity. No hemagglutinating activity is found in the idli .

Storage of idli batter A commonly observed phenomenon with idli batter is whey separation that occurs due to collapse in its volume after a certain period of fermentation and which increases with storage. Idli s made from such batter give a very hard texture. The stabilization of the idli batter at room temperature (28-30°C) and refrigerated storage (4-8°C) by using various hydrocolloids and some surface active agents were analysed. The batter was evaluated in terms of percentage decrease in volume, and percentage of whey separation. While hydrocolloids gave good stabilization, surface-active agents failed to stabilize the batter although they reduced whey separation. Among the various hydrocolloids, 0.1% guar gave best batter stabilization. Idli s made there from after 10 days of room temperature and 30 days of refrigerated storage of batter were found to be of acceptable quality. The desirable flavour compounds such as ketones, diols and acids were found to be present up to 8 days of storage, whereas undesirable flavours like sulphurous and oxazolidone compounds, ethanone and thiazole appeared in the batter subsequent to 6 days of storage (Agarwal et al ., 2000). Reference(s): Desikachar et al ., 1960, Joseph et al ., 1961, Radhakrishna Rao 1961, Aykroyd and Doughty, 1964, Mukherjee et al ., 1965, Steinkraus et al ., 1967, Rajalakshmi and Vanaja 1967, Batra and Milner 1974, Ramakrishan et al ., 1976, Purushothaman et al ., 1977, Padhye and Salunkhe 1978, Reddy et al ., 1986, Soni and Sandhu, 1989, Sasippiraba and Ravindran 1989, Soni and Sandhu, 1990, Soni and Sandhu, 1991, Sowbhagya et al ., 1991,Steinkraus, 1996, Nout and Sarkar, 1999, Agarwal et al ., 2000.Teniola and Odunfa, 2001, Blandino et al ., 2003, Nisha et al ., 2005, Sharma and Tasneem Ali, 2006.

4. Dosa Place of origin/usage: South India. Nature of food: Cereal and pulse based. Time of consumption: Breakfast and as snack. Importance of the food: Similar to idli . Usual composition/ingredients: 3 or 4 parts of rice to 1 part of black gram dhal (either raw or parboiled rice) plus table salt (0.8-1%). Preferred quality of raw materials: Similar to idli . Method of preparation of initial batter/raw materials: Preparation is similar to idli batter except that the rice and black gram are finely ground. Nature of fermentation: Acidic fermentation due to the major role played by Lactic acid bacteria (LAB). Condition(s) of fermentation: Usually overnight duration at 30-32°C. Microorganism(s) involved: Leuconostoc mesenteroides, Streptococcus faecalis, Torulopsis candida and Trichosporon pullulans . Whether native fermentation or inoculum is added: Usually native LAB microflora raise up. Method of cooking: Following fermentation, the batter is quickly fried as a thin, fairly crisp and eaten directly. Nutritional profile of food: Similar to idli. Changes in physical and chemical profile: Similar to idli . Related/Varied forms of the dosa

S.No Variety of dosa Nature of food 1. A lightly cooked filling of potatoes, fried and spices 2. Uthappam Thick dosa 3. Egg dosa An omelette is spread on the dosa 4. Chilli dosa Dry chilly powder is spread on the dosa 5. dosa Chopped and sautéd onions are spread on the dosa 6. Ghee dosa Substitute ghee instead of oil while dosa Substitute butter instead of oil while frying dosa and a small 7. Butter dosa amount on the top of it while serving 8. Roast Spread dosa thinly and fry till crisp 9. Family roast Long dosa which can be spread over 2 or 3 feet Long and very thin delicate dosa which can be spread over 2 10. Paper dosa feet 11. Green dosa Dosa stuffed with fresh vegetables and mint 12. Chow-Chow dosa Dosa stuffed with (Indian flavored) Chinese noodles 13. Cheese dosa Dosa stuffed with cheese Made with rava or , which doesn't need 14. Rava dosa fermentation and is usually considered a fast snack/. 15. Wheat dosa Made with and served with chutney 16. Vella dosa A sweet dosa made of with ghee Made of ragi or millet flour, usually considered "a poor 17. Ragi dosa man's fare"

Reference(s): Labana and Kawatra 1986, Chavan and Kadam 1989; Steinkraus 1996.

