Ambeda Sakkara ( Indian Plums in a Coconut Tamarind gravy )

The Mondays of the holy 'Kartika' month in Odisha are never complete without a good quality 'khatta' or sweet and tangy gravy. The somewhat astringent taste of the Habisa dalma definitely needs to be delicately balanced by the presence of this tang/sweetness on the side. And after getting bored with 'Aau' and 'Ambeda' khatta, I wanted a 'Sakkara' with my next Monday meal. Unlike the 'khatta' that does not rely on a external souring agent and depends primarily on the natural tang of the vegetable being cooked, the tamarind is an integral part of the Sakkara.

With good quality ash gourd (pani kakharu) not being easy to find in the markets, I decided to go ahead and experiment with some Ambeda that I got from the HAL market . Since the ambeda is not very sour, adding a tiny bit of tamarind and some extra jaggery to balance it out seemed the obvious choice. Left out the boiled Bengal gram and added loads of freshly grated coconut instead. Turned out to be nice and tangy.

Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 20 mins

Ingredients -

• 250 gm Ambada/Ambeda/Indian Olives
• 1/2 tsp tamarind paste
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1-2 dry red chili
• 1/4 tsp pancha phutana
• a sprig of curry leaves
• 2 pinch asafoetida
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• salt to taste
• 2 tsp oil
• 2-3 tbsp freshly grated coconut for garnishing

Preparation - If the ambada is tender, cut each one into 4 halves. Else just put 3-4 slits on the surface.

Dilute the tamarind paste in 1/5 cup of hot water.

Cooking - Heat the oil in a wok. Add the pancha phutana and broken red chilis. Let it splutter.

Add curry leaves and asfoetida. Fry for 30 seconds before throwing in the ambada.

The ambada need to be cooked/stir fried till it turns brown and the skin is almost ready to peel off.

Now add 2 1/2 cups water, salt and turmeric. Let it simmer for a while to let the juices seep into the gravy.

Then add sugar, tamarind juice and boil some more till it reaches the desired consistency. Sprinkle the grated coconut just before removing from the flame. 

[Mash them up a bit if you want a thicker curry. However, it will also increase the sour quotient of the gravy and hence you have end up putting more sugar to balance it out]

Serve with arwa bhata and dalma !

Note - This can be preserved in the fridge for a couple of days. 

Budha Kakudi Khatta

Recently we were invited to a kid's birthday party. My husband and my mother in law also accompanied us to the event. Once the candles were blown out and the b'day song sung enthusiastically by everyone present, the hosts cut up the cake and served it to all. I had to help my little one finish off his piece first. And all the while he insisted on holding the spoon and eating it by himself. As I started to pick up my plate, he showed an interest in devouring my piece too. I just about managed to taste a tiny morsel as he eagerly demolished it. If you are wondering why I am narrating this incident, it is just to show how a mother makes sacrifices, whether small or big, every single day of her life. Happy Mothers Day to all mothers who are reading this. Because every day is special for a mother.

Coming back to the recipe. 'Budha kakharu' or ripened cucumber is one of the ingredients that go into the making of  'Dwitibahana ghanta'. But rarely is it made into a dish by itself. However, as the 'Kartika Somabar' staple 'Oou' is not available in Bangalore, I decided to make a sweet-savoury preparation with the available vegetables. The ripe yellow melons ( which are not exactly same as 'budha kakudi' which we get in Odisha but taste somewhat similar) caught my attention and I decided to give them a try. Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 20-25 mins

Ingredients -

• 1 Budha kakudi (melon)
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 2 dry red chillis
• 1 tsp tamarind paste
• 3-4 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1/3 tsp chilli powder
• 1/2 tsp roasted cumin-chilli powder
• 1/4 tsp pancha phutana
• 3 tsp cooking oil
• freshly grated coconut for garnishing
• salt to taste

Preparation - Peel the budha kakudi and cut into medium sized cubes.

Grind the mustard and cumin seeds into a smooth paste.

Cooking - Heat the oil in a wok. Add the pancha phutana and broken red chilli. Allow to splutter.

Add the budha kakudi cubes to the wok. Sprinkle some salt and fry for a while till it starts turning a bit mushy. Add the mustard-cumin paste and fry for 1 minute. Add 2 cups of water along with salt, turmeric and chilli powder. Cover with a lid and allow to cook on medium flame for 10 minutes. (Keep checking in between and add more water if required )

Add the sugar and tamarind paste. Simmer for 5-6 mins.

