Bagiya, Dhikri and Bhakka.

Among several finger-licking dishes made from rice flour, dhikri, bagiya, and bhakka are popular, especially in the southern plains of Nepal. While dhikri, tubular and cylindrical in shape, is popular among the Tharus in Western Nepal, bagiya, which is flat, is a favorite among people living in Eastern Nepal. Bhakka, the round version, is especially popular among the Rajbanshis and others in Eastern Nepal.

Dhikri and bhakka are made by just shaping the rice dough and steaming it but bagiya is generally stuffed with lentils or mashed potatoes. Dhikri is prepared principally during the Magh or Maghe Sankrati festival while bagiya is prepared especially during the Deepawali festival.

Here is how Bagiya is made

The rice is soaked in water and ground in a dhiki, the traditional rice milling machine. These days rice mills have replaced the dhikis. However, flour ground in a dhiki tastes much better than that ground in a rice mill.

The flour is then sifted and fried. Warm water is mixed with it and it is kneaded thoroughly until the dough is tender. Steamed lentils or mashed potatoes, spices, ginger, and salt are added to the dough and it is shaped by hand into a round and flattened with the palms at the middle while both ends are left protruding. Then they are steamed over a clay pot of boiling water.

The steamed bagiya is served with chutney or vegetable curry. In Eastern Nepal, the Tharus and others celebrate the Govardhan Pooja (the day following Laxmi Puja) by worshipping their agriculture tools and cattle and eating bagiya. Every household makes sure to prepare bagiya from the flour of newly harvested rice of the year on that day.

As all three delicacies are made by steaming rice flour dough, they are not just delicious but also healthy. However, these tasty dishes are still struggling to find a place in modern eateries, although a few outlets have started selling bhakka, dhikri, and bagiya in cities including Kathmandu, we are happy to say!

This story was first published in ECS Nepal by the Author. The Dhikri and Bagiya photos on the featured photo is by author and Bhakka is by Janak Bhatta