Banana flowers: An Inflorescence of Memories

The filtered rays of the winter sun used to light up a small patch in my parent's garden. Right in front of the kitchen backdoor. This sweet spot that received sunlight for a few hours was our go-to area for sunning everything from the pickles to the precious silk sarees that were often taken out as winter also meant wedding season. Anything that required long hours under the sun was deported to the terrace and one of the kids was assigned guard duty. The pigeons were always seeking a snack or two. Maybe they even liked to sit on the cloth drying lines that swayed precariously under their weight. 

I always sought out the former for some warmth. As did everyone else in the family. Winter mornings in Rourkela tend to be quite harsh and the morning sunlight is almost a blessing. Any chore that could be moved outdoors was moved to this spot. As a result, this was one territory teeming with humans of all ages, each one engrossed in his/her own thing. Me and my brother engrossed in our books, my mother doing the lunch prepping, and my grandmother rubbing oil on her arthritic joints. At times, I would join her after finishing my studies. Tasks like peeling the peas, picking the greens, and prepping the banana inflorescence would be delegated to the kids at times to keep them busy or rather to keep them away from mischief. The last one, in particular, would take up a lot of time. Talk about the time and effort to rewards ratio being unfavorably skewed. The only solace was I simply loved all the dishes made with banana inflorescence. 

Cut to the year 2010. I was newly married and picking up the ropes of running a household. Weekend trips to the Ryathu bazaar were in order. As luck would have had it, I spotted banana flowers being sold by some of the ladies. And some of them happened to be huge. Much bigger than the homegrown ones I had always seen. Of course, I had to buy one and devote the entire afternoon prepping it. But the dish turned out to be a disaster. It was just too bitter and had to be thrown out. Luckily my mother knew the way to cook with these bitter ones. However, the fiasco taught me a valuable lesson. One which I still apply when cooking these flowers. The flavor of the banana flower is highly dependent on the variety and they can turn out to be anything from bland to delicious to downright bitter. I always boil and taste a single flower even before I start cleaning the rest. It helps me take a call on the prepping method to be deployed. The cleaned flowers keep well in the fridge for 3-4 days without turning black provided not much damage has been done while pulling out the tepal and the stylus-stigma. While Saturday afternoons or evenings were designated for movie dates, my Sunday afternoons were usually dedicated to meal prepping even during those days. It saved me a lot of hassle during the weeks.

Sometime last year. I was standing in my maternal aunt's kitchen in Rourkela. It is one of those small kitchens with disproportionally big windows. Like all other kitchens in the colony, this one also sports a metal mesh covering the entire window. The grills are spaced far apart making it a breeze for stray cats to enter and exit at will. While the design did serve its purpose in the older days, it is now defunct or rather a perpetual problem. 

I looked outside and marveled at the clump of robust plantain plants with their large shiny leaves. Most of them were sporting bunches of plantains. Though they were still immature, they looked pretty impressive with each one of them sporting more than a dozen hands. My aunt was almost done with the cooking when I casually enquired about the blossoms. Luckily she remembered the banana hearts sitting in the fridge. The rest of the flower had been used up but the inner core sporting the pale yellow bracts had been reserved for the 'Patua', a delicacy like no other. She ended up making the 'kadali bhanda patua' for lunch that day and I ended up asking for a second helping of piping hot rice to go with it.

Recipe for Kadali Bhanda Patua -

Note - I have used the banana heart or the innermost part of the inflorescence in this recipe. It is the point where it becomes quite difficult to peel off the bracts. But one can also use the flowers in the preceding layers to make this dish.

Ingredients - 

2 banana hearts

1 medium-sized potato

2 tsp mustard seeds (I use the light brown ones)

1 tsp poppy seeds

2 fat garlic clove

1-2 green chili ( preferably hot)

3 tsp mustard oil ( + 1 tsp for drizzling while serving)

1/4 tsp turmeric 

salt to taste ( about 1/3 tsp)

Method - Soak the mustard and poppy seeds for 2-3 hours. 

Transfer to a mixer/chutney jar along with the green chili and garlic pods. Chop the banana heart and add to this jar. Grind into a smooth paste.

Wash and chop the potato into small pieces.

Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed wok. Break a green chili and add it to the hot oil.

Add the chopped potatoes and sauté for a minute on high. Tip the contents of the chutney jar into the wok. Add the salt and turmeric. Sauté for another minute before lowering the flame and covering it with a heavy lid.

Open the lid after 5-6 minutes and give it a mix while taking care to scrape the bottom. If it looks too dry, sprinkle a little water over it. Cover once again and leave for 3-4 minutes. Open and check if the raw smell is gone. This means the dish is ready. 

Remove from the stove. Serve hot with a drizzle of mustard oil on top.

Note - One can swap the ratio of mustard to poppy seeds if one is unaccustomed to the heat of mustard.

