Gurubariya Ambila ( A rustic vegetable soup from Odisha )

Well...excuse me for the 'Gurubariya' bit . I kept thinking of a name for this recipe and could not come up with anything better. While the Ambila is a popular dish from Odisha which is somewhat similar to the Andhra rasam, this version is made only during Manabasa Gurubar or the thursdays of the Hindu month of Margasira. Devoid of the generous garlic tempering and made to include only a few select vegetables ( sweet potato, radish, banana stem & taro ) that are usually offered to Goddess Lakshmi, this has a unique taste which is unlike the regular vegetarian version (click here for recipe) or the non-vegetarian version(click here for recipe).

Read on -

Preparation Time - 15-20 mins

Ingredients -

• 1/2 cup radish (cut into circles)
• 1/4 cup sweet potato (cut into circles)
• 1/4 cup taro/arbi (cut into circles)
• 1/4 cup banana stem (cut into small pieces)
• 1 green chili
• 1 dry red chili
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp ginger juliennes (my addition)
• 1 tbsp jaggery
• 1 lemon sized ball of tamarind
• pinch of asafoetida
• salt to taste
• 1/5 tsp turmeric powder
• 1/2 tsp refined oil/ghee

Preparation - Mix the banana stem pieces with a bit of salt and set aside for 20 mins. Squeeze out the water from the pieces.

Soak the tamarind in 1/2 cup warm water for 15 mins. Mash it with hands and strain the liquid. Discard the solids.

Cooking - Add all the vegetables to a pressure cooker along with 4 cups of water, green chili, turmeric and salt to taste. Cook for 2 whistles. Remove from flame and keep aside till steam escapes.

Put the pressure cooker on a low flame. Add the jaggery and the tamarind to it. Allow to simmer for 6-7 mins. Adjust consistency.

Heat the oil/ghee in a small pan. Add the cumin seeds, asafoetida, broken red chili and curry leaves to it. Once it gets spluttering, pour the tempering over the contents of the pressure cooker. Boil for 1 minute before removing from flame.

Serve it hot with meals or enjoy as a light soup.

Koli achara /Ber ka achar/Kuller Achar ( and a whiff of nostalgia )

'Koli' or 'barakoli' used to be one of my favorite fruits during the school days. I still prefer it to strawberry, raspberry, blueberry or for that matter, any other berry on this planet. Almost everything about it was so much fun. Eagerly gobbling a few of the still green ones and spitting them out in disgust, waiting for them to take on that slightly golden hue which signaled the ripening stage, throwing stones/beating the branches with long sticks to pluck the ripened berries from the tree, all accompanied with the admonishing from elders who forbid us to eat them before Saraswati Puja. Growing up in a small town like Rourkela where there were lots of 'barakoli' trees in almost every neighborhood, we surely had a great time. It was considered quite cool to snatch some berries from a neighbour's tree while the occupants of the house were having their afternoon siesta. And thankfully nobody branded a bunch of kids as 'kleptomaniacs' in those days.

Once Saraswati Puja was over, one would find the fruit being sold everywhere in the local markets. Though it was less fun as compared to savoring the first (read 'stolen') berries of the season, we still consumed them till we got stomach cramps or sometimes even a bad cough. But still these minor side effects did not deter us kids. Finally it would be time to pickle the berries. The ladies of the house would wash and dry the berries before pickling them. And we would finish more than half of the stuff even before they reached the pickling stage. So, my grandmother would pickle the remaining lot and keep it out of reach. Somehow she managed to ration the stuff so that it lasted almost the entire year. Aaah, those days were quite magical.

But these days we always buy our pickles off the supermarket shelves. Neither do they have the taste which my grandmother's pickles had nor will my kid have any such memories to hold on to. Maybe that's why I made this pickle so that he can experience some of the magic though in a much subdued manner. Here is the recipe -

Preparation Time - 15 mins (this is the coking time only, the drying process takes days)


Ingredients -

• 250 gms koli/ber
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp fenugreek/methi seeds
• 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp fennel/saunf seeds
• 3-4 dry red chilis
• 1 cup jaggery
• 4-5 tsp mustard oil
• 1/2 tsp salt or to taste

Preparation - Wash and clean the berries. Dry them a bit so that the surface moisture evaporates.

Crack open each one and check for insects. This is the most time consuming part but one has to be careful while doing it.

Sprinkle turmeric and a little salt on the berries. Mix thoroughly and sun dry for 3-4 days.

Cooking - Dry roast the mustard, fenugreek and fennel seeds. Once cool, grind them into a powder.

Separately dry roast the red chilis and cumin seeds. Once cool, grind them into a powder.

Heat the oil in a wok. Add the jaggery and the red chili-cumin powder. Sprinkle a few teaspoons of water. Once the jaggery melts and starts bubbling, add the dried berries. 

Cook for 2-3 minutes or till the jaggery thickens. Remove from flame and sprinkle the mustard-fenugreek-fennel seed powder and mix thoroughly.

Allow to cool down completely before bottling it up. Stays good for an year or even longer (that is if you can control the urge to gobble it up).

Note - Some people also prefer to make this pickle by cooking the dried berries in jaggery to which some chili powder has been added and finally adding a tempering of pancha-phutana or panch-phoran at the end.

Pancha-phutana or panch-phoran is a mix of mustard, cumin, fenugreek, nigella and fennel seeds in equal proportion. It is very frequently used in Odia and Bengali cuisine.