5. Adai Dosa Place of origin/usage: South India. Nature of food: Cereal and pulse based. Time of consumption: Breakfast or as snack. Usual composition/ingredients: Par boiled rice, Bengal gram dhal, red gram dhal, black gram dhal, green gram dhal, red chillies, green chillies, onions, chopped fined large , cumin seeds, , salt and oil for . Method of preparation of initial batter/raw materials: The dhal and rice are soaked for 2 hours. The chillies, cumin seeds, salt are ground first in a . Then, the soaked dhal and rice is added to it and ground into a coarse batter. Microorganism(s) involved: Pediococcus sp., Streptococcus sp., Leuconostoc sp. Method of cooking: The coriander leaves, chopped onions, curry leaves and asafetida are added to the batter, mixed well and then poured into in the container. One teaspoon of oil is needed for making one adai . The slurry is toasted in sim flame. The other side is also toasted in the same manure. A spoon of butter is placed and the dosa is folded into semicircle. Method of consumption: Served with and jaggery. Reference(s): Chavan and Kadam, 1989.

6. Dhokla Place of origin/usage: South India. Nature of food: Cereal and pulses. Time of consumption: Breakfast and snack food. Usual composition/ingredients: Bengal gram dhal, rice and chopped leafy vegetables may be incorporated into fermented batter before steaming. Alternative ingredients/ composition: Wheat, maize or Paspalum scorbiculatum (‘kodri’) are substituted for rice, soybean, ; Cajanus cajan (red gram) or Phaseolus aconitifolius (moth beans) are substituted for Bengal gram. Method of preparation of initial batter/raw materials: Polished rice and Bengal gram are washed with water and soaked for 5-10 hours separately. Then, the water is drained and ground to coarse slurry. Finally, the slurries are mixed together and 1-2 % of common salt is added and allowed for fermentation for 12-15 hours. Microorganism(s) involved: Lactobacillus fermentum , L. mesenteroides , Pichia silvicola , Streptococcus faecalis , Torulopsis sp., Candida sp. and T. pullulans . Method of cooking: The fermented batter is poured into a greased tray and steamed in open condition (rather than in a covered idli steamer) for 10 minutes. Changes in physical and chemical profile: There is an almost two fold raise in the batter volume and a drop of pH from 5.2 to 4.5. The yeast produces folic acid and raises the volume of the batter, imparting sponginess to the product. Related/Varied forms of the food: Channa dal dhokla Reference(s): Ramakrishnan et al ., 1976, Aliya and Geervani 1981, Chavan and Kadam 1989, Kanekar and Joshi 1993, Blandino et al ., 2003, Roy et al ., 2007 (a).

Effects of fermentation in idli, dosa and dhokla a) Bio accessibility of Zinc After fermentation, batters of idli and dosa showed significantly higher bioaccessibility values for zinc. The value of zinc bio-accessibility is as high as 71% in idli and 50% in dosa. Such an increased bio-accessibility of zinc, however, was not evident in the case of fermented dhokla batter; instead there was a slight decrease (10%). In the case of idli , the zinc bio-accessibility value, although higher (27%) than that of unprocessed grains, was lower (26%) than that of the uncooked fermented batter. In the case of dosa, the zinc bio-accessibility value similarly decreased upon heat processing of the fermented batter (46% lower), and this value was 18% lower than that of the unprocessed grains. In the case of dhokla, the zinc bio-accessibility value decreases by 23% upon heat processing of the fermented batter. This final value being 31% lower than the unprocessed grain combination (Hemalatha et al ., 2007). b) Bio accessibility of Fermentation of the combination of rice and black gram in both idli and dosa enormously improved the bioaccessibility of iron. Bioaccessible iron in the fermented idli batter was 276% higher and that in the dosa batter was 127% higher compared to the untreated grains used. Heat treatment of the batter further increased the bioaccessibility of iron by 92% in the case of dosa , while that in the idli batter did not change. Thus, fermentation and heat processing as in the preparation of dosa resulted in a net increase of 335% in the bioaccessibility of iron from the rice–black gram combination. Fermentation of a combination of , green gram, black gram and rice as in the preparation of dhokla , however, did not improve the bioaccessible iron content. Heat processing of the fermented batter of dhokla also did not alter the bioaccessible iron content; thus, the bioaccessible iron value of dhokla remained the same as that of the native grain combination used. A reduction in the pH by 1.5 units as a result of fermentation of the batter of idli , dosa and dhokla was observed (Hemalatha et al ., 2007). c) Reduction of phytic acid content Typical food processing methods such as germination and malting have been found to enhance iron absorption due to elevated content or reduced tannin or phytic acid content, or both (Tontisirin et al ., 2002). These processes are known to activate phytases, which in turn hydrolyze phytate, rendering iron and zinc more available. During germination, endogenous phytase activity in cereals and increases as a result of de novo synthesis and/or activation, resulting in reductions in inositol penta- and hexa-phosphates depending on the species and variety (Lorenz, 1980; Chavan and Adam, 1989; Reddy et al ., 1989). Reddy et al . (1989) have reported reductions in phytate ranging from 36% for sprouted soya beans to 53% for germinated . In addition, germination also reduces the content of polyphenols and tannins in some legumes (Camacho et al ., 1992). Microbial fermentation can enhance iron and zinc bioavailability via hydrolysis of phytate by microbial phytase derived from naturally occurring microflora on the surface of cereal grains (Sandberg, 1991). The beneficial effect of fermentation on bioavailability could also be attributed to the formation of organic acids during this process, which form soluble ligands with iron and zinc (Tontisirin et al ., 2002). This reduction in pH is certainly due to the synthesis of organic acids during fermentation. Natural fermentation of cereal– combinations significantly reduced both phytate and tannin from the test grains. Phytate was completely removed during fermentation of the idli batter, while the reduction was 50 and 28% during fermentation of dosa and dhokla batter, respectively. Only traces of tannin were detectable in the fermented batters of idli , dosa and dhokla . The absence of any positive influence of fermentation on mineral bioaccessibility in the case of dhokla batter could be attributed to the continued presence of significant amounts of phytate. The additional legumes – chickpea and green gram – present in dhokla apart from rice and black gram (constituent grains for idli and dosa ) have contributed to this significant phytate content (Hemalatha et al ., 2007).