Click here to refer to an old blog post for cleaning and prepping the flowers.

Sankha Saru Tarkari ( Arbi cooked with tomatoes and lentil dumplings )

Taro (Arbi) or Saru is perhaps one of the most widely consumed vegetables in Odisha and finds it's way into a variety of dishes like dalma, santula, besara and ghanta. Though used in a smaller proportion as compared to other vegetables, it lends a thick consistency and sweetness to the curry. Upon being thoroughly cooked, the vegetable turns sticky and this kind of binds the lentils and vegetables together. This is why one should not add too much of this vegetable to any curry as one does not want to end up with a sticky gloopy mess.

But apart from the culinary aspect, this is one vegetable that boasts of multiple health benefits. It is easy on the digestive system, controls sugar levels, boosts the immune system and even speeds up the blood circulation. No wonder this vegetable is widely used during the fasting period of Navratri and even the  'no onion no garlic' days which are an integral part of the Hindu culture.

In Odisha, the taro plant along with the plantain, used to be an integral part of every garden/backyard in earlier days. The tubers used to be harvested only after the plants died off naturally (else they tend to be itchy) and then stored for use throughout the year. My parents still grow taro in our garden though not in very large quantity. It is enough to last us a few months. The 'Sankha saru' is a relatively larger variety of Taro and is so called as the shape resembles a conch. Apart from being used in the regular Odia dishes, it is often dipped in a rice batter and pan fried. But at times, when the vegetable supply dries up, as it usually does during the summer months, it is made into a light curry with some tomatoes, badi (lentil dumplings) and a light mustard gravy.

Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 15 mins

Ingredients -

• 200 gm Taro cubes
• 2 medium sized country tomatoes
• 1/2 of a small onion
• 1 dry red chili
• 2 pinch mustard seeds
• 2 pinch turmeric powder
• a handful of badi ( dried lentil dumplings ) 
• 3 tsp vegetable oil
• salt to taste

For the mustard paste -

• 2 tsp mustard seeds
• 2 dry red chilis
• 2-3 garlic flakes 

Preparation - Grind the mustard seeds, garlic and red chili into a fine paste.

Cooking - Heat 2 tsp oil in a wok. Add the badi and fry on a low flame till they start turning red. Remove and keep aside.

Add the remaining oil to the same wok. Once hot, add the mustard seeds and broken red chili. Once the seeds start spluttering, add the coarsely chopped onion.

Once onion turns translucent, add the chopped tomatoes. Sprinkle a little salt over them and cover with a lid for 2 mins to soften them.

Remove the lids and smash the tomatoes. Cook for another 2-3 mins .

Dissolve the mustard paste in 1 cup water and pour slowly into the wok . This ensures that the sediments of the mustard paste do not go into the curry and turn it bitter.

Now add the taro cubes, slat and turmeric. Cover with a lid till just cooked. Do not overcook as they will turn sticky.

Crush the badi lightly and add to the curry jsut before removing it from the flame.

Taro tends to absorb water and so does the lentil dumplings. So do not worry if there is any excess liquid remaining.

Serve at room temperature with steamed rice or even pakhala.

Ghora Pitha

Thanks to the promulgation of culinary shows, the ranks of home chefs are burgeoning in every state/city and Odisha is no exception to this phenomenon. While there are enough varieties of 'pithas' in Odisha to keep one's palate occupied, I keep coming across new ones on a regular basis. A small twist here or there, and maybe the addition of a brand new ingredient, and voila, a new one is born. And the numbers only seem to increase by the day.

On my recent visit, I was pleasantly surprised to come across one such innovation in my Mom's kitchen. Her enthusiasm to try out something new makes her create awesome dishes even though she is in her sixties. I guess the innovation genes are hardwired in the family DNA. Anyways getting back to the dish, it is a simplified form of the 'ghora manda' or 'ghura manda' that is usually prepared during the Manabasa Gurubar puja.

Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 30-35 mins

Ingredients -

• 1 1/2 cup arwa rice
• 1/4 cup coconut (chopped into small bits)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• sugar as per taste
• 1 tsp ghee
• a pinch of camphor

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 ).

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 sugar 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, stir in the coconut pieces, powdered camphor and the ghee. Switch off the flame.

Pour the hot mixture onto a greased steel plate with raised sides (about and inch and a half is good). Allow it to rest till it is completely cool.

Cut into pieces and serve. Tastes better on the next day so do pop in some of it into the fridge.

Desi Kukuda Jholo ( Country Style Chicken Curry )

Ok. I am done with the ranting and raving. Accompanied with a generous amount of head smacking, banging my head on the walls and tearing out my hair, it has left me looking like something that has been dragged out of the dumpster by a bunch of notorious canines. After all, it is India and every stone you throw is bound to finds it mark on an obnoxious canine or an even more obnoxious chauvinist.