Ghadaghadiya Tarkari ( An authentic Odia Recipe for Samba Dashami )

'Samba Dashami' evokes images of women getting up early to take a bath before at the crack of dawn. The kitchens come alive with the clanging of utensils and the heavenly aromas drifting out of them. The rising sun rise is greeted with a cacophony of sounds like the blowing of the conch shells (sankha), the 'hulu-huli' ( a kind of sound uttered by mouth) and the ringing of bells. This ritual is observed for the good health and long life of the children and the mother usually offers a particular dish (year after year) to the Sun God for each one of brood. Usually various kinds of Pitha or sweets are offered along with the Ghadaghadiya tarkari. Another variety of prasad is offered to the Sun God during the noon. The final prasad is offered to Lord Yama in a ritual known as the 'Mahakala Puja'. This pooja is done at night and 'Budha Chakuli' is offered to the God.

The story of Samba Dashami is attributed to Samba, the son of Lord Krishna. It is said that Samba who was  afflicted with leprosy had prayed to the Sun God for 12 long years and finally he was cured. The temple dedicated to the Sun God still stands on the Chandrabhaga beach (near Konark temple). Devotees throng this place on the day of Samba Dashami.

Since it is offered to the God, 'Ghadaghadiya Tarkari' does not contain any onion or garlic. The vegetables which go into it are supposed to benefit those suffering from cold and cough, both of which are common ailments during the winter months. Samba Dashami is celebrated on the 10th day of the Shukla Pakhya (waxing moon) during the Odia month of Pausa. This year it falls on 31st December.

Read on  -

Preparation Time - 20 mins (plus extra time required to chop all the vegetables)

Ingredients -

• 1 cup mati alu /yam (cubed)
• 1 cup kakharu/pumpkin (cubed)
• 1/2 cup amrutabhanda/raw papaya (cubed)
• 1/2 cup shakarkand/sweet potato (cubed)
• 1/2 cup saru/taro (cubed)
• 1/2 cup alu/potato (cubed)
• 1/2 cup mula/radish (cubed)
• 1/2 cup baigana/eggplant (cubed)
• 1/2 cup kancha kadali/raw banana (cubed)
• 1 cup simba/broad beans (inch long pieces)
• 1 cup jhudunga/yard long beans (inch long pieces)
• 2-3 medium sized tomatoes (halved)
• 1/2 cup gajar/carrot (cubed) (optional)
• 1/2 cup potola/pointed gourd (cubed) (optional)
• 1/2 cup janhi/ridge gourd(cubed) (optional)
• 1 cup boiled lentils ( mix of bengal gram, kabuli chana, whole green moong, yellow peas) (optional)
• 1/2 cup green peas (optional)
• 1 cup fried badi
• 2-3 dry red chilis
• 1-2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp roasted cumin-chili powder
• 2 tsp oil
• 1 tsp ghee
• 1/3 tsp kala luna/black salt
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• salt to taste
• fistful of coriander leaves

Preparation - Wash and clean all the vegetables. Some of them like raw banana, eggplant have a tendency to blacken if left in the open for too long. So, immerse them in a bowl of water to which a little turmeric has been added.

Cooking - Heat the oil in a large wok/degchi. Add the broken red chilis and cumin seeds to it. Once it gets spluttering, add vegetables like yam, potato, sweet potato, raw banana, pumpkin, carrot and papaya. Saute for a few minutes before adding 2 cup boiling water, salt and turmeric. Cover with a heavy lid and allow to boil for 3-4 mins

Add the remaining vegetables along with the lentils and let it boil for another 5-6 mins or till the veggies are cooked.

Finally add the roasted cumin-chili powder and coriander leaves just before removing from the flame.

Add the black salt and badi when serving.

This curry is usually served piping hot and tastes good with parathas.

Note - If making this curry on a regular day, one can add some fried onions, GG paste and freshly grated coconut to it.

Capsicum-Mushroom Stir Fry ( Shimla Maricha - Chattu bhaja)

My Odisha trip is coming to an end and the last of these days are turning out to be quite hectic. Hence I am not getting time to do much cooking apart from the regular meals. And I try and stick to quick and simple dishes whenever possible so that we can get more time to spend with family and friends.

This is a simple stir fry I made today with some capsicum and leftover mushroom fry ( simply fried with a bit of salt and turmeric ). Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 15 mins

Ingredients -

• 1 1/2 cup mushroom (chopped in small pieces)
• 2/3 cup green capsicum (chopped into small pieces)
• 1 large onion (chopped into thin long pieces)
• 2-3 green chilis (finely chopped)
• 2 pinch turmeric
• 4 tsp mustard oil
• 1/5 tsp salt or to taste

Cooking - Heat 2 tsp oil in a wok. Add the mushrooms along with turmeric and a little salt. Stir fry on high heat till the mushrooms no longer ooze water. Remove from wok and keep aside.

Add more oil to the wok. Add the chopped green chilis and onions. Fry till onions turn translucent.

Add the capsicum and the fried mushrooms. Adjust the salt and stir fry for a few minutes on high till the capsicum just starts to wilt.

Remove from the wok and serve hot with rice/rotis.

Click here for more delicious mushroom recipes !!

Fried Fish Parcels (with Turmeric leaf)

Few days back, I had posted the recipe for fried fish parcels using the banana leaf. Loved the flavour that it imparted to the fish and wanted to try out the recipe using various other kinds of leaves like pumpkin, saal, etc which are generally used in the villages of Odisha. But since I could not get my hands on any of these, my Mom suggested that I give it a try with turmeric leaves. With Prathamashtami celebrated a few days back, some of these leaves were still lying in the fridge. I had eaten enough Enduri during the past week and so I decided to put these super aromatic leaves to a different use.

Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 30 mins

Ingredients -

• 4 pieces of Mirkali fish (Rohu/Bhakura is also fine)
• 2 tsp mustard-garlic-coconut-green chili paste 
• 1 1/2 tsp mustard oil
• 2-3 green chilis (slit lengthwise)
• 2 pinch turmeric
• 1/5 tsp salt
• 2 tsp mustard oil for frying
• 8 pieces of turmeric leaf


Preparation - Wash and marinate the fish with salt, turmeric and mustard-coconut paste. Leave aside for 10 mins.


Make a cross with two turmeric leaves. Place a piece of fish in the centre. Drizzle mustard oil over it and place 2-3 pieces of slit green chili. Close the parcel and secure it with a string.


Cooking - Heat the mustard oil on a pan. Once it gets smoking, add the parcels and immediately lower the flame. Once the leaf on the bottom surface has turned brown with black spots showing at some places, flip it over. Let it sit on the pan till the leaf turns brown. (it takes roughly 7-8 minutes to cook on each side)


Switch off the flame and remove the pan. Keep aside for 5 minutes.


Carefully open the parcels and discard the leaves.


Serve hot with white rice and dal.

Note - For the mustard paste, the ratio of the ingredients is ' 2 tsp black mustard seeds : 2 tbsp freshly grated coconut: 4 garlic cloves : 1 green chili '. 

Alu Pitha (Potato Dosa)

During my childhood days, my grandmother used to travel to her native village frequently. She used to bring back all kinds of freshly harvested produce from our ancestral fields and we would eagerly lap it up. Among all the things she brought back (including the smoked fish and the bamboo shoots), i loved the newly dug out baby potatoes the most. They had a taste and such a wonderful texture that one does not find in the variety sold in the markets.

Most of the times we used to cut it into half and stir fry it with a little mustard paste. That would be the heavenly accompaniment with 'Pakhala' (Read more about the famous 'watered rice' from Odisha HERE) during the hot summer months. Sometimes, we made alu dum with it. But on rare occasions, we turned it into a pitha or a dosa/uttapam kind of dish that goes very well with rice. I had quite forgotten about this recipe but when my mom made it during my recent trip to Rourkela, the memories came flooding back.

Read on for the simple recipe -

Preparation Time - 10-12 mins


Ingredients -

• 9-10 baby potatoes
• 1/4 tsp cumin seeds
• 1-2 dry red chili
• 1 tsp rice (i used arwa/raw rice but one can also use Sona masuri instead)
• 2-3 tsp mustard oil
• salt to taste

Preparation - Soak the cumin seeds, red chili and rice for 30 mins.

Slightly crush the potatoes using a mortar and pestle . (else you can also chop it into small bits)

Take the soaked cumin seeds, red chili and rice in a mixer jar. Buzz it to get a smooth paste. Then add the crushed potatoes and give it another quick whiz. The mix should be coarse.

Cooking - Heat the oil in a pan/tawa. Add the potato mix to the pan and flatten it out like a pancake or uttapam. (do not spread it too thin)

Cook on one side till it turns reddish. Flip it over carefully and cook it to the same extent on the other side as well.

Remove from the pan.

Serve it piping hot with hot rice or pakhala.

Note - It does not taste good after it cools down. Re-heating also affects the flavour adversely. So, make it the last dish you cook when sitting down for your meal.

Fried Fish Parcels

Bored with the various kinds of fish curries and fries, I had been planning to try out something new with fish. And the Rohi fish being so very fresh in Odisha, I was reluctant to try anything crazy lest I spoil it. It was during one such confused moment that I came up with this rather simple preparation.

After marinating the fish in a salt-turmeric-mustard-garlic-green chili paste, I placed it on a banana leaf and drizzled it with more mustard oil. Then I threw in 2-3 pieces of slit green chili before wrapping up the leaf and securing it with the drumstick fibers( it was the first thing that I could find in the kitchen). People in villages usually use some kind of bark strips or natural fibers to secure the parcels.The parcels were then pan fried on low flame till the leaf turned black and shrunken. Though similar to a Bengali Fish Paturi, this one uses minimal spices.

Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 30 mins

Ingredients -

• 4 pieces of Rohi (Rohu) fish
• 2 tsp mustard-garlic-green chili paste 
• 1 1/2 tsp mustard oil
• 2-3 green chilis (slit lengthwise)
• 2 pinch turmeric
• 1/5 tsp salt
• 2 tsp mustard oil for frying
• 4 pieces of banana leaf (8" X 8" preferably) (tender leaves are best)


Preparation - Wash and marinate the fish with salt, turmeric and mustard paste. Leave aside for 10 mins.


Place each piece on a banana leaf. Drizzle mustard oil over it and place 2-3 pieces of slit green chili. Close the parcel and secure it with a string.


Cooking - Heat the mustard oil on a pan. Once it gets smoking, add the parcels and immediately lower the flame. Once the leaf on the bottom surface has turned brown with black spots showing at some places, flip it over. Let it sit on the pan till the leaf turns brown. (it takes roughly 7-8 minutes to cook on each side)






















Switch off the flame and remove the pan. Keep aside for 5 minutes.

Carefully open the parcels and discard the leaves.

Serve hot with white rice and dal.

Note - For the mustard paste, the ratio of the ingredients is ' 2 tsp black mustard seeds : 4 garlic cloves : 1 green chili '. 

