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Showing posts with label Pala chattu. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pala chattu. Show all posts

Tuesday, December 2, 2014

Pala Chattu Pithau Bhaja ( Mushroom crispies)

Whenever we used to get fresh 'pala chattu' ( a type of mushroom that grows from rotten straws ) from our native, my grandmother always made these delicious and crisp fritters with 'pithau' and minimal spices. It had been a while since I made this as we do not get such a variety in Bangalore. The button mushrooms that we normally find taste quite different from 'pala chattu' and lack a distinct flavour of its own. Hence could not resist myself from making and devouring a few of these yummies while in BBSR.

Read on for the recipe -





















Preparation Time - 15 mins

Ingredients -


  • 2 cups pala chattu ( one can also substitute it with oyster mushroom)
  • 1/3 cup rice
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 dry red chili
  • 1 medium sized onion
  • 1-2 green chilis
  • 1 tsp besan (gram flour)
  • 2 pinch turmeric
  • 4-5 tsp oil
  • salt to taste

Preparation - Clean the mushroom and wash it. Allow the water to drain off. Chop it up into small pieces.

Soak the rice for about 1-2 hours and grind it into a thick paste along with the cumin seeds and red chili.

Cooking - Heat 2 tsp oil in a wok. Add the mushrooms along with turmeric and a little salt. Fry for 5-6 mins on high till most of the water evaporates. Remove from wok and allow to cool.

Add the mushrooms, 4-5 tsp of the rice paste, besan, chopped onion, green chili and salt to a mixing bowl. Mix together.

Heat a tawa/frying pan and drizzle it with a little oil. Put small lumps of the mushroom-rice batter mix on the pan and slightly flatten them. Fry them on a low flame on both sides till they turn brown.

Serve immediately. Taste good as starters or even as a side.




















Read here for another version of the Pala Chattu Bara .

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Pala Chattu Bara (Mushroom chop)

Mushrooms are a delight for vegetarians and people who want to lose weight. While being high in water content, they also happen to pack in a load of anti-inflammatory compounds and vitamins (especially Vitamin D ). One of the best substitutes for red meat, they are also fat-free, cholesterol-free and low in sodium. Little wonder that it finds its place of honor in Chinese medicine.

However a word of caution. Buy organic mushrooms or at least try to find where they are being sourced from as they happen to absorb heavy metals / toxins rather quickly.

'Pala Chattu' or mushrooms that grow naturally on rotting straws happen to be my favorite variety of mushrooms. As my visits to our villages have almost stopped, I do miss these mushrooms. But these days cultivated Pala Chattu is widely available in Orissa. These mushrooms have a distinct red color on the underneath.

While chattu is more commonly consumed as a curry (tarkari) in these parts of Orissa, 'Chattu Bara' or 'Chattu Chop' also happens to be a popular snack option. Read on for the recipe:

















Preparation Time - 30 minutes

Ingredients - 500 gm Pala Chattu, 1 large boiled potato, 1 large onion, 3-4 green chillis, 5-6 garlic flakes, 3 tbs chopped coriander leaves, 1 tbs roasted cumin-chilli powder (jeera-lanka gunda), 2 tsp turmeric powder, salt to taste, oil for frying.

Preparation - Take water in a large vessel. Dissolve 1 1/2 tsp turmeric in it. Add the mushrooms and allow to soak for 30 minutes.

Drain off the water and chop into small pieces. Do not throw away stem as it is also edible.

Chop the onion into small pieces. Crush/grate the garlic flakes.
















Cooking : Heat 2 tbs of oil in a wok/frying pan. Add the chopped mushroom along with remaining turmeric powder and 1/2 tsp salt, and stir fry on high flame till all the excess water evaporates. Remove and allow to cool down.


















Transfer the mushroom to a mixing bowl. Add the boiled potato, chopped onion, green chilli, cumin-chilli powder, coriander leaves, crushed garlic flakes and salt to taste. Mix well.

Pinch some part of the above mixture and shape into flat circles of about 1/2 inch thickness .






Heat a frying pan. Drizzle generously with oil. Place the baras over the pan and cook on both sides to a light brown/deep brown as per preference. Each side takes about 6-7 minutes on a low flame ( preferable ).

















Serve with a hot sauce as a starter or have it with white rice as a side dish.

















If you do not happen to be lazy like me, you can make/cut it into interesting shapes and roll it in bread crumbs before deep frying them. Makes for a better appearance and crisper baras.

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