If I ever had any inkling of doubt about the total chauvinist leanings of our society , those have been effectively squashed by the Supreme court and Delhi High Court verdicts. 'Hindu son can divorce wife if she tries to separate him from aged parents' sermonizes the first one, only to be backed by an equally regressive and undoubtedly fawning subordinate which rules 'Denying sex to husband for long period ground for divorce'. If it had been a fair world, all these words like 'son', 'wife', 'husband', etc would have been ditched in favour of the all encompassing 'spouse', thus giving equal rights to both parties in a marriage.

Now some may cry hoarse that there are many women-centric laws and evil women use those to harass hapless in-laws. Some of them even get helpless men arrested on charges of rape, harassment, stalking and so on. But I have rarely come across any cases of 'groom burning' nor have I seen lascivious groups of women stalking/teasing the poor guys in bus stands, metro stations or even as they avail public transport. So, I do not care much about laws that protect the endangered male species. And with that I rest my case.

Coming back to business as usual ( do I even have a choice ? ), today's recipe is a simple but amazing Country style chicken curry from Odisha. Since country chicken has a texture that mimics mutton and also take quite longer to cook as compared to farmed 'broiler' chicken, it's preparation is similar to that of a mutton curry. It is pan cooked for a long time till the chicken gives up some juice and takes on a shiny texture. We called the process 'kasha' in Odia and that is usually the key to the final taste of the curry. Too less 'kasha' means that one can make out the rawness of the ingredients while too much 'kasha' gives a blackish color to the curry and changes the aroma for the worse.

Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 1 hour 20 mins

Ingredients -


250 gm country chicken (desi kukuda)
1 medium sized potato
1 large onion + 1/2 of a medium onion ( the chopped onion should be equal in volume to the mutton pieces )
1 1/2 tbsp coarse garlic paste
1 1/2 tbsp coarsely chopped ginger
3-4 dry red chillis
1 big cardamom
1 bay leaf
2 2" cinnamon sticks
1/4 tsp turmeric
salt to taste
6 tsp mustard oil + 1 tsp for the marination

Preparation - Wash the chicken pieces and drain away all the water. Add salt, turmeric and 1 tsp mustard oil. Mix well and keep aside.

Cut the onions into medium sized pieces. Crush lightly using a mortar and pestle. Keep aside.

Also crush the ginger and garlic in the same way but just a little more fine.

Cut the potatoes into big chunks.

Cooking - Heat the oil in a pressure cooker.

Add the potatoes and fry till golden brown. Remove and keep aside.

Add the red chillis followed by the cardamom, bay leaf and cinnamon sticks to the hot oil. Fry till they turn fragrant.

Add the onions, ginger and garlic. Fry them on low flame till they turn quite red in color. (This is a sign that the onions have started turning sweet due to the caramelization process)

Next add the chicken pieces. Fry them till they stop oozing water. You do not have to stir continuously. Keep the lid on the cooker without completely closing it. Stir once every few minutes. This process takes a long time so keep patience ( grab a snack/drink something if all that heavenly smell is making you hungry ).

Once you see that the chicken pieces start leaving oil ( a sure sign that the water had dried up ) and take on a shiny coat, add 1 1/2 - 2 cups of boiling water along with the fried potato pieces. Adjust salt. Close the lid and cook for 1-2 whistles. Remove from flame.

Allow steam to escape before opening lid. Check if the chicken is done. Else add another half cup water and cook for another 1 whistle or two.

Serve hot with rice/rotis.

Note - If you do not want to use pressure cooker, use a thick bottomed copper vessel for best results.

Kadali Chopa Patua ( Green Banana Peel Chutney )

Yet another testimony to the culinary prowess of the Odia woman of yore, this recipe is literally making the best out of waste. Much before the Masterchefs of the tech savy world took it upon themselves to invent a gastronomic masterpiece out of kitchen wastage (peels, seeds, leaves, etc), somebody had already incorporated the idea in a lip smacking dish. Today's recipe is a simple yet amazing dish made from the discarded peel of the raw bananas.

I remember tasting this heavenly dish prepared by my grandma's friend who used to make it on a 'sila' or 'silbatta'. She used to come to our house to pluck the green bananas right from the small grove in our backyard and in return, we got to sample some of her yummy creations. It was my Mom who learnt this recipe from her. Along with the peels, one can also use the very small bananas that are right at the bottom of the bunch.

It is tough to find such fresh vegetables when one does not possess a garden or a farm. But I prefer buying the green bananas from the local vendors instead of the supermarkets for best results. Try buying ones that have a uniform green color and are free from black spots or markings.

Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 15 mins

Ingredients -

• 1 raw banana ( we will use the peels for this recipe )
• 1 small potato ( cut into thin long pieces )
• 1/3 tsp mustard
• 5 garlic cloves
• 1 green chili
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp mustard oil
• salt to taste

Preparation - Peel the banana and soak the peels in a bowl of water to which a little turmeric has been added.

