Odisha Mo Odisha

A few years back..I used to have crazy eating habits... I'd go vegetarian for a year and then again start eating non-veg for some time and then go veg again.. Not sure what made me do all those things.. but Hey... only human beings do crazy things right !!!!.  It was a time when I had started eating non-veg after a break of year and half.. and all my friends are very happy because I would not drag them to a vegetarian restaurant anymore for Friday lunch or dinner. But, I had not started eating everything non-veg. It was only eggs, fish and shrimp.  Talking of shrimp, I made this easy curry that is the basic style Odiya gravy (used for almost every non-veg dish) and we had it for a Wednesday lunch. Of course, I was at home that Wednesday... otherwise cooking lunch on a weekday is a far-fetched dream here.  Mami used to make this typically on weekends (or whenever Baba gets shrimp from the market) and we would slurp the gravy off of the plate and eat loads of ri...

An odiya can do anything (absolutely anything) for a good meal. May it be a simple daal-rice-subjee or a special Sunday non-veg meal. Mostly during the weekdays, an odiya household tries out some simple (a.k.a easy to make) yet flavorful recipes.  The Odiya moms and aunts are specially trained and professionally skilled in making such recipes. One of them which is very close to my heart and also to my stomach is the "Chuna Macha Besara Tarkaari" (Smelth Fish with Mustard Paste). Sounds very common and simple right? I mean, mustard paste to an Odiya kitchen is like Onion-tomatoes to any kitchen. But... hold on right there... my heart called out, it'd be so nice if I could add some veggies to it and make it more healthy and not give my family a chance to complain that when I see fish I forget the whole world.. well its true, but this time I decided otherwise. Here's what I did.... First the list of things I used and then the process... 1 lb Smelt fish (about 15...

Since the day that I left Cuttack (which is my second home town), there are a few occasions that I've had good fish fry. Cuttack is a city which is sandwiched between two huge rivers.. Mahanadi and Kathajodi . Thats why, the morning fresh fish that we get in Cuttack is unbeatably nice. Well, no one can say No to the outside business also, so we also used to get fish imported from outside states like Andhra Pradesh, which is kind of frozen and not so great. Well, I spoke too soon. My job and fate brought me to the United State of America, where getting fresh water fish is a far-fetched dream. The asian markets here sell good fish but they are all from the ocean. Well, anyways.... an Odiya.. no matter what.. needs fish. Else.. as they say in Hindi "Hamara khana hazam nahi hota" (We can not digest our food). For some time, we tried every kind of fish available in the market...Then we switched to frozen Rohu and Hilsa from the Bangla store... and after a lot of hit-and-tr...

While cleaning up the book shelf I found a very interesting and pictorial book about Lord Shri Jagannatha. The book is named " Chhabila Shri Jagannatha "(Meaning Shri Jagannatha with pictures). Everyone who ever studied Odiya either at school or home (like me and my sister) knows the importance of the " Chhabila " series.  To refresh your memory... remember the thin book called " Chhabila Barnabodha "(Meaning Odiya Letters with pictures) with a cat's picture on the cover page? This book taught us the basics of Odiya language like the letters and small words. The very first story in the book is the story of how Shri Jagannatha came into being. I found the story a nice reading to kids who are eager to learn about the lord. So here goes the story and then the recipe (with step by step process) for my fourth attempt or the very favorite of all times The  "Aarisa Pitha". This is to story of a time very long long time ago. The e...

Summers always bring sweet memories back to me from where I come from.. from where I grew up...Its the vacation, I think which always has a deep down effect..No school.. no home work.. and yes the best part...the whole big family will stay in the same house in my village.. and we will all have so much fun.. In all this, the moms of the family, would be also rejoiced because they get to spend time with their "jethanis" and "devraanis". In my family, they are more like sisters. They gossip and they laugh and they cry together. A scene which I did not see in many other joint families. Any hoo..how can I ever forget the food aspect of the vacations. Since mom does not have to go to work, she spends a lot of time in the kitchen thinking what special to make for lunch...thats when we all get all greedy. We keep running in and out of the kitchen, just to get a glance of what is cooking. They will scold us, asking us to stay out of the area where fire has been l...

Prathamastami is an Odiya festival where people pray for the long life of the eldest child. During this pooja, the eldest child gets new pair of clothes which usually comes from the maternal uncle's side ( Mamu Ghara ) and also sits in the pooja. Earlier there used to be clothes which Mama jee will send and I will be very happy to wear it and tease my younger sister. But with time, things changed. I started getting money instead of clothes..so I can buy whatever I like.. not just clothes.. So as you see, even the traditional festivals have their evolution in some way or the other. The one tradition that never changed in my last 30 years of life, is the tradition of making Enduri Pitha on Prathamastami. We all just love this pitha. Its a simple recipe but takes time to prepare.. mostly the batter takes time... Just like Idli or Dosa batter takes time to ferment and be ready. This Pitha is a traditional Rice+Urad Daal Mix pitha with sweet coconut stuffing and covered with turmeric...

On the occasion of nothing but a lovely week day on which I did not have to go to work, I spent the whole day trying  to figure out what would be a good home-like dinner which does not consist of Rice or Roti or Boring Noodles. I opened the refrigerator and bingo.... the Idli batter stared at me with Glee.... I thought I'd make Idli, Chutney & Sambhar for dinner.  But then, it struck me, why make a South-Indian snack-meal for dinner when I can very well make a lovely delicious Odiya meal with Idli and Aloo Dum... And if the Idlis will have  "Nadiya Pura" {Nadiya : Coconut; Pura : Stuffing}.. that'd bring a broad beautiful smile at my hubby's tired face when he comes home... So here's what I made for dinner.. "Pura Diya Idli Peetha Aau Niramis Aloo Dum" {Idlis with sweet coconut stuffing & niramis aloo dum} For people who eat no Onion or Garlic on certain days of the week, this is a perfect meal. Its filling and provides enough ener...