Biri Gojja ( A Steamed savoury delicacy )

Biri Gojja is one of the very few savoury pithas that I have ever tasted/tried. While most of the Odia pithas are more or less on the sweeter side, some like the saru chakuli, poda pitha (the Western Odisha version), sada enduri (without stuffing) and biri gojja fall into the exceptions category. Since I do not have a sweet tooth, I am naturally inclined towards the latter and love to have then with a nice curry like Ghuguni, alu dum or even Mutton/Chicken curry.

The biri gojja can be described as similar to a sijha/sukhla manda with an steamed 'biri bara' kind of stuffing. Biri or black lentil is ground into a thick batter and seasoned with various spices before being stuffed into the pitha. This recipe belongs to the Salepur/Padmapur region of Odisha and not many people know about it. However my in-laws belong to that region and my  MIL's sister churns out the most lip-smacking gojja's ever. Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 1 hour

Ingredients -

• 1 1/2 cups raw rice 
• 4 cups water
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ghee

For the stuffing -

• 2/3 cup black lentil/biri (skinless)
• 1-2 finely chopped green chilis
• 1 sprig curry leaves (finely chopped)
• coarsely crushed black pepper
• salt to taste

Preparation: Soak the rice for 10-15 mins. Wash and drain all the water ( Use a colander, do not dry under the fan or the sun ). Put in a grinder and grind into a fine powder.

Wash and soak the black lentil for 2-3 hours. Grind into a smooth and thick paste. Season it with salt, pepper, curry leaves and green chilis.

Cooking: Bring the water to boil. Add salt. Add the rice flour in small batches and mix continuously so that no lumps are formed.

Stir the mixture on a low flame for about 15 minutes till it takes on a softer consistency than the dough used for making rotis. Sprinkle the ghee and mix in . Switch off the flame at this stage.

Allow the dough to cool down a few degrees till it is tolerable. Rub ghee all over your hands and knead the dough for 5 mins to make it smoother.

Rub some more oil over your hands. Pinch small lumps out of the dough. Roll each lump into a ball and gently pat it to flatten it out into a circle. Put some of the black lentil dough on one half of the circle and fold the other half over it. Press it gently to close on the sides but keep the middle portion slightly open. (This ensures that the batter gets cooked thoroughly during steaming).

Boil water in a idli maker/steamer. Spread some banana leaves/thin cloth over the idli plates. Put the gojjas/dumplings over the leaf/cloth. Close the lid and steam 25-30 mins. Allow to stand with lid covered for 5-10 mins.

Take out of the idli vessel/steamer and serve warm.

Note: When adding the rice flour to milk and water, pass it through a sieve to avoid any lumps. It is important to work with the dough while it is hot else it loses its elasticity .

Janhi-Chingudi Sukhua Tarkari (Ridge gourd-shrimp curry)

It is no secret that I love mixing veg and no-veg ingredients in my recipes. Maybe it has got something to do with my Odia roots. But I suspect that laziness plays a good part in it. Since cooking veg and non-veg separately calls for more effort and simply skipping one just does not sound/feel right, one has to choose the middle path of mixing and matching the ingredients from both core groups. I keep trying out recipes from different parts of the state/country. Poee chingudi, chingudi dalma,chicken saagwala,  maccha mahura, maccha chencheda, sukhua-bilati baigana poda, the list is a long one.

This recipe however is indigenous to Western Odisha. Most village folks prefer to add fresh shrimp caught straight from the neighborhood pond/river. But when the water dries up during the summers, the sun dried/smoked version of shrimp makes for a good substitute.

Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 15 mins

Ingredients -

• 3 cups ridge gourd (cubed)
• 1 cup dried shrimp
• 1 medium sized onion (roughly chopped)
• 3-4 garlic cloves
• 1/2 tsp pancha phutana
• 1-2 dry red chili
• 2 tsp big mustard seeds
• 2 pinch turmeric
• 3 tsp oil
• salt to taste

Preparation - Wash and soak the dry shrimp for 1/2 hour.

Grind the mustard seeds, garlic pods and 1 red chili into a fine paste. Dissolve it in 2/3 cup water.

Cooking - Heat the oil in a wok. Add the broken chili and pancha phutana. Once it gets spluttering, add
the onion. Fry till translucent.

Add the shrimp and fry for 2 minutes before adding the ridge gourd cubes to it. Fry for 2-3 minutes.

Add the water in which mustard paste has been dissolved, taking care to discard the solid bits that have settled in the bottom of the cup.

Add salt and turmeric. Cover with a lid and cook on medium flame till the ridge gourd is done. Increase the flame a bit if there is a lot of water remaining. This curry should have a semi dry consistency.

Remove from the wok.

Serve with white rice.

Sajana Phula Bhaja

Drumstick flowers or Moringa flowers are known as 'Sajana phula' in Odia. Not very long back, a drumstick tree was a mandatory part of every garden in Odisha. The other must plants were the banana plant, papaya and a fruit tree like mango and/or guava. But with rising land rates and shrinking plot sizes, the gardens are being dispensed with and most people no longer have access to such a delicacy. And sadly one does not find it being sold in the markets.

Residing in Blore, I could only dream of having access to it. So, when I made the annual trip to my native, it was on my must-eat list along with 'karadi' and the famous Rourkela 'Gupchup' . Though I sometimes have it in Bhubaneshwar, the Gupchup here is simply a class apart. Almost everyone swears by the vendor in their own locality or a nearby place. But there are some crazy folks who would not mind making a trip (in some cases a long one)  to Sec 15/ Ispat Market /Sec 20 for savoring the stuff sold by a particular vendor. Since I no longer have the inclination to follow in their footsteps, I am happy to sample the stuff dished out by the nearest vendor.