Grind the peel along with the mustard seeds, green chili and garlic into a smooth paste.

Peel and chop the potato into tin long pieces. Mix the banana peel paste, chopped potato, mustard oil, salt and turmeric in a thick bottomed saucepan. Add about 1/4 cup water to it.

Cooking - Put the saucepan on a low flame and let it cook till the potatoes turn mushy. Keep stirring at regular intervals so that contents at the bottom do not get burnt.

Remove from the flame.

Serve at room temperature with white rice and dal . Or enjoy along with mudhi/bhel !!

Talaa Pitha ( Ice Apple / Sugar Palm Fritters from Odisha )

Would you like to guess what is the first thing that comes to my mind when I think of the 'Talaa Pitha' which are a variety of incredibly aromatic and sweet tasting fritters. No, it is not the heavenly aroma that envelopes the entire household when they are being prepared nor it is the residual note of bitterness that lingers for a few seconds after the very last bite. Rather it is those old fashioned milk cans made from steel. The reason behind this bizarre connection is that that my grandmother used to get the sugar palm juice/extract from our native village in these milk cans. The mind certainly works in a strange fashion, doesn't it ?

Being an arthritic patient, she could not extract the juice herself as it requires a lot of effort. Hence we always got the extracted juice from our village which is a few hours distance from Rourkela. Since the sugar palm ripens during the cold winter months, the cool temperatures prevalent in the hilly regions of Western Odisha ensure that the fermentation process does not set in within a day or even two. Once the juice is cooked and made into these delicious fritters, they can be stored in air tight containers for up to a week.

I found this ripe fruit on my weekly trip to the HAL market in Marathahalli and could not resist buying one even though it cost me eighty rupees. One can get one for about 10 bucks in Odisha so it seemed rather steep at first. But the dormant foodie in me suddenly turned hyper thinking about the glorious possibilities that it could open up. And I ended up buying one. So, while a variety of dishes can be prepared using this wonderful fruit, the fritters and the poda pith happen to be my favorites. Here I am sharing the recipe for the fritters -

[This time does not include the 40-45 minutes of time required to extract the juice. Plus more time is required to boil and then cool it down completely before using it in any recipe. Refer to the process mentioned in the last section of this post.]

Preparation Time - 25 mins

Ingredients -

• 1 cup sugar palm juice / Talaa 
• 1 cup rice powder ( arua / jeera rice, approx as it depends on the thickness of the juice )
• 2 tsp semolina (suji)
• 3-4 tsp sugar (optional, the sugar palm already has loads of it )
• oil for deep frying

Preparation - Take all the ingredients in a mixing bowl. Mix together to get a thick but dropping consistency.

Let it stand for 10-15 mins.

Cooking - Heat sufficient oil in a wok for deep frying the fritters.

Drop a few teaspoons of the batter at a time. Fry on all sides to a rich brown shade.

Remove and keep aside.

Repeat the process for the remaining batter.

Let it cool down completely before enjoying the fritters. Keep away some of them in an airtight container as they taste even better on the next day.

Extraction and Prepping of the juice -

• When you buy the ripe Sugar Palm, check for one that is a little mushy when you press it.
• Wash the outer surface and slice off the top portion.
• Carefully peel the black fibrous outer layer and throw it away. 

• Put 1 cup water in a deep bowl and place the orange flesh in it. Squeeze and mash it to remove the hardened seeds. Throw away these seeds.
• Finally use a strainer to separate the juice from the fibers.

• Put this juice in a thick bottomed pan and place it on the burner. Bring it to a bubbling stage on a low flame.
• Let it bubble for 4-5 mins before switching off the flame. Remember to keep stirring it throughout.
• Once it cools down completely (takes a few hours), one can use it. Boiling the juice reduces the bitter notes in it though a slight bitterness can still be detected. Add a little sugar will mask it further. 

Ambada/Ambeda Khatta ( Tangy Indian Olives Curry )

One of the most endearing and enduring memories of my childhood days have been those village feasts where everyone sat down on the floor to partake the meals. Served on disposable plates sewn out of dried Sal leaves (khali patra), even the simplest of meals acquired that 'wow' factor in my city bred conscience. Even as the piping hot rice was piled on the sal leaves, the aroma released by the heat was enough to set the salivary glands in a state of overdrive. A topping of dal and some random vegetable curry usually followed the rice.

However, all tongues were kept hanging in limbo for the arrival of the 'piece de resistance', if I may christen it so, of all odia feasts. The mutton curry was undoubtedly most sought after dish at these feasts. But any guesses what came a close second on my list? None other than the 'ambada khatta', a sweet and tangy relish made out of Indian olives. While, the coastal regions of Odisha swear by the 'Oau' or elephant apple, the 'ambada' is more prevalent in the Western parts of the state. Given that the mutton curry is quite spicy and laden with fat, the sweet sour nature of the 'khatta' acts as the perfect foil for it.

