About the Recipe The present generation of Odia children are perhaps deprived of enjoying a bite of Poda Pitha on the occasion of the Raja Festival, which the elders were privileged with. The traditional way of making Poda Pitha in a make-shift Chullah in which charcoal and dried cow-dung cake is used as fuel, is now a thing of the past. Modern day households would rather use a pressure cooker and the gas chullah, even though it means being deprived of the unique feel of the traditional kind of taste and flavor that Poda Pitha is associated with. Ingredients 300gm…
Author: Suchitra P
About the Recipe Saaga or leafy vegetables are a rich source of iron and other nutrients. It makes a common appearance on the dining table of most of the Odia homes. You may use the ‘Leutia’ or ‘Kosala’ saaga for trying the recipe mentioned below.. Saaga Bhaja is also known as ‘Saga Kharada’ in some parts of Odisha. Ingredients 250 gm Leutia or Koshala leaves (saaga) a few pieces of dried black gram flakes (badi) 1 teaspoon mustard seeds (sorisha) 5 garlic cloves (rasuna kola) 2 dry chilies (sukhila lanka) 2 tablespoon mustard oil (sorisha tela) Method Wash the saga…
About the Recipe The health benefits of bitter gourd ( Karela, in Hindi and Kalara in Odia) cannot be overstated. Its green leaves are also equally useful. The leaves may be cooked as a leafy vegetable. It is anti-diabetic, antioxidant and antiviral. However upon cooking, especially when it is fried in oil, some the health benefits are partially lost. In the traditional Odia cuisine, bitter gourd leaves find occasional use. But where from do you find these leaves? It is rarely sold in the vegetable market. So you could grow bitter gourd plants in your kitchen garden to get these…
About the Recipe Poi Chingudi is a non-vegetarian delicacy with the tasty combination of the Poi leaves and shrimp. It’s so delicious that its taste lingers on in one’s mind for long. This is one of the popular dishes among the traditional recipes of Odisha. Ingredients Small sized shrimp (Jheenga/ Chingudi) Malabar spinach (Poi Saag) Pumpkin (Kaddoo/ Kakharu) Brijal (Baigan) Potato (Alu) Tomato (Tamatar) Ginger (Adrakh/ Ada) Garlic (Lehsun/ Rasuna) Onion (Pyaj/ Piaja) Mustard oil (Sanson ka tel/ Sorisha tela) Cumin seeds (Jeera) Mustard seeds (Sarson/ Sorisha) Turmeric powder (Haldi powder) Chili powder (Lal mirch powder/ Maricha gunda) Salt to…
About the Recipe Sajana (moringa oleofera) blossoms in early spring and this is a delicate dish made from its florets. Most rai recipes use mustard based spices mix, but this one uses a very subtle flavour of pancha phutata alone. The yogurt in the recipe lends a mild sourness and a gentle binding consistency to the rai. Ingredients 1 cup moringa oleifra blossoms (sajana phula) 1 medium onion – chopped fine (piaja) 2 pods garlic – crushed (rasuna) 2 table spoons cooking oil (tela) 1 teaspoon pancha phutana mixture (pancha phutana = cumin+mustard+nigella+fenugreek+aniseed ) 2 tablespoon beaten yogurt (dahi) 1…
About the Recipe Janhi Aloo Posto is one of the authentic dishes of Odisha. Janhi or ridge gourd is rich in dietary fibre. This dish is rich and creamy in texture and the ‘posto’ adds a delightful flavour to the curry. It can be served along with rice or chapatti. Ingredients Ridge Gourd (Janhi/ Turai) Poppy seeds ( posto/khas khas) Garlic (rasuna/ lehsun) Green Chillies (kancha lanka / hari mirch) Onion (Piaja/ pyaj) Potatoes (alu) Turmeric powder (haldi powder) Chilly Powder (lanka gunda/ lal mirch powder) Sugar (chini) Oil of your choice, preferably mustard oil (tela/ tel) Salt (luna /…
About the Recipe Badi Chura is an instant side dish, with a crispy and tasty feel. It is easy to make provided you have stock of the ready -made badi with you. Now-a-days households prefer to purchase badi from the local market rather than preparing it at home, which is cumbersome. For those who haven’t heard about it, badi is sun-dried lentil and tastes great if added to selected traditional dishes. But here we have a standalone dish of Badi. Tastes great, if served with the Pakhal (rice soaked in water). Ingredients One cup ‘badi’ made of urad dal (biri…
About the Recipe The ‘Rai’ group of recipes in Odisha refer to the ones in which the paste of mustard seeds is used in prominence. We presents here one such rai in which ridge gourd (jahni, in Odia) is used. You may replace this with selected other vegetables also. Ingredients ½ kg ridge gourd (jahni) 1 tablespoon mustard (sorisha) 1 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera) 5-6 garlic cloves (rasuna kola) 1 tomato – chopped (kata tamatar) 1 onion – chopped (kata piaja) ½ teaspoon red chili powder (lanka gunda) 1 tablespoon refined oil (rifain tela) salt to taste (luna) Method Make…
About the Recipe Dahi Bara is also popular in many other Indian states, where it is known as Dahi Vada. But you would find a finer difference in the way it is prepared in Odisha. This lends a distinct taste to the dish. Ingredients 250 gm skinless blackgram dal / dhuli urad dal (chopa-chhada biri) 3 to 5 red chili (sukhila lanka) ½ teaspoon mustard (sorisha) ½ teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera) 1 & a half cup refined cooking oil (rifain tela) ½ teaspoon cumin seeds powder (jeera gunda) ½ tea spoon red chili powder (lanka gunda) ¼ cup semolina (suji)…
About the Recipe Pear guord (parwal /potal) is a common vegetable available in all regions of India. Its recipes also vary from place to place. In Odisha ‘Potal Rasa’ is the most typical recipe involving this vegetable. However ‘Gota Polal Bhaja’ is a recent addition in the culinary tradition of the state, in which mashed potato is stuffed into the pear gourds leading to a deliciously combined taste of both the vegetables. Ingredients 6 pear gourds (parval / potal) 2 spoon refined oil (refine tela) 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder (haladi gunda) 1 medium sized boiled potato (gota sijha alu) For…