Potala Rasa and a Odiya Wedding ......

'Have you seen the wedding card of the Mishra's my aunt asked me ......I was busy watching Super Hit Mukabla. That was a question irrelevant for a 15 year old like me. I nodded my head as I was too engrossed watching Shahrukh Khan dancing to the tunes of 'Jaati hoon mein ..... jaldi hai kya' . Marriage cards would be the last thing I would be interested ....... Shahrukh and Kajol were much more important.

"It's a beautiful one printed on pure silk. Must be quite expensive na ? Just look at it ...... don't know how much they would have spent on these. And do you know the reception is at The Park Heights ". She went on blabbering. "So what do you think I should wear to the party ...... do you think the pink banaresi would look good as an evening wear".

"Oh ho baba ..... wear something, no one would even notice you. Every one would have their eyes stuck on the newly wed. Now can you please allow me to watch the remaining songs .... huh "

The Mishra's Wedding was a classic example of the 'Big Fat Indian Wedding'.

Marigold garlands were replaced with orchids and daisies. The carpet below was Persian. Waiters wearing uniforms carried trays of cocktails and mock tails around ..... Guests of the Mishra's wore well coordinated mauve outfits. There were food counters reading 'Indian Veg', 'Indian Non-Veg', Chinese, Italian, Mediterranean ..........

I walked up to the Indian Veg counter, I was ignorant about the other cuisines, hence went for a safer bet ...... The waiter served me little of everything, the silver serving spoon was a little bigger than a tea spoon. "Can you put some more of that ...... I asked the guy serving paneer kofta". He stared back at me as if I asked him the world.

I took a little bit of everything, trying to balance my food laden fragile bone china plate. The food no doubt was cooked to perfection. And why not, I was attending a wedding at 'The Park Heights'.

And dining in an Indian wedding would be incomplete without desserts. There were Jalebi and Rabdi Stalls around. A halwai prepared fresh jalebi's and handed over to the crowd around them.

After a stomach full I decided to socialise and least congratulate the bride and the groom. Not to forget I took liberty of getting a 'meetha pan' from the 'Banaras Pan wala Stall' .... which otherwise my mom would have objected.

On our way back my mom and aunt began their post wedding review ..... Everything under the sun ........ How much jewelry the bride wore, how much their IITian son was worth of, the saree Mrs Mishra wore ..... an unending list !

And suddenly she remembered asking me the most important question 'Potala Rasa ta khailu ki nahin ?'. (Did you eat the Parwal Curry). Been in my teen I just stared at her with utter disgust. Could there have not been a better thing to ask ??

Hmmm Potala Rasa is a very Odisha Centric food which is a must in the wedding menu.

Yeah I absolutely love this dish .... and this time I was lucky enough to spot some fresh produce at the Indian Grocery.

Nah ..... there ain't any wedding but I prepared it ...... You need not have a wedding at the Park to eat Potala Rasa. You can still prepare it within the four walls of your kitchen and relish it.

Preparation Time - 40 minutes

Serves - 4

Ingredients

Potala - 1 pound

Chopped Onion - 1/2 cup

Ginger - 1 inch

Cinnamon - 1 inch

Coriander Seeds - 1 tsp

Green Chili - 3

Tomato - 1

Fresh Shredded Coconut - 1/2 cup

Turmeric - 1 pinch

Garam Masala - 1 pinch

Sugar - 1 pinch

Salt per taste

Mustard Oil for Cooking

Method of Preparation

1 Slit the Potala length wise and shallow fry it. Keep aside.

2 Grind Onions, ginger, green chili, coriander seeds, cinnamon together to make a masala paste.

3 Puree the tomato.

4 Heat about 1 tbsp of oil in a kadhai. Add the masala and fry till golden brown.

5 Add the tomato puree, salt and turmeric and fry till the masala gets cooked and there is no raw smell. Add a pinch of sugar

6 Add the shredded coconut and mix with the masala. Add about 1 tbsp of water.

7 Now add the fried potala to it and mix well. Cover and cook for 5 minutes till the potala gets soft.

8 Add a pinch of garam masala and remove from flame.

Serving Tips

Serve warm with roti/paratha or rice

Notes

Do not over fry the potala.

