Rachnaa Prasad, celebrated chef and founder of Ambrosia Kitchen, believes that every recipe holds a memory. Known for infusing emotion and heritage into her cooking, she has become a passionate ambassador for India’s regional cuisines, especially those of her native Bihar. Through thoughtfully curated pop-ups and bespoke dining experiences, Rachnaa has revived age-old recipes and brought forgotten flavors back into the spotlight. In this special collection, she shares dishes that reflect her philosophy: food is not just nourishment, but a celebration of roots, culture, and connection.
5 Recipes by Rachnaa Prasad
BOOT BESANI
Ingredients:
- Besan (gram flour) – 200 grams
- Tomatoes – 2 finely chopped
- Fenugreek seeds -1tsp
- Green chili – 2 slit
- Garlic paste – 2tsp
- Turmeric powder – 2 tsp
- Kashmiri Red chili powder – 2tsp
- Dill (soya) leaves – 2tsp
- Yellow mustard paste – 2 tbsp
- Wheat flour – 1tsp
- Fresh coriander leaves – 2tsp
- Mustard oil – 3tbsp
- Water for gravy
- Salt to taste
Method:
- In a vessel, add besan, turmeric powder, half, salt, and mustard oil, and make a dough using water. Roll the dough in your hand like a seekh kabab. Now put the rolls in boiling water and let them boil for 5 minutes. Take out the Besan rolls from the water and let them cool. Now, cut the rounds into small pieces and keep aside.
- Heat oil in a deep pan and add fenugreek seeds. Once it is brown, add the mustard paste and stir until the paste is completely done. Now add garlic paste and sauté, add chopped tomatoes little water, and cover the lid. After 5mins add turmeric powder, chilli powder, wheat flour, and stir nicely.
- In a separate pan, add some mustard oil and heat. Now put the besan rounds and stir-fry until crispy. Add the besan rounds to the masala paste and mix nicely. Add 1 cup of water, coriander leaves, dill leaves, and slit green chilli.
- Cover the lid and cook for 5 minutes for a while. Serve hot with steamed rice.
SATTU KHICHDI
Ingredients:
- Sattu (Roasted black chickpea flour) – 1 cup
- Maize flour – ¼ cup
- Mustard oil – 2tbsp
- Black mustard seed – ½tsp
- Hing (Asafetida) – one pinch
- Cumin seed – 1tsp
- Ghee – 1tsp
- Onion – 1 finely chopped
- Ginger garlic paste – 1/2 tsp
- Green chili – 1 finely chopped
- Tomato – 1 small (finely chopped)
- Green peas – ¼ cup (boiled)
- Carrot – ¼ cup (finely chopped and boiled)
- White Radish – 2tsp (finely chopped)
- Radish leaves – 1 tbsp
- Coriander leaves – handful (finely chopped)
- Lemon juice – 1tsp
- Water – 4 cups
- Salt to taste
Method:
- In a pan, roast the sattu flour and maize flour together till they turn brown. Let it cool.
In a deep pan, heat mustard oil, then add cumin seed, mustard seed, green chili, and Asafetida. - Now, add the chopped onion and fry for 2 minutes. Then, add the ginger garlic paste, chopped tomato, and fry for another 2 minutes.
- Add green peas, carrots, radish, and radish leaves, and cook for a while. Now, add the flour mix, coriander leaves, lemon juice, and salt. Sauté for 2 minutes and add 3 to 4 cups of water, mixing thoroughly. Cover the lid and let it cook for 10 minutes.
- Serve hot with a drop of ghee on top.
OAL KA BHARTA
Ingredients:
- 500-gram Oal (Suran, yam)
- 2 tbsp mustard oil
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp garlic (finely chopped)
- 1 tbsp ginger (finely chopped)
- 2-3 green chili (finely chopped)
- 1 small-sized radish (finely chopped)
- 1 lemon
- salt to taste
Method:
- Boil the Oal along with lemon in a pressure cooker for 3 whistles. When cool, mash them and keep aside.
