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Nepalese

Bara

Contains egg (no meat or fish)

वः · wo

Savoury Newari pancakes of ground black lentils spiced with ginger, garlic and cumin, cooked on a griddle until crisp at the edges — often topped with an egg.

Bara is a Nepalese street food, ready in about 40 minutes and made with black gram (urad dal), fresh ginger and garlic. It serves 4 and is rated easy to cook.

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No licensed photograph of this dish yet.

Prep
15 min
Cook
25 min
Total
40 min
Serves
4
Level
Easy
Calories
247

Plus overnight soaking of the lentils.

Ingredients

4 servings (8 bara)

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Drain the lentils and blend with the ginger and garlic (opens in a new tab), adding water only if needed, to a thick, slightly coarse batter. Beat in the cumin (opens in a new tab), turmeric (opens in a new tab) and salt.

  2. Step 2

    Heat a griddle with a little oil. Spread a ladle of batter into a thick 10 cm round and make a small dip in the centre.

    A flatbread cooking on a hot griddle
    How it looks · Photo: Muhammad Khawar Nazir on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    For egg (opens in a new tab) bara, break an egg into the dip. Drizzle oil around the edge and cook until golden underneath, then flip carefully and cook the other side until crisp.

    • 5 min
    • medium heat

    Food safety: Cook until the egg is set for vulnerable groups.

  4. Step 4

    Repeat with the remaining batter and serve hot.

    • 15 min
    A finished dish being plated
    How it looks · Photo: Willians Huerta on Pexels

About this dish

Origin
Kathmandu Valley, Nepal · Commonly attributedA Newar festival food, also sold as street food in Kathmandu and Patan.More food from Nepal
Dish
Snack · Breakfast · Street food · Appetizers & starters
Cooking method
Shallow-fried, Blended
Taste
savoury, earthy, aromatic / warmly spiced, mild
Diet
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · High-protein · High-fibre
All labelsVegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Whole-food focused · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · High-protein · High-fibre · DASH-style · Carb-conscious
Without the optional extras: Vegan, Plant-based, Lacto-vegetarian, Egg-freeWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Street food · Festive & celebration · Budget-friendly
Cook more with
Black gram (urad dal) · Fresh ginger · Garlic · Cumin · Turmeric · Mustard oil
Techniques
Shallow-frying · Wet grinding · Emulsification

Allergens

  • Contains, can be adapted: Eggsfrom egg
  • Contains, can be adapted: Mustardfrom mustard oil

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

247 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 77 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 20%
  • Carbohydrate 50%
  • Fat 30%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy247 kcal320 kcal
Protein13 g16.8 g
Carbohydrate31.5 g40.8 g
Net carbohydrate22.1 g28.7 g
Sugars——
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre9.4 g12.2 g
Fat8.5 g11 g
Saturated fat0.9 g1.2 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol——
Sodium458 mg594 mg
Salt equivalent1.1 g1.5 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
533 mg
Calcium
82 mg
Iron
4.3 mg
Magnesium
138 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
1 µg
Vitamin C
1 mg
Vitamin D
—
Vitamin B12
0 µg
Folate (DFE)
109 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: egg.
  • “—” 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

  • Don't thin the batter — bara should be thick and fluffy inside.

Common mistakes

  • Grinding the lentils with too much water — the bara spread thin and won't stay fluffy.

Serve with

  • Serve with a tomato or sesame achar, or alongside chatamari.

Storage

  • Batter keeps 1 day refrigerated; cooked bara are best hot.

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

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. 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

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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