Bihar: Election time? Love for food and the eat is on

By Anurag Mallick & Priya Ganapathy

Come elections in Bihar, and reporters and politicians rediscover their appetite for the state’s cuisine, making a beeline to local eateries or sweet shops to check the political barometer. Bihar is broadly divided into five sub-regions – Magadh (Jehanabad, Aurangabad, Arwal and Gaya, south of ancient Pataliputra or Patna) where Magahi is spoken, Shahabad (Bhojpur, Buxar, Rohtas and Kaimur to the west bordering Uttar Pradesh) dominated by Bhojpuri, Mithila the cultural heart of Bihar to the north bordering Nepal where Maithili is spoken, Kosi-Seemanchal in the northeast border through which the Kosi river flows and Tirhut comprising Muzaffarpur, Champaran, Sitamarhi and Vaishali. 

In capital Patna, the 70-year-old ‘Chourasiya ji ki purani litti dukaan’ near the railway station is a landmark and perhaps the only litti shop in town set on a terrace. Owner Ajay Kumar Chourasiya recalls how during his father Govind Prasad Chourasiya’s time, political stalwarts like Lalu Prasad Yadav, Nitish Kumar, Ravi Shankar Prasad and Ram Vilas Paswan frequented the place as student leaders. During elections, journalists too make a pitstop here. Food experts like Vinod Dua, Rocky and Mayur, and several actors and politicians have visited the place, yet, there are no celebrity photos on the walls! Ajay Chourasiya says, “To me, every customer is Amitabh Bachchan!” 

On the ground floor is another gem. In the 1950s, Kishore Kumar Chourasiya sold chandrakala and samosas at his tiny shop which prospered for decades without a name! His son, Dheeraj Kumar, revealed how people often described their chandrakala as A-1, meaning top class in local parlance, and the name stuck. They settled on ‘A1 Chandrakala’ for food delivery platforms!

Piping hot kachoris

Near Patna Sahib, ‘Late Nandu Lal Kachoriwale’ serves piping hot kachoris fried in mustard oil with kale chane ki sabji. Established in 1930 by father-son duo Munni Lal and Nandu Lal Chandrawanshi, the shop attracts locals through the day. Their coveted aloo dum and pyajis (onion fritter) are available from 3:30 pm. Right next door, ‘Tandon Jalpan’ serves parval mithai, an unusual pointed gourd sweet with khoa filling. Every morning, Shyam Tandon hawks kachori-sabji and jalebi outside their new shop near Chowk Shikarpur flyover.   

Down Kachauri Gali, ‘Suraj Gupta & Mahadev Gupta Khurchan Mithai Dukan’ have been whipping out khurchan for nearly a century. Fifth generation owner Krishna Gupta says his great grandfather Dwarika Prasad Gupta began the tradition of making khurchan by reducing milk and stacking layers of malai. They deal mostly in dry sweets sans chhena that doesn’t need refrigeration. Patrons have taken their sweets overseas to Singapore, Japan, USA and Canada. From local MLA Nand Kishore Yadav to well known names like Ravi Shankar Prasad, Shatrughan Sinha, Ashish Vidyarthi, Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Narendra Modi in 2015, many have visited this tiny bylane. 

‘Mirchu Hotel’, a century-old shop serving mutton and fish dishes, started by Mirchu Sav is now run by his grandson, Rakesh Kumar Sav, who personally oversees the butchering of khassi (goat) and grinding of masalas. Be it chicken curry, mutton curry, keema kaleji or tiger prawns made with posto (poppy seeds), each gravy tastes different. Patronised by High Court judges and ministers, story has it that during cricket matches, when Sunil Gavaskar stayed at ‘Hotel Maurya’, food was packed for him from ‘Mirchu Hotel’!

‘Mahngu Hotel’ is perhaps the most iconic eatery in Patna. Set up 150 years ago by Mahngu Ram, their specialty is Bihari kebab – thin slices of marinated meat skewered tightly, roasted on coals and finished with ghee. It tastes like boneless mutton barra and is served with dahi mirch chutney and onion. Apart from mutton curry, fish curry, liver, prawns and egg curry, they serve goli kebab (chana dal-meat balls) and mutton stew in the evening besides winter specials like bagheri (Indian bushlark) and chaha (common snipe). Don’t be fooled by its humble exterior. Famous personalities like former CM Jagannath Mishra, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, former FM Yashwant Sinha and Sunil Gavaskar have patronised Mahngu. As a student in BN College, Lalu Yadav would eat here and later as CM, he would often stop his cavalcade for takeaways of chaha-bater and mutton!

Something sweet

Around 25 km west of Patna, on the banks of the Sone river, Maner is legendary for its fine-grained boondi laddus. The distinct taste is attributed to the meetha pani or sweet groundwater used for preparing the besan batter.

Even today, all the sweets are supplied from their Saguna More outlet to other branches across the city. Movie stars Raza Murad, Nirahua and Neetu Chandra are big fans. While driving to Varanasi, Aamir Khan made a pitstop here with Imtiaz Ali. During the 2024 general elections, demand skyrocketed after Prime Minister Modi asked people to be ready with Maner laddus on counting day. Irrespective of what the polls have in store, head to Patna for the real taste of Bihar, instead of being content with customary sweets like thekua for Chhatth or pidukiya/gujiya for Holi.

(The authors are travel/food writers and culinary consultants “loosely based” in Bengaluru. They customise solutions for the hospitality industry, have authored guides and coffee table books, curated TV shows, set up an award-winning restaurant and are working on a book on heritage eateries of India. Follow their adventures on Instagram: @red_scarab)