Odisha Mo Odisha

There is no story for this recipe. This recipe is what I call a "CRY FOR GREEN FOOD IN YOUR DIET". Yes, I have been trying to get as much greens into our diets since many months now. Especially because they are nutrition dense & when it comes to baby spinach, they are really tasty too. I am not a huge fan of the regular spinach and they can be bitter but the baby spinach is not.  But then, what can you make with baby spinach? I tried them in Soup & Pasta and then in Khichdi and everywhere they lost their authority & face. While their taste lingered, their color was gone.  So I thought if instead of pureeing them, I just chopped them fine & added them to the Flour and made a paratha dough, then it'd look nice & surely it did.  Here's what I used 2 cups of roughly chopped baby spinach 2 tbsp dried fenugreek (aka Kasuri Methi) 1 cup of whole wheat flour Salt + Turmeric + Red chilli powder + Garam masala powder (all to taste) 1/4 cup yoghurt 2 tbsp Bes...

 The holidays always brings the zeal to bake. I am unsure why that is but every time Thanksgiving & Christmas holidays come around, you'd see almost everyone in the world will be baking something at home. The sweet smell of home baked goodies is so satisfying that even if I am staying away from Gluten, I want to bake cakes & cookies & tarts and stuff my family with them.  PS : No, I am not allergic, I am just reducing gluten in my diet to help with my migraines Growing up in Odisha, cakes & cookies were a rare thing. Mother would bake this simple vanilla cake in her Bajaj electric oven (with a glass top) or in her BIG HUGE Hawkins pressure cooker without the sealing ring or whistle and it'd be perfect in taste. Sometimes the cake's top would be so puffed up that it'd look like a volcano (Hindi word : Jwalamukhi).  This simple tutti fruity cake is kind of inspired by that home made vanilla cake that mother used to bake. Most of her bakes were eggless ...

Let's start with translation first since the post title is actually Odiya. Machha : Fish Kobi  : Cauliflower Tarkaari : Curry So basically you must have guessed that today's recipe is about Fish & Cauliflower. It might sound weird to mix a vegetable into a non-veg curry but it so happens that in Odisha it is most common. We use potatoes in everything. All curries have some amount of potato. This recipe is an addition to that. In this recipe we will use Cauliflower to enhance the taste as well as the nutrient density of the dish.  What I used 10 pieces of Mirkali fish. It's a fresh water fish which we get from the Bangladeshi market The fish comes frozen so the store folks cut it into pieces & I have cleaned it afterwards Marinated with salt + turmeric 11 big florets of cauliflower 2 medium potatoes cut into wedges 2 tbsp Odiya Onion+Ginger+Garlic paste 1/4 med. red onion finely chopped Whole garam masala 1 cinnamon stick 2 cardamoms 2 bay leaves 2 tsp Pancha Phutana...

 Let's start with the fact that I really do not like the "Prathamastami" as a festival. For whatever reason, the Odiya society decided to venerate & praise & give new clothes to the eldest child of the family along with a whole set of responsibilities & what-not. In my humble opinion, it should be a festival to celebrate all children of the family not just the eldest one.  Someone was even smarter to come up with something for the second child (in case they felt bad) called "Duhaan Podhuan" but then that was a weak attempt too because many (many) families have more than 2 children. What about the 3rd child now? What are we going to do about them? Aren't they humans? Don't they have hearts?  So anyways, in all I am not a huge fan of the festival in it's concept.  The food attached to it however.... YUMMM... The fragrant Enduri Pitha made inside of a pocket created with fresh turmeric leaves & steamed to perfection.. OMG..  Whether it i...

 When you get super bored with the regular style egg curry, try this egg-drop curry instead.  Why is it better & not boring you ask?? Well.. here's why... You don't have to boil the eggs hence don't have to worry about them getting overcooked Since you don't have to boil the eggs, you don't have to peel them - So YAY. You don't have to fry the eggs before making the curry so  this is really a One-pot recipe (Unlike the regular egg curry which has steps & batches)  This recipe will sound almost like Shakshuka but it's not. Shakshuka has lot more veggies & is almost dry-ish. This is a gravy based dish which is best enjoyed with white fluffy rice. No dal needed.  What I used 6 eggs (White or Brown - Your choice) 1/4 red onion chopped 1 tsp cumin seeds 2 tbsp onion+ginger + garlic paste (The essential/basic Odiya masala paste) 1 red tomato - chopped fine Mustard oil to cook the gravy Salt + Turmeric + Cumin+Coriander Powder + Garam masala A heavy bot...

