Khaja

Khaja also known as Pheni is a very famous Odia sweet and it is one among the chapan(56) bhog Mahaprasad of Lord Jagannath, Puri, Odisha, India..Legends say Lord Jagannath personally appeared in the dream of a man from Puri and instructed him how to prepare it. Next day the man prepared a basket full of khajas and offered to Lord Jagannath, which the Lord happily accepted...In Puri near Lord Jagannath Temple, there is a place known as Khajapati which is very famous for its crispy and sweet Khajas. 

KHAJA

It is believed that, even 2000 years before khajas were prepared in the fertile land on the southern side of the Gangetic plains of Odisha, the Godavari delta area of Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. These areas which are home to khaja once comprised the central part of Maurya and Gupta empires. 

I love this sweet from my childhood days and always wonder about its making..I failed 2/3 times before achieving the actual look and taste of Khaja. But now i can assure you that this recipe is not much difficult and can be done easily.

KHAJA

To check the full recipe please click here :- Khaja

Sara Papudi

Sara papudi is among the heavenly recipes (Mahaprasad) offered at Lord Jagannath Temple, Puri...
It is a melt in mouth type desert, prepared from thick creams...cream is known as sara in oriya, so the name is sara papudi...i had it long back during my childhood,but never forgot the taste..so today im sharing this yummy desert of my Lord with all of u..:-)

Ingredients

1 litre Milk
50 gm Ghee
100 gm thick milk
U can also use condensed milk of same amount as me..:-)
Sugar Cardamom powder

Method

Place the milk in a heavy buttomed pan. Boil in low flame, add the thick milk.
Cook the milk until a thick layer of cream/malai/sara forms on top.
Skim of the cream and continue the process till no more cream is formed.
Now the consistency of milk is thicker.
Cook it further by stirring continuously in low flame until it'll become thick solid in texure.
Switch off the flame and take out the khoa to come to room temperature.
Allow the cream to cool and mix it properly with the khoa.
Then heat little ghee in a pan.
Pour 1 tbsp of the cream mixture to the non stick pan and spread it using wet fingers.
When it is slightly browned, remove it and keep aside.
As these sara papudi are so soft, u must have to take extra care while removing it from the pan.
Sprinkle the sugar cardamom powder over it and keep aside.
Repeat the process till the mixture is over.

Serve hot...U can hav it chilled, but it tastes yumm while hot...soo try it and enjoy..:-)

Traditionally they take out the cream and place layer by layer in the leaf plates or khali(shala Patra plate), wait for it to cool down then cut it in to pieces fry in ghee, sprinkle powder of khanda(a type of sugar derived from sugarcane) and serve to Lord Jagannath. 🙏

They make it in large quantities, so that they can get good amount of thick cream (sara), I didn't use large amount, so added khoa and twisted the recipe a bit for easier use, hope you all will try and enjoy the recipe.❤️

Rasabali

Rasabali is one of my favourite sweet/dessert and an all time hit among oriya peoples...Its an authentic Oriya recipe and also among the Mahaprasad of Lord Jagannath Temple,Puri, as well as used as Prasad in other famous temples of Orissa,India...This dish is made of milk and paneer...My father in law is a gr8 cook and he used to make these awesome and heavenly dessert at home usually...and i learned this tasty and superb recipe from him...There are 2 variations of this recipe, you can make the consistency of milk according to ur taste, as some people like it with thick consistency of milk and others like it thin...So its up to u...i like both the way...and here it goes:-

Ingredients

1 Cup Paneer(Cottage Cheese)
1 tsp Semolina(Sooji)
1 tsp Wheat Flour(Atta)
1/4 tsp Cardamom powder
2-3 Cardamom(crushed)
1 tsp Powdered Sugar
1 ltr Milk
1/2 Cup Sugar
Sliced Almonds for Garnishing
Oil For deep Frying

Method

Boil the milk and simmer in a heavy bottom vessel.
Add Sugar to the boiling milk.
Stir continuously on a low fire,so that it doesnt stick to bottom.
Cook until the milk is reduced to half of the ammount.
It will take approx 40 min- 1hr.
Meanwhile mash the paneer properly by adding cardamom powder, powdered sugar, semolina and wheat flour to it.
Knead it to a smooth and soft mixture.
U can also do it by using a blender.
After kneading, devide it to small balls and slightly flattened them like tikkis.
Heat oil in a wok/kadhai and deep fry them on low fire.
Drain excess oil by keep them on paper towel.
Do not over fry the paneer tikkis.
Now add them to the boiling milk, simmer for 1-2 mins and switch off the fire.
Let it cool down.