Finally add the grated coconut and roasted cumin-chilli powder. Mix in and remove from the flame.

Serve with arwa bhata (rice) and dalma (dal cooked with veggies).

Bhendi Amba Khatta

Usually 'Ambula' or 'dried green mangoes' is the preferred ingredient for adding a touch of tang to this simple and tasty dish. But since green mangoes are plentifully available, i decided to save up on my ambula stock and use some green mango this time. And since some of our South Indian friends find the all out mustard-garlic flavoring a bit too overpowering, I also added a few slices of fresh coconut to the mustard paste to sweeten it a bit and turn down the heat.

The result was a sweet and tangy gravy that became the high point of my lunch. Had it with white rice and dal. Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time : 15 mins

Ingredients -

• 200 gm Ladies finger/bhendi
• 3-4 thin slices of green mango
• 1 green chili
• 1 red chili
• 3-4 flakes of garlic
• 2 tsp mustard seeds
• 4 tbsp chopped fresh coconut
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• a pinch of fenugreek for tempering
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
• 3 tsp oil
• salt to taste

Preparation: Wash the ladies finger and cut across the section into 1.5 inch sized pieces (do not slit it along the length).

Keep aside a few mustard seeds and one pod of garlic for the tempering. Grind the mustard seeds and remaining garlic pods along with the coconut and green chili into a fine paste.

Cooking: Heat 2 tsp oil in a deep vessel and fry the ladiesfinger pieces till the stickiness goes away.
Remove from vessel and keep aside.

Add another tsp oil. When it starts smoking, add the broken red chili, fenugreek seeds and mustard seeds. Add the curry leaves and crushed garlic pod to the spluttering seeds.

Add the green mango slices and cook on high for 2-3 mins.

Add the mustard-coconut-garlic paste along with 1 cup of water. Bring it to a boil and add the fried ladies finger pieces along with turmeric powder, sugar and salt to taste.

Allow the curry to boil for 5 mins or till the ladies finger becomes soft. Remove from the fire and serve with rice.

Ambila

Ambila. This watery yet yummy sweet-sour preparation from Orissa can also be termed as 'Odiya rasam' as it is similar to the south indian delicacy. But as compared to the latter it is quite loaded with vegetables, usually the seasonal variety. Hence it is nutritious and low in calories at the same time. Read on for the recipe:

Preparation Time - 25-30 mins

Ingredients - 1/2 cup cubed pumpkin, 1/2 cup thickly sliced cucumber, 1/2 cup cubed colocassia, 1 large tomato, 3 tsp yogurt, 1 tsp besan, 1 tsp tamarind pulp/ 1-2 ambula, 2-3 pinches turmeric, 1 tsp oil, salt to taste, 1 tsp sugar.

For tempering - 4-5 crushed garlic flakes, 2 sprigs curry leaves, 1-2 tbsp chopped green onions, 2-3 dry red chillis, 2 pinch asafoetida, 1/2 tsp mustard seeds, 1/4 tsp cumin seeds, 2 tsp oil

Preparation - Take yogurt, besan and 3-4 tsp water in a bowl. Mix well till no lumps remain.

Dissolve the tamarind pulp in 3-4 tsp water and keep aside. ( if using ambula soak it for 2-3 hours before using)

Cooking - Boil the pumpkin, cucumber and colcassia with 5-6 cups water, turmeric and salt in a large saucepan.

Heat another pan/wok. Add 1 tsp oil. Fry the chopped tomato till mushy. Add the tomato to the other vegetables when they are half cooked. Boil for 2-3 minutes.

Add the yogurt mixture and keep stirring for 5 minutes till it gets to a boil. Add the tamarind water/ambula and sugar.

Heat oil in a tempering pan. Add broken red chilli, mustard and cumin seeds. When it starts spluttering, add the asafoetida, crushed garlic, curry leaves and spring onions. Fry for 30-40 seconds.

Pour the tempering over the contents of the saucepan. Boil for 2-3 minute. Switch off flame and remove from stove.

Serve cold. (Tastes even better the next day, just take care to remove it from the fridge a good 2-3 hours before consuming.)

Note - Other vegetables like eggplant, radish, okra, ash gourd, amaranthus stem are also added to this recipe. But I had prepared this with all the leftover veggies in my fridge. 

