Odisha Mo Odisha

 I know, I know... Vegetable Biryani is not a thing. It's a made-up name. It's a fake. It's dishonesty. It's not supposed to be called Biryani. BUT... But, it does taste & smell heavenly, just like the age old Biryani. YUMMM !!! Traditionally, Biryani is made with some kind of meat, red meat in specific. It is a Mughal recipe idea which started off during some war where the king asked the main chef of the camp to create something that has the perfect combination of nutrition & taste and which'd keep the warriors full & energetic and also something that'd stay longer being packed for the road (or something like that).  The head chef, then created the ever so popular Biryani - Layers of soft & tender meat marinated (& thus cooked) in heavenly smelling spices and white fluffy long grain rice with the freshness of lemon & mint and the calming effect of yoghurt and the richness of the saffron.  No, I am sorry, I have not used so many things in...

Dahi Bara - Aloo Dum (And Ghuguni) & memories from Katak... full throttle kataki ishtyle.. :) No evening is complete if it does not have a FULL PLATE of this quintessential snack from the famous streets of Cuttack, Odisha. When in Cuttack, we always (always) eat Dahi Bara-Aloo Dum-Ghuni for evening snacks until we are either full till our throats or our stomachs start making grumbles & praying us to stop.  Yes, I stop eating when my tummy signals me but only for that evening. Next evening, I am back on the streets or take-out order from the street to home and there I am eating it again (and again.. and again.. and again).  This recipe is actually three different recipes stacked upon each other to make the delicious emotional experience that is Dahi Bara-Aloo Dum-Ghuguni. Usually you will hear people just call it Dahi Bara Aloo Dum but ..Yes... There is a hidden third ingredient which is the Ghuguni .  Ingredients list & process are for 3 separate For Dahi Ba...

Khichdi is a family favorite, comfort food which comes in handy in many occasions where you don't feel like cooking elaborate meals & yet want something healthy & yummy.  Khichdi can be dressed up or dressed down as per your mood. You can make it spicy or mild. You can make it tangy or slightly sweet. Options are endless.  Khichdi is traditionally made with rice & lentils. Sometimes we put vegetables as per our need / mood / laziness.. :) This particular khichdi is a recipe that does not use rice. Instead it uses broken wheat (daliya). Broken wheat is easily available in the grains isle in any Indian store. It is not gluten free but less white carbs than rice so if you are looking for a change in the regular khichdi recipe, try this. What I used 1/2 cup broken wheat 1/2 cup yellow moong dal 1 cup of mixed veggies (Broccoli, corn, carrots etc)  2 tbsp Ghee 1 bay leaf 1/2 tsp Jeera (cumin) seeds Hing ( asafoetida )  Salt + Pepper + Turmeric + Wee bit sugar ...

 Sassy !! Saucy !! Yummy !! Fishy !! Yes.. you guessed it right. Today's recipe is totally fishy. I mean the kind that has "Fish" in it, not the kind that is "Suspect in a murder case".  Being an Odiya has it's own pros & cons. During the pandemic, we relied a lot on our local Bangladeshi market  for Rohu & Mirkali fish. But we got tired of frozen fish. It had been 6 months that we had really fresh fish from the ocean.. the kind that the "Manila Oriental Market" has. The smell of fresh fish & non-frozen shrimp was a smell of dreams. Why you ask??? Well because it's COVID-19 & we had our minds blocked by the fact that going to any grocery store opens you up for the viral infection. I thought about the kids' well being & sacrificed my craving for fresh fish.  But come August, my sister & I just lost it. We needed fresh fish. We needed fresh shrimp which was not frozen. We needed Bass fish. We needed fresh Tilapia. We n...

When it comes to snacking, Odiyas are known for their love for deep fried food. In the pre-pandemic era, I used to get super jealous of my friends & family members who are in Odisha and who go out every single evening & get a load of the yummy, heavenly-smelling, deep fried goodies at the street corner "Thela Gaadi"(Open trailer where the food is prepared & served by the shopkeeper) or "Bhaina's tea stall" (Bhaina : Big brother) or "Mitha Dokaan" (Sweets stall but they have delicious snacks like samosas, vegetable chop etc etc).  Come pandemic, since the lock down is in place, all my friends & family members often complain of not been able to go out & enjoy these goodies. Well, good for them that they get fresh produce to make these snacks at home (or someone in their household will make it for them).  Now, comparing myself with them (I know, I know.. it's not a good idea at all), I feel like I have the short end of the (snacks)...

 This pandemic has taught us a lot of things. Being independent in household chores... do your own work at home & outside home....teach your kids every day... take care of diet (aka do not over eat because you have nothing better to do)... learn how to cool your favorite foods (because restaurants are closed)... learn how to grow your own food (because farmers market are scarce)... In the attempt to grow our own food, my husband took up this challenge this summer to grow some of his favorite vegetables in our own backyard.  He chose vegetables like squash, tomatoes, green beans... which you know every home farmer choose at first. The crop was awesome. We have had baskets full of tomatoes made into Tomato Khatta (Odiya style Tomato Chutney). Then he moved on to some typical Odiya vegetables like Kakharu (aka Pumpkin but not the orange kind that comes out during Halloween) & Laau (opo) etc.  Today, we picked a very young green pumpkin which is slightly yellow in the...

 This is my first attempt at creating a step-by-step video for a Odiya recipe. I have never tried this before so hopefully this works.. So...Here goes !!! Recipe name : Egg Devil or Egg Chop Recipe Type : All time favorite Odiya snack - Good for guests, family - Good in Winters & Rains - Not recommended for Summer.  Hope you like this format. Will try more when the time is right.. And yes.. Now is the time to try something new !! Enjoy !!

Sometimes, I feel that our existence is mundane & unworthy of all love.  Sometimes, I feel worthless. Sometimes, I feel life is totally useless. And then.... I immediately realize that I AM WRONG !! Life is beautiful. It takes us through ups & downs, just to teach us right from wrong, good from bad and most importantly LOVE from hate. My relationship with Bara-Ghuguni is something similar.. I used to love Bara.. I still love Bara but Ghuguni.. not so much... Why?? Because back home, Bara was a frequent affair but ghuguni was mostly brought from the vendors on bicycles selling "Dahi-Bara-Alum-Dum-Ghunguni". So Ghuguni was like a side-kick. It was never the main hero of my meals. Bara on the other hand.. was like Amitabh Bachchan. Whenever it was made, it was the star of the show.  But lately, I don't know why.. but Ghuguni has been a staple in our household. It could be because of boredom from other dals or we are just missing "Dahi-Bara-Alum-Dum-Ghunguni...