Coming back to the recipe, it is a frugal one made with the simplest of ingredients. Read on -

Preparation Time - 10-15 mins (most of it is used for cleaning the flowers)

Ingredients -

• 2 cups drumstick flowers
• 1 green chili
• 2 pinch pancha phutana
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 tsp oil
• salt to taste

Preparation - Pluck the drumstick flowers from the bunch. Throw away the dried and shriveled ones. Wash and clean them.

Cooking - Heat the oil in a wok. Add the broken green chili and pancha phutana. Once it stops spluttering, add the crushed garlic flakes along with the cleaned flowers.

Stir fry for 3 mins. Add the salt and mix in. Remove from the flame.

Serve as a side dish with rice/rotis and dal.

Note - The very tender drumsticks can also be fried along with the flowers. 

Ghora Manda

Yesterday was the first Gurubar(Thursday) of Margasira month (2014). The custom in my father's family is to observe Manabasa for every Thursday of this month, so my mother kept the Manaa (which symbolizes Goddess Lakshmi) and offered prasad three times a day. This may vary for some folks who may choose to keep the Manaa only after 'Prathamashtami' has been observed or even others who choose to keep it after Sankranti. Apart from this, these days one may also find some Odia women (m ostly those who are working) observing only the last Thursday of the month.

Each Manabasa Gurubar calls for a special 'bhoga' or offering. While the offering of the 'chakata bhoga' or mashed banana, chenna, milk and sugar/jaggery at the first prasad in the morning is common to all parts of the state, the anna bhoga or afternoon meal offered to the Goddess widely differs. Kheeri, Tarana, Khechudi, Arwa bhata, Dahi pakhala, Kanika are some examples of the 'anna bhoga'. The evening bhoga is usually a type of a pitha like Kakara, sijha manda, Malpua, attakali, gaintha, chakuli, etc. While some folks may also choose to offer the pitha along with the anna bhoga, the general rule it that it should contain rice as one of the ingredients. Though not a hard and fast rule ( and people do have a general tendency to twist the rules as per their convenience ), one can add a small amount of rice flour if making the kakara/manda/malpua with suji or maida.

One such pitha that is very popular in the Sundargarh (or more specifically Bonei) district is the Ghora or Ghura Manda. Made with a watery rice batter (not flour), this one has an amazing texture that it akin to to a pudding. The stuffing or 'pura' can be a mix of coconut, chenna (cottage cheese), sesame and groundnuts. Soft and melt-in-the-mouth types, this takes a few trials to perfect but is very much worth the effort. Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 45-50 mins

Ingredients -

• 1 1/2 cup arwa rice
• 1 coconut (grated)
• 1 1/2 cup chenna (cottage cheese)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• jaggery/sugar as per taste
• 2 tsp ghee
• a pinch of camphor
• 1-2 pinch cardamom powder

Preparation - Wash and soak the rice for 2-3 hours. Drain excess water and grind into a fine paste. Adjust the consistency to a flowing liquid one ( just like Chittau Pitha batter or Neer Dosa batter ).

Take the grated coconut, chenna, camphor and cardamom powder in a mixing bowl. Mash everything together.

Cooking - Slowly drain the batter into a large wok taking care to leave behind any solids (residue) in the bottom of the grinder/mixie jar. (If this residue gets into the wok, it makes the pitha grainy and spoils the overall texture.)

Add salt and a little jaggery to the wok. Switch on the flame taking care to keep it low. Keep stirring at regular intervals so that it does not catch at the bottom. Once the mixture thickens to that of a custard ( or somewhat thicker than Ragi malt ) consistency, switch off the flame.

Pour ladles of the hot mixture onto a greased steel plate or banana leaf. Gently spread (but not too much) using the back of a spoon. Layer with the stuffing of sweetened coconut and cottage cheese. Seal it or top it with more of the hot mixture. (While the more seasoned cooks can afford to touch the hot stuff, the rookies are warned to keep their fingers safe and unscathed)

Allow it to rest till it is completely cool.

Serve. (It tastes even better the next day so do remember to pop in a few pieces into the fridge)

Click here for details on the Manabasa Gurubar Puja .

Chaadaakhai Special

A quick recap of my top picks for this Chaadaakhai !! The recipes are already posted on my blog.


1. Mutton Jholo - click here 

2. Chicken Chettinad - click here

3. Chicken Biryani - click here

4. Chingudi Jholo - click here

5. Kanchaa Illishi Tarkari - click here

[Sorry about not being able to provide the images. There seems be a network/server issue this morning]

Phalahari Choley (No onion No garlic recipe)

Today is the first day of Panchuka or the five holiest days of the Hindu month of Kartika. While it is a standard practice among all (almost) oriya folks to refrain from eating non-veg throughout the month, these five days are strictly adhered to. The days begin with 'Brundawati Puja' or the worshiping of the Tulsi plant. Beautiful and colorful patterns called 'Muruja' ( Rangoli ) are drawn around the Tulsi 'Chaunra' or the pot/pedestal on which the plant has been placed. In addition those folks who observe 'Anla Nabami' or the day preceding 'Panchuka', a small 'anla' or gooseberry plant is also worshiped along with the Tulsi.

As this month is the peak time for all Shiva devotees, one witnesses long queues at the Shiva temples or 'Dhams' especially on the Mondays. Most folks residing in or around Bhubaneshwar try to visit Dhabaleshwara or Lingaraja, both of which are popular Shiva temples. Another popular destination during Panchuka is the Jaganaath Dham at Puri. Lord Jagannath and his siblings take up five different get-ups or 'Beshas' during those five days. These are in the order - 'Lakshmi-Narayana Besha', 'Bankachula Besha', 'Tribikram Besha', 'Lakshmi-Nrusingha Besha' and the 'Raja Rajeswari Besha'. The last day getup or the 'Raja Rajeswari Beshi' is a splendid sight with the deities decked up with huge golden ornaments and limbs.

