TAPIOCA(Big sabudana pearls steamed and deep oil fried pitha)

Sagoo sijha(STEAMED) and chhana(FRIED) manda====
sagoo is considered as a healthy staple diet
in odisha even it is given during pregnancy to generate milk
in fasting time we take as a staple diet as it keeps stomach cool
it doesnt form any gastronomical tendency 
so considering all these beautiful aspects and best qualities of sagoo made sagoo pithas in different way....

We had navratri just few days back
keeping fast and having no onion garlic stuff for 9 days 
sabudana compelled me to think about the  innovative recipes of sagoo.....
Being a foodie and great odia food lover  i always look for some 
odia new recipes and try to bring some changes and turn and twists
in odia recipes which can be loved by every one...
there is a proverb"idle mind is devil's workshop"
so my witty mind always works never stops for a minute =D 
everyday thinks to bring some changes in food which can be taste the best......
first the fried manda pitha recipe will be rolled on===

  


the ingredients are required for this oil fried manda===
2 big cups Tapioca / big pearls of sagoo
1 cup grated coconut
jaggery to taste
1/4th teaspoon green cardamom powder
salt to taste
oil for deep frying

method to make it more yummy====

first soak Tapioca pearls for 5 to 6 hrs

strain it in strainer and leave it in strainer for 15 to 20 mns

as not a single drop of water will be remained inside

grind and make a smooth dough of it 

here is the pic of perfect dough and neither you have to add water nor to cook to make this dough perfect just add pinch of salt and mash it properly....

now in a wok add grated and jaggery and green cardamom powder together
fry it in low medium flame till it changes  its natural colour and becomes little brown....
take small portion of dough and make ball 
and do it accordingly 
and take each ball and make a cover like
put little stuffing inside and cover it again from each side and 
give a ball shape again to it...
 heat your wok with refined oil
and deep fry them..
but remember it will not turn into brown as other manda pithas turn into..
almost its color will remain intact as white

now let me move to the steaming part of this same sagoo with
almost the same procedure but the only difference is above one is deep fried in oil but the bottom one will be steamed in idli mould or in any mould ......
but the making process is same...

BADAM CHITAU

"BADAM CHITAU PITHA"
A very authentic pitha of our state of odisha
it is offered to Goddess laxmi during the manabasa gurubar
the festival which falls during the month of December
and this particular pitha is prepared in every households in odisha at the time of "chitalagi amabasya"
which falls  during "shravana month krushna pakshya amabasya tithi"
The main ingredients of this pitha are
rice,coconut salt
and coconut ,jaggery stuffing is optional
it is best eaten with hot milk and sugar
here i have brought a little twist to our regular chitau by adding peanuts
so i called it badam chitau

ingredients required for badam chitau====
1 cup rice
1/2 cup roasted peanuts
1/4th tea spoon eno sachet
how to make it =====
first soak rice and peanuts together for around 2 to 3 hrs
again make a smooth paste out of it...
add 1 and half cup of water in it...
add eno sachet
and mix it well...
and leave it for 10 to 15 mns
then heat a iron kadhai..
grease oil...
pour 1 ladle of batter
cover it with a steel or aluminium plate
put hand full of water around the plate
and bring your gas flame to simmer
leave it for 2 mns...
then uncover it and take out the pitha...
accordingly make one by one.....
then dip them in hot milk and serve with any bhaji....

TRI COLOUR MANDA PITHA

"TRI COLOUR MANDA PITHA"
A new avtar to our traditional sukla manda
sukla manda is very popular in coastal and in western odisha too...
it is offered to Goddess Laxmi during particular pujas like sudasabrata and margasira gurubar

Today i thought what to make for our independence day celebration as i am little focused on our traditional recipes ......
so this idea came to my mind to give make over to these manda pitha
but it tastes awesome....
i was little nervous and curious too how it will be the taste
but after i finish this task tasted this so yum in taste....

as i am little more concerned about my family i tried my best to avoid any type of artificial ingredients like food color etc.....
so here i tried my best how to convert this pitha into saffron/yellow and green
then i thought why not to use cilantro paste and squash paste....