It had been ages since I got the chance to feast on some of this delicious stuff. Hence I was almost euphoric when I chanced upon a vendor selling them in Bengaluru. The young fruit is usually tender and one can easily split it into four halves. But the ones that I found were quite mature and hence I just ended up putting slits on their surface. They got nicely cooked in the gravy and lent their juices to it. However, the consistency was a little thinner than usual. One can mash them up a little to thicken the gravy. I was quite happy with the thin consistency so I just let it be.

Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 30 mins

Ingredients -

• 250 gm Ambada/Ambeda/Indian Olives
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tsp mustard 
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1-2 dry red chili
• 3-4 garlic cloves
• 1/4 tsp pancha phutana
• a sprig of curry leaves
• 2 pinch asafoetida
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• salt to taste
• 2 tsp oil

Preparation - Dry grind the red chili, mustard and cumin seeds. Once powdered, add the garlic and a little water. Grind into a fine paste and keep aside.

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

Cooking - Heat the oil in a wok. Add the pancha phutana and 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 and boil some more till it reaches the desired consistency. 

[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 rice and mutton curry.

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

Chaula Bara ( A Rustic style Vada from Odisha )

Have you ever wondered if there is a key to your memory ? If yes, is it just one ?  Or do such multiple keys exist which have the power to selectively unlock small sections of one's memories ? To me, the human mind sometimes seems like a beehive with cell upon cell crammed together. But while they may seem identical, each one is unique and holds something specific. And most importantly, there exists a singular key for each cell.

But at other times, digging into the human mind reminds me of looking/ exploring for water /oil under a rocky terrain. Just like the water or oil which is trapped between two layers of solid rock and can be harvested only if we reach a specific depth, neither less not more, the human mind seems to have layer and layers of memories superimposed one upon the other. Reaching for a specific memory thus requires knowledge of a very specific nature which can enable one to penetrate to the particular layer which holds the information.

The reason that I have been ranting about the human memory is because I sometimes fail to recall certain things even after people remind me about them. And then, all of a sudden, things jump at me when I am least expecting it . This recipe for example evaded me till I got to sample some prepared by an Odia neighbor of mine. This old lady is one of the few who still prefer to make 'bara' in this manner while most of us prefer to follow the biri 'bara' recipe.

Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 30 mins

Ingredients -

• 1 cup split biri / black lentil ( i use the skin variety )
• 1 cup arwa rice ( jeera rice or sona masuri will do )
• 1 tsp whole cumin seeds
• 2-3 green chili ( finely chopped )
• 1 small onion ( finely chopped )
• 2 pinch baking powder
• salt to taste
• oil for deep frying

Preparation -  Wash and soak the biri and rice for 7-8 hours ( overnight ).

Drain excess water and grind into a thick smooth batter .

Keep aside for ferment for a good 4-5 hours .

Mix in the cumin seeds, green chili and onion along with the salt and baking powder. Let it sit for 15 mins.

Cooking - Heat sufficient oil for deep frying.

Drop small balls of the batter into the oil. Cook till brown on one side and then flip to cook on other side as well.

Remove and drain on paper towels.

Serve hot with ketchup and green chilis.

Note - One can also use crushed ginger, curry leaves and cilantro to enhance the flavor. The smaller the size, the more crunchy it will be, so take care to keep them small.

Chattua Panaa ( The Vegan Version )

Panaa Sankranti or the Odia New year is marked by the consumption of the signature drink, 'Panna' . Cooling and refreshing, this traditional drink comes in many versions. Infact everyone I seem to know has their own 'secret little ingredient' for this drink. Little wonder that none of the ones I have sampled over the years has ever tasted alike.

My favorite panaa however is the 'Bael Panna', a light drink made with just 3 ingredients. Wood apple pulp, yogurt and sugar diluted with water, this has the most unique taste experience that one can come across. But since the fruit is not available easily outside Odisha, I end up making the 'Chaatua panna' or 'Aam panna' most of the times. But this summer, I have reduced my intake of the 'Aam panna' as it requires copious amounts of sugar.

With today being 'Panaa Sakranti' and me being caught up in one of those #govegan moods, I decided to try out a vegan version for the 'Chattua Panna'. Used some almond milk instead of using yogurt and chenna. And added a tiny amount of rose water to the concoction. Turned out to be super delicious and healthy too !!

Read on for recipe -

Ingredients -

• 3 tsp chattua ( roasted gram flour )
• 1 cup almond milk 
• 1 small banana
• 1/2 of one apple
• a few green grapes
• 2 tsp powdered jaggery
• a pinch of cardamom
• a few drops of rose water
• a few slices of fresh coconut 
• 1 tsp freshly grated coconut
• water to adjust the consistency

Preparation - Chop the banana and apples into small pieces.