Mula Khatta

With the onset of winters, one finds a whole lot of varieties of khatta, ambila and kanji being introduced in the menu of most Odiya households. Vegetables like elephant apple, indian olives and star fruit are abundantly available in the local markets and find a place in any feast happening around this time of the year.

As I have always maintained, Oriya food transcends the need to merely satisfy the 'jivha' and focuses on the appeasement of the 'jiva'. Hardly any surprise then that this kind of diet mirrors the ancient Ayurvedic wisdom which states that one should partake sweet, sour and spicy food during the winters to balance out the 'dosas', especially the 'Vata' dosa. Since winters is considered to be the time when the digestive system is at its strongest, it calls for a heavy or high calorific diet else the body may burn its fat reserves and create a 'Vata' dosa (when the fat reserves fall below the minimum required limit ).

'Mula', 'mooli' or radish is essentially a winter vegetable. While it is quite liked in the stir-fried form (bhaja), it is also added to many oriya preparations like 'dalma', 'kanji', 'ambila' and 'ghanta'. It is also prepared into a sweet-sour preparation referred to as 'khatta'. Read on for the recipe:

Preparation Time - 25 mins

Ingredients - 1 large radish, 2 large tomatoes, 2 dry red chillis, 1 sprig curry leaves, 3-4 tbs yogurt, 1/2 tsp mustard paste, 1/4 tsp mustard seeds, 5-6 garlic flakes, 2 pinch asafoetida, 2 tsp oil, 1/5 tsp turmeric, salt to taste.

Preparation - Chop the radish into thick slices. Transfer to a pressure cooker along with 1 cup water and cook for 1 whistle (on medium). Once steam escapes. open the lid. Drain off excess water.

Chop the tomato into 4 halves each.

Cooking - Heat the oil in a wok. Add the mustard seeds, broken red chillis, curry leaves and asafoetida.
Follow with the crushed garlic flakes.Fry for 30 seconds.

Add the tomatoes along with salt and turmeric. Cook till it turns into a paste.

Lower the flame, and add the yogurt and mustard paste. Stir for 2-3 minutes.

Add 3 cups water and bring to a boil. Add the boiled radish at this stage. Simmer for 10 minutes.

Serve hot/cold with rice, dal and veggies.

Ambula Raee ( Mandira preparation )

If the aroma of steaming fragrant rice heaped on a plate made of sal leaf is firmly etched in the dingy of your memory, then you have truly witnessed the era before plastic took over everyone's imagination. These days I rarely come across the 'khali patra' and 'dana'/'chauti' made of sal leaves that we so popular during my early years. Infact on the last trip to Odisha, I scoured the markets hoping to rekindle those memories but could not get my hands on these 100 % bio-degradable, environment-friendly and cost effective serve-ware. It made we wonder why we are in such a mad rush to destroy our planet.

Coming back to the feasts of yore, there is a paradigm shift in the delicacies being served during these events nowadays. One would imagine that the temple preparations would be untouched by these seasonal shifts in the preferences of the general public but sadly that is not the case. The last event which I attended left me with an unsatiated craving for some good 'bhata, dali, pariba tarkari, tomatar khata au khiri'. The only saving grace being the Ambula Raee which is one of the most sought after dishes at any function in Odisha these days . This version one is specially prepared in the temples.

Read on for the recipe :

Preparation Time - 2 hours 10 mins ( 2 hours standby time )

Ingredients -

• 9-10 pieces Ambula
• 1 cup sliced coconut
• 3-4 green chillis
• 3 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
• 2 tbsp thick curd
• 1 inch mango ginger
• 1-2 dry red chillis
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 4 tsp sugar
• salt to taste.

For tempering -

• 1 tsp oil
• 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
• 2 sprig curry leaves.

Preparation - Soak the ambula in 1 cup of hot water for 2 hours or till tender. Add crushed green chillis and coriander to it.

Grind the coconut into a paste and add to the above mixture.

Cooking: Dry roast the cumin seeds. Grind into a smooth paste along with the mustard seeds and red chilli.

Heat the oil in a wok. Add the mustard seeds and curry leaves.

Add the mustard-cumin paste to the wok along with 1/2 cup water and bring to a boil. Now add the ambula mixture along with sugar and salt. Boil for 2-3 minutes.

Remove from flame and stir in the yogurt/curd and crushed mango ginger.

Serve with rice and dalma/dal.

