With rice being the staple grain of Odisha, there many kinds of 'Khichidi' that one can find in this state. Unlike the Southern states which have rice varieties that include veggies and a whole lot of spices, the Odia folks simply cannot do without their dal. The running joke in the community is that even if one serves a guest with half a dozen gravy dishes along with rice, they would still berate the fact that the host forgot to serve dal. The only exception to this 'till dal does us apart' rule is the 'pakhala' , a watery rice dish that is served mostly during summers. This dish dispenses the need to pair it with anything that remotely resembles a gravy. As for the others, no exceptions can be made. Never ever.
One such little known but nevertheless delicious rice variety is the 'Oria Arna', an offering at the famous Lingaraj temple in Bhubaneshwar. A simple rice and lentil preparation with a seasoning of ginger, bay leaf and asafoetida in desi ghee, it is sheer delight on the taste buds. Apart from the 'no onion no garlic' days, I also like to cook this dish on the days when I am feeling lazy and want an easy one pot meal.
Read on for the recipe -
Preparation Time - 20 mins
Ingredients -
Preparation - Wash the lentil and rice together. Strain and mix in the turmeric. Air dry on a flat surface for 2 hours.
Crush the ginger and keep aside.
Cooking - Heat 2 tsp ghee in a deep vessel. Add the cashews and raisins. Fry for 5-6 seconds and remove.
Add the bay leaf to the ghee. Once it releases fragrance, add the rice and dal to the same vessel. Stir fry for 3-4 mins till the ghee coats each and every grain.
Add 4 cups water, crushed ginger, sugar and salt. Also, add the finely chopped coconut.
Cook till done.
Heat the remaining ghee in a tempering pan. Add the asafoetida and allow it to crackle. Pour this tempering over the rice. Mix in the fried cashews and raisins.
Serve warm.
Note - I personally like to have it with some fried papad and occasionally some thick yogurt too.
One such little known but nevertheless delicious rice variety is the 'Oria Arna', an offering at the famous Lingaraj temple in Bhubaneshwar. A simple rice and lentil preparation with a seasoning of ginger, bay leaf and asafoetida in desi ghee, it is sheer delight on the taste buds. Apart from the 'no onion no garlic' days, I also like to cook this dish on the days when I am feeling lazy and want an easy one pot meal.
Read on for the recipe -
Preparation Time - 20 mins
Ingredients -
- 1 cup arwa rice ( jeera rice)
- 1 cup split yellow moong dal
- 2-3 tsp desi ghee
- 2 tsp sugar
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 1/2 inch ginger
- 2 pinch asafoetida
- 1/4 tsp turmeric
- 4 tsp chopped cashews
- 4 tsp raisins
- 4-5 tsp finely chopped coconut pieces
- salt to taste
Preparation - Wash the lentil and rice together. Strain and mix in the turmeric. Air dry on a flat surface for 2 hours.
Crush the ginger and keep aside.
Cooking - Heat 2 tsp ghee in a deep vessel. Add the cashews and raisins. Fry for 5-6 seconds and remove.
Add the bay leaf to the ghee. Once it releases fragrance, add the rice and dal to the same vessel. Stir fry for 3-4 mins till the ghee coats each and every grain.
Add 4 cups water, crushed ginger, sugar and salt. Also, add the finely chopped coconut.
Cook till done.
Heat the remaining ghee in a tempering pan. Add the asafoetida and allow it to crackle. Pour this tempering over the rice. Mix in the fried cashews and raisins.
Serve warm.
Note - I personally like to have it with some fried papad and occasionally some thick yogurt too.