Variation

You may also add potato to this curry. Adding sugar is optional. To make it more spicy add red chili powder. You may also add coconut milk instead of shredded coconut.

Other Names

Potala Rasa - Parwal Masala.

Note - This is a fiction and I hope you liked reading it.

Bhapa Illish

The one thing that I and my bengali friends discuss often is food. It doesn't take much time for the discussion to take the avatar of an argument. Well don't take me wrong, I am also picky about my friends with whom I argue. They are my childhood friends .... hence always taken for granted. Let me clarify that it happens both ways .... not that I am a nasty girl and that they are saints. (Just in case they are reading and smiling about my confession).

The comparison is always there as both the states share similar food habits. And both are big time fisheaterians !! Illishi Macha (in Odiya) or Illish Mach (Bengali) being the most sort after one. My Bengali friends leave no stone unturned when they go gaga about Bhapa Illish. But they have never been generous to serve me with this Bengali Delicacy. Yah I am complaining about all you guys ..... so at least feel sorry for this and stop grinning for heaven's sake.

So I decided to prepare it all my myself and stop relying on these guys. But let me admit that I called up Soumik - a Bong and an awesome cook ( it sometimes takes gutts when you praise people you fight with :-) ) for the recipe.

Well the conversation was not so pleasant as we fought over food again ...... But I got the recipe for Bhapa Illish (Microwave version) from him.

I hate hate hate to admit that his recipe indeed turned out to be finger licking good.

Soumik, just in case you are reading , don't be in the false notion that I am going to agree with you ever when it comes to food ! This is probably your lucky day and the last time I am agreeing with you :-)

Preparation Time - 15 minutes

Serves - 3
Ingredients
Hilsa Fish - 6 pieces
Mustard Seeds - 1/2 cup
Poppy Seeds - 1/3 cup
Plain Yogurt - 2 tsp
Turmeric Powder - 1 pinch
Green Chili - 4
Mustard Oil - 4 tsp
Salt per taste
Method of Preparation
1 Wash and clean the hilsa pieces. Pat them dry with a paper towel and keep aside.
2 Soak mustard seeds and poppy seeds for couple of minutes.
3 Add green chilies to the mustard and poppy seeds and wet grind it to a thick paste.
4 Now remove this paste into a microwavable dish.Add turmeric powder and plain yogurt to it.Also add 4 tsp of mustard oil to it.
5 Add the hilsa pieces to it and coat well with the mixture.
6 Cover the dish with a plastic wrap and microwave it for 12 - 15 minutes.

Serving Tips

Serve warm with plain rice.

Chandrakanti

I have noticed a drastic change in the way we celebrate festivals today compared to my years of growing up. Or is it that I am growing older by the day and am looking at things from a different perspective. Whatever the case, but festivals have become just another date in the calendar for me.

I no more wake up at dawn and go out with my group of friends and cousins to pluck flowers from the neighborhood and make garlands out of them. Neither am I excited about wearing anything new and going 'Pandal hopping'. Preparing and eating 'prasad' has become just another thing.The sweet shop at the street corner sells ready made prasad items. And meeting relatives on festivals is out of scope.

Instead I just go to the florist, spend some money and buy flowers. I shop impulsively almost on every weekend when I am at the mall. I no longer wait for festivals to buy clothes.I rather buy clothes for parties and outings and to be in fashion.

Everything has become so convenient and I am living a life of luxury ...... but it doesn't make me feel any better.I do have the answers when I sit and introspect. But am I ready to give up the comfort and do things like before ? That's the question which puzzles me. I am not sure of it ..... but I always miss the warm welcoming atmosphere in almost every festival.

I am posting another recipe from Sangeeta's kitchen. You might be amused reading the name of this dish ..... But just to let you know, this is a traditional dish from Odisha. It is prepared in every household during festive occasions.