For saffron or yellow colour.... normally we dont get easily anything in vegetables like orange colour
so had to use red pumpkin for to bring the color of orange and have used cilantro paste for green and white as normally we use for this manda pitha that is rice powder...
ingredients are required====
2 bunches of cilantro
50 gms of red pumpkin/squash
i have used 400 gms of rice powder for this three ones
for stuffing normally we use grated coconut ,jaggery and green cardamon and cottage cheese
but here as my family loves more vegetables so i added aloo stuffing inside......
for stuffing====
 i used 150 gms of boiled potato
1 chopped tomato
1 chopped onion
1/4th lemon
1 ttea spoon of ginger garlic paste
any curry powder of your choices
here i have used the local product curry powder ruchi
few curry leaves
1 tbl soon of oil
1 teaspoon of whole jeera
salt to taste
method for stuffing====
heat a wok with oil
add jeera
when it starts to splutter add chopped onion
keep sauting as the raw smell of onion disappears
add ginger garlic paste ,salt and chopped tomato
again keep sauting till the il gets separated...
then only add curry leaves and mashed boiled potato
and curry powder..
again keep sauting in low flame for few seconds
then the stuffing ready and switch off  your gas
now its time to make the dough=====
though its not a difficult job but it needs little patience
first i made yellow dough
for this i took red pumpkin and made a fine paste
added 1 cup more water
salt to taste
little sugar and allowed it to get cooked the pumpkin for 2 mns then brought this gas flame to low
and slowly added the rice powder and kept stirring as no lumps will be formed and it will convert into a solid dough...
secondly i made green doughh====
take 2 bunches of cilantro
chop them finely
made a smooth batter of it
squeezed lemon
added salt into it and 1/2 glass of water,sugar and cook them in low medium flame
when it gets boiled slowly add rice powder in lw flame as no lumps will be formed
then keep it aside....
exactly the same way make white one
i boiled 2 cups of water and allowed to boil them with only salt
when it starts to leave bubbles add slowly rice powder and keep stirring as no lumps will be formed....
finally stuffing ready and dough also ready
now take little dough out of each color one by one
make small small balls....
put little stuffing inside and cover it from each side and make like balls
steam them and serve with any curry.....

"MOONG DAL DOSA WITH COCONUT AND PLANTAIN STUFFING"

In odisha pople love to have varieties of pitha o pana
people of odisha crave for pithas.....
so many ideas come to their mind how to make varieties
and now a days people are suffering many common diseases like diabetic blood pressure etc
so here i have made the moong dal dosa of two varieties...
one for normal people....
and the second one is particularly sugar patient .....
being a sugar patient and a perfect foodie  always look for changes in food...

 for moong dal dosa i have used only moong dal with husk....
i took approximately 3 to 4 cups whole moong dal
soaked in water overnight....
next morning made a dosa batter of moong dal....
ingredients for coconut stuffing i have used...
1 cup grated coconut
2 tbl spoon jaggery or sugar
1/2 teaspoon green cardamon powder
in a wok fry coconut ,jaggery, green cardamon powder together..
till the raw flavor of coconut gone and till it becomes little brown as it is shown above in pic....
for plantain /raw banana stuffing i have used ====
 3 raw banana..
handfull of green peas..
1 chopped onion
1 big size tomato...
1 tbl spoon ginger garlic paste
1/4 th teaspoon red chilly powder
1 teaspoon any product of masala powder as
i have used local product ruchi curry powder...
first boil plantain
and mash them with little salt
in a wok heat 1 and 1/2 tbl spoon refined oil
add 1 tea spoon whole mustard seeds
when starts to splutter
add chopped onion
 ginger garlic paste
and chopped tomato
salt to taste
pinch of turmeric....
keep sauteing till masala and oil gets separated
add mashed boiled banana
and keep sauting for mns in low flame
plantain stuffing is ready...

make moong dal dosa as you make normal dosa
stuff in the middle and serve .........

   

GHORA MANDA

"GHORA MANDA"

Odisha is a beautiful state with 30 districts..
each district has its own style of cooking  though the process is almost same...
this is a pitha which gives immense pleasure after having this...
i feel like it melts in my mouth means it is so so soft and yummy....
this is a special delicacy in our western odisha...... like sambalpur ,Bargarh ,bonai,sonpur etc.....
Being a part of coastal odisha i only knew about that sukla manda which is also offered to Goddess laxmi during our some specific pujas like "sudasa brata, mahalaxmi puja" but later i came to know about this beautiful delicate pitha of our western odisha called ghora manda which is also offered to maa laxmi during this puja time too....
i got this recipe from my two dear friend sujata and sweta....

the ingredients required====
Basmati rice is good but not available you can use your normal rice 2 cups
salt to taste
1cup grated coconut
1tbl spoon roasted sea same seeds
1 tbl spoon roasted peanuts
1 tbl spoon of jaggery/sugar(normally these pithas are tastier when you use jaggery)..

 method to make this yummy delicacy====
for stuffing--fry grated coconut,seasame seeds,roasted peanuts,jaggery together till the raw smell of coconut disappears and till it becomes little brown.......
soak rice for 2 to 3 hrs
then make a silky batter  like finest
add water till its consistency becomes watery type...
add salt.....
switch on your gas....
put this rice bowl on gas stove in low flame
and continuously keep stirring as no lumps will be formed.....
it really needs patience ......
and cooking is such an art which needs lots of patience ,skill of art and some creativity
keep stirring till it becomes little thick but not it should nt be seem like solid dough...
then switch off the gas...
in a thali put little cooked rice mixture with your ladle
then put little stuffing
again put little  rice  mixture on it and press uniformly with your palm as no peaks will come out...
accordingly use all the cooked rice batter like this way...
and leave it for half an hour.....
when it gets completely  cool
then slowly lift one by one and serve with any curry.....