Garnish with sliced almonds and crushed cardamoms.
Serve warm or chilled...enjoy the heavenly tasty rasabali....:-)

Temple Style Potol Rasha

Potol Rasha is one of the most popular recipe of Odisha,India…Its also a very tasty recipe among the Mahaprasad of Jagannath Temple,Puri...I already wrote the potol aloo rasha recipe n my previous post, but this one is a bit diff, as here the potol is cooked in coconut milk, and ginger cumin paste--no garlic, onions and potatoes used for this temple style recipe of Jagannath Temple..and here it goes:-

Ingredients

500gm Potol(Parwal)
1 1/2'' Ginger, 1/2 tbsp Cumin seed and 1/4 cup grated coconut(soaked in water and ground to a fine paste)
1 Cup Thick Coconut Milk
1 tsp panch phutan
1 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder
1 tsp garam masala
1 bay leaf(tej patta)
Ghee
Salt to taste
Water

Method:

Wash and cut the potol/parwal in round shapes(cut one in 2/3 pieces)..
Take ghee in a pan and fry the potol/parwal pieces wel and keep aside..
Add ghee to the hot pan,take 1 tsp panch phutan and tej patta, when it crackles, add the masala paste .
Add red chilli powder, turmeric powder and fry well until oil evaporates.
Then add the potol/parwal pieces with coconut milk and salt.

Add water if necessary and bring to boil  for 2-3 min.
Now cook in medium flame till the gravy thickens.
Add garam masala powder and cook for 1-2 min.
Serve hot with rice/roti/paratha...enjoy..:-)

Malpua

Malpua is an Indian pancake served as a dessert or a snack..and this is my posting for celebrating the last day of the Raja Festival...will post one more recipe(janta podapitha) later for this festival...but now i am posting this sweet and very famous recipe for malpua..This delicious dish made of maida (refined flour) and milk melts in the mouth  for satisfying your sweet cravings...hope everyone will like it...:)
and here it goes:-

Ingredients:

1 litre milk or 250 ml evaporated milk

4 table spoon maida (all purpose flour)
2 cup sugar
1 tsp cardamom powder
2 tsp fennel Seeds
Ghee for frying
(U can also use refined oil but deshi ghee increases the taste)

Method:

Boil milk in heavy bottomed broad pan on medium flame,stir continuously till it reduced to 1/4 quantity.
Add maida once the milk gets cool.
Mix well and make a batter of pouring consistency like the thick ice cream shake.
Keep it aside for 2-3 hours by adding fennel seeds with it.
In a pan add sugar and take enough water to soak sugar,boil it and make the sugar syrup of one string.
To achieve this, keep boiling the syrup until a drop of syrup leaves one string between your thumb and finger.
Add cardamom powder to the sugar syrup.

Heat ghee in the shallow small frying pan.
Now pour some batter with the ladle to form a malpua.
(approximately of the size of small pancake or poori)
When you pore the batter in the center of pan, automatically it will take the shape of circle.
Fry both the sides till it becomes light golden brown in color.

Soak the malpua in sugar syrup for 1 min,drain and serve hot.
U can serve malpua with some rabri and dry fruits on the top.

Tips:

Do not confuse evaporated milk with condensed milk its different.
If you are using evaporated milk add refined flour directly to the milk,no need of boiling.
If u reheat the malpua in microwave,do it for only 10 seconds.

*Sending this to Ayeesha's Any One Can Cook: series 21

Khira

Delicious kheer made using paneer or chenna..I forgot to mention that, its a very famous dish of Puri(The Place of Lord Jagannath),Orissa, India...

Ingredients
 
Paneer or chenna, crumbled - 1 1/2 cups
Milk - 2 litres
Few Cashew nuts and raisins -  Fried in ghee
Green cardamom powder  - 1/4 tsp
Sugar - 1-2 cup
Salt to taste

Method

Boil milk  by adding lil water in a deep pan and simmer till it reduces and thickens .
Add green cardamom powder and mix well.
Add salt and sugar and stir till sugar dissolves.
Add chenna and  fried cashew nuts,raisins. Mix well .
Take it off the heat and set aside to cool.
Serve hot or cold...

Kanika

KANIKA  is one of the most favourite dish of mine from my childhood days...It is among the famous MAHAPRASAD  in Jagannath Temple.

[ In most temples of India, devotees may take "PRASAD", holy food that has been offered to the deities. But only here in Jagannath Puri is this blessed food called "MAHAPRASAD''. "MAHA" has two meanings here. First, it means great. Lord Jagannath is described as MAHA PRABHU, the Lord with the great arms. MAHA BAHU, and the family name of one of the main groups of worshippers is MAHAPATRA. So this word MAHAPRASAD itself gives us the impression of something great.The second meaning of MAHAPRASAD is "MA-PRASAD". for the main thali must be taken to Mother Bimalas temple and returned and mixed in all the other pots offered before it is considered fit to be "eaten" by Lord Jagannath. ]

I must tell u that there is a  variation of this authentic recipe, which used generally in marriages , threading ceremony and in many festive occasions in Orissa. It is a sweet Pulao with  a strong fragrance of nutmeg, cardamom and clove..u can eat it with side dishes like the famous Besara, Mahura, Dahi -Baigan, Dalma, tomato / Mango Khatta etc.....

Here i