I just hope that all of you celebrate these festivals with grandeur. Wish all of my readers and friends a very happy Vinayak Chaturthi.

Preparation Time - 60 minutes

Serves - 4

Ingredients

Moong Daal - 2 cups

Cardamom - 15

Sugar - 1 cup

Salt - 1/2 tsp

Oil - 1/3 cup

Method of Preparation

1 Soak Moong Daal for 3 hours. Grind finely.

2 Put a wide open pan on flame and add the finely ground moong daal to it.

3 Add sugar and salt and oil and stirr continuously till the moong daal become light yellow in color.

4 Ground the cardamom and add to the moong daal.

5 Remove to another dish and spread uniformly.

6 When cool, cut into desired shapes.

7 Heat oil in a kadhai and deep fry till golden brown.

8 Remove to a paper towel.

Serving Tips

Serve at room temperature

Notes

Keep stirring the moong daal continuously else it may form lumps.

Variation

You may choose to add sugar per taste.

Other Names

Cardamom - Elaichi

Dalma

Dalma is synonymous with Odiya Cooking and a comfort food of Odiyas. This is a highly nutritious dish which combines lentils (daal) and vegetables. There are many versions of Dalma but this one is the most common one. This traditional dish is prepared in earthen vessels in many temples across Odisha and offered as a Prasad.
Preparation Time - 45 minutes
Serves - 4
Ingredients
Toor Daal - 1 Cup
Pumpkin - 1 Cup cut into large pieces
Raw Banana - 1 Cup cut into large pieces
Bringjal - 1 Cup cut into large pieces
Drum Sticks - few pieces
Ginger - 1 inch
Dry Red Chilli - 5
Cumin Seeds - 3 tsp
Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
Ghee - 3 tsp
Sugar - 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Method of Preparation
1 Wash and cut all the vegetables into large pieces. Soak the Toor daal for 20 minutes.
2 Add a little salt and turmeric Powder to the daal and pressure cook so that the daal gets 3/4th cooked.
3 Once the daal is partially cooked, open the cooker and add coarsely grated ginger and all the vegetables.
4 Pressure cook again on medium heat (1 whistle) so that the daal gets completely cooked along with the vegetables.
5. In a separate pan heat the Ghee. Add 1tsp of Cumin Seeds, Mustard Seeds and 2 dry chillis to crackle. When the tempered Ghee is still hot add it to the cooked daal and vegetables. Add sugar now.
6. Simmer for a minute or two.
7 Dry Roast the remaining Cumin Seeds and Dry Red Chillis. Grind them to prepare a powder.
Season the Dalma with this powder. This brings out the real flavor of this dish.
Serving Tips
Serve hot with a extra ghee on top with Rice or Paratha
Notes
Make sure the daal is not watery and cooked to a thicker consistency.The vegetables should be cut in large cubes,else they may get mashed while cooking.
Variation
You can add your choice of vegetables. Freshly grated coconut gives this dish extra flavor. In case you don't like ghee,use refine oil instead. You may also avoid sugar in this dish.
Other Names
Toor Daal - Arhar Daal, Raw Banana - Green Plantain, Bringjal - Egg Plant, Ghee - Clarified Butter

Country style Chicken Curry

Hissshhhhh ..... I heard the pressure cooker whistle. I quickly ran to the kitchen. I had seen dad come home with a black plastic bag from the market ....It was Sunday morning and I knew it was chicken. Since morning, I had made a hundred trips to the kitchen to check on it. Other days I won't even buzz by the kitchen. I moved around my mom asking her a thousand questions about how and when the chicken curry would be ready.

I hanged around her till I irritated her .... she shooed me away like a little kitten and asked me to come only when I heard the pressure cooker whistle. So there I was ....

I got myself a small plate and a spoon and waited till I got a small piece of it. Mom opened the cooker .... hot steam gushed out it spreading the aroma of spices and chicken, the curry still boiling. I peeped into the cooker as mom moved the ladle trying to mix the gravy well. 'Can I get that piece to taste', I asked mom pointing at the leg piece. 'No, you will get it with rice during lunch, not now', mom said while she carefully put a small piece with a little gravy on my plate.