In some of the Odia families Panchuka also means giving up on eating onions and garlic. Hence the lunch menu is largely restricted to dalma, arwa anna, saga, bhaja and khatta. For dinner, it is usually paratha/puri along with dalma or a no onion-no garlic version of alu dum/kabuli chana/santula/buta dali-kakharu tarkari. While I usually prepare kabuli chana/choley with onions, there is a very delicious version that is reserved for osa-bara days. Read on for the simple yet delicious recipe -

Preparation Time - 30 mins


Ingredients -


2 cups kabuli chana/garbanzo beans
3-4 small potatoes (cubed)
1 1/2 cups pumpkin cubes
2 small tomatoes
1 1/2 tsp choley masala/curry powder (use a no onion-no garlic one)
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp garam masala
1-2 dry red chili
1 tsp sugar
1 1/2 tbsp kasuri methi
1/2 tsp turmeric
salt to taste
3 tbsp oil


Preparation - Soak the kabuli chana overnight. Wash and cook with 1 cup water, salt and turmeric. Remove from flame after 4-5 whistles on medium flame. Keep aside till steam escapes. Drain excess water

Boil the potatoes and pumpkin cubes till just done. Drain the excess water and keep aside.

Cooking - Heat the oil in a wok. Add the broken chili and cumin seeds. Once they start to splutter, add the finely chopped tomato.

Allow the tomato (2-3 mins) to soften before adding the choley masala, chili powder, potato and pumpkin pieces. Fry for 4-5 mins till they start getting mushy. Add the drained kabuli chana at this stage. Mix together and cook for 3-4 mins.

Add 1 1/2 - 3 cups boiling water along with garam masala and sugar. Rub the kasuri methi between the palms to warm it before adding it to the wok. Bring to a boil and allow to simmer for 5-6 mins.

Remove from the flame. The consistency of the curry will thicken as and when it cools so be careful about the water proportion.

Serve hot or warm with paratha/phulka/rotis.

Pani Santula

Pani Santula or boiled veggies in a soupy base is one of the healthiest side dish that one can have with rotis. Most people in Odisha consider it as a must-have component of their dinner as it contains a heavy does of fiber and nutrients while being light on the stomach. It uses minimum spicing and one can also make it without adding any onion or garlic.

While I have used quite a few veggies as stocked in my fridge, one can also add more or skip a few as per convenience. Some veggies like cauliflower, carrot, drumstick add a lot of flavor to this dish. Read on for my version -

Preparation Time - 15 mins

Ingredients -

• 1 cup red pumpkin
• 1/2 cup raw papaya
• 1/2 cup raw banana
• 1/2 cup yam (mati alu)
• 1/2 cup taro (saru)
• 2-3 pointed gourd (potolo)
• 1 small eggplant
• 1 cup chopped yard long beans (jhudunga/barbati)
• 1/3 cup beans
• 1 medium potato
• 1-2 tomatoes
• 1 large onion (roughly chopped)
• 3-4 crushed garlic flakes
• 1 tsp pancha phutana
• 2-3 dry red chili
• 1/2-1 tsp roasted cumin-chilli powder (jeera lanka gunda)
• salt to taste
• turmeric (optional...but I have used it)
• 2 tsp oil/ghee for tempering

Cooking - Boil 2 cups water along with a little turmeric and salt to taste.

Add the pumpkin, papaya, raw banana, yam, taro and potato. After 3-4 mins, add the remaining veggies except tomato. Cover and boil till they are cooked but not mushy.

Heat the oil/ghee in a pan. Add the broken chili and pancha phutana followed by the onion and garlic.

Once the onion turns translucent, add the chopped tomato. Allow the tomato to turn soft before pouring the tempering over the boiled veggies. Sprinkle cumin-chili powder and boil on high for 20-30 seconds.

Remove from flame and serve immediately with hot rotis.

Budha Kakudi Raee

After making the khatta last week, I was still left with a big chunk. Since I was in a rather lazy mood (which is becoming a permanent fixture btw) for the next two days, I decided to make a simple raee that my mom used to make. While the raee can be made in a dozen ways, I stick to the method which is simplest and most frugal. It is something like one of those '5 ingredients fix' that one sees on lifestyle or cooking channels but I have used seven instead of five.

Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 15 mins

Ingredients -

• 2 cups budha kakudi/ripened cucumber (chopped into small pieces)
• 2 tsp mustard seeds + a pinch for tempering
• 7-8 garlic flakes (crushed)
• 1-2 green chilis
• 2-3 pinch turmeric
• 2 tsp mustard oil
• salt to taste

Preparation - Grind the mustard seeds, 1 green chili and half of the garlic flakes into a smooth paste.

Take the mustard paste, chopped green chili, budha kakudi and turmeric in a mixing bowl. Mix together.

Cooking - Heat 1 tsp oil in a wok. Add the mustard seeds and 2 crushed garlic flakes. Allow the seeds to splutter.

Add the budha kakudi and mustard seeds paste to the wok. Add salt and 1/2 cup water. Cover with a lid and allow to cook till the pieces soften.

Once the budha kakudi or cucumber pieces are cooked, drizzle the remaining oil over it and add the remaining garlic flakes. Remove from the flame.

Serve with white rice and dal.