7. Ambali Place of origin/usage: India. Nature of food: Cereal based. Time of consumption: Breakfast. Importance of the food: Easily digestible food for infants and invalids Usual composition/ingredients: Ragi flour and rice Method of preparation of initial batter/raw materials: Millet flour is combined with water to make a thick batter and fermented for 14 to 16 hours. Microorganism(s) involved: L. mesenteroides (1.6 x 10 2 gm -1), L. fermentum (1.6 x 10 2 gm -1) and Streptococcus faecalis (8 x 10 8 gm -1). Method of cooking: The batter is added to partially (three fourth) cooked rice with continuous stirring. It is further cooked till completion. Changes in physical and chemical profile: The pH decreases from 6.4 to 4.0 and the

volume increases by about 20% indicating CO 2 production. Method of consumption: After cooling to ambient, sour milk is added and served. Reference(s): Ramakrishnan 1977; 1979

8. Nan Place of origin/usage: North India. Nature of food: Cereal based. Time of consumption: Snack. Usual composition/ingredients: Wheat flour, sugar, salt and backslop. Method of preparation of initial batter/raw materials: It is flat leavened made by mixing white wheat flour with sugar, salt, backslop and water. The is left for 12- 24 hours, formed into balls and flattened. Smoothly flattened dough is slapped into the inner wall of the clay-clad brick , called tandoor, where it skicks while until the dough is buffed up and light brown in colour. Nature of fermentation: Lactic acid fermentation. Microorganism(s) involved: Yeast ( Saccharomyces cerevisiae ) and LAB are involved. New dough used for making Nan contained 10 5 yeast CFU gm -1 and 10 2 Lactic Acid Bacteria CFU gm -1 as compared to respective counts of 10 8 and 10 9 from ripe fermented dough. Changes in physical and chemical profile: New dough pH is 5.9 and the fermented dough pH is 4.8. Related/Varied forms of the food: Butter nan (fermented flattened is coated with butter before baking). Method of consumption: With vegetarian and /or non-vegetarian gravy dishes. Reference(s): Sandhu et al ., 1986, Blandino et al ., 2003.

9. Siddhu Other names, if any: Khobli . Place of origin/usage: Himachal Pradesh. Nature of food: Cereal and pulse based. Time of consumption: Special/occasional dish. Usual composition/ingredients: Wheat flour, spices mixed paste of opium seeds/walnut/black gram and starter material (‘ Malara ’ – see the chapter ‘Prepared Starter for fermented food production’). Method of preparation of initial batter/raw materials: Wheat flour is mixed with water and powder of the starter material ‘ malera’ (yeast) as inoculum and subjected to fermentation for 4 - 5 hours in a warm place. Method of cooking: The fermented dough is made into an oval shape. Then the dough is Stuffed with spices mixed paste of opium seeds / walnut / black gram and steam cooked. Whether native fermentation or inoculum is added: Inoculum in the form of starter ‘Malera’ (previously fermented left over dough) is added. Method of consumption: Served hot with desi ghee or chutney. Reference(s): Thakur et al ., 2004.