I was happy with whatever I got. I carried the plate carefully to my favorite spot. I sat their licking the gravy and waiting for the tiny piece of chicken to cool down.

This chicken curry is my mom's recipe. A simple country style chicken curry without any frills.

Preparation Time - 45 minutes

Serves - 3

Ingredients

Chicken Legs - 6

Chopped Onions - 5 cups (loosely packed)

Garlic Cloves - 5

Ginger - 1 inch

Chopped Tomatoes - 2 cups

Whole Cinnamon - 2 inches

Whole Cardamom - 4

Whole black pepper - 10

Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp

Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp

Red Chili Powder - 1 tsp

Chicken Masala - 1 tbsp

Salt per taste

Mustard oil for cooking

Method of Preparation

1 Wash the chicken pieces and keep aside. I have used leg pieces but you can use chicken thigh or breasts with bones

2 Finely chop onions. Crush the garlic cloves and ginger using a mortar and pestle. Chop tomatoes

3 Pour about 2 tbsp of mustard oil into the pressure cooker. When warm add all the whole garam masalas (cinnamon + cardamom + black pepper) along with cumin seeds.

4 Now add the chopped onions to it and mix well. Fry the onions till they look translucent. Add the crushed garlic and ginger and mix well.

5 Add a little salt, turmeric powder and red chili powder to it. Mix well and keep stirring till the masala starts getting pulpy.

6 Add the tomatoes now. Mix well and fry till the tomatoes are soft and the masala gets 3/4 th cooked.

7 Now add the chicken legs and stirr to coat them with the masala. Keep stirring else the masala will stick to the bottom of the cooker. Continue to do this till the masala is completely cooked.

8 Mix the Chicken Masala with a little water to make a paste. Pour it on the chicken and mix well. Stir for some more time.

9 Add about 4 cups of water to the masala. Add salt again per taste.

10 Close the lid of the cooker and cook till one whistle.

11 Open the cooker after it cools down. If you want the gravy to be thicker cook for some more time to let the excess water evaporate.

12 Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Serving Tips

Serve warm with Rice or any Indian flat bread.

Variation

You can use vegetable oil or Canola oil instead of Mustard oil for cooking. Use your choice of chicken pieces. You can use any store bought chicken masala powder.

Other Names

Cinnamon - Dalchini, Cardamom - Elaichi, Cummin - Jeera,

Sending this to Divya's 'Show me the Curry'

Kakara

"Well how do you call yourself a cook when you do not know how to make Kakara ?" That was Aai's (maternal grand mom) expert comment when she saw my blog. Yah you read it right .... Aai belongs to the cyber era. She knows it all - Orkut,Gmail,Blogging ! .... I hung my head low while talking to her over the phone. She tried explaining me the recipe for Kakara ..... along with it came the gyan of why it is so important to Odiyas' and stories from mythology etc etc.

In short this is a traditional sweet from Odisha and is delicious. Talk about it to a fellow Odiya and you will know.

All these years I was only bothered eating .... never cared to ask anybody about the recipe.How can someone expect me to know such complicated stuff ..... I have the excuse of belonging to generation X ..... or whatever !!

Even after an hour long bashing I could not gather enough courage to prepare this dish all by myself.

I picked up the phone and called Sangeeta Bhabi. She lives a stone throw away. We share a special bond .... we both belong to the same place.

Frankly I felt a little awkward in asking her to prepare it, knowing the amount of time and effort it needs. But I did it ..... she was generous enough to give me a demo of it. I offered to help her with it so that I could learn along. I can't thank her enough for teaching me this wonderful recipe. Not to forget I had my share of eating it too :-)

Well with Kakara up on my blog, I hope Aai approves my cooking ! Thanks a ton to Sangeeta Bhabi, I know how to make Kakara :-)

With Janmastami around the corner, this is a great recipe to be tried out.

