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Showing posts with label odia foods. Show all posts
Showing posts with label odia foods. Show all posts

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Sajana Phula Batibasa ( Drumstick flowers cooked with poppy seeds )

Another simple and tasty preparation with drumstick flowers. Making to most of the opportunity to sample drumstick flowers and leaves during my stay in Rourkela, I cannot help but try out both old and recipes with them. Since winter has set in, most of the leaves have fallen out but the drumstick trees are laden with flowers and fruit during this time of the year.

Read on -






Preparation Time - 10-12 mins

Ingredients -


  • 1 1/2 cup drumstick flowers
  • 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
  • 1 1/2 tsp poppy seeds
  • 1 small onion (finely chopped)
  • 2 garlic flakes
  • 2 green chili (broken into 2-3 pieces)
  • 1 1/2 tsp mustard oil
  • salt to taste


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

Cooking - Mix all the ingredients in a small wok. Add about 1/4 cup water. Cover with a lid and cook on a low to medium flame for 7-8 minutes.

Serve hot with white rice.


Saturday, November 15, 2014

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. 

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Bela Panaa



















Preparation Time: 10-15 mins

Ingredients -

  • 1 Ripened Bela/Wood apple/Elephant apple
  • 1 cup curd
  • 1 cup chenna/curdled milk or 3 rosogullas
  • 1 ripe banana
  • 3tbs sugar
  • ice-cubes
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper powder


Preparation: Break the shell of the wood apple on a hard surface and scoop out the
yellow flesh.

Put the yellow flesh in a mixing bowl and add 2 cups of cold water. Mix the flesh with the water using your fingers to extract the juice.

Strain the juice using a sieve. Transfer the remaining pulp back to the mixing bowl and add 1 cup cold water and extract any remaining juice.

Strain the juice and throw away the pulp.

Add sugar, banana, chenna/rosogulla, curd and black pepper. Mix well using your fingers.

Pour into glasses & top up with ice-cubes. Serve chilled.


Note: Bela ( also called Bel) pannaa is very popular in Orissa during the summer months.

It is offered to Lord Shiva on Panaa Sankranti day which falls on 14th of April. It is supposed to be an excellent coolant and is good for the bowels.

The leaves of this plant are also offered to Lord Shiva along with milk. Consuming a fistful of these leaves is supposed to reduce blood pressure & diabetes.









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