Baati centre

M K Nangia 10 months ago

Food stuff is good, taste is good but seating arrangements are average. No parking. Need to find parking yourself at nearby area.

Raju Muthuswamy 58 months ago

Baati Chokha......... A tummy filler!

( Also spelled as Bati, Batti, Bhaati )

Additional Information:
1. There is a slight difference between bhaati and litti. They look the same but there is a difference between their stuffings. Litti is a Bihari dish while Baati is a UP state's dish. Both are tasty.

2. Chokha is made of vegetables and potatoes. And, as you guessed it, different regions will have different vegetables being added or removed to the potatoes.

I was hungry and when in Rome......?....????....? Eat like a Banarasi.....

So, I hailed an auto and asked him to take me to his favourite baati Chokha place/eatery/restaurant/Roadside food cart.

He obliged.

We reached this food cart and I had to wait as the locals were waiting eagerly for the "baati" to be "fire cooked". It takes a while for them to be ready as they are either coal or cow dung cake fire cooked. The baati is prepared and the wet dough balls are put in to the fire ( coal or cow dung cake ) and roasted till the outer shell is hard and inner fillings are cooked properly.

Then, the baatis are taken out and the ash is dusted off.

The baatis are allowed to be cooled so that they can be handled by bare hands and served with ......? Chokha! Of course!! ????

Chokha is prepared ahead and kept ready in containers. Chokha is simply a thick vegetable curry. Not completely dry or completely runny.

The combination of baati chokha with ghee is heavenly. It takes an immense effort of the will to stop devouring them. Obviously, one has to eat other Banarasi goodies!!!

As per an autorickshaw driver it is considered a light food which is consumed during summer. The reason for it being consumed during summer is that it does not upset the stomach whereas other foods considered "heavy" for the hot summer months cause stomach upset. Well, this information is directly from the streets of Varanasi. I hope it is true, if not, then it was a fun discussion to while away the hot morning as we waited for the bhaati to be ready.

Edit 1: Yes, Baati Chokha is indeed eaten in summer to beat the heat and is full of fibre.

Devendra Pandit 46 months ago

Plastic rice serving by popular baati chokha