Potali Pitha

Ingredients

5 cups of Maida / 2 cups of sugar / 2 cups of milk / 3 cups grated coconut / 1 tea-spoon green cardamom powder / 5 table- spoon pure ghee / oil or pure ghee for deep frying / salt to taste 

Method

Take maida…put sugar and salt…make a thick batter with sufficient water..fry grated coconut sugar and green cardamom powder for stuffing…put a tawa on gas stove… grease little ghee on that and pour little batter of maida in a cross shape …put little stuffing in the middle of the cross… make it four folds as like a hanky… put it aside…take another bowl…make a thick batter of maida , sugar, milk and little salt …deep the already made hanky shape pitha into the presently made batter and deep fry in pure ghee or refined oil….the potali pitha is ready…

It’s a special dish in Kendrapada and its a special bhog(offering) for Baldevjiu temple in Kendrapada.

Aloo Chop

Ingredients

200 grams potato / 4 cups besan / 2 table-spoon ginger garlic paste /1 tea-spoon cumin seeds / 1 tea-spoon red chili powder / 6 cloves of crushed garlic / oil for frying / salt to taste / 1 tea-spoon turmeric powder / 2 table- spoon peanut seeds /1 tea spoon Toor dal / 2 tea-spoon curry leaves / 1 tea-spoon mustard seeds 

Method

Boil the potatoes in water…mash them with little salt and keep aside…Make a thick batter of besan, a pinch of haldi powder, salt, ginger garlic paste, cumin seeds and water…heat little oil in a pan…add peanut seeds fry it and then remove from the pan…pour a little more oil and add mustard seeds…when it putters…add crushed garlic, red chili powder, fried peanut seeds and the mashed potatoes…make smalls balls from the potato mixture…Heat oil for frying...take each of the potato balls…dip into the already prepared besan batter…fry in medium flame till it becomes brown… Serve hot with any chutney or any sauce, as desired…

Chhunka dia Pakhala (Water Rice)

Ingredients

Rice / curry leaves /curd or butter milk / salt to taste and two to three drops of oil and half tea spoon cumin seeds 

Method

Cook rice completely then let it get cool…Add some water leave it for two hours…Add curd or butter milk and salt…Put a kadhai on your gas stove add two to three drops of oil…When oil becomes hot… turnoff the gas and add cumin seeds and curry leaves immediately…And add this to water rice…Add little cold water...add 1 teaspoon crushed mango ginger….It’s generally prepared in summer…

Manda with Oil Fry

Ingredients

1\2 kg wheat flour or suji(semolina) / 2 cups grated coconut / jaggery or sugar as per your taste / salt to taste / 1 tea-spoon green cardamom powder /oil for fry

Method

Put a dekchi on your gas and pour 300ml water…add little salt and a little green cardamom powder…  let it boil…make a batter of little flour and water… pour it into that boiled water and finally pour rest of the flour and stir continuously as no lumps get formed…then remove from the gas… knead it with help of water and make small balls ….put another kadhai on gas and add grated coconut jaggery… fry till it becomes brown…add ilaichi powder…stuffing is ready…Then take each ball and make it like a cover… put little stuffing inside it…seal it from each sides and shape it like a perfect ball…Deep fry it on hot oil…And serve hot… 

One thing here to share if you you want fried manda pitha with wheat  flour you can make it out of wheat flour…. The method is same….. while making the dough you use wheat flour instead of suji(semolina)…….

CHUNCHI PATRA PITHA

Ingredients

2 cups Basmati rice / 1 cup grated coconut / jaggery or sugar as per your taste / 1 tea-spoon green cardamom powder /salt to taste / oil or ghee fr greese on tawa only 

Method

Soak rice for around 2 hours and grind it…make a fine paste and add salt and water into that and batter should be water like…For stuffing, heat a pan and fry grated coconut, jaggery together in low flame till it becomes brown in colour…finally add cardamom powder and your stuffing is ready…Put a tawa on gas stove..Grease oil or ghee on tawa then put gas stove on medium flame… take a thin clean cloth and dip it into the already prepared batter and make a cross symbol on tawa…Put a little coconut stuffing on the middle of the cross and make it four folds as a hanky… serve it hot…

It’s a very common pitha in Odisha and delicious and healthy too….

SUKLA MANDA (STEAMED RICE CAKE)

Ingredients

Rice powder 3 cups / grated coconut 1 cup / jaggery or sugar / green cardamom/ salt /

Method

Put a kadhai or degchi on the gas stove with 6 cups of water… add salt when water boils… slowly add rice powder and stir continuously to avoid lumps being formed…When the dough is prepared Remove from the gas…Put another kadhai on medium flame… put grated coconut, jaggery… fry till coconut becomes brown… add ilaichi powder and keep aside…knead the rice dough with little water and make some balls out of it… take each ball and make it like a cover… and put inside a little coconut stuff and seal it from all sides… make a round ball…And finally steam all balls in steamer …the sukla manda is ready to eat…

It’s called sukla manda in coastal Odisha and phuta manda in western Odisha.

PODA PITHA

HAPPY RAJA TO ALL MY DEAR ONES..... ALL CREDIT WILL GO TO MY MOTHER WHO GUIDED ME FRM CUTTACK OVER TELEPHONE BECZ SHE IS BRILLIANT IN THIS CHAULA CHUNA PODA PITHA WHICH IS THE MAIN PITHA ON RAJA FESTIVAL..... AT MY EARLY STAGE I HAVE SEEN MY MOTHER MAKING THIS PITHA ON KATHA CHULI.... NOW FR ME ITS NT PSBL TO MAKE THIS ON THAT SO I MADE THIS ON MY GAS STOVE .... IT TOOK MAXIMUM TIME BT I AM SO HAPPY CAME OUT TOO GOOD..... 

Ingredients

5oo grams Rice powder / jaggery as per your taste / 2 cups grated coconut and1\2 cup small pieces of coconut / 3 table- spoon pure ghee / 1\2 cup fried kaju / 2 pieces of bay leaves / 4 green cardamom / 2 black cardamom / salt to taste / water as required/

Method

Put a dekchi on the gas…add water…In water, add salt, bay leaves, grated coconut, small pieces of coconut, jaggery, and fried kaju …let it be boiled for 3 to 4 minutes…Then add slowly rice powder till it becomes a thick batter…remove from the gas stove and knead immediately with little water…Then put cooker on the gas…heat cooker with 1 tbl spoon of pure ghee, then put some pieces of banana leaves inside the cooker with greasing little ghee on leaves …then put kneaded already made rice powder dough and make a round perfect shape with your hand then…cover the lid without gasket…leave it to be cooked for 90 minutes in low flame…Then remove it from the gas and let it be cool…cut it into small or medium pieces and serve…

This particular pitha is very usually prepared during the Rajo festival of Odisha. Rajo festival is celebrated for 3 days in the state of Odisha