Karamanga Khatta ( Star Fruit Curry from Odisha )

The outer. The inner. And a whole journey to encompass the voyage from the former to the latter. If seeing (the external) is believing, then knowing (the inner) is taking it to the next level of awareness. From the Western values of consumerism to the Indian values of spirituality, the differences between the two worlds could not have been more stark. And somehow this difference in approach crops up in the most mundane of things that we come across in everyday life.

Yeah. Something as mundane as the way we treat an ingredient like starfruit ! While the Western world is more than happy to use it as a pretty accessory to garnish those tempting fruit punches or even salads, the Eastern world makes good use of it's nutrients . From being made into juices to being candied or even curried, starfruit finds quite a lot of takers in this part of the world. 

Ofcourse, not to forget the fact that it is one of the most sought after 'food cravings' when it comes to pregnant women. But it is not just the tangy and slight sweet flavor that makes it such a hit during pregnancy when the changing hormones tend to play havoc on the taste buds. Nutrients in starfruit are believed to improve immunity and regulate the female hormones. Plus, those digestive juices are good for the guts and the stomach which tend to get sluggish during those nine months of gestation.

Here, I am sharing the recipe for a very simple starfruit curry that we usually prepare in Odisha. It is easy to prepare and low in calories. Read on -

Preparation Time - 25 mins

Ingredients - 

• 4-5 Lightly ripened Starfruits
• 1 tsp mustard paste 
• 1-2 garlic flakes 
• a sprig of curry leaves
• 1-2 dry red chilis
• 1/4 tsp pancha phutana
• 2 pinch turmeric power
• 1 tsp oil
• salt to taste
• 3-4 tsp sugar (or as per taste)

Preparation - Cut the starfruit across the length into pieces about 4-5 mm thick. 

Dissolve the mustard paste in about 1 cup water and let it stand for 10 mins.

Cooking - Heat the oil in a wok. 

Add the broken red chilis and pancha phutana. Once it starts spluttering , add curry leaves and crushed garlic. Saute for 20 seconds.

Add the starfruit pieces to the wok, sprinkle a little salt and saute on medium high for about 5 mins.

By this time the solids in the mustard paste would have settled down at the bottom of the cup. Carefully pour this water into the wok while still retaining the solid residue in the cup.

Add another cup of water to the wok. Sprinkle the turmeric powder and adjust the salt. Bring to a boil and then let simmer (covered) for 10-15 mins.

Finally add the sugar and let it just dissolve.

Remove from the heat.

Serve at room temperature. Best with steamed rice .

Desi Kukuda Jholo ( Country Style Chicken Curry )

Ok. I am done with the ranting and raving. Accompanied with a generous amount of head smacking, banging my head on the walls and tearing out my hair, it has left me looking like something that has been dragged out of the dumpster by a bunch of notorious canines. After all, it is India and every stone you throw is bound to finds it mark on an obnoxious canine or an even more obnoxious chauvinist.

If I ever had any inkling of doubt about the total chauvinist leanings of our society , those have been effectively squashed by the Supreme court and Delhi High Court verdicts. 'Hindu son can divorce wife if she tries to separate him from aged parents' sermonizes the first one, only to be backed by an equally regressive and undoubtedly fawning subordinate which rules 'Denying sex to husband for long period ground for divorce'. If it had been a fair world, all these words like 'son', 'wife', 'husband', etc would have been ditched in favour of the all encompassing 'spouse', thus giving equal rights to both parties in a marriage.

Now some may cry hoarse that there are many women-centric laws and evil women use those to harass hapless in-laws. Some of them even get helpless men arrested on charges of rape, harassment, stalking and so on. But I have rarely come across any cases of 'groom burning' nor have I seen lascivious groups of women stalking/teasing the poor guys in bus stands, metro stations or even as they avail public transport. So, I do not care much about laws that protect the endangered male species. And with that I rest my case.

Coming back to business as usual ( do I even have a choice ? ), today's recipe is a simple but amazing Country style chicken curry from Odisha. Since country chicken has a texture that mimics mutton and also take quite longer to cook as compared to farmed 'broiler' chicken, it's preparation is similar to that of a mutton curry. It is pan cooked for a long time till the chicken gives up some juice and takes on a shiny texture. We called the process 'kasha' in Odia and that is usually the key to the final taste of the curry. Too less 'kasha' means that one can make out the rawness of the ingredients while too much 'kasha' gives a blackish color to the curry and changes the aroma for the worse.

Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 1 hour 20 mins

Ingredients -


250 gm country chicken (desi kukuda)
1 medium sized potato
1 large onion + 1/2 of a medium onion ( the chopped onion should be equal in volume to the mutton pieces )
1 1/2 tbsp coarse garlic paste
1 1/2 tbsp coarsely chopped ginger
3-4 dry red chillis
1 big cardamom
1 bay leaf
2 2" cinnamon sticks
1/4 tsp turmeric
salt to taste
6 tsp mustard oil + 1 tsp for the marination

Preparation - Wash the chicken pieces and drain away all the water. Add salt, turmeric and 1 tsp mustard oil. Mix well and keep aside.

Cut the onions into medium sized pieces. Crush lightly using a mortar and pestle. Keep aside.

Also crush the ginger and garlic in the same way but just a little more fine.

Cut the potatoes into big chunks.

Cooking - Heat the oil in a pressure cooker.

Add the potatoes and fry till golden brown. Remove and keep aside.

Add the red chillis followed by the cardamom, bay leaf and cinnamon sticks to the hot oil. Fry till they turn fragrant.

Add the onions, ginger and garlic. Fry them on low flame till they turn quite red in color. (This is a sign that the onions have started turning sweet due to the caramelization process)

Next add the chicken pieces. Fry them till they stop oozing water. You do not have to stir continuously. Keep the lid on the cooker without completely closing it. Stir once every few minutes. This process takes a long time so keep patience ( grab a snack/drink something if all that heavenly smell is making you hungry ).

Once you see that the chicken pieces start leaving oil ( a sure sign that the water had dried up ) and take on a shiny coat, add 1 1/2 - 2 cups of boiling water along with the fried potato pieces. Adjust salt. Close the lid and cook for 1-2 whistles. Remove from flame.

Allow steam to escape before opening lid. Check if the chicken is done. Else add another half cup water and cook for another 1 whistle or two.

Serve hot with rice/rotis.

Note - If you do not want to use pressure cooker, use a thick bottomed copper vessel for best results.

Ragi Buttermilk

Another healthy and traditional drink from Odisha. A few days back I had posted the recipe for Ragi Sharbat (sweet) on my blog which elicted quite a few surprises. Most people were not aware that Ragi can be consumed in the raw form. Here is the savory version of the drink which can be best as 'Ragi Buttermilk'.
There is yet another version in which Ragi flour is dissolved in 'Torani', the water that is discarded after cooking rice. But I will leave it for some other time.

Read on for the recipe-

Preparation Time - 5 mins

Ingredients -

• 1 tall glass buttermilk
• 2 tsp Ragi flour
• 1 tsp chopped coriander leaves
• 1/3 tsp chopped green chilli
• 1/3 inch ginger (finely grated)
• salt to taste

Preparation - Throw in all the ingredients in a blender. Buzz for a few seconds.

Pour into a tall glass with a few ice cubes thrown in.

Serve immediately.


Note - If you do not have buttermilk available, make your own. Take 3-4 tsp yogurt with a glass of water in a blender and buzz for 1 minutes. Throw in some ice so that the fat separates out and floats to the top.