Transfer everything (except coconut slices) into a grinder jar. Buzz for a few seconds till the jaggery gets dissolved.

Check the consistency. While it is generally kept thick, you can add a little more water if you prefer a thinner consistency.

Pour into a glass and garnish with coconut slices/grated coconut. (Add 2-3 ice cubes if you want it chilled)

Serve immediately.

Note - To prepare the almond milk, soak 1 cup almonds overnight. Next morning, discard the water and peel them. Blend on high for 3-4 mins along with 2 - 2 1/2 cups water. Strain and remove the pulp. Use the extracted milk within 3-4 days ( when refrigerated ).

The pulp can be kneaded into the dough for making rotis/puris/parathas.

Oria Arna ( Odisha Special )

With rice being the staple grain of Odisha, there many kinds of 'Khichidi' that one can find in this state. Unlike the Southern states which have rice varieties that include veggies and a whole lot of spices, the Odia folks simply cannot do without their dal. The running joke in the community is that even if one serves a guest with half a dozen gravy dishes along with rice, they would still berate the fact that the host forgot to serve dal. The only exception to this 'till dal does us apart' rule is the 'pakhala' , a watery rice dish that is served mostly during summers. This dish dispenses the need to pair it with anything that remotely resembles a gravy. As for the others, no exceptions can be made. Never ever.

One such little known but nevertheless delicious rice variety is the 'Oria Arna', an offering at the famous Lingaraj temple in Bhubaneshwar. A simple rice and lentil preparation with a seasoning of ginger, bay leaf and asafoetida in desi ghee, it is sheer delight on the taste buds. Apart from the 'no onion no garlic' days, I also like to cook this dish on the days when I am feeling lazy and want an easy one pot meal.

Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 20 mins

Ingredients -

• 1 cup arwa rice ( jeera rice)
• 1 cup split yellow moong dal
• 2-3 tsp desi ghee
• 2 tsp sugar
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 1/2 inch ginger
• 2 pinch asafoetida
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• 4 tsp chopped cashews
• 4 tsp raisins
• 4-5 tsp finely chopped coconut pieces
• salt to taste

Preparation - Wash the lentil and rice together. Strain and mix in the turmeric. Air dry on a flat surface for 2 hours.

Crush the ginger and keep aside.

Cooking - Heat 2 tsp ghee in a deep vessel. Add the cashews and raisins. Fry for 5-6 seconds and remove.

Add the bay leaf to the ghee. Once it releases fragrance, add the rice and dal to the same vessel. Stir fry for 3-4 mins till the ghee coats each and every grain.

Add 4 cups water, crushed ginger, sugar and salt. Also, add the finely chopped coconut.

Cook till done.

Heat the remaining ghee in a tempering pan. Add the asafoetida and allow it to crackle. Pour this tempering over the rice. Mix in the fried cashews and raisins.

Serve warm.

Note - I personally like to have it with some fried papad and occasionally some thick yogurt too.

Chuda Crumble with Frozen Yogurt

Dahi Chuda. A mass of beaten rice dunked in yogurt and sweetened with some sugar or jaggery. Like most Odia dishes it is nectar for the tongue, knosh for the stomach and nirvana for the soul. And it comes with the promise of an afterglow. Yep, just like good sex, good food is supposed to give one an afterglow. Nah, I am not referring to that halo kind of thing around your head but the deliciously luminous feeling that lights up within oneself. Medically it has got something to do with release of endorphins. Go google it up if you want to find out more on this stuff!!!

While technically the dish is just supposed to be beaten rice mixed with some curd and sugar, it gets magically metamorphosed in my MIL's hands. Freshly grated coconut, some crumbled ricotta, mashed banana and even some sweetened boondi adds enough character to this dish to give the Bollywood actors a run for their money. But sadly, it lacks the kind of visual appeal that would send one's salivary glands into an overdrive. A common malady when it comes to Odia cuisine.

Hence, I picked on this yummy breakfast favorite for my next makeover. Taking inspiration from a no-bake crumble, I deconstructed the original recipe and served it as a layered treat. The bottom layer is sliced bananas and honey with a hint of cinnamon. The middle layer is beaten rice, ricotta, freshly grated coconut and sugar blended together to give it the appearance of a crumble. And the final icing on the cake or the top layer is frozen yogurt with cardamom.

While I had intended to make it like one of those 'dessert in a jar' kind of presentation, I realized at the last moment that I has already used the jar to store some pickle that I had prepared. Had to settle for a tall glass instead.

Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 10 mins ( plus 10 mins standby assuming that the frozen yogurt is readily available )

Ingredients -

• 1/2 of a ripe banana
• 1 tsp honey
• 1/2 cup beaten rice/chuda/chivda
• 2 tbsp oats
• 2 tbsp ricotta/chenna
• 2 tbsp freshly grated coconut
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/2 cup frozen yogurt ( cardamom flavour )

Preparation - Slice the banana and layer it at the bottom of the glass/jar. Drizzle with honey and a pinch of cinnamon.

Take the beaten rice, ricotta, grated coconut and sugar in a blender. Buzz to get a mixture that has the appearance of breadcrumbs. Pour into the glass/jar over the banana slices. Pop into the fridge for about 10 -15 mins.

Finally top it up with the frozen yogurt. Serve immediately.

Note - Frozen yogurt is quite easy to prepare at home if you have access to good quality yogurt or Greek yogurt and some amount of patience. And best part is that you get it at almost 1/8th the price that you would have to pay outside. Will the sharing my gelatin free frozen yogurt recipe in a day or two.

Chuda Ghasa Parfait ( Diwali Recipes Collaboration )

Its time to begin the festivities as the 'Festival of lights' is literately knocking on our doors. To make this Diwali extra special for all my readers and well wishers, I will be collaborating with a very talented blogger Parinaaz Marolia . Parinaaz is a mum to a toddler, passionate blogger and amateur photography dabbler. She blogs at A Dollop of that! It is mostly about Parsi recipes and baked stuff.
For today's post, she has made assorted chocolates in two variants brandy creme and honeyed pistachio. ( For more info, scroll down to the bottom of this post )

As an added bonus another blogger is joining us at the last minute. Ms Saswati Hota, also from Odisha, is a part of the Indian Air Force family . She is contributing with a sweet known as Labanga Latika in Odisha.

Coming back to my recipe, Chuda Ghasa is a traditional preparation from Odisha. A coarse mix of beaten rice with sugar, ghee and freshly grated coconut, it is prepared during festivals. Some people also add chopped fruits and boondi to it to enhance the taste. With this recipe, I have attempted to deconstruct it and serve it in the form of separate layers just like a parfait. But a much healthier and simpler one.

Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 20 mins

Ingredients -

• 1 1/2 cup beaten rice
• 4 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp ghee
• 2 tsp freshly grated coconut
• 3 tbsp chopped berries (I had only dried ones)
• 2 tbsp chopped orange
• 1/2 cup hung curd (Greek yogurt)
• 1 tsp chopped pistachios
• 1/4 cup sweetened boondi ( or 1 motichoor laddoo)
• 1-2 green cardamoms
• a pinch of cardamon
• a pinch of saffron

Preparation - Take the beaten rice, 2 tbsp sugar and cardamom in a mixer. Give a buzz to get a coarse mix. Add the ghee and freshly grated coconut to the mixer jar and give another buzz. This is the regular chuda ghasa which looks like breadcrumbs.

Mix the hung curd with 2 tbsp sugar, a pinch of saffron and pistachios.

Mix the boondi/crumbled motichoor laddoo with the 2 tsp chuda ghasa.

Take two small glasses . Spread a thick layer of the chuda ghasa on the bottom. Top it with the oranges and chopped berries.

Top it with the hung curd .

Finally add a layer on boondi mix and garnish it with toasted pistachios.

Chill it in the fridge for 1-2 hours before serving.

Do not forget to check this out !!

Parinaaz's recipe - Assorted Chocolates (feat.) Liquor & Honeyed-Pistachios

And

Saswati's recipe - Labanga Latika

Welcoming Raja Festival 2015 !!!

Raja or the advent of monsoon is a big festival in Odisha. This year it is being celebrated from 14th to 16th of June. It is time to don the chef's hat and indulge in making some of Odisha's glorious 'Pithas'. Apart from the regulation Poda pitha, karara and chunchipatra pitha, there are lots of delectable pithas that one can sample from. Check below -

Check out the recipes HERE.

Sajana Phula Patua (Drumstick Flower in Mustard Paste)

This was the last dish that I made with drumstick flowers before leaving my native. A simple and authentic preparation usually made in my mother's family, it is delicious yet very healthy. Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 15 mins

Ingredients -

• 1 1/2 cup drumstick flowers
• 1 medium sized potato
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 green chili
• 2-3 garlic cloves
• 3 tsp mustard oil
• 2 pinch turmeric
• salt to taste

Preparation - Wash and clean the drumstick flowers. Cut the potato into thin pieces.

Grind the mustard seeds, chili and garlic into a smooth paste.

Cooking - Heat the oil in a wok. Add the potato pieces. Fry for 2-3 mins.

Add the mustard paste along with 5-6 tbsp water. Throw in the drumstick flowers. Sprinkle turmeric and salt. Cover with a lid and cook on low flame for 3-4 mins.

Remove from flame and serve hot with rice/rotis.

Check out more drumstick flower recipes on my blog !!!

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.

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).

