Ingredients
Beaten rice
- 500 gchiura, beaten rice flakes
Buffalo elements
- 400 gbuffalo or beef, for choyla, grilled and tossed in spices
- 300 gbuffalo tenderloin, for kachila, if serving raw
Pulses
- 300 gblack soybeans, roasted
- 200 gblack-eyed beans, boiled
Vegetables
- 4potatoes, boiled and tossed in spices
- 1large piece of ginger, cut in matchsticks
- 200 gspinach or greens, wilted
- 1mooli radish, sliced
Other elements
- 6eggs, fried whole
- 200 gdried fish, fried
- 6 piecesof bara, lentil pancake
- a bowl of achar, pickle
To drink
- aila, the Newar distilled spirit
- or thwon, rice beer
Equipment
- individual brass or leaf plates
Directions
- Pick it over for any grit or husk. Some cooks dry-roast it briefly for a nuttier flavour. Grill the buffalo or beef over charcoal until well charred outside. It should still be pink in the middle.
- Let it rest and then slice it thinly. Toss it with mustard oil, chilli powder, garlic, ginger and timur.
- Finish it with a tempering of hot mustard oil and dried chilli. Soak them overnight and drain them. Dry them thoroughly on a cloth.
- Roast them in a dry pan for fifteen minutes, stirring. They should darken and become crisp. Toss them with salt while warm. Boil the potatoes and let them cool slightly.
- Cut them into rough even cubes. Toss them with mustard oil, salt, chilli and sesame paste. Add plenty of chopped coriander. Preparing the ginger takes only a knife.
- Peel a large piece of fresh ginger. Cut it into very fine matchsticks. Frying the eggs is done whole. Fry each egg whole in mustard oil. The yolk should stay soft and running. Soak the lentils and grind them into a thick batter.
- Fry spoonfuls in oil until golden on both sides. Mound the beaten rice in the centre. Arrange the other elements around it in small heaps. Do not mix any of it together.
Technique
- It is an assembled platter of many elements rather than a single cooked dish.
- Kachila is raw buffalo; if serving it, use a whole cut from a trusted butcher and never serve it to vulnerable people.
- Many platters use only grilled choyla rather than raw kachila, which is entirely normal.
Substitutions
- Beef in place of buffalo throughout.
- Grilled choyla alone, leaving out the raw kachila.
Variations
- Served with only the cooked elements.
- With extra pickles and vegetables for a vegetarian version.
- Made larger for a festival, with more elements.
History
Served at Newar feasts and religious rites in the Kathmandu Valley; each element carries symbolic meaning and the platter is shared by seating order.
Frequently asked questions
What is Samay Baji?
Samay Baji is a main from Nepal: ritual Newari platter of beaten rice, buffalo, egg, soybeans, ginger and local spirit. Served at Newar feasts and religious rites in the Kathmandu Valley; each element carries symbolic meaning and the platter is shared by seating order.
How long does Samay Baji take to make?
Samay Baji takes 2 hours of preparation and 1 hour of cooking. The recipe makes 6 platters. It is rated hard to make.
What can I substitute in Samay Baji?
Yes, within limits. Beef in place of buffalo throughout. Grilled choyla alone, leaving out the raw kachila.
What is the most important thing to get right in Samay Baji?
Fry spoonfuls in oil until golden on both sides. Mound the beaten rice in the centre. Arrange the other elements around it in small heaps. Do not mix any of it together.
