Taste of Odisha: 4 Delicious Easy to Make Summer Odia Recipes You Must Try

Must Try Summer Odia Recipes:

Abinas Nayak, MasterChef winner and Corporate Chef, Roshshala, shares with HT Lifestyle, some easy summer Odisha recipes that every food lover must try.

1. Dalma

It is a typical, traditional, nutritious Odia dish. It is nutritious as it combines both pulses and vegetables and goes well with rice and roti. There are many variations of dalma in Odisha, region to region and variations depending on season and occasion. Generally, three types of pulses are used in dalma – green gram (mung). Red gram (Arhar) and Bengal gram (Chana dal). All kinds of vegetables like potato, brinjal, gourd, gourd, cucumber, bean, nutmeg, pumpkin, arum, yam, raw banana etc. are used. But any 4 to 5 types of vegetables should be picked from the above range. It is tasty when cooked in a pot. But pressure cooker is most convenient for quick cooking.

Ingredients:

Red gram dal – 200 grams

Eggplant – 1 medium

Gourd – 2 medium

Tomato – 1 medium

Ginger – half piece (grated)

Dalma masala powder – 1 teaspoon or more

Salt – as per taste

Grated coconut – 3 – 4 tbsp

Dry Red Chillies – 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 tsp (chopped)

Bay leaves – 2 turmeric powder

Five Futans

Asafoetida – a pinch

Method:

1. Cut the vegetables into cubed sizes. Soft vegetables such as eggplant, pumpkin, and raw bananas should be cut into large cubes. Cut the tomatoes into small pieces.

2. Cook the dal in a pressure cooker by mixing 2 cups of water, turmeric powder, salt and naffar until half cooked.

3. Remove from flame after 2 whistles to avoid overcooking. Release the steam and add the vegetables except the tomatoes.

4. 1 or 2 whistles are enough in a pressure cooker to cook vegetables. If the consistency is thick, a small amount of water can be added to create a flow texture.

5. Heat oil and add crackle panch futan, dry red chillies, ginger and asafoetida.

6. Add chopped onion. Cook until golden brown. Add chopped tomatoes and saute until well blended.

7. Pour dal, add coconut, sprinkle ground spices and mix well.

8. Add a spoonful of pure ghee and sprinkle chopped coriander leaves. Serve and enjoy.

2. Chicken Turmeric

If there is one dish that defines Odia cuisine, it is besara. It is an authentic Odia dish (mild mustard paste) prepared by grinding black mustard seeds, cumin seeds, garlic, chillies, etc. Mustard paste is used to make dishes like chicken besara, fish besara (fish cooked in mustard sauce). Vegetable Turmeric etc.

Ingredients:

For Turmeric Paste:

2 tbsp black mustard seeds

1 teaspoon white mustard seeds

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1-2 dried red chillies (not Kashmiri)

Garlic pods 8

Other Ingredients:

Mustard oil 4 tbsp

Finely chopped onion 1

Tomato finely chopped 1

Green chillies 2

1 piece of curry leaves

1 teaspoon turmeric powder

2 ambula (optional)

Chicken curry cut – 700 grams

Method:

For Turmeric Paste:

1. Soak all the ingredients for the paste in hot water for at least 2 hours or 10-15 minutes.

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

For the gravy:

1. Heat a pan and add mustard oil, add chopped onion, add chicken and cook until the chicken gets a light brown crust.

2. Add tomatoes and curry leaves

3. Add 2 spoons of turmeric paste, turmeric powder and mix everything for 1 minute and add 2 cups of water. Let it cook slowly for 10-15 minutes or until everything is cooked and the gravy is boiling.

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

3. Bella Panna

Bela Pana is a popular summer drink prepared with wood apple pulp, a fruit native to the Southeast Asian region. It is known as ‘Bela’ in Oriya. The fruit pulp is taken out and mixed with water and stirred. The juice is then strained. It is then mixed with some milk or beaten curd. Quantity is considered according to 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 yogurt: To taste

Method:

1. Break the apple out of the wood and scoop out the pulp on a plate.

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

3. Add sugar and milk / beaten curd. Adjust the emerald consistency to your taste, either concentrated or diluted.

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

4. Chenna Emerald

It is not as traditional as bela panna but it is packed with protein. For this specific drink, you need chenna/cottage cheese, coconut, banana, curd, milk and sugar. Chenna Panna is considered very dear to Lord Jagannath and is specially prepared to celebrate the Odia New Year. This paan is offered as an offering to Lord Jagannath during Sankranti.

Ingredients:

Ripe banana: 2

Chenna: 100 grams

Sugar: 5 tbsp or to taste

Milk: 2 cups

Chilli powder: ¼ tsp

Nutmeg paste: ¼ tsp

Sandal paste: Half tsp

Cardamom Powder: A pinch

Water: 3 to 4 cups

Green Mango (optional): 1 tbsp finely chopped

Ginger (optional): ¼ tsp finely chopped

Method:

1. Mash the banana and chenna well.

2. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.

3. The consistency of the emerald can be concentrated or diluted depending on your taste. Serve chilled or at room temperature.