10. Chilra Other names, if any: Lwar . Place of origin/usage: Himachal Pradesh. Nature of food: Cereal based. Time of consumption: Snack/ prepared at the time of marriage ceremony and festivals. Usual composition/ingredients: Wheat/barley and buckwheat flour and starter material (Treh - see the chapter ‘Prepared Starter for fermented food production’). Method of preparation of initial batter /raw materials: Wheat/barley and buckwheat flour in 1:3 ratio, ‘ Treh’ (starter inoculum) and water is added to make slurry. It is left for fermentation for about 12 hours. Whether native fermentation or inoculum is added: Inoculum in the form of starter ‘Treh’ (previously fermented and left over wheat flour slurry) is added. Method of cooking: After fermentation, the slurry is prepared as dosa . The fermented slurry is spread on hot plate and baked on both sides. Method of consumption: Served with coriander chutney, and mutton . Reference(s): Thakur et al ., 2004.

11. Marchu Place of origin/usage: Himachal Pradesh. Nature of food: Cereal based. Time of consumption: Festivals, religious and marriage ceremonies as a snack/breakfast. Usual composition/ingredients: Wheat flour and starter material ( malera – see the chapter ‘Prepared Starter for fermented food production’). Method of preparation of initial batter/raw materials: Made on a wooden base with carving to give designed imprints on Marchu . Whether native fermentation or inoculum is added: Inoculum in the form of starter ‘Malera’ (previously fermented left over dough) is added. Method of consumption: Taken along with . Reference(s): Thakur et al ., 2004.

12. Pinni Other names, if any: Bagpinni . Place of origin/usage: Himachal Pradesh. Nature of food: Cereal based. Usual composition/ingredients: Barley flour and butter milk or Chhang . Method of cooking: Roasted barley flour () is mixed with buttermilk or Chhang (traditional beverage) and kneaded in the form of dough, which is finally given the shape of ball with the cavity in the centre. This cavity is filled with ghee/butter. Reference(s): Thakur et al ., 2004.

13. Parotta Place of origin/usage: South India. Nature of food: Cereal based. Time of consumption: Snack and dinner. Usual composition/ingredients: Wheat flour, sugar, egg, salt and oil. Method of preparation of initial batter/raw materials: Wheat flour as the main raw material is mixed with salt, sugar, egg, water and oil. It is allowed to ferment natively. Method of cooking: Parotta dough is sheeted to form a thin film with the help of refined oil folded into multiple layers and then coiled. The coiled dough is sheeted into circular disc of 15 cm diameter and 0.5 cm thickness and baked on a hot plate for 2 min at 230°C. The baked product is soft and slightly chewy. Related/Varied forms of the food: Chapathi, Phulka, Roti, Nan and Batura . Method of consumption: Served along with vegetarian / non-vegetarian gravy dishes. Reference(s): Indrani and Rao, 2003.

14. Sez Place of origin/usage: Himachal Pradesh. Nature of food: Cereal based. Time of consumption: . Usual composition/ingredients: Rice ( Oryza sativa ) and the starter (balam – see the chapter ‘Prepared Starter for fermented food production’). Nature of fermentation: Alcoholic fermentation. Method of preparation: Sez is obtained along with the production of traditional beverages namely Daru and rice Jann . Wherein, rice is first cooked or boiled in water for half an hour or until become soft and edible. This is kept in a flat container to be drained off excess water and also to be cooled down. The boiled rice is mixed with the powder of the starter material ‘ balam’ . The mixer is kept in an air tight container preferably in a dark and cool place. The container is traditional earthenware or a wooden vessel. After one or two days of fermentation, the sez is ready for consumption. The required quantity of sez could be removed at this stage. After that the container is again kept air tight for another 5 – 10 days for Daru and rice Jann production. Whether native fermentation or inoculum is added: Inoculum in the form of starter ‘balam’ is added. Reference(s): Roy et al ., 2004.