Kalara Chop (Karela Tikki)

Everytime my MIL comes to Blore, bittergourd or karela becomes an integral part of our meals. As she is a diabetic and bittergourd is the most beneficial vegetable for her, we keep finding/trying out new recipes with it. After we got bored of having it in various avatars like stir-fried, stuffed and mashed, we tried out an odia style chop with it. Yeah, we love our chop and make it with almost everything. Potato, green banana, cauliflower, cabbage, mushroom,prawns, chicken, fish. The list is endless. The North Indians lovingly call them 'tikkis' but I prefer to stick to the old-fashioned chop.

Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 20 mins

Ingredients -

• 2 medium sized bitter gourd
• 1 large potato
• 1 medium onion
• 1-2 green chilis
• 1 tsp mustard oil
• 1 1/2 tsp chopped coriander leaves
• salt to taste
• oil for shallow frying
• 3 tbsp cornflour for dusting
• lemon juice (optional)

Preparation - Wash and transfer the bittergourd and potato into a cooker along with 1 cup water and salt. Cook for 2-3 whistles.
Keep aside till steam escapes. Open lid and drain off excess water.

Peel the potatoes, transfer to a mixing bowl and mash them. Cut the bittergourd open and remove the seeds if any. Mash it and add to the potatoes.

Chop the onions and green chilis and add to the mixing bowl. Also add 1 tbsp cornflour, 1/2 tsp mustard oil, salt and coriander leaves. Mix well.

Shape into small flattened dics.

Cooking - Heat a tawa. drizzle it with 2 tsp oil. Place the discs on the tawa and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side. (Once you notice an even browning,

remove them from the tawa.)

Drizzle with lemon juice. Serve with white rice.

Chuin-Saru-Baigana Tarkari (Drumstick-Taro-Eggplant curry)

Drumstick curry is a very popular dish is every odia household. But every lady has a different way of cooking this traditional favorite. The taste varies according to the quantity of masala paste and vegetables used. Some prefer to thoroughly fry the veggies before adding it to boiling water salt and turmeric water while others add the raw veggies itself. While I usually make one with drumsticks-potato-badi and a thick mustard-garlic paste, this time I tried a more watery variation by keeping the quantity of mustard low and adding eggplant and arbi/taro to the curry.

Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 20-25 mins

Ingredients -

• 4 drumsticks ( cut into 2 inch long pieces)
• 1 cup eggplant cubes
• 1/2 cup arbi/saru/taro cubes
• 1 large potato (cubed)
• 1 large tomato (finely chopped)
• 1 dried mango slice (ambula)
• 1 medium  onion (finely chopped)
• 6-7 garlic flakes
• 2 tsp mustard seeds
• 2 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 red chili
• 1 green chili
• 1 tsp pancha phutana
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 2 tsp mustard oil
• salt to taste

Preparation - Grind the mustard, cumin, red chili and half of the garlic flakes into a smooth paste. Dilute the paste with 3 cups water.

Soak the ambula in 1/2 cup hot water.

Cooking - Heat a wok. Carefully drain off the diluted mustard paste into the wok leaving the solids behind. Bring to a boil. Add turmeric and salt along with all the veggies. Cover with a lid and cook till the veggies are soft.

Heat the oil in another wok. Add the panch-phutana, crushed garlic flakes and green chili. As the garlic starts to brown, add the chopped onion.

Fry till the edges start to turn red. Then add the chopped tomato and cover with a lid for 1-2 mins. Open lid and crush the tomatoes with a spatula. Add the cooked veggies along with the residual liquid. Also add the dried mango/ambula along with the water in which it was soaking. Adjust salt.

Bring to boil and let simmer for 4-5 mins. Switch off the flame.

Serve with white rice, dal and some vegetable fry.

Click here for another version (HERE).

Mula Besara ( Radish in a mustard-yogurt gravy )

Radish is one of those vegetables which is a must include for a weight loss diet.  It is low on carbs, high on roughage/fiber and loaded with water. It is low GI food which helps manage sugar levels more efficiently in diabetics and its high vitamin C, folic acid and anthocyanins make it an anti-carcinogenic. It also happens to be a wonder food for disinfecting, detoxifying and nourishing all the organs involved in the digestive system.

This vegetable is consumed in most Odia households in the form of khatta, raita, salad, bhaja and besara. All of these recipes are simple, doable and low in calories. Though my husband is not very fond of this vegetable, I quite enjoy it and make it when I am cooking a meal for myself. Today's recipe is a simple mula besara or radish cooked in a gravy of mustard-yogurt-garlic. I have tweaked the recipe a bit.

Read on -

Preparation Time - 15 mins

Ingredients -

• 1 1/2 cup radish ( peeled and cubed )
• 2 tsp mustard seeds
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1-2 green chili
• 3 tbsp thick yogurt
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• 1 1/2  tsp mustard oil
• salt to taste
• freshly grated coconut for garnishing

Preparation - Grind the mustard, garlic and green chili into a fine paste. Dissolve in 1/2 cup water. Strain to remove all the black bits (skin). [ I was a bit clumsy while doing this and some of the un-strained paste fell into my mixing bowl. Hence you can see some black specks in the final dish]

Take all the ingredients in a mixing bowl. Add the strained mustard paste. Mix well.

Cooking - Heat a wok. Add the contents of the mixing bowl . Cover and cook till the radish is just cooked.
(I prefer to leave it a bit crunchy/chewy)

If there is still lot of liquid remaining, remove the radish and then reduce the sauce till it is thick. Pour this thickened sauce over the radish and sprinkle freshly grated coconut.