Preparation Time - 1 hour

Serves - 4

Ingredients

Semolina - 2 cups

Water - 4

Sugar - 1.75 cups

Salt per taste

Cardamon - 10

Fennel Seeds - 1tsp

Grated Coconut -1 cup

Whole black pepper - 10

Oil for frying

Method of Preparation

1 Take 4 cups of water in a deep vessel and bring it to a rolling boil.

2 Add sugar (1.5 cups) and salt to the water and stir well till they dissolve continuously.

3 Slowly add semolina. Stir continuously till the water gets absorbed.

4 Make sure there are no lumps formed.
5 Spread it to a plate.
6 When the semolina mixture cools down make a soft dough using very little oil and water.
7 Pinch out small balls. Roll between your palm to make smooth balls. Keep aside.
For the stuffing
1 Pour little ( 1 tsp) oil or ghee in a pan.

2 Add the grated coconut to it.

3 Also add remaining sugar, crushed cardamom powder, crushed pepper and fennel seeds.

4 Fry till golden brown.

5 Remove to a plate and let it cool.

How to do the stuffing

1 Grease your hands with some oil. Take a ball and make a deep depression in between ( make it like a cup) using your fingers.

2 Put a little of the stuffing and close the ball. (Something similar to the process of stuffing potato while preparing alu paratha.

3 Make it a bit flat.

Frying

Heat some oil in a kadhai. When hot, drop these stuffed balls one by one. Fry till brown. Remove on a kitchen towel.

Serving Tips

Serve at room temperature.

Notes

Do not make the dough extra soft, else it will be difficult yo stuff it.

Do not put more stuffing, else the crust may break and the stuffing may come out.

Make sure the oil is hot before you drop them in.

Variation

You may vary the sweetness, depending upon your taste.

Other Names

Semolina - Suji, Cardamom - Elaichi, Fennel Seeds - Saunf.

Sending this recipe as an entry for Priya's cooking with Fennel Seeds.

Daal Masala Vada

The sky turned grey and I heard the pitter patter of the rain drops. As I looked through the window, I saw the lush green trees swinging to music of the rain.
I decided to make something before J was back in the eve and set the table for a cozy rainy eve.It was the perfect time for a hot cup of ginger tea and a spicy snack over some chit chat.
Preparation Time 30minutes
Serves - 4
Ingredients
Split Yellow Chana Daal - 1 cup
Onion - 1/2 Cup finely chopped
Green Chilis - 4
Curry Leaves - few
Ginger - 1 inch
Garlic - 4 cloves
Salt to taste
Oil for frying
Method of Preparation
1 Soak Chana Daal for 30 minutes
2 Coarsely grind the Chana Daal along with green chilis,curry leaves, ginger and garlic.Make sure you dry grind it.
3 Mix with finely chopped onions
4 Add Salt to the batter and mix well.
5 Heat oil in a Kadhai on medium- high heat.
6 Make small patties from the Daal Batter and deep fry till cooked.
Serving Tips
Serve Hot. Sprinkle some Chat Masala on the Vada. Serve with Tomato Ketchup and Chili Sauce.It is a great snack with hot tea/coffee.
Notes
Ensure that you do not make the batter watery, else it will not bind to form patties. In case the batter is little watery,add gram flour(besan) to correct the consistency.
Variation
Add Cumin and Corriander powder to the batter if you wish.
Other Names
Masala Vada - Daal Vada/ Piaji.

Baigani ......... Eggplant Fritters

There is a big tamarind tree opposite our house. One of my favorite pass time was staring at that tree for hours. I would look at it and my imagination would take a flight of fantasy. Many a times that tree would look like a big black monster .... the huge trunk representing the face and the branches looked like unkept hair !! It was home to many birds ..... every year I would see a lot of cranes and crows making their nest there. Some how I never got bored staring at it..... I could do that for hours.