Aau (Oou) Khatta

Ouu or Dillenia indica is an exotic looking fruit that is found in Asia ( Sri Lanka, India and Bangladesh). Even in India it grows only in the states of Orissa, Bengal, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Assam. It bears fruit in the winter months.

Oou khatta is a very integral part of the Habisa ( Kartika Masa Sombar ) meals. It is added to the Habisa dalma and also made into a khatta ( sweet-sour gravy ). This fruit is said to possess medicinal properties and is touted to be good for diabetics. It is rich in phytochemicals and has anti-inflammatory benefits.

Preparation Time - 30-35 mins

Ingredients - 1 Oou/Aau (elephant apple), 1 tsp cumin seeds, 1 tsp mustard seeds, 2 dry red chillis, salt to taste, 1 cup sugar, 1/2 tsp turmeric, 1/3 tsp chilli powder, 1/2 tsp roasted cumin-chilli powder, 1 tsp pancha phutana, 3 tsp cooking oil, coriander/freshly grated coconut for garnishing.

Preparation - Pull away and cut the green petals of the oou ( Need to be careful during this as the liquid that oozes out is quite slippery ). Peel the outer skin and cut into long strips about 1 cm wide. Use a pestle or small stone to slightly crush the pieces.

Grind the mustard and cumin seeds into a smooth paste.

Cooking - Boil 3-4 cups of water with salt and turmeric. Add the crushed Oou pieces to this and boil for 5 mins. Drain off all the water and keep aside. (This takes care of the bitterness/astringency if any )

Heat the oil in a wok. Add the pancha phutana and broken red chilli. Allow to splutter.

Add the boiled Oou pieces to the wok and fry for 3-4 minutes. Add the mustard-cumin paste and fry for 1 minute. Add 2 cups of water along with salt, turmeric and chilli powder. Cover with a lid and allow to cook on medium flame for 10-15 minutes. ( Keep checking in between and add more water if required )

Add the sugar and cumin-chilli powder. Cook till the sugar dissolves into the gravy.

Garnish with grated coconut/coriander leaves. Serve with Arwa bhata - Dalma or Bhata - Mutton Curry.

Bhendi (Dahi) kanji (Bhindi kadhi)

A super light and easy to prepare dish for those days when one is feeling lazy or the stomach cries out for some rest. This one does not compromise on taste though !! Best when prepared with day old curd, the original recipe (my Mom's) does not call for the use of a thickening agent like besan. Rather it is something I added to give some texture and more taste to the gravy.

It goes very well with plain white rice and maybe some papad to go with it !!  I prefer to have it with rotis too though few folks do not like the kadhi-roti combination. Read on for the recipe -

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Chopped okra/bhindi 
• 100 ml curd
• 1 1/2 tsp besan/gramflour
• 1-2 dry red chilli 
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• 2 garlic cloves 
• 2 pinch asafoetida/hing ( 2 pinch )
• 1/2 tsp mustard seeds 
• 1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds
• salt to taste
• 2 pinch turmeric 
• 3 tsp oil

Preparation: Mix the curd with the besan in a bowl. Add about 3 cups of water and salt to taste. Mix well.

Cooking: Heat 2 tsp oil in a wok. Add the okra along with salt and turmeric. Fry till the okra is just cooked and still a little crunchy.

Lower the flame and sprinkle a few drops of water to cool the wok. Now add the besan-curd mixture slowly and stir continuously for 3-4 minutes. Increase the flame amd bring to a boil.

Heat the remaining oil in another pan. Add broken red chilli, fenugreek seeds and mustard seeds followed by the crushed garlic flakes.

Once the seeds start to splutter, add the asafoetida and curry leaves and remove from flame.

Pour the tempering mixture over the contents of the wok. Switch off the flame and cover with a lid to retain the aroma.

Serve hot/cold with white rice.

Pani Kakharu Sakkara ( Ash gourd in sweet sour gravy )

Cooking Time Required: 25-30 mins
Cost of preparation: 30-40 rupees

Ingredients: Chopped pani kakharu ( ash gourd ) ( 2 cup ), powdered jaggery ( 1 cup ),
tamarind paste ( 2-3 tsp), pancha phutana ( 1/2 tsp ), chilli powder ( 1/5 tsp ), oil (
2 tsp ), dry red chilli ( 2 nos ), asafoetida ( 1 pinch ), curry leaves , turmeric (
1/5 tsp ), salt ( to taste).

Preparation: Peel and cut the ash gourd into cubes.