Serve at room temperature with white rice.


Note - One can also leave out the garlic as the radish is quite pungent in itself. The yogurt and coconut also help to reduce the pungency.

Chuda Kadamba ( Avalakki/Poha Laddoo )

Chuda santula (Poha). Chuda Kadali Chakta. Chuda khera. Chuda payas. While there are many ways of consuming beaten rice ( or 'Chuda') in  Odisha, I came across this one very recently. 'Chuda Kadamba' or laddoos made of powdered beaten rice are not only easy to make, they taste great and are super healthy too!! They do sound like manna from heaven for folks on a strict diet regimen ( one can cut down on the quantity of ghee by half and use skim milk instead ) .

I was inspired to make this for my kid who is on a snacking spree these days. Store bought stuff can be unhealthy at times ( MSG, too much sugar, artificial sweeteners) and he is always looking for more variety. Hence I tried these laddoos which did not call for much effort and are low on white/refined sugar too !!! While I have added some cashews and raisins to my version but one can also omit the same. Read on for the quick recipe -

Preparation time - 10 mins

Ingredients -

• 2 cups thin poha/chuda (beaten rice)
• 5 tsp brown sugar/jaggery
• 2 green cardamoms (powdered)
• 1 tsp ghee
• 4 tbsp freshly grated coconut
• 4-5 tsp warm milk ( or as needed for binding )
• a pinch of edible camphor (optional)
• 3-4 tbsp broken cashews (optional)
• 2 tbsp raisins (optional)

Preparation - Heat 1/2 tsp ghee in a pan. Add the cashews and raisins and fry for 10-15 seconds. Keep aside to cool down.

Grind the beaten rice to a fine powder.

Next add the cardamom and brown sugar/jaggery to the same blender jar and buzz till mixed.

Add freshly grated coconut, ghee, fried cashews and buzz for 1-2 seconds.

Finally add the milk little by little and give it a buzz. All the ingredients should come together like a dough. If not add more milk by the teaspoon ( be careful at this stage ).

Rub ghee on your hands, take a little of the mixture and try to form a ball/laddoo. If it is binding well, remove the mixture from blender jar into a mixing bowl else add more milk . Add raisins and camphor. Mix well.

Make into small balls. Pop into the fridge for a few hours. Keep refrigerated and consume with 2-3 days.

Soya Badi Jholo (Vegetarian Mutton Curry)

Sometime during my school years, soya nuggets or 'soya badi' as we call them in Odisha, began to make an apperance during the meal times. At first they seemed rubbery and had an yucky flavour. Almost all the kids hated them. But gradually people mastered the art of cooking this 'protein rich' ingredient (or maybe our taste buds got acclimatized to it) and it became very popular as vegetarian mutton. In those days, large families with limited income often added some soya badi to their Sunday mutton curry. With a texture that closely mimics mutton ( of course when both have been cooked thoroughly ) and a rather sponge like ability to soak/imbibe the flavour of whatever is cooked alongside, it became an overnight hit with the mutton loving Odia folks. Such was its popularity that it even began to show up at wedding banquets.

Those were the long gone days of sit-down dinners and one had to wait for one or two batches to finish eating before one could expect to find a place to sit down. Disposable incomes were low and so were the spending habits of people. It was sometime around this time that both chinese cuisine and IT appeared on the horizon. And both have since then revolutionized our lives. Maybe it was this indo-chinese food phenomenon that diverted one from the humble soyabean. Suddenly the curry of choice was the either a manchurian or something that that been 'chilli-fied' (read marinated and/or stir-fried with a mix of chinese sauces). But soyabean has finally staged a comeback after lying low for a couple of years. One finds it added to salads, tikkis, curries, biryani and even some desserts these days.

But the recipe that I will be sharing today is the time tested version that my mom used to cook. In Odisha you will find that it is prepared in the typical manner of a mutton curry. Read on for more -

Preparation Time - 20 mins

Ingredients -

• 1 1/2 cup soya nuggets
• 1 medium sized potato
• 1 medium sized onion
• 6-7 garlic cloves
• 1 inch ginger
• 1 small tomato
• 1 dry red chili
• 2 green cardamom
• 2 cloves
• 1 inch cinnamon
• 1 small bay leaf
• a small bit of a black cardamom
• 1/2 tsp meat masala
• 1/2 tsp red chili powder
• 1/3 tsp turmeric
• 4 tsp oil
• salt to taste
• 2 pinch garam masala

Preparation - Roughly chop onion, ginger and garlic. Transfer to a mixer jar along with the broken red chili and buzz for 1 sec to get a very coarse paste ( you should be able to make out each ingredient ).

Soak the soyabeans in 4-5 cups hot water for half an hour. Remove from hot water and wash under running water. Squeeze out the water and once again wash it under running water. Repeat 2-3 times.

Cooking - Heat oil in a pressure cooker. Add all the wholes spices and fry for 5-6 secs till they start to give out a fragrance.

Add the onion paste and fry till it turns reddish (use low flame with regular stirring else it will burn). Add the
tomato and cook for 2-3 mins till it softens.

Add the powdered masalas (except garam masala) and salt at this stage and fry for 1 min. Add the soaked (and thoroughy squeezed soya nuggets) along with the diced potato to the cooker. Stir fry on medium flame for 3-4 mins.

Add 2 1/2 - 3 cups hot water, adjust salt, sprinkle garam masala and close the lid of the cooker. Cook for 1-2 whistles on medium flame. Remove from flame and allow to stand aside till steam escapes.

Serve hot with white rice, roti or parantha.