Taste of Odisha: 4 delicious easy to make summer Odia recipes you must try

As the East coast of India, we all know Odisha as a popular family holiday destination for its rich architecture-based temples (like the Lord Jagannath Temple), beaches, and zoological parks. Little did we know about its delectable Odia cuisine, which comprises a wide variety of vegetarian and non-vegetarian delicacies (like Mansa Jhola, Chenna Poda, Santula, Gaja, Khaja, etc.) widely available across different eateries in the space. Rice is a staple food among Odia people, and most households use mustard oil as a cooking medium. The specific cuisine provides the foodies with a burst of flavour while being less oily than other regional cuisines. Odisha’s vibrant tourism spots and its rich tradition of Odia cuisine make the state stand out as a unique destination. (Also read: 5 mouth-watering mango pickle or aam ka achaar recipes you must try )

Must-try summer Odia recipes:

Abinas Nayak, Masterchef Winner and Corporate Chef, Rroshashala, shared with HT Lifestyle, some easy-to-make summer Odisha dishes that every culinary enthusiast should try.

1. Dalma

This is a typical, traditional, wholesome Odia dish. It is nutritious as it combines both dal and vegetables and is relished with rice as well as roti. There are as many variations of dalma in Odisha, from region to region and variations depend on season and occasion. Usually, three types of dals are used in Dalma -Green gram (moong). Red gram (arhar) and Bengal gram (channa dal). All kinds of vegetables like potato, brinjal, ridge gourd, wax gourd, kankrole, bean, papaya, pumpkin, arum, yam, raw banana etc are used. But any 4 to 5 types of vegetables from the above range should be picked up. It tastes better if cooked in a pot. But a pressure cooker is most convenient for quick cooking.

Ingredients:

Red gram dal- 200gms

Brinjal- 1 medium

Wax gourd- 2 medium

Tomato-1 medium

Ginger- ½ piece (Grated)

Dalma masala powder- 1 tbsp or more

Salt- to the taste

Grated coconut- 3 – 4 tbsp

Dry red chilli – 3-4

Oil or ghee- 1 tbsp

Potato- 1 medium

Ridge gound – 1 medium

Pumpkin- 6 – 8 cubes

Onion(optional) – 1

Green coriander leaves – 1 tbsp (chopped)

Bay leaves – 2 Turmeric powder

Panch phutan

Asafoetida – a pinch

Method:

1. Cut the vegetables into cude sizes. Soft vegetables like brinjal, pumpkin, and raw banana should be cut into bigger cubes. Chop the tomato into small pieces.

2. Cook dal in a pressure cooker with 2 cups of water, turmeric powder, salt and bay leaves till half cooked.

3. Remove from fire after 2 whistles to avoid overcooking. Release the steam and add the vegetables except for the tomato.

4. In a pressure cooker 1 or 2 whistles are sufficient to cook the vegetables. If the consistency is thick, a little amount of water may be added to make a flowing texture.

5. Heat oil and add crackle panch phutan, dry red chilli, crushed ginger and asafoetida.

6. Add the chopped onion. sauté till golden brown. Mix the chopped tomato and fry till it blends well.

7. Pour the dalma, add coconut, sprinkle powdered spices and mix well.

8. Drop a spoon of pure ghee and sprinkle chopped coriander leaves. Serve and enjoy.

2. Chicken besara

If there’s one dish that defines Odia cuisine, it is Besara. It is an authentic Odia dish ( a light mustard paste) prepared by grinding black mustard seeds, cumin, garlic, chillies, etc. The mustard paste is further used to create dishes like Chicken Besara, Fish Besara (fish cooked in mustard sauce), Vegetable Besara, etc.

Ingredients:

For besara paste:

2 tsp Black Mustard Seeds

1 tsp white Mustard Seeds

1 tsp Cumin seeds

1-2 Dried Red Chilli( not Kashmiri)

Garlic pods 8

Other ingredients:

Mustard oil 4 tsp

Onion finely chopped 1

Tomato finely chopped 1

Green Chilly 2

1 sprig of Curry leaves

1 tsp turmeric powder

2 Ambula (optional)

Chicken Curry Cut-700 gms

Method:

For besara paste:

1. Soak all Ingredients for the paste for at least 2 hours or 10-15 mins in warm water.

2. Grind to make a fine paste. And set aside to use it later in chicken mousse and Gravy.

For Gravy:

1. Heat a pan and add mustard oil, add diced onions, add Diced Chicken and saute till chicken get a light brown crust

2. Add tomatoes and curry leaves

3. Add 2 tbsp of Besara paste, turmeric powder and mix Everything for 1 min and add 2 cups of water. Let it cook gently for 10-15 mins or till everything is cooked and the gravy gets to a boil.

4. You can add a tablespoon of Soaked Ambula water to make the gravy more tangy flavour. You can use the same paste and gravy with other proteins such as fish, prawns and mushrooms.

3. Bela Panna

Bela Pana is a popular summer drink that is prepared with the pulp of the wood apple, which is the native fruit of the South East Asian region. It is known as ‘Bela’ in Odia. The pulp of the fruit is scooped out and mixed with water and stirred. The juice is then strained. It is then concocted with some milk or beaten curd. The quantity is considered as per the taste. It can be served chilled or at normal room temperature.

Ingredients:

Bela (Wood Apple): 1 ripe

Sugar: to taste

Water : 3 to 4 cups

Black pepper powder: for sprinkling

Milk or fresh curd: to taste

Method:

1. Break the wood apple and scoop the pulp out into a dish.

2. Add 3 – 4 cups of water to the pulp, mix well and strain the juice.

3. Add sugar and milk / beaten curd. Make the consistency of panna according to your taste, either concentrated or diluted.

4. Sprinkle pepper powder and serve chilled or at room temperature.

4. Chenna Panna

It’s not the traditional one like Bela Panna but it is full of protein. For this specific drink, you need chenna/cottage cheese, coconut, banana, curd, milk and sugar. Chenna Panna is said to be very dear to Lord Jagannatha and is specially prepared to mark the Odia New Year. It is offered as a bhog to Lord Jagannath during the Pana Sankranti.

Ingredients:

Ripe banana: 2

Chhena: 100gms

Sugar: 5tbs or to taste

Milk: 2 cups

Pepper powder: ¼ tsp

Nutmeg paste: ¼ tsp

Sandal paste: ½ tsp

Cardamom powder: a pinch

Water : 3 to 4 cups

Green mango(optional): 1 tsp finely cut

Ginger ( optional): ¼ tsp finely shredded

Method:

1. Mash the bananas and chhena to a fine paste.

2. Add the remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly.

3. Consistency of panna can be concentrated or diluted depending on your taste. Serve chilled or at room temperature.