 Chicken Keema in my mind is the most modest & down-to-earth ingredient in the Indian Non-Veg category. It is soft & has very less fat (super lean) and the best part is that it cooks so so quickly.  Making a chicken keema can just be a first step to multiple recipes but for this one I am going to stick to the basic Chicken Keema No-Gravy to go with Roti.  What I used 1 lb chicken Keema (Keema : Minced) - Get it from the butcher near you so that way they are fresh. I am not a huge fan of Minced Chicken from the frozen isle. 1/2 red onion - finely chopped (super fine) 2 tbsp Onion + Ginger + Garlic masala paste (The essential Odiya Masala Paste) 1 tomato finely chopped 1/2 cup mint leaves (Finely chopped) 1/4 cup coriander leaves (Finely chopped) Whole Garam Masala - 1 piece Cinnamon Stick + 2 Green Cardamoms Salt + Turmeric + Kashmiri Red Chili powder (All per taste) 2 tsp Chicken Masala (Any brand) 1 tsp Garam Masala Mustard Oil to cook the Keema A stainless steel...

 Thanks to my dependable Vegetable chopper & the super innovative Instant Pot, making Gajar Halwa is literally "Halwa" (Indian street language for something super easy & silly).  It was an Odiya festival. Now, I have forgotten which exact festival it was but I do remember is that we were asked to make "bhoga" for "thakura" and something sweet should be made for "Thakura". Also, it was a weekend & I was in the mood for wearing saree (it being a festival & all). So there I was draped in a yellow saree which my M.I.L gave me the first time I went to her home after the wedding, with my small food chopper & about 2 Lbs of carrots, all ready to make the famous Gajar Ka Halwa (Carrot Porridge) What I used 2 Lbs Carrots  Cleaned --> Peeled --> Chopped into small pieces --> Chopped further in the food chopper into very very fine (almost created) texture 4 - 5 tbsp Ghee 1/4 cups halved cashews 1/4 cups raisins 4 cardamoms crush...

 Some days are just so lazy that they inspire you to do one-pot meals which is full of the right combination of Carbs + Veggies + Fat right in a Pressure Cooker. Those are the days when your hands & legs have given up totally. Those are the days when your mind has stopped thinking about food. Those are the days when the creativity has reached it's fullest content. When that happens to you, try this recipe. It is a super quick recipe because I used Organic Frozen Vegetables & Yes, I used my good old Indian Hawkins Pressure cooker for this recipe (as the title suggests).  This recipe is Gluten Free & gets done in like 15 minutes or so and is best enjoyed with some simple Raita  & Pakudi or Papad or may be a sprinkle of thin sev. Take your pick. It's a lazy day/night so do your best. You deserve a little downtime.  What I used 1 cup Basmati Rice Washed & soaked in water (till we are ready to use it) 1.5 cups organic Frozen Vegetables. I have the pre-...

Simple weeknights call for simple yet comforting soup & bread. Today's recipe is something very simple yet so scrumptious that everyone is my family just went head over heels for it. Although our regular dinner menu is usually simple like khichdi or simple fried rice, this soup & bread recipe is beyond simplicity.  Someone has said it correct - In simplicity lies the most beautiful of emotions. I am not sure who said it, but whoever that was they were very very correct.  Here goes the recipe for my take on the ever so comforting tomato soup & garlic bread (using regular white sliced bread).   Tomato Soup Roughly chop... Small piece of a red onion (like 1/4 cup chopped) 10-12 garlic pods 5 plump red tomatoes Heat oil in a soup pan (Deep, Heavy bottom & Preferably with a cover) Add a 1.2 inch piece of Cinnamon + 1 bay leaf whole Next add the chopped onions + Garlic Let it fry for 5-7 mins Next add the tomatoes + wee bit salt Cover & cook for ar...

 Do you remember any wedding that you went to which had amazing desserts? Any reception or wedding party where you enjoyed a bowl full of kheer rather than the actual main course meal?  I do. I remember very vividly my brother-in-law's wedding in Winter 2010 where the rice kheer (In Odiya we call it Kheeri) was to die for. Whoever knows me will know that I do not have a sweet tooth. I don't prefer sweets. Given the choice between sweet & savory, I will always pick savory. BUT... this kheeri was so yummy & the more it sat in the fridge, it tasted yummier.  After some asking around, I found that the trick was the whole milk & milk powder that was used & the kheer was cooked on low heat for a very very long time and it had the perfect mix of rice + mik etc etc. Well all these statements were not really helping me because no one (I repeat NO ONE) knew the exact measurements.  So I tried & tested this recipe almost every year during the winter break (B...