Important Oriya Festivals & Dates for 2014

Makar Sankranti ( 14 January) - Makara Chaula (makara-chaula)
Samba Dasami ( 10 January) - Ghadaghadiya Tarkari
Saraswati Puja ( 4 February) - Chuda Ghasa(chuda ghasa)
Shivratri ( 27 February ) - Panchamrita(panchamrit)
Dola Jatra ( 17 March ) - Amba panna(amba-panna)
Mahabisuba/Panaa Sankranti ( 14 April )- Bela Panaa/Chattua Panna(bela panaa)/(chattua panaa)
Ram Nabami ( 8 April ) - Chaula Kheeri (chaulaa kheeri)
Akshaya Tritiya ( 2 May ) -
Sabitri Brata ( 28 May ) - Phala ahara
Rajaa ( 14, 15, 16 June )- Janta Poda pitha(janta poda pitha), Budha chakuli (buddha chakuli), Saru chakuli(saru chakuli
Ratha Jatra ( 29 June ) - Poda pitha (Poda pitha)
Bahuda Jatra ( 7 July ) - Chakuli (Leuta pitha)
Jyesta Purnima ( 13 June ) - Chaula Kheeri
Janmasthami ( 7 August ) - Kheeri, Lahuni
Ganesh Puja ( 29 August ) - Rasi ladoo, Chuda ghasa
Nua Khai ( 30 August ) - Kheeri, Arissa, Khechudi
Dwitibahana Osa ( 15 September ) - Pariba Ghanta(pariba ghanta)
Durgasthami ( 1, 2, 3 October ) - Kanika (kanika)/Khechudi (khichudi)
Kumar Purnima ( 7 October ) - Khaee Chanda
Kartika Somabar ( Kartika masa starts on 8th October, First Monday falls on 13 October )- Muga Dalma/Habisa Dalma (Habisa Dalma ), Aau khatta (Aau khatta )
Panchuka ( 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 November ) - Non-vegetarian items are forbidden
Balijatra ( 6 November )
Chada Khai ( 7 November )
Prathamasthami  ( 15 November ) - Enduri Pitha (enduri pitha)
Manabasa Gurubar ( First one falls on 13 November, But for those who observe Manabasa only after Prathamastami it is 20 November )- Gaintha/Attakali ( Attakali ), Kakara, chakuli, Dahi Pakala, Sagaa, Khechudi
Dhanu Sankranti ( 16 December ) - Dhanu Muaa

Sicilian Pasta

I love pasta. And I love it even more if the sauce is a 'no-cooking' one. Caught this on 'Nigellissima' on Fox Traveller last week. The original called for Anchovies and capers but i skipped the former and substituted the latter with tender mangoes pickled in brine. Also I substituted 'Fusilli Lunghi' with my normal Borges Spaghetti.

Read on for the recipe:

Preparation Time - 15 mins

Ingredients - 100 gms spaghetti, 1 very ripe tomato, 7-8 blanched almonds, 2 soaked tsp raisins, 2 peeled garlic flakes, 2 tender pickled mangoes, 2 tsp olive oil, salt for boiling the pasta, fresh basil leaves for the garnish.

Cooking - Boil a large quantity of water in a open mouthed vessel. Add loads of salt to it when it starts boiling ( It should taste 'like the sea' as mentioned in some website whose name I have forgotten ).

Add the spaghetti and cook it till al-dente ( tender but still with a bite ).

Transfer the tomato, raisins, almonds, garlic flakes, pickled mangoes and olive oil to a mixer jar. Grind into a little coarse paste. (I ended up with a little smooth than intended)

Add 2-3 tsp of the boiling pasta water to the grinder jar and pulse 2-3 times.

