East Indian

Pakhala (Fermented Rice in Water)

Name: Pakhala (Fermented Rice in Water)
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: East Indian
Ingredients: 3 cups cooked rice, day-old; 3 cups water; 1 tsp mustard oil; 1/2 tsp mustard seeds; 1/4 tsp cumin seeds; 1 dried red chili; 8 curry leaves; 1/2 tsp salt

Rina @rina_b

Pakhala (Fermented Rice in Water) is East Indian home cooking, eaten at lunch. On the plate it is the dish at the centre. Below is what usually sits beside it, what it does and does not contain, and what else to cook once you have made it.

15 min Easy Heart healthy Low sodium Vegetarian Pescatarian Vegan Halal Gluten free Dairy free

Ingredients

Serves

The quantities follow this count.

3 cups cooked rice, day-old
3 cups water
1 tsp mustard oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp cumin seeds
1 dried red chili
8 curry leaves
1/2 tsp salt

How to cook it

Rinse the cooked rice gently with a little water to loosen the grains, then place it in a wide bowl or earthen pot.
Pour in enough water to fully submerge the rice, cover loosely, and let it sit at room temperature for at least 6 hours, or overnight, until it turns lightly sour.
Just before serving, heat the mustard oil in a small pan and temper with the mustard seeds, dried red chili, cumin seeds, and curry leaves until they crackle.
Pour the tempering over the fermented rice and water, add salt, and stir gently.
Serve cold or at room temperature, traditionally alongside saga bhaja, aloo bharta, and a curd or chutney side.

Watch how to cook Pakhala (Fermented Rice in Water)

Someone making it start to finish, so you can see what the steps look like.

Serve it with

A East Indian lunch is a plate rather than a single dish. These are the courses that normally sit beside Pakhala (Fermented Rice in Water), read from the same composition Dinejot builds a real meal from.

The cooked vegetable
- Aloo Bhaja (Bengali Fried Potato Strips)
  
  20 min
The protein alongside
- Arhar Dal (Bihari-Style Toor Dal)
  
  30 min
What it is eaten with
- Bajra Bhakri (Pearl Millet Flatbread)
  
  35 min
The sharp little thing
- Aam Khatta (Odia Raw Mango Relish)
  
  20 min
Something cool and fresh
- Aam Khatta (Odia Raw Mango Relish)
  
  20 min

A course labelled with another kitchen's name comes from a cuisine in the same family, which is where this plate usually borrows it from.

Safe at your table

Dinejot tracks ten allergens and tags every one of them by hand. Pakhala (Fermented Rice in Water) carries none of them. That is a checked answer rather than an ingredient list nobody read.

Every tracked allergen in Pakhala (Fermented Rice in Water)
Allergen	In this dish
Peanuts	No
Tree nuts	No
Dairy	No
Gluten	No
Shellfish	No
Eggs	No
Soy	No
Fish	No
Sesame	No
Coconut	No

These tags are set by a person rather than inferred from an ingredient list, and they describe the recipe as written here. Read the labels on whatever you actually buy.

What it brings to the plate

Estimated, per serving

Calories: 180 kcal
Protein: 4 g
Carbs: 40 g
Fat: 1 g
Fiber: 1 g
Sugar: 0 g
Sodium: 180 mg
Saturated fat: 0 g

Estimated values. Actual nutrition varies with ingredients, brands, and how you cook.

When to cook it

Pakhala (Fermented Rice in Water) takes about 15 minutes from a cold stove to the table, and the cooking itself is easy going. It is eaten at lunch. It is at its best in summer, which is when what goes into it is worth buying.