Sirini ( Satyanarayana Puja Prasad )

During my childhood days, most people would organize a 'Satyanarayan Puja' on the birthday of their kids. Usually they would pick the date for the Puja according to the 'thithi' or Hindu religious calendar leaving their kids free to celebrate the actual B'day ( as per the Christian calendar ) with a cake cutting ceremony. All the neighbours would be invited for the Puja and a big vessel of 'Sirini' would be prepared by the 'Nana' or the pujari. Sometimes if the pujari was lenient, he would allow some family member to prepare the prasad. In those days  Brahmins would not touch food prepared by any other caste than their own. Along with the 'Sirini', there would be a large plate holding dozens of 'Sitabhog' laddoos or 'Sareikela laddoo' as we call it in Rourkela. All the kids would be eyeing the laddoos and hoping fervently for the Puja to get over. The prasad would consist of a 'danaa' or bowl made with 'sal leaves' filled with delicious 'Sirini' and a Sitabhog laddoo.

Sirini was originally made with rice flour but sometime back people switched to using 'atta' or whole wheat four instaed of the former. The other ingredients are milk, mashed ripe bananas, sugar and crushed black pepper. Some people also add fruits like apples and pears. I have chosen to make this with a mix of rice flour and wheat flour in equal proportion.
Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 15 mins

Ingredients -

• 1/2 cup rice flour
• 1/2 cup wheat flour
• 2 ripe bananas
• 1/2 cup grated coconut
• 3 tsp sugar
• 2  - 2 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4 tsp crushed black pepper

Preparation - Take all the ingredients in a mixing bowl. Use a hand blender to get a smooth and consistent mixture.

Serve immediately or chill for 20 mins before serving.

Maccha Mahura

Mahura. Ghanta. Chencheda. Fish cooked with a medley of vegetables but known by different names by people from various parts of Odisha. Phew...it can get quite confusing at times. While Ghanta is usually vegetarian with loads of sprouts and fresh coconut ( Ex - Ghanta made on Dwitibahana Osa ), Chencheda is usually made by combining some kind of leafy vegetable with the fish ( Ex- Poi (malabar spinach) Chencheda or Bandha kobi Chencheda ). Even for Mahura, it can be either Niramish (no onion-no garlic, ex - Mahura besara prasad from Puri temple) or amish ( Chingudi mahura or maccha mahura ). Hence, there is no wrong or right categorization but yes the spices are different.

Traditionally, only the head and tail of a fish like Rohu/Bhakura is used in this recipe but one can also make it with the other parts. IMO, given the demands of a fast moving world, one needs to adapt rather than end up in the league of dinosaurs. And that requirement will dictate the future of most traditional recipes. So fret not.

Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 30 mins

Ingredients -

2 pieces of Bhakura/Rohu fish ( I used a tail and a fillet )
1/2 cup chopped eggplant
1/2 cup chopped pumpkin
1/2 cup cauliflower florets
1 small potato
1/2 of a green banana
1 medium sized tomato
1 small onion
4-5 garlic cloves
1 inch ginger
1/2 tsp coriander seeds
1/2 tsp fennel
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1-2 dry red chilli
1 large bay leaf
2-3 cloves
8-10 peppercorns
1 inch cinnamon stick
1 green cardamom
1/4 tsp turmeric
oil (as per requirement)
salt to taste


Preparation - Marinate the fish with salt and a pinch of turmeric.

Grind the onion, garlic and ginger into a coarse paste. Chop the tomato into small pieces.


Cooking - All the vegetables (except tomato) should be chopped into similar sized cubes. Clean and transfer them to a cooker with 1/4 cup water. Add a pinch of turmeric and salt. Cook on high flame for 2 whistles.

Set aside for allowing steam to escape. Drain excess water and keep aside.

Dry roast the coriander, cumin, chili, bay leaf, peppercorn, cinnamon, cloves and cardamom till fragrant. Remove and allow to cool down. Grind into a fine powder.

Heat 2-3 tsp oil in wok. Add the fish and fry for 6-7 minutes. Remove and keep aside.
In the same wok, add some more oil. Add the onion-garlic-ginger paste and fry till raw smell goes away.

Add the fried fish to the wok. Slightly crush it and fry for 3-4 minutes.

Add the chopped tomatoes and sprinkle a little salt. Allow to soften a bit. Add the boiled vegetables at this stage. Turn up the flame and fry for 3 minutes.

Finally add half of the powdered masala along with some water for cooking the vegetables. Cover with a lid and simmer on low flame for 8-10 mins.

Once done, add the remaining masala and remove from the flame.

Serve hot with white rice or rotis.

Note - Grinding the onions along with the ginger and garlic makes the curry rich. If you want to keep it light, chop onions in medium sizes pieces and fry to a golden before adding the ginger garlic paste. Proceed as above.

One can even skip the onions if one wishes to as it is the 'mahura' spices that bring this dish together.