Odiya Kitchen Setup - Part 5 - Primary Kitchen Utensils

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How can an Odiya kitchen be complete without all the utensils/non-food items that we use to make, store & eat the food? If you are setting up something first time or are in a new city & need the Day-1 list of items for your kitchen to start making your meals yourself, I hope this list will come in handy for you. 
The typical Odiya kitchen is not very complex to setup. There are a few utensils that you will need to get started & then you can keep adding on top of that as & when you get comfortable with cooking your own food & are ready to start exploring different cuisines. 

To start with, let's talk about the basic cookware : 
  • A Pressure Cooker 
    • Is a MUST in an Odiya kitchen
    • 3 Lit. for family of 4 ; 5 Lit. for family for 6 or more ; Bigger size for bigger families
    • Ideal for Daali, Alu Sijha, Dalma, Khechudi or even quick plain rice or pulao
  • A Kadai or Deep Bottom Pan
    • A medium size one - 10 inches diameter will come in handy.
    • For all curries & fries & also serve as a deep frying utensil when you are ready to fry some puri or pakudi)
  • A Tava or Flat Pan
    • For ruti & parata
  • A small deep sauce pan preferably with a spout
    • Fo rmaking tea or coffee
    • For boiling milk
    • For making plain rice for 1 or 2 persons if starting afresh in a new home
  • Wooden spatulas for Non-stick cookware
    • They usually come in a set of 5-6 pieces ideal for a first time kitchen setup
  • Stainless steel spatulas for regular cookware like cast iron or stainless steel
  • Jhudi or Colander
    • Used to discard water after boiling rice for making plain rice
    • Used to wash fruits & vegetables or greens
  • Belana Pidha (Rolling surface usually made of wood) + Belana Kathi (Rolling pin) + Ruti Seka (An iron stand on which you roast the roti on fire by which it puffs up)
    • Trio is needed if you intend to make rotis at home

Other kitchen essentials are non-cookwares like
  • Spoons & Forks + Plates & bowls + Glasses & Cups
  • Knives & Chopping board
  • Tea strainer (If you make tea)
  • Bottle opener (You'll find yourself needing this more than you know.. trust me !!) 
  • Lighter (In case using a gas stove). Replace with matchsticks if preferable. 


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