Some Orissa Food Recipes

Orissa, in the East and North East part of India has a varied food fare.

It is known for subtle tastes of Spices.

On the Vegetarian side one can taste various delicacies different from the other parts of India.

The oil base used is mostly mustard oil, but in festivals ghee is used. Panch phutana, a mix of cumin, mustard, fennel, fenugreek and kalonji (nigella) is widely used for tempering vegetables and dals, while garam masala (curry powder) and haladi (turmeric) are commonly used for non-vegetarian curries. Pakhala, a dish made of rice, water, and yogurt, that is fermented overnight, is very popular in summer, particularly in the rural areas. Odias are very fond of sweets and no Oriya repast is considered complete without some dessert at the end. Festivals and fasts witness a cuisine without onion and garlic, whereas other days witness an aroma of garlic and onion paste in curries. One can find restaurants serving food without onion and garlic in major places like Puri and other coastal area, which is run by Brahmin owners..

Rice, breads and lentils

Havisha dalma during the Kartikamonth containing plantain, arum, grated coconut and Dillenia indica fruit

Generally people use many kinds of rice. One is Arua (sun dried and milled paddy) and another is ushuna (half boiled and milled paddy).

The former is more popular in urban areas and Brhmin villages whereas Ushuna is popular in coastal and western, Northern Odisha villages. In southern Odisha Arua is popular even in villages. Generally scented rice varietis are used for kheeri/payas.

Chuda -Flattened rice.
Dali
- Buta Dali (ବୁଟ ଡାଲି)- Channa dal with coconuts, raisins, dry fruits, mild spices.
- Mittha Dali (ମିଠା ଡାଲି)- Toor dal cooked with little jaggery, ghee, and bay leaf.popular in Jagannath temple
- Muga Dali (ମୁଗ ଡାଲି)- Mung bean dal cooked with coconuts and mild spices.
- Masura Dali (ମସୁର ଡାଲି)- Masur Dal cooked with cumin, mustard seed and bay leaves.
Dalma(ଡାଲମା/ଡାଲେମା/ଡାଲଣା) – Mixed lentils with various vegetables, is popular due to the high nutritional value and consumed as a complete food.^[1]
Khechedi(ଖେଚେଡ଼ି)- Rice and lentils with vegetables and occasionally potato. It is a general food at religious festivals.
Mandia Jau-Boiled Ragi cooled overnight
Chhatua – There are various kinds of Chhatua eaten as daily breakfast. Its a paste that has flour made from fried whole grain or wheat or rice and then mixed with sugar, banana, milk or curd.
Luchi (ଲୁଚି)- Unleavened flour bread deep fried in oil.
Mitha Bhata (ମିଠା ଭାତ), Kaanika (କାନିକା) – Mildly sweetened rice with assorted spices
Mudhi (ମୁଢ଼ି/ଭୁଜା)- It is puffed rice.
Pakhala (ପଖାଳ)- Rice soaked in water with yogurt and seasonings.
Paratta (ପରଟା)- Layered wheat bread rolled out in triangular or round shape and tawa-fried
Palao (ପଲଉ)- Rice in clarified butter with raisins, nuts, vegetables, whole spices
Poda Pitha is a cake made of rice and other spices which is eaten during the Raja festival.
Puri(ପୁରୀ) – Unleavened whole wheat flour bread deep fried in oil.

Some Dishes.

Dalma

Ingredients:

100gm pigeon pea /arhar dal (harada dali)

50gm raw papaya (kancha amrutabhanda)

50gm striped pear gourd / parwal (potala)

50gm potato (alu)

1 big onion (piaja)

3-5 dry chili (sukhila lanka)

½ teaspoon mustard (sorisha)

1 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)

2 bay leaves (teja patra)

½ teaspoon turmeric powder (haladi gunda)

3-teaspoon of any refined cooking oil (refain tela)

½ teaspoon cumin seeds powder (jeera gunda)

½ tea spoon chili powder (lanka gunda)

salt to taste (luna)

Method:

Wash the vegetables thoroughly. Cut them into small pieces. Put the vegetables, arhar dal, salt, ½ teaspoon turmeric powder and 3 to 4 cups of water in a Pressure Cooker and boil on medium flame. After one whistle switch off the gas. A little later as the pressure of the cooker is released, open the lid. Now heat 3 teaspoon of oil in a frying pan. Add jeera, mustard, bay leaves, chopped onions and 3-4 dry chilies. Fry till they turn golden brown. Now add all this to the boiled dal and vegetables of the pressure cooker and stir well. Add jeera powder and chili powder. Close the lid and heat further for 2 minutes. Your dalma is ready. Tastes best when served hot. May be served with rice or chapati also.

Variations:

What’s mentioned above is a simple recipe of Dalma. You may further make variations of the same by adding / replacing the vegetables with pumpkin, brinjal, plantain, and yam etc. A little scrubbed coconut may also be added. Using desi ghee (gua gheea) instead of refined oil lends subtle flavour to dalma. If you feel that the arhar dal is not getting boiled properly it may be soaked in water for about 30 minutes before putting the same in pressure cooker. Also find another variety of dalma elsewhere on this page, where moong dal is used instead of arhar dal..