15. Chakuli Place of origin/usage: Orissa. Nature of food: Cereal and pulse based. Time of consumption: Snack or breakfast during all festival times. Usual composition/ingredients: Par-boiled rice ( Oryza sativa L.) and black gram (Phaseolus mungo L.). Alternative composition/ingredients: Black gram may be substituted with juice of ( Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam.) or palmyra palm ( L.) during summer. Method of preparation of initial batter/raw materials: Rice is washed, soaked, dewatered and briefly sun-dried. Dried rice grains are pounded in an iron or wooden mortar and sieved to obtain a fine powder. Black gram is soaked until the seed coat is easily removable by applying a gentle pressure. The grains are rubbed with hands to loosen seed coats, which are allowed to float away. The black gram is then made to a smooth paste using a stone grinder. The paste is beaten repeatedly by hands with a little amount of water and mixed with rice powder, appropriate amount of lukewarm water and salt. The batter is left to ferment under cover for 4-5 hours during summer (12-15 hours during winter). Method of cooking: The fermented batter is fried over a hot greased pan to round shaped flat cake. Spices like ginger, onion and black pepper powder are sometimes added at the time of frying. Method of consumption: Served with a variety of side dishes including , sugar, jaggery, tea, milk, curry, mutton, or even without any . The shelf life of chakuli is is one day and hence consumed hot and fresh for optimum delicacy. Reference(s): Roy et al ., 2007(b).

16. Enduri pitha Place of origin/usage: Orissa. Nature of food: Cereal and pulse based. Time of consumption: Snack/breakfast. Usual composition/ingredients: Par-boiled rice ( Oryza sativa L.) and black gram (Phaseolus mungo L.). Method of preparation of initial batter/raw materials: Similar to Chakuli . Method of cooking: Similar to Chakuli , by taking the fermented batter in a (Curcuma longa L.) and folding the leaf through mid-vain. It is also stuffed with coconut, dahi-chhana and sugar fillings. The batter filled folded leaves are then cooked over steam. Reference(s): Roy et al ., 2007(b).

17. Munha pitha Place of origin/usage: Orissa. Nature of food: Cereal and pulse based. Time of consumption: Festival seasons. Usual composition/ingredients: Par-boiled rice powder and black gram. Method of preparation of initial batter/raw materials: Par-boiled rice powder and black gram paste are mixed in the ratio of 3:1. Sugar or jaggery, minced coconut, raisins and cashew nuts may be added to the fermented batter for delicacy. Method of cooking: Sufficient water is taken in a large-mouthed pitcher (‘ handi’ ) and a piece of cloth is tied over its mouth keeping a shallow cavity. When the water starts boiling, a thick batter is poured over the cloth. An empty handi is kept upside down over the previous one to capture the steam. The continuously generated steam cooks the material and completion of cooking is checked by inserting a sharp object through the centre of the batter mass and observing if the batter has stuck to the surface. No adherence of batter to the object indicates completion of cooking even at the centre. A good quality munha pitha becomes spongy like idli and it is served by cutting into pieces. Method of consumption: It is taken with sugar or curry. Reference(s): Roy et al ., 2007(b).

18. Jhan chang Place of origin/usage: Himachal Pradesh. Nature of food: Cereal based. Time of consumption: Snack during winter seasons. Usual composition/ingredients: Barley and the starter material (‘ Phab ’ – see the chapter ‘Prepared Starter for fermented food production’). Method of preparation: Barley grains are washed and ground into a paste. The barley slurry is cooked for 2 hours in an open vessel for 15-30 min in a pressure cooker. The cooked slurry is cooled. The starter material ( phab ) is mixed (one granule for 1-2 kg barley grains) with the slurry and wrapped in woolen cloth, fermented for 2-3 days at 25-30 °C. Whether native fermentation or inoculum is added: Inoculum in the form of starter ‘phab ’ (one granule for 1-2kg barley grains) is added. Method of consumption: Product is directly consumed or made into a halwa like preparation. Reference(s): Kanwar et al ., 2007.

19. Babru Place of origin/usage: Himachal Pradesh. Nature of food: Cereal based. Time of consumption: During summer break fast or snack food. Usual composition/ingredients: Rice, salt and spices. Method of preparation of initial batter/raw materials: and water (2:1) are mixed and made into semi solid paste. Salt or spices are added for taste and kept for fermentation at 25-30°C for 3-4 hours. Method of cooking: After fermentation, the slurry is cooked as flat pancake with oil. Reference(s): Kanwar et al ., 2007.

20. Taotjo Place of origin/usage: East India. Nature of food: Cereal based. Time of consumption: . Usual composition/ingredients: Roasted wheat meal or and soybeans. Microorganism(s) involved: Aspergillus oryzae . Reference(s): Blandino et al ., 2003.