Cooking: Boil 4 cups of water in a wok. Add powdered jaggery, tamarind paste, salt,
turmeric and chilli powder. Add the ash gourd cubes and boil for 15-20 mins till they
turn tender. The water should have reduced by half by this time else turn the flame
high to reduce excess water.

Heat the oil in a pan. Add dry red chilli, pancha phutana, asafoetida and curry leaves.
Once the seeds start crackling, pour the entire mix over the wok contents. Boil for 1-2 mins.

Serve cold with rice and dalma/dal/curry.

Ash gourd is available in Hyderabad at Hypercity, Inorbit Mall or in the local Rythu bazaars.

Baigana Khatta

Cooking time required: 15-20 mins
Cost of preparation: 15-20 rupees

Ingredients: Small brinjal (2-3 no), curry leaves( 2 sprigs), green chilli (1-2 nos), turmeric powder (1/5 tsp), black cumin seeds/ kala jeera (1 pinch), garlic flakes ( 3-4 nos), oil ( 2 tsp), powdered jaggery ( 3-4 tsp), thick tamarind juice ( 1- 2 tsp), salt to taste.

Preparation: Cut the brinjal into small pieces.

Cooking: Heat oil in a wok. Add the chopped green chillis, crushed garlic flakes, black cumin seeds, & curry leaves. Fry for a minute.

Add the brinjal pieces and sprinkle salt and turmeric. Fry for 5 minutes till it softens.

Add about 1 1/2 cups of water along with the tamarind paste and bring to a boil.

Cover with a lid and allow to simmer for 7-8 mins. Add the powdered jaggery at this stage and boil for 2-3 mins till it is mixed well.

Remove from stove and serve it with rice.

Sapuri Khatta

Cooking time required: 15-20 mins
Cost of preparation: 15-20 rupees

Ingredients: 4-5 slices of ripe pineapple (1 no), curry leaves( 2 sprigs), red chilli (1-2 nos), turmeric powder (1/5 tsp), cumin seeds (1/5 tsp), mustard seeds ( 1/5 tsp), fennel seeds ( 1/5 tsp ), fenugreek seeds ( 1 pinch), oil ( 2 tsp), sugar ( 6-7 tsp), asafoetida ( 1/6 tsp), jeera-lanka powder ( 1/5 tsp ), thick tamarind juice ( 1- 2 tsp), salt to taste.

Preparation: Cut each slice of pineapple into 5-6 pieces.

Cooking: Heat 1 tsp oil in a wok. Add the turmeric, broken red chillis, mustard, fenugreek, cumin & fennel seeds. Add the pineapples pieces and sprinkle salt. Fry for 6-7 minutes till it softens.

Add about 1 1/2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Cover with a lid and allow to simmer for 7-8 mins. Add the tamarind juice at this stage and boil for 2-3 mins.

Heat 1 tsp of oil in a pan. Add asafoetida & curry leaves. Fry for 30 secs and pour over the contents of the wok. Sprinkle the jeera-lanka powder and boil for a minute.

Remove from stove and serve it with rice/puris.

Note: If the pineapple is a little raw, cook the slices in a pressure cooker for 2-3
whistles before frying.

Dahi Bhendi

Cooking Time Required: 10-15 mins
Cost of Preparation: 30-35 Rupees

Ingredients: Bhindi/ladies finger (250 gm ), yogurt/dahi ( 1 cup ), mustard cumin paste ( 1 tsp), green chilli/red chilli ( 3 nos ), curry leaves ( 3-4 sprigs ), pancha-phutana ( 1/3 tsp), asafoetida/hing ( 2 pinches), salt, turmeric, oil ( 3-4 tsp).

Preparation: Wash and cut the bhindi into inch long pieces. Add 3/4 tsp mustard-cumin paste, turmeric and salt. Mix togather and keep aside for 30 mins.
















Transfer the yogurt to a mixing bowl. Beat for 1 min. Add salt, 1/4 tsp mustard-cumin paste and 2 cups water and mix well.

Cooking: Heat 3 tsp of oil in a pan. Add the ladies finger and fry lightly till cooked. Keep asiRemove from pan and keep aside to cool down a bit.

Add the remaining oil to pan. Add pancha-phutana, curry leaves, asafoetida and slit red/green chillis. Pour the spluttering mixture over the yogurt and also add the fried bhindi.

Mix togather and serve with either rice/rotis as a side dish.