"CHUDA MANDA"
Being an odia i love every kind of pitha to eat and to make too
in Odisha there are many festivals celebrated all over year....
there is a saying in odisha
"bara barsa re tera puja"
means in a year of 12 months we celebrate 13 pujas =D =D
because many pujas we love to celebrate
and ujas means there will be must made pithas...
pithas are loved by almost each and every odia...
normally we make manda pithas in two different method
one is steamed one which is made of rice flour though the stuffing is almost same..
and the another one is fried one .....
here i have given a little twist to our regular manda pithas...
chuda/chweda/poha/beaten rice itself a binding agent...
here i share an easy recipe which can be done by everyone...
in general fried manda's dough is made of semolina/sooji or wheat flour
which is cooked to formed into a solid dough
next we mash them with the help of little water
but here you dont need to take that much pain ....
the ingredients required ====
1/2 kg beaten rice
1 tblspoon sugar
1/2 tbl spoon fennel seeds
1 tbl spoon wheat flour or refined flour
1 tbl spoon jaggery
2 tbl soon of amul powder
1/2 cup grated coconut
1/4 th teaspoon green cardamon powder
oil for frying
salt to taste....

this is the dough which i have made
method to proceed in the making of this pitha====
first soak poha in water for 10 mns
then squeeze it.... what i did here....i just strained them in a big strainer and kept as it is in strainer for half an hour.....
and keep it in a bowl
add amul powder..
fennel seeds,sugar
salt to taste
wheat flour in it...
mash them properly.......
For stuffing---
next you fry grated coconut with jaggery and cardamon powder in low medium flame till it becomes little brown ......
next you make small balls out of this dough and put stuffing like this...

then deep fry them in oil.......

IDLI
moong dal idli is something is very unique and tasty and spongy too
when every one was making rawa idli,urad dal dli then i thought why not to try with this beautiful grains which is very good for your skin and hair too.....
i tried this moong dal idli which came out with wonderful texture and yummy taste...
the ingredients which are required for this recipe =====
moong dal/green gram---2 cups
rice----1/2 up
grated coconut--1 cup
salt to taste
jaggery or sugar as per your taste
cardamon powder 1/4th teaspoon
eno 1/4 th teaspoon
peanuts 1 tbl spoon
roasted sesame seeds 1 tblspoon

method to proceed =======
first fry coconut ,jaggery,sesame seeds,and peanuts together in a wok
till it gives a beautiful aroma......
soak moong dal rice together in water for half an hour
if you have idli rice powder then you dont need to soak whole rice along with moong dal
after it gets soaked make a smooth batter or like idli batter
add salt and eno powder
mix them together and leave for 10 mns approximately
then make ike idlis in idli mould with putting stuffing in the middle....
it is very much delicious.....

Bela sijha manda
Bela sukla/sijha/steamed manda pitha
Bela or wood apple is a seasonal fruit
and very good for stomach....
regular drinking of bela or bael  keeps stomach out of any stomach related diseases
normally in coastal odisha  this pitha is prepared without bael pulp  in "sudasa brata"  and is offered to maa laxmi...we call it sukla manda and in western odisha it is called phuta or ghora manda but their style of preparation is little different though the recipes is almost same.....
but here i have given little twist to our normal manda pitha......it has always been my wish to experiment  in my kitchen....i love to create some new cuisines and to extend our odia cuisines instead of repeating the international and national cuisines  .....

ingredients required for this wonderful creation=====
rice powder-2 cups or you can soak rice for 1 hour then grind and make a smooth paste......
sugar/jaggery as per your taste
1 cup grated coconut
1/2 teaspoon green cardamon powder
2 cups wood apple pulp
salt to taste
first boil this pulp with salt ,jaggery when it starts to boil or
when you notice it starts to create bubble
bring your gas flame to simmer and slowly add rice powder or rice batter
continuously keep stirring as not a single lump will be formed
and till it becomes a smooth consistency like smooth dough.....
then switch off the gas....
start kneading this dough with taking very little water in your palm......
For stuffing=======
in a wok put grated coconut,jaggery/sugar,green cardamon powder
saute them in low medium flame till jaggery melts and comes out a beautiful smell out of this mixture....
make small balls out of this dough and gives shape to this each ball as something can be put into that.....
put little coconut stuffing into it and seal from each corner again back to that ball shape......
you make each ball out of dough like this...
finally steam them or you can steam in water too...

HALADI PATRA PITHA

Ingredients

Long turmeric leaves / Urad dal and rice in equal amounts soaked in water for two hours / Grated coconut / jaggery / cardamom powder/ black peeper powder 

Method

Fry grated coconut and jaggery in low frame till the raw smell disappears…remove from the gas…Add cardamom powder and black peeper powder…stuffing is ready…

Grind the soaked urad dal and rice…make a thick batter…cut the long turmeric leaves in to two or three long pieces and wash them…Put the batter with a little amount of stuffing in the middle of the spread out batter on each leaf…Fold or close the leaf with another leaf…steam it for roughly five minutes…It is ready…

In Odisha it is traditionally prepared in prathamasthami, a festival observed praying for the well being of the eldest child of the family. 

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.

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