One evening when I was in my world of fantasy ......... I was woken up by a loud voice. My mother was asking me to run to the terrace to pick up the washed clothes from the cloth line. The sky had turned grey and there was a mild cool breeze. It could rain any time. I hurried towards the terrace like an obedient child and started picking the clothes. It had begun to drizzle. I handed over the clothes to my mother and ran towards the veranda. I didn't want to miss watching the rain. Pitter Patter ..... it had started to come down and the aroma of the parched earth had spread every where. Sooner the small water droplets had turned into big blobs .... there were tiny winy rainbows on each water bubble before they bursted in a fraction. I climbed on the big cane chair on our veranda .... and sat there watching the downpour.Like the tamarind tree this chair was also permanent ..... I had never seen anyone move it around.

The birds on the tree continued their loud chattering ..... I thought they were getting uncomfortable with the sudden downpour or may be their mothers were yelling at the disobedient ones asking them to get inside the nests. My imagination took wings till I saw some kids from our neighbourhood come out on the roads with umbrellas, splashing water at each other and jumping into small puddles of water. They talked loudly as they walked past our house. I felt jealous of them and wondered how liberal and good their parents were !!

I went inside and carefully pulled out an old newspaper from the pile. I started making paper boats and was waiting for an opportunity to float them. Just to my rescue there was someone who came to our house with an umbrella. He had come to visit my grandpa.

I noticed everyone inside the house were busy. It was a golden opportunity for me. I took his umbrella and sneaked out of the veranda into our garden. I too jumped in the small puddles trying to imitate the kids who had walked past and rowed my paper boats. But moments of happiness don't last long.I had to hurry back. Else I was afraid mom would hold me by my ears and drag me inside !

I scurried back to my favorite spot and started watching the family of birds chattering away. I saw my mother walk up to me with a plate of Baigani. She looked concerned seeing me a little wet. She held me softly and ruffled my wet hair as I munched the fritters with some ketchup.

Preparation Time - 30 minutes

Serves - 4

Ingredients

Chopped Eggplant - 3 cups

Gram Flour - 1/2 cup

Coriander Powder - 1 tsp

Red Chili Powder - 1/2 tsp

Salt to taste

Oil for frying

Method of Preparation

1 Cut Eggplant into thin long slices. Wash and keep aside.

2 Sprinkle salt, red chili powder and coriander powder on them.

3 Add the Gram Four over it. Sprinkle some water to make a thick batter that sticks around the Eggplant pieces.

4 Heat oil in a kadhai. Drop the Eggplants and fry till cooked.

Serving Tips

Serve hot with your choice of ketchup

In Odisha, people eat by mixing puffed rice

Variations

You may prepare a batter of gram four separately and dip the eggplant and then fry.

To make it more crunchy, add some rice flour.

Other Names

Baigani - Bringjal Fritters, Eggplant Fritters, Eggplant - Bringjal/ Baingan ,Coriander - Dhania

Papaya Stir Fry

This is a very simple and easy stir fry. Very gentle on your digestive system. Papaya helps prevent constipation and also aids in digestion. Papaya contains the protein called papain which is a digestive enzyme that helps in natural digestion process. It is low in calories and high in nutritive value hence it is an excellent food for those on a diet.
Preparation Time - 20 minutes
Serves - 3
Ingredients
Cubed Papaya - 2 cups
Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Roasted Cumin Chili Powder - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric - 1 big pinch
Salt per taste
Oil for cooking
Method of Preparation
1 Peel the skin of a raw papaya (green papaya) and cut it into small cubes.
2 Heat about 2 tsp of oil in a pan. Add cummin seeds to sputter.
3 Add the cubed papayas. Also add turmeric powder and salt. Stir and fry.
4 Cover the pan and stir intermittently.
5 When soft, remove to a dish. Sprinkle the roasted cumin and red chili powder and serve.
How to prepare Roasted Cumin Chili Powder
Dry roast some cumin seeds and dry red chili. When hot grind in a motar and pestle into a powder. You can store this powder and use in other stir fries too.
Serving Tips
Serve hot with roti or paratha
Variation
Sputter some curry leaves and mustard seeds if you like the curry leaf flavor.
Fry small cubes of potato along with the papaya.
Instead of roasted cumin red chili powder, add a pinch of amchur powder for a tangy taste.
Other Names
Raw Papaya - Kachha Papita, Cumin - Jeera.