- Once cool, mash it nicely and add turmeric powder, ginger, garlic, green chili, radish, mustard oil, and salt. Store it in a glass jar and keep it in the sun for two to three days.
- Your Oal ka bharta is ready to eat now.
GODILA
Ingredients:
- Red Chickpea (Lal Chana) – 500 grms soaked overnight
- Onion- 100 grm (finely chopped)
- Garlic paste – 2 tsp
- Ginger paste – 1tsp
- Tomato- 1 (finely chopped)
- Lemon -1
- Coriander leaves- 2tbsp
- Green Chilli – 1 finely chopped
- Cumin seed – 1tsp
- Bay Leaf- 2
- Cinnamon stick – 1
- Coriander seed – 1tsp
- Green cardamom – 2
- Black cardamom – 1
- Black peppercorn- 4-5
- Turmeric powder- 1/2tsp
- Kashmiri red chili powder- 1/2tsp
- Coriander powder- 1/2 tsp
- Garam masala powder- 1/2tsp
- Fresh cream – 3tbsp
- Clarified butter (Ghee) – 5 tbsp
- Salt to taste
Method:
- Boil the chickpeas in a pressure cooker with water, turmeric powder, and salt until 3 whistles. After the pressure comes out, drain the excess water in a vessel and store it. Do not throw the water.
- Once the chickpea cools, grind it in a mixture to a coarse paste, adding water. Now, in a pressure cooker, add ghee once heated, add cumin seed, cinnamon stick, peppercorn, bay leaf, black cardamom,
Crushed green cardamom and crushed coriander seeds, once tampered, add the onions once brown,
add ginger garlic paste, then tomato, and fry for 2 mins. - Now add turmeric powder, Kashmiri chili, coriander powder, and slit green chilies. Mix well and add the chickpea mince, and let it cook for 5 minutes on low heat with the top lid. After that, add 2 cups of drained water and cover the lid, and give 4-5 whistles. Let the pressure come out on its own.
- Serve hot in a bowl, garnished with coriander leaves.
DHUSKA
Ingredients:
- Basmati rice – 2 cups (soaked for 4 hours)
- Chana dal – 1 cup (soaked for 4 hours)
- Green chili – 4 finely chopped
- Coriander leaves – handful (finely chopped)
- Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
- Garlic paste – 1 tsp
- Ginger – 1tsp finely chopped
- Onion – 1 finely chopped
- Salt to taste
- 1/3 cup water
Method:
- Grind soaked rice and chana with green chili, garlic, ginger, and very little water. Batter should not be very thick or too runny.
- Add turmeric and salt to it. Heat oil in a pan. Oil should not be very hot.
- Take a round spoon and scoop the batter slowly into the pan, flip, and fry both sides until they turn crispy. Serve hot with amla chutney.
- In Bihar, we traditionally serve this with mutton gravy, especially during the Holi festival.
KHATTA MEETHA KOHRA
Sweet & Tangy Yellow Pumpkin
Ingredients
- Kohra (yellow pumpkin) – 500 grams, peeled and cut into cubes
- Mustard oil – 2 tbsp
- Methi seeds (fenugreek) – ½ tsp
- Dry red chili – 1
- Hing (asafetida) – a pinch
- Haldi (turmeric powder) – ¼ tsp
- Salt – to taste (Preferably black salt)
- Jaggery (Gud Khajur Wali) – 50 grams (adjust to taste)
- Tamarind pulp – 1 tbsp
- Water – ¼ to ½ cup (If required)
Method:
- In a kadhai, heat mustard oil till it begins to smoke slightly. Lower the flame.
- Add Methi seeds and let them crackle. Add dry red chili (if using) and a pinch of Hing.
- Add the diced kohra and mix well. Stir in Haldi and salt.
- Cover with a lid, and let the pumpkin cook on a low flame till soft. Stir occasionally. If required, add a little water.
- Once the pumpkin is cooked and slightly mushy then add tamarind pulp and jaggery. Cook for a few more minutes till the flavors come together in a sweet and tangy harmony.
- Taste and adjust the khatta Metha balance. Serve hot with puris, sattu paratha.
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