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Indian

Bore baasi (Chhattisgarhi soaked rice)

Vegetarian

बोरे बासी · bore bāsī

Cooked rice soaked in water — briefly for bore, overnight for baasi — and eaten cool with salt, raw onion, green chilli and curd. A cooling summer meal of Chhattisgarh's farming households, celebrated on 1 May.

Bore baasi (Chhattisgarhi soaked rice) is an Indian rice dish, ready in about 2 hours 25 minutes and made with long-grain white rice, onion and green chilli. It serves 3 and is rated beginner to cook.

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Prep
5 min
Cook
20 min
Rest
2 h
Total
2 h 25 min
Serves
3
Level
Beginner
Calories
260

For baasi, soak overnight (8–10 hours) instead of 2 hours.

Ingredients

3 servings

For the rice

For soaking

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Cook the rice in the water until soft, then spread it out to cool to room temperature quickly, within an hour.

    Food safety: Cooked rice can carry Bacillus cereus spores that survive cooking; cool leftover rice quickly and refrigerate it within an hour.

  2. Step 2

    Put the cooled rice in a clean bowl or clay pot and pour over the cooled boiled water to cover by about 3 cm. Cover. For bore, soak for 2–3 hours; for baasi, soak overnight (refrigerate it in hot weather — see food safety).

  3. Step 3

    To serve, lightly crush some of the grains with your fingers, stir in the salt and the curd (opens in a new tab) and lemon juice (opens in a new tab) if using. Ladle the rice with plenty of its water into bowls and eat with raw onion (opens in a new tab) and green chilli (opens in a new tab) on the side.

    • 3 min

About this dish

Origin
Chhattisgarh, India · Well documentedSoaked or lightly fermented rice is eaten across eastern India (pakhala in Odisha, panta bhat in Bengal). Chhattisgarh marks 1 May as Bore Baasi Tihar.More food from India
Dish
Breakfast · Lunch · Rice dishes · Main courses
Cooking method
Boiled, Fermented
Taste
mild, sour, refreshing, salty
Diet
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No gluten ingredients · No nut ingredients
All labelsVegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No gluten ingredients · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-fat · DASH-style
Without the optional extras: Vegan, Plant-based, Ovo-vegetarian, Dairy-freeWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Budget-friendly · Uses leftovers · Everyday
Cook more with
Long-grain white rice · Onion · Green chilli
Techniques
Boiling · Fermentation

Allergens

  • Contains, can be adapted: Milkfrom yogurt

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

260 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 459 g · recipe makes 3

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 8%
  • Carbohydrate 90%
  • Fat 2%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy260 kcal57 kcal
Protein5.2 g1.1 g
Carbohydrate57.1 g12.4 g
Net carbohydrate55.6 g12.1 g
Sugars1.8 g0.4 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre1.6 g0.3 g
Fat0.5 g0.1 g
Saturated fat0.1 g0 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol0 mg0 mg
Sodium595 mg130 mg
Salt equivalent1.5 g0.3 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
144 mg
Calcium
63 mg
Iron
3 mg
Magnesium
28 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
2 µg
Vitamin C
12 mg
Vitamin D
0 µg
Vitamin B12
0 µg
Folate (DFE)
266 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: yogurt, lemon juice.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • The soaking water (pej) is drunk too; it is mildly sour and very cooling.

Common mistakes

  • Soaking rice that has already sat out warm for hours — start with freshly cooked, quickly cooled rice.

Serve with

  • Traditionally eaten with chech or amari bhaji (sour leafy greens), raw onion, green chilli, pickle and roasted papad.
  • Bore with leftover dal or a dry vegetable makes a fuller meal.

Food safety

  • Cooked rice can carry Bacillus cereus spores that survive cooking; cool leftover rice quickly and refrigerate it within an hour.
  • Traditionally baasi is soaked overnight at room temperature. Food-safety agencies advise against holding cooked rice at warm room temperature; the safest way is to soak it in the fridge, which still softens the rice and gives a mild sourness.
  • Discard soaked rice that smells foul or slimy rather than pleasantly sour.

Storage

  • Eat the same day it is soaked; do not keep it beyond the next morning.

Variations

  • Bore: Rice soaked for a few hours on the same day; fresh and watery rather than sour.
  • Baasi: Rice soaked overnight, lightly fermented and tangy.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 3

Reviews & corrections

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