Note: The mustard cumin paste has the mustard and cumin in 4:1 ratio. One can decrease the mustard proportion if one wants to reduce the spiciness.

Amba Sorisha Khatta ( A sweet sour Mango relish from Odisha )

Cooking time required: 20-25 mins


Ingredients:

• 1 Large green mango (kancha amba)
• 2 sprigs of curry leaves
• 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
• 1/5 tsp turmeric powder 
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds 
• 2 tsp mustard seeds ( use half the quantity if you are not used to the pungency 
• 2 tsp oil ( 2 tsp)
• jaggery / sugar as per taste ( also depends on the sourness of the mango )
• 1/2 tsp pancha-phutana
• 1/4 tsp roasted cumin-chilli powder (jeera-lanka gunda)
• salt to taste

Preparation: Grind the mustard and cumin seeds into a fine paste.

Peel and cut the mango into long pieces.

Cooking: Heat 2 tsp of oil in a pan, add the pancha-phutana and curry leaves. Stir for about 30 secs. Add the mango pieces and stir fry till soft.

Add the mustard-cumin paste along with 3-4 cups water. Add chilli powder, turmeric and salt. Bring to a boil and allow to simmer.

When the water reduces to 2/3rd add sugar and boil for 3-4 mins. Sprinkle jeera-lanka powder and remove from fire.

Serve with non-veg curry or dalma rice.

Note: I usually prepare it with Mansa jholo/Maccha jholo.But it tastes equally good when had with arwa chawal & dalma.

Khatta Palanga Chutney

My grandma had a old tin stowed away in the corner of her room. We fondly referred to it as her 'bihana baksa' or seeds tin. She used to carefully collect the seeds from the plants once they had reached the end of their life cycle, dry them in the sun and then carefully wrap in small pieces of paper. These small parcels would be stored away till the next sowing season. I used to watch each step carefully and understand the process. In due course of time, I was able to identify most of the seeds. But during the initial days I used to get all confused with the names. The only exception to this was the 'Khatta palanga' whose seeds were still contained in small pretty flowers when we dried and stored them. It made the identification a breeze.

Khatta palanga or 'khatta palak' or 'chukka kura' leaves have a sour taste ( something like the 'Gongura' leaves used in South indian cusine ). This chutney combines the sour taste of these leaves with sugar/jaggery to get a wonderful side dish that gets ready in no time at all !!

Cooking Time required: 10 mins
Cost of preparation: 10-15 rupees

Ingredients:

• 3 cups Khatta palanga Saaga ( loosely packed )
• 1 small onion ( chopped into medium sized pieces )
• 1/3 tsp red chilli powder
• 2 whole red chillis
• 1/5 tsp pancha-phutana
• 3-4 tsp sugar/jaggery
• 1 tsp oil
• salt to taste

Cooking: Wash the saag and cut into large pieces.

Heat oil in a wok. Add the pancha-phutana. Break the red chilli into 2-3 pieces and add to wok.

Add the onions and fry till translucent.

Add the washed palanga leaves. Sprinkle salt and chilli powder. Cover with lid and stir at intervals.

Cook till the leaves soften and turn mashy. Add sugar and mix well. Cook till the
sugar/jaggery melts and mixes with the saaga. Remove from the fire.

Serve with rice/rotis.

Khatta Meetha papaya

Cooking Time Required : 10-15 mins
Cost of Preparation: 20-25 rupees

Ingredients: Raw Papaya ( 1 no, small ), lime ( 1 no, medium), sugar ( 5-6 tbs ), oil ( 1 tsp ).

Cooking: Peel the papaya and cut into very thin slices .

Heat a wok. Add 1 tsp oil. Add the papaya pieces.

Stir for 1-2 mins. Add the sugar over the papaya pieces and allow it to melt.

Add 1 cup water. Bring to a boil on a low flame. Allow to simmer till most of the water evaporates and a thick sugary syrup is formed. This take about 5-6 mins.

Do not allow the papaya to turn to soft.

Squeeze the lime over the papaya and sugar syrup. Remove from fire.

Allow to cool. Serve as a low calorie dessert.

It can also be served with aruwa rice and muga dalma especially during the Kartika Somavar and Margasira guruvar, which are considered to be very pious days in every Oriya household.

