Poda Pitha-Orissa Special(recipe for raja festival)

Happy Raja festival to everyone...:-)

Ingredients:

4 cup rice
2 cup black gram - without outer skin (chopa-chhada biri)
1 cup finely grated coconut (nadia kora)
10-15 small pieces of thin coconut slices (nadia khanda)
3 cup sugar (chini)/jaggery(guda)(I used guda)
50gm chopped ginger (kata ada)
1 table spoon ghee or refined oil(I used ghee for a better flavor)
½ teaspoon salt (luna)
1 teaspoon baking powder/baking soda
Few Cashew nut and raisins

Method:

Soak the rice and black gram in water in separate bowls for about 4 hours. If u can soak it overnight, then it'll be more good..
Wash them thoroughly. Put the black gram with water in the grinder and form a fine batter.
Do the same with rice but keep in mind that the batter should be coarse and not as fine as the batter of black gram.
Keep both the batters for 4 hours for self-fermentation.
Mix both the batters and add coconut slices, grated coconut, chopped ginger, salt, jaggery,Cashew, raisns and baking powder.
Mix all the ingredients well .
Pre-heat the microwave/pressure cooker.
Form a thin layer of oil in the surface of the cooker/baking disk.
For microwave, u can use butter paper or foil for baking...
For cooking in microwave, just bake it for 30-40 minutes.
For cooking in the cooker, pour the mixed batter into the cooker and close the lid (without mounting the whistle-weight).
Place the pressure cooker in simmer flame for about one hour.

Now poda pitha is ready.
When the cooker comes to normal temperature take out the pitha carefully, and cut it into desired shapes and serve.
Try to have it with milk+sugar, it'll give a very yummy taste...enjoy..:-)

Arisha Pitha-Orissa Special

Ingredients:

2 cups rice
1 cup+2tbsp jaggery (guda)
Ghee/refined cooking oil for frying

Method:

Soak the rice in water for overnight or 6-7hrs.
Wash it thoroughly and drain all the water.
Keep the rice in room temperature to dry by spreading it on tissue paper for about 30 minutes.
Grind it to make fine powder
Heat the handi or kadhai and add jaggery.
As you go on stirring on medium flame, it forms a syrup.
The syrup should be of one string.
Slowly add rice powder to the syrup and stir continuously to form a semi solid batter.
Take the batter in small portions and flatten the same with the help of your palms in the shape of small thick puris. Fry them in ghee/oil till done.
Take them out and serve hot.
The pitha also tastes great when served after cooling.
You may also preserved it in room temperature for about 3-4 weeks.

Pani Manda/Sijha Manda Pitha

Ingredients:

2 cups of crushed rice (chaula chuna)
3 cups of water
1 cup of finely grated coconut (nadia kora)
¾ cup brown sugar/jaggery (guda)
5-6 small cardamom
salt to taste

Method:

Stuffing - Mix finely grated coconut and jaggery in a heated frying pan.
Add cardamom powder and mix thoroughly.
Here we can also use dahi chhena stuffing for a better taste.

Heat water. Add salt and little sugar to the water.
Prepare dough by adding crushed rice to the boiling water.
Stir it continuosly and boil further until you get a thick dough.
Keep the dough in room temperature and knead it by adding one spoon oil to make it more soft. Form 8 to 10 balls by rolling them with the help of your palms.
Flatten each ball and place the stuffing in it.
Close the flattened balls after putting the stuffing and carefully give them a rounded shape again.
Steam the stuffed balls for 3-4 minutes.
Serve hot or cold.

*Variation:

You may also prepare another variety of Manda Pitha where semolina (suji) is used instead of crushed rice. This is known as Suji Manda. Follow the steps mentioned above.
But replace 2 cups crushed rice with 2 cups of semolina.
However in this case use a little more water (say 4 cups).

Sajana Chhueen Bhaja / Drumstick Fry

Ingredients

4-5 Drumsticks(Washed,peeled and cut in to lengthwise pieces)

2 Medium Potatoes(washed,peeled and cut in length wise pieces)
1 small onion(finely chopped)
5-6 flakes of garlic
3tsp mustard (soaked and ground to a fine paste with garlic)
1tsp chilli powder
1tsp jeera powder
Salt
Water
Oil

Method

Take oil in pan,add onions, along with drumstick and potato pieces.
Fry for sometime,then add the ground paste,salt, chilli powder, jeera powder and water in to it..

Cover and cook till the drumstick and potato pieces are done.
Open the lid and fry well till water evaporated and the vegetable looks crispy(add oil if needed).
Serve hot with rice/pakhal.

Kheer/Khiri/Pais

Ingredients:

50gm Basmati or long-grain rice
1ltr Milk
Sugar as to taste
A pinch of Salt
1-2 tsp cardamum seeds
Almonds, slivered(Fried in ghee)
Cashew & Raisins(Fried in ghee)

Method:

Wash the rice and soak in water for 30 minutes. Drain well.
Boil the milk in a large pan by adding a pinch of salt.
Lower the heat and add the rice and cardamom seeds.
Simmer on low heat until mixture thickens to a pudding-like consistency, about 1-2 hours.
Stir every 5 to 10 minutes to prevent mixture from sticking to sides and bottom.
When the mixture has thickened, then add the sugar and stir well.