Drain the pasta and transfer to a serving bowl. Add the sauce on top of it and toss everything together. Strew the basil on top and dig in. (Perfect for one of those lazy days....which are beginning to get just too frequent in my case)

Bengalgram Coconut chutney

My favorite chutney when it comes to a south indian breakfast. I just adore the simplicity of this recipe. Not too many ingredients nor too many steps to be followed, this one is a breeze. But keep in mind that this tastes best when freshly ground. Once stored in the fridge it loses more than 50 percent of its original flavor.Read on for the recipe:

Preparation Time - 10-12 mins

Ingredients - 1 cup bengalgram dal, 1 tbsp split urdal dal, 2/3 cup sliced coconut, 2-3 dry red chilli, 1/2 tsp mustard seeds, 2 sprigs of curry leaves, 2 pinches asafoetida (hing), 3 tsp oil, salt to taste.

Preparation - Heat 2 tsp oil in a wok. Add the urad dal first and fry for 2 mins or till it turns a little brown. Add the bengalgram dal and fry for another 1 minute. Remove from the wok (Important else it gets over-fried) into a plate and allow to cool down a bit (I prefer to grind it when it is still warm).

Transfer into a grinder cup along with 1 red chilli and salt. Grind into a fine powder.

Now add the coconut pieces and dry grind first. Then add the required amount of water and grind again. Remove into a serving vessel.

Tempering - Heat the remaining oil in a wok. Add  the mustard seeds and once it starts spluttering, add asafoetida, red chilli and curry leaves. Remove from flame after 10 seconds. Pour this mix over the chutney and stir in.

Serve with Dosa/Idli/Vada/Uttapam.

Sprouts Sandwich

It is still the January and I am going good job of sticking to my New Year resolutions. I have been eating healthy (Read sprouts, oats, poha, whole grains) for the last two weeks. Hence I substituted my regular potato filling with a mix of potato and sprouts ( you do need to add a bit of potato to hold those runaway sprouts together ).

Sprouts are categorized in the superfood category as they are loaded with enzymes (upto 100 more than what you get in fruits and vegetables). Enzyme help to improve the process of breaking down the ingested food so that the body can do a better job of assimilating it. The sprouting process is known to drastically improve the quality of available proteins and increase the fiber and vitamin content (especially those of vitamin A, B-complex, C and E).

Though beneficial for all, sprouts are a must have for women who are trying to conceive/pregnant. For older women nearing menopause, they help regulate hot flashes and hormone levels.

Preparation Time - 10 mins

Ingredients - 4 slices of bread, 1/2 cup sprouts (I used green moong but mixed lentils is also OK), 1 boiled and mashed potato, 1 small onion (chopped), 1/5 tsp cumin powder, a pinch of turmeric, 1/5 tsp chilli powder, 1 tbsp chopped coriander, 1 tsp oil, 2 tbsp thick/hung curd, 1 tsp tamarind-jaggery chutney (can use Imli Pichkoo instead), 1 tsp ketchup, salt to taste.

Preparation - Add salt to the curd and beat lightly. (One can also add some mint/coriander chutney to enhance the flavor)

Cooking - Heat the oil in a wok. Add the chopped onions and fry for 1 minute.

Add the mashed potato along with cumin powder, turmeric and chilli powder. Fry for 1 minute. Add the sprouts along with salt. Cook covered till the sprouts are cooked (takes 3-4 mins).

Add ketchup, chopped coriander and remove from flame.

Heat a flat pan. Toast the bread slices for 1 minute (30 secs on each side). Remove from the pan and place on a plate.

Spread the curd on the both bread slices. Drizzle with the tamarind-jaggery chutney.

Take and spread about 2 tbsp of the sprouts mixture on one slice.

Place the other slice over it. Cut into two triangular pieces.

Repeat with the other two pieces.

Serve immediately with ketchup/mint chutney.

Happy Makar Sankranti

Wishing all my friends a Very Happy Makar Sankranti!!!!

Makar Sankranti is one Hindu festival that is celebrated in equal fervor throughout India. Most people take a mandatory dip in a holy pond/river on this day followed by a visit to the temple. Odiya folks prefer to throng the Jagannath Dhan (Puri Jagannath temple) and the Sun temple at Chandrabhaga(Near Konark) on this day. This day marks a day of worship of the Sun God. This day marks the beginning of the Sun's journey into the Northern Hemisphere which translates into longer days.