Tomato Khajuri Khatta

Cooking Time Required: 30 mins
Cost of Preraration: 15-20 Rupees

Ingredients: Tomatoes ( 200 gm ), garlic ( 2-3 pods, optional), red chilli ( 2 nos),
coriander seeds ( 1/5 tsp ), mustard seeds ( 1/5 tsp), fennel seeds ( 1/5 tsp ),curry leaves ( 4-5 nos), dates ( 7-8 nos ), cumin-chilli powder ( 1/5 tsp ) , oil , sugar ( 2-3 tsp or according to taste ), salt.


Preparation: Heat a wok. Pour 1-2 tsp oil and allow it to start smoking. Add the coriander, fennel and mustard seeds. Add the garlic, red chilli and curry leaves to the spluttering seeds. Cut each tomato into four halves and add to the wok.

Cover the wok with a lid. Allow the tomatoes to soften. Then add 1.5 cups of water and salt. Bring to a boil and add the dates. Keep on low flame and allow to simmer for 10-15 minutes.

Add the sugar and cumin-chilli powder. Take off from the fire after 5 minutes.

Serve with rice/rotis and even samosas.

Tip: One can avoid adding the dates and instead garnish the dish with fresh coriander leaves for a zingy flavour.

Bhendi Sorisha Khatta

Cooking Time Required: 15 mins
Cost of Preparation: 15-20 rupees

Ingredients: Ladiesfinger(bhendi) (200 gm), green chilli (1 no.), curry leaves (5-6 nos), garlic (5 pods), coriander seeds (1/4 tsp), mustard seeds (2 tsp), lemon (1 no), turmeric powder(1/4 tsp), oil, salt to taste.

Preparation: Wash the ladiesfinger and cut across the section into 1.5 inch sized pieces (do not slit it along the length). Keep aside a few mustard seeds and one pod of garlic for the tempering. Grind the mustard seeds and remaining garlic pods into a fine paste.

Cooking: Heat 2 tsp oil in a deep vessel and fry the ladiesfinger pieces till the stickiness goes away.
Remove from vessel and keep aside. Add another tsp oil. When it starts smoking, add the coriander and mustard seeds. Add the curry leaves, green chilli and garlic pod to the spluttering seeds. Stir for about a min and add the mustard-garlic paste along with 1 cup of water. Bring it to a boil and add the fried ladiesfinger pieces along with turmeric powder and salt to taste. Allow the curry to boil for 5 mins or till the ladiesfinger becomes soft. Then squeeze the lemon over it and cook for another 30 secs. Remove from the fire and serve with rice.


Tips: The lemon can also be substituted with tamarind (tentuli/imli) or dried mango pieces (ambula). Boil the curry for an additional 5-7 mins for the sour taste to get imbibed.

Amba Khatta ( Mango syrup dish )

Cooking time required: 20-25 mins
Cost of preparation: 15-20 rupees

Ingredients:

• Raw mango (2 nos)
• curry leaves (4-5 nos)
• red chilli powder (1/2 tsp)
• turmeric powder (1/5 tsp)
• pancha phutana (1/3 tsp)
• oil ( 2 tsp)
• sugar
• salt to taste

Cooking: Peel and cut the mangoes into thin slices along the length. Heat 1 tsp of oil in a pan, add the turmeric, salt, and mango slices. Stir for about 5 mins. Then add sugar and 2-3 cups of water. Boil till the water reduces to half and the mixture gets a syrupy texture. Remove from fire.

Heat the remaining oil in a pan. When it becomes hot, add the mustard, fennel and coriander seeds. Then add curry leaves and red chillies. Fry till the red chillis become slightly dark. Then add to the mango syrup.

An excellent side dish with any non-veg meal.

Background: Sunday lunches are usually the highlight of the week for every oriya home (well almost..). Elaborate meals, visits from relatives and loads of gossip are some of the things which make the day rather special. The next few posts will be featuring Sunday specials which form the mainstay of my childhood memories.

Mango chutney

Cooking time : 10-15 mins
Cost of preparation: 10 -15 Rupees

Ingredients: Mangoes ( 1-2 nos, slightly ripened), 1 onion( medium to large depending on the number of mangoes), coriander seeds (2-3 spoons), jaggery (1-2 big chunks, according to taste), salt to taste, 1 tsp oil.

Preparation: Grate the onion and mango . Roast coriander seeds(without oil) and grind into coarse powder.
Heat oil in a pan, add the grated onion and mango. Cook for about 5 mins. Then add coriander powder, salt and jaggery. Keep on fire for about 5 mins. Remove and serve with rice.