An ode to Odia cuisine

Ahead of Odisha Foundation Day on April 1, we dig into some traditional Odia delicacies and their fusion counterparts.

Defined by simple ingredients and flavourful dishes, cuisine from Odisha is nourishing and wholesome. Rice, fish and locally sourced veggies make for everyday food here along with a wide smorgasbord of sweets.

Commonly prepared using mustard oil, Odia recipes often employ ingredients such as panch phutana (a mix of fenugreek, nigella, cumin, black mustard and fennel seeds in equal parts), ambula (dry mango) and besara paste (black mustard paste). Each dish is prepared with minimum ingredients, to keep flavours distinct.

“The highlight lies in letting the base ingredient be the hero with the use of a lot of seasonal produce — pumpkin flowers, leafy vegetables such as moringa leaves, neem buds and more,” shares chef Sneha Senapati, who runs the home-kitchen Odiya Bhoji in Mumbai. “Wrapped in sal leaves, the dishes are cooked on a low flame to maintain their nutritional value and flavour,” she adds.

Big, hearty meals

“Wholesome dishes like pokhala (boiled rice soaked overnight) is eaten in all parts of Odisha during summer with chokha (mashed potatoes), bhaja (fried vegetables), sukhua (dried fish) and bori chura (crushed lentil dumplings) as accompaniments,” shares chef Gautam Kumar of Moksha Himalaya Spa Resort.

“Usna chawal (double boiled rice), leafy greens, chhatu (mushroom), cauliflower and fish such as pohala, chuna macho, katla and rohu are also widely consumed,” says Kumar.

“Puri (deep-fried wheat bread) eaten with dalma (yellow moong dal cooked with vegetables), kheer, chuda ghassa (flat rice crushed with spices and ghee) and mudhi (puffed rice) are some popular dishes. Mangsha jholo (Odia-style mutton curry), chakuli pitha (rice-based fermented cake) and ghuguni (a popular dish made from peas soaked overnight and potatoes) are also eaten widely,” shares Senapati.

Street food to savour

Snacks and street fare form a big part of the culinary experience. Odias love noshing on dahi bora aloo dum (dahi vada served with potato curry in form of a chaat) as well as chaula vada (rice fritters served with spicy tamarind chutney). Mudhi masala (puffed, chaat-style rice) with a dash of raw mustard oil and guguni chaat (white pea curry) and chakuli with dalma (dosa and dal) are also wildly popular, shares food researcher and blogger SaiPriya of mycookingcanvas.

Sweets aplenty

Chhena (fresh cottage cheese) lends itself to a number of traditional desserts in Odia cuisine, from chhenna poda (a cheesecake) and chhena jhilli (cottage cheese fried in ghee and soaked in light sugar syrup) to rasagola.

Regional differences

In and around Puri, food is made with a Bengali touch. For instance, mustard oil features prominently in the ingredient pantheon. “Fish prawns, clams, crabs are consumed in abundance,” says Kumar. In the Brahmapur region, closer to Andhra Pradesh, food enjoys southern Indian influences, and dishes are a little sour in taste. Ingredients like coconut, curry leaves and tamarind are also used,” he adds.

Fusion elements

Chefs are adding subtle new dimensions to Odia cuisine. “To give chhena poda a summer twist, add mango puree,” says chef Reetu Uday Kugaji. In drinks such as landa baguli dohi sharbat (sweet basil seeds and curd sharbat), mix in some gulkand and it will transform the flavour,” she adds. Baked gur rasagola and pan-seared aloo bharta with smoked tomato khatta are some fusion dishes being whipped up by chef Kumar.

Temple fare

Being home to the popular Jagannath temple, Odisha is big on its temple cuisine. Arba chawal (raw rice), dalma, besar, vegetable tarkari (fried veggies), rice kheeri, kakra pitha (sweet deep-fried cake) are included in this food. “Pitha (steamed rice dumplings) are distributed during the Raja festival. Malpua is enjoyed during Holi and Dalma, Kheeri and Ghee Khichri during Durga Puja,” says chef Kumar.

Recipe : Chhena podo kataifi

Ingredients

Milk -200ml

Sugar -50 gm

Lemon - 1 tsp

Samolina - 50 gm

Kataifi - a bit

Cream cheese - 50 gm

Pista - 25 gm

Honey - 2 tsp

Coconut powder - 30 gm

Paneer - 209 gm

Ghee 2 tsp

Method

Mash paneer and add sugar and rawa

Add water to make a smooth consistency

Pour in some ghee and nuts

Cover and cook at 180 degree for 15 Mts

In the same time add honey to nuts and coconut powder

Roll the cold crushed Chhena podo with cream cheese lemon and honey nuts coconut power mix with kataifi like sushi roll

Bake at 200 degree again and serve

By chef Nishant Choubey