Makara Chaula (recipe HERE) is the mandatory prasad prepared in Orissa on this day. Made from freshly harvested rice, this simple and no cooking dish is a treat. This year I made a few changes to the recipe by replacing sugar with jaggery and adding some sesame instead of the coconut. Sadly I could not get my hands on any sugarcane.

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.

Ganthi Kobi Masala (Khol Rabi Curry)

Kohl Rabi, Knolknol, Ol Kopi, Ganth Gobi, Ganthi Kobi, Cabbage Turnip. Call it by any name, this was not exactly my favorite vegetable when I was a kid. In fact I do not remember when I had last eaten it after moving out of my parents home. Till now. The demands made by my two year old on my time and energy levels has made me a lot less discerning about what gets on my plate.

Another reason to try out this vegetable was the apparent health benefits that it has.  Not only is it loaded with vitamins(Vitamin A, B-complex vitamins and carotenes) and minerals(potassium, manganese, iron, copper, calcuim and phosphorus), also it has only 27 calories per 100 gms and no cholesterol which makes it a delight for weight watchers (especially when consumed as a salad). Phytochemicals in Kohl Rabi also protect against colon and prostrate cancers. The leaves are also edible and rich in Vitamin C. So read on for the recipe:

Preparation Time - 20 mins

Ingredients - 2 large Ganthi Kobi, 1 large onion, 1 large tomato, 7-8 garlic flakes, 1/2 inch ginger, 2 dry red chillis, 1 tsp cumin, 1/4 tsp turmeric, 1/4 tsp chilli powder, 1 tsp sugar, a pinch of asafoetida, 1/6 tsp garam masala, salt to taste, 5-6 tsp oil.

Preparation - Peel and chop the khol rabi into small pieces.

Grind the onion, garlic flakes, ginger, 1 dry red chilli and cumin into a smooth paste.

Cooking - Heat 3 tsp of oil in a wok. Add the chopped khol rabi/ganthi kobi pieces. Stir fry for 5-6 minutes. Switch off the flame and remove from the wok.

Add the remaining oil into the wok. Add the masala paste and fry for 3-4 minutes. Add the sugar, red chilli powder, turmeric and asafoetida. Fry for 1 minute.

Add the chopped tomato and cover with a lid for 1-2 minutes. Once the tomatoes soften, mash them lightly. Add the fried khol rani/ganthi kobi along with salt.

Mix with the masalas and stir fry for 3-4 minutes. Add 2/3 cup of boiling water to the wok.

Cover with a lid. Simmer for 5-6 minutes or till the khol rabi turns soft (but not mushy). Turn the flame high to evaporate excess water if any.

Serve hot. While it is best with rotis, I  enjoyed this dry curry with rice and curd.

Sending this to the event Healthy Vegetarian Side Dishes hosted by Nandoo's Kitchen and Priya's Versatile Recipes .

A Quick Stopover at Konark

[Continued from Here]

The next morning dawned bright and sunny. After a nice breakfast and a little sweet indulgence, we started exploring the town on foot. We were surprised to find that ghettos exist even among tourists that flock the city. While the boisterous Bengali crowd prefers the seaside hotels, the foreigners prefer to stay a bit away from the seas. One can easily make this out by looking up the hotels names in a particular area. Hotels like Dada-Boudir hotel, Rupasi Bangla and Sonar Bangla cater to the Bengali crowd while the foreigners prefer hotels like Derby, Richmond, and Marrion. The latter section of the city is the right place to pick up some really nice junk jewelry though the prices quoted are a little high.