For colouring heat ghee in a pan and add 1tsp sugar to it,when bubble appears add milk to it and add this to kheer.Add all the fried dryfruits.
Stir well for some more time.

Serve hot or cold.

Sajana chhueen/drumstick curry

Ingredients:

4 Drumstick(sajana chueen)(wash,peel and cut in to pieces of 2'' sized)
1 potato(Aaloo)(wash,peel and cut in to length size pieces)
1 brinjal(wash and cut in to length size pieces)
2 medium tomatoes(cut in to cubes)
5-6 Badi(Fried)
2 red chilles(cut in to halves)
4 tsp Mustard seeds+5 flakes garlic(soaked and ground to a fine paste)
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp panch phutan
Few chopped coriander leaves
Salt as to taste
Water
Oil

Method:

Take oil in a kadhai,add mustard seed,panch phutan and red chillies.
When crackels,add all the vegetables,tomatoes and fry for sometime.
Then add the fried badi, ground paste, turmeric powder, and salt with water.
Cover and cook till all the vegetables are done.
Serve hot with the garnishing of chopped coriander leaves.

*Note:There is another way to make the drumstick curry by using onion,ginger and garlic.

Ingredients:

4 Drumstick(sajana chueen)(wash,peel and cut in to pieces of 2'' sized)
1 potato(Aaloo)(wash,peel and cut in to length size pieces)
1 brinjal(wash and cut in to length size pieces)
2 medium tomatoes(cut in to cubes)
5-6 Badi(Fried)
2 red chilles(cut in to halves)
1 medium onion(finely chopped)
1 tsp gingr-garlic paste
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp panch phutan
Few chopped coriander leaves
Salt as to taste
Water
Oil

Method:

Take oil in a kadhai,add panch phutan and red chillies.
When crackels,add all the vegetables,onions, tomatoes and fry for sometime.
Then add the ginger-garlic paste,cumin powder,coriander powder,turmeric powder and fry the masala along with the vbegetables for sometime.
When the masala is done,add water and fried badi to it.
Cover and cook till all the vegetables are done.
Serve hot with the garnishing of chopped coriander leaves..

Guduguda-Orissa special

Badi or Vadi as is called in some other parts of India-- is primarily sun-dried chunks made of batter prepared from black grams. Guduguda  is a tasty recipe made from vadi/badi with tomatoes,onions and garlic...

Ingredients:

10 Badi(Fried in oil and crushed)
1 onion(finely chopped)
4-5 flakes garlic(finely chopped)
2 green chillies(finely chopped)
1-2 tomato(finely chopped)
Mustard oil
Salt
Few chopped coriander leaves

Method:

Take oil in a pan, add onion,tomato,garlic, and chilles.
Fry well and add crushed vadi/badi in to it.
Mix properly with salt and coriander leaves.
Add lil water if neccessary..Fry it till dry...
Serve hot as a side dish.

Badichura-Orissa special

Ingredients:

10 Badi(Fried in oil and crushed)
1 medium onion(finely chopped)
3 flakes of garlic(finely chopped)
2 green chillies(finely chopped)
Salt as to taste
few chopped coriander leaves.

Method:

Mix all the ingredients properly and serve as a side dish with rice,dal and other curries..

Badi Phula-Orissa special

Ingredients:

10 Badi
1 Brinjal(wash & cut in to cubes)
100gm Pumpkin(kakharu)(wash,peel and cut in to cubes)
2 small tomatoes(chopped)
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp panch phutan
2 green chillies(chopped)
1 tsp turmeric powder
Torani or water
Salt as to taste
Mustard oil
Few coriander leaves(chopped)

Method:

Fry the badi well and keep aside.
Take oil in a pan, put mustard seeds,panch phutan,green chillies..
When it crckles,add brnjal and pumpkin pieces to it and fry well.
Then add torani or water,salt and turmeric powder.
Bring it to a boil and add fried badi and chopped tomatoes.
Cook till done.
Serve hot with the garnishing of coriander leaves...

Besara

This is a prasad of Lord Jagannath,Puri...and it is a very famous temple style curry...

Speciality is in this curry,they use only the  indian vegetables....

Ingredients:

250gm pumpkin(kakharu)

50gm yam(desi aaloo)

50gm raw banana(kancha kadali)

50gm sweet potato(kandamula)

2 potol(pointed gourd)

4-5 Baragudi(cowpeas)

20gm black/white chickpea(chana)(soaked over night)

100gm brinjal(baigana)

1 cup coconut(coarsely grated)

2tbsp mustard seeds(sorisha)

1 tsp cumin seeds(jeera)
1 tsp turmeric powder

1 inch ginger

1tsp black pepper

Salt to taste

1 tsp jaggery powder(guda)

Ghee

For Tempering:

Ghee

2tsp mustard seeds(sorisha)

2 red chillies(sukhila lanka)

Method:

Wash and cut all the vegetables in to thick pieces.

Grind the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, ginger and black pepper into a fine paste.

Take a pan and add the vegetables with the paste.

Mix well with grated coconut,soaked kala chana, water,turmeric powder and salt.
Add water as needed.

Cook till all the vegetables are properly done.Mix jaggery to the curry.

Take ghee in another pan.

Add the mustard seeds and red chillies for tempering..

Mix the tempering to the curry properly ...
Serve hot by garnishing with coriander leaves..