Guyanese Bara Recipe

My best friend's mom, Aunty Anne, was visiting Florida and I was so excited to spend the afternoon cooking with her and finally learn how she makes her famous bara. Among family, friends, and everyone at temple, she's known as "the bara lady." 

Whenever there's a religious function, family gathering, or someone needs a tray of bara, she's the one people call. Making bara is her gift to others, and after watching her work, it's easy to see why. She also makes some of the best plantain chips I've ever had, but I'll save that recipe for another post! I'm so grateful she shared her recipe with me, and now I get to share it with all of you.

If you're familiar with Trinidadian bara, this is something completely different. In Trinidad, bara is the fried flatbread used to make doubles. Guyanese bara is a split pea fritter that belongs to our collection of dhal based snacks, alongside favorites like pholourie, baiganee, and potato balls.

Growing up Guyanese, bara was always found at weddings, temple functions, and big family gatherings. I remember standing in the kitchen watching the aunties and grandmas fry large batches of of bara and pholourie. My role was a turner, flipping the baras as soon as they puffed. Their hands moved quickly as they scooped up the batter, gently stretched it, and slipped it into the hot oil. It looked so easy, but it was years of practice that showed in how quickly they got it done, all while laughing and having conversations. 

Over time, I've become much more comfortable shaping bara myself, but I still remember how intimidating it felt in the beginning. The thing is no matter who teaches you, making bara is a skill you develop with practice. Your first few might look a little funny, and that's perfectly okay. They'll still taste delicious.

Of course, the bara is only half of the experience. A warm, fluffy bara dipped into hot mango sour is what takes this snack to the next level. The tangy, garlicky sour soaks into the bara, making every bite even more flavorful. Honestly, give me a plate of bara and mango sour and I don't need anything else.

Most Guyanese bara are oval shaped and fluffy, sometimes with a handful of spinach. You’ll see some version with a small hole in the center, this is to help them cook evenly. Aunty Anne's version has a hole and she learned this way while living in Suriname where there is a large Indian population and baras are made closer to the South Asian medu vada, but has a slightly different taste and texture.

Tips for Making Great Bara

If this is your first time making bara, I recommend cutting the recipe in half. A smaller batch makes it easier to practice shaping the batter until you get comfortable.

Here are a few tips that will help:

• Let the batter rise for the full two hours if you have the time. The extra rise helps create a lighter, fluffier bara.
• Beat the batter well with your hand before letting it rest. This incorporates air and improves the texture.
• Keep a small bowl of water mixed with a little oil nearby. Wetting your hands before shaping each bara keeps the sticky batter from clinging to your fingers.
• Fry the bara until they are just lightly golden. If they become too dark, they'll firm up as they cool.
• Before frying the entire batch, cook one bara and taste it. Adjust the salt or seasoning in the batter if needed.

I hope you enjoy Aunty Anne's recipe as much as my family does. These are best served fresh with plenty of mango sour on the side, though I won't judge if you eat three or four while they're still standing by the stove.