All the walking really tired us and we duly returned to the beach for a quick rest. Around 1 pm, we started back to out homestay and picked our luggage. The vehicle that was to take us to Puri and finally drop us at BBSR had arrived. With the bags already packed, we started promptly. The drive took us through the Chandrabhaga Forest Reserve (home to lots of deers), the picturesque Puri-Konark Marine Drive, Ramachandi (Temple) and the awesome Chandrabhaga beach. With a heavy meal at one of the numerous hotels that line the stretch of the Marine Drive, I was lulled into a state of inaction. That is the only excuse I have for not capturing any pictures of this awesome stretch. The Chandrabhaga beach with its pristine white sands and awesome blue waters has got to be one of the prettiest beaches of India but with dangerous currents in this area is mostly avoided by the tourists.

We reached Konark just a little after 3. This 13th century temple built by King Langula Narasimha Deva is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. With most of it now in ruins, whatever structure that remains standing to this day bears testimony to the great architecture marvel that it must have been. The major part of this structure is made up of Khandalite, a ferrous rich stone (with reddish appearance) that has been proposed as the major reason behind its collapse. The other stone used is Chlorite ( blackish color), which is mainly employed for door frames, some intricate carvings and a few idols. Some snaps of the temple:

The main structure that remains, it was filled up with sand by the ASI to prevent any further collapse.

Two of the twelve wheels of the elaborate chariot of the Sun God, after which the temple is modeled.

The beautiful and intricate carvings that adorn the walls. Even though most of it is eroded, it still manages to take one's breath away.

After spending about two hours exploring the temple and happily posing for the family album, we decided to head back to our vehicle which was parked quite a distance away. The trip back to BBSR was uneventful and took a little more than an hour. Thus came to an end our short yet memorable Puri-Konark trip.

Piaja Sandha Bara ( Onion flower stalk Fritters )

Onion stalks are another seasonal delicacy that has flooded the local markets in Orissa these days. These crunchy greens are great as a stir fry ( with some potatoes ) or as baras/fritters ( pithau bhaja ). Moreover they are quite easy to prepare. Read on the recipe:

Preparation Time - 15 mins

Ingredients - onion flower stalks/piaja sandha (500 gms), 1 1/2 tsp red chilli powder, 2/3 cup raw rice(for making pithau), 4-5 tbsp besan/gram dal flour, garam masala/meat masala ( 1/3 tsp), cumin powder (2/3 tsp), salt to taste, 4 tbsp oil.

Preparation - Soak the raw rice for 3-4 hours. Wash and grind into a smooth paste (this is called pithau).

Wash and chop the onion flower stalks into small pieces. Remember to discard the flowers.

Transfer into a mixing bowl. Add the rice paste, besan, salt, cumin powder, red chilli powder and garam masala/meat masala. Mix thoroughly into a dough without adding any water.

Cooking - Heat a non-stick frying pan. Drizzle with 1-2 tbsp oil.

Divide the dough into 10 equal portions. Put each portion on the pan and spread a little with your fingers. Repeat with the remaining portions. ( I made the fritters in 2 batches )

Cook till a little reddish brown and crisp .Then flip over and cook on the other side as well.

Remove from pan and serve hot with rice or just by itself.

Note - This recipe is also prepared with spring onion greens. In that case the besan is usually skipped and only pithau is used.

Palanga Dalma

Odiya folks love their flavorful  Kosala/Leutiya/Khada/Sajanna Sagaa. And with a whole range of greens being available in the local markets around the year, it is hardly a surprise that the humble 'Palak' or palanga sagaa as we call it does not get the respect it deserves. However, with the latter being elevated to the status of a superfood, Odiya folks are trying hard to incorporate it in their menu.

No easy task adjusting to the slight astringency of the Spinach. Unlike the mellow sagaa's that we consume, this one has a overbearing effect on the palate. No wonder most North Indian recipes include generous amounts to ghee to tone down its strong taste. But copious amounts of ghee is a strict no-no in oriya food except for the osa-baras or the fasting days. Hence was born the 'Palanga Dalma', a variant of our 'Buta Dalma'. A nice combination of spinach, vegetables and lentils, this makes for a very nutritious sidedish without the added calories.

