Bore Baasi

The night before: place the cooked rice in a clay pot or any deep vessel. Add enough water to fully submerge the rice (about 600 ml). Add salt and stir. Cover loosely and leave at room temperature overnight for 8–12 hours to ferment.

By morning, the rice will have fermented slightly — it will have a mild, pleasantly sour smell and the water will look slightly cloudy. This fermented rice-water mixture is bore baasi.

Stir the fermented rice gently. Taste and adjust salt if needed.

Serve the bore baasi in a bowl with the fermented water (the liquid is nutritious and is consumed along with the rice).

Prepare the accompaniments: finely slice the onion into rings. Slit the green chillies. Drizzle mustard oil over the onion slices and sprinkle with a pinch of salt.

Whisk the yogurt with roasted cumin powder and black salt to make a simple raita.

Serve the bore baasi with the mustard oil-dressed onion slices, slit green chillies, yogurt, and fresh coriander leaves on the side.

Traditionally, bore baasi is eaten by hand, mixing the accompaniments directly into the fermented rice.