My very first post for 2014 had to be something healthy keeping in line with my New Year resolutions. So here it is. Read on for the recipe:

Preparation Time - 20 minutes

Ingredients - 3 cups chopped palanga/spinach, 1 1/2 cup split channa dal, 1 cup cubed pumpkin, 1/2 cup cubed potatoes, 3-4  dry red chillis, 1 tsp oil, 1 tsp ghee, 1 tsp cumin seeds, 1/3 tsp jeera-lanka gunda (roasted cumin chilli powder), 1/5 tsp cinnamon powder/garam masala, 1/3 tsp turmeric, salt to taste.

Preparation - Wash and soak the channa dal for 2 hours.

Cooking - Take the channa dal, pumpkin cubes, potato cubes along with salt and turmeric in a pressure cooker. Cook for 1 whistle on high flame.

Heat the oil in a wok. Add the chopped palanga and stir fry till soft. Transfer to the pressure cooker and mix with the cooked dal.

Heat ghee in the wok. Add broken red chilli and cumin seeds. Pour the spluttering mix over the contents of the pressure cooker.

Put the pressure cooker back on medium flame. Add the jeera-lanka gunda and cinnamon powder. Simmer for 2 mins.

Serve hot with rotis/puri/paratha.

Sending this to the event Healthy Vegetarian Side Dishes hosted by Nandoo's Kitchen and Priya's Versatile Recipes .

Chingudi - Anda Jholo ( Prawn - Egg Curry )

This is a non-vegetarian combo curry that has become my family's favorite. With my husband being partial to prawns and myself being an egg person, a middle path had to be devised to stop us from squabbling over the dinner menu.

With decently sized prawns costing somewhere between rupees 350 to 500, eggs were added as a supplement ( and a tentative experiment ) to add volume and bring down costs. The curry turned out to be hit and an encore has always been around the corner. The use of potatoes is optional and helps to further increase the volume and add more sweetness to the gravy. I personally prefer to mash one or two pieces of the cooked potato into the curry. This help to make a thicker gravy.

As this is my last post for the year, I take this opportunity to thank my readers and friends. This has been quite an eventful year with my blog getting listed in the top 100 (Indiblogger/blogtoplist) and crossing 2,00,000 page views. A Very Happy and Prosperous New Year to All.

Read on for the recipe:

Preparation Time - 40-45 mins

Ingredients - 500 gms prawns (shelled), 4 eggs (boiled & shelled), 1 large potato, 2 large onions, 1 garlic pod, 1 1/2 inch ginger, 2 large tomatoes, 1 tsp cumin seeds, 1 tsp poppy seeds, 1 tsp red chilli powder, 1 tsp turmeric powder, 1/5 tsp garam masala powder, 2 dry red chillis, 1 tsp sugar, salt to taste, 5 tbs oil.

Preparation - Clean prawn and add salt and turmeric. Allow to marinate for 15 mins.

Grind the cumin seeds, poppy seeds and red chillis into a powder. Add 1 onion, half of the garlic pod and 1 inch ginger to the same grinder jar. Grind till the paste is smooth.Keep aside.

Make the smooth puree out of the tomatoes and keep aside.

Chop the remaining onion and keep aside. Crush together the remaining garlic pod and ginger. Take care not to make a very fine paste.

Cut the potato into cubes.

Cooking- Heat 1 tbs oil in a pan. Add the marinated prawns and fry till golden. Remove and keep aside.

Add another tbs of oil into the wok. Add the eggs and potato pieces. Fry for 4-5 minutes. Remove and keep aside.

Heat the remaining oil in a wok. Add chopped onion and fry for 1 minute. Add the sugar and allow it to turn brown. Add the crushed garlic-ginger and fry for 2 minutes.

Add the ground masala along with turmeric and chilli powder. Fry for 5 minutes till the raw smell goes off.

Add tomato puree and fry for another 3-4 minutes.

Add 3 cups of boiling water to the wok. Bring to a boil on high flame.

Add fried eggs, potatoes and prawns to the wok. Cover with a lid and allow to boil for 10 minutes or till potatoes are cooked.

Add the garam masala and switch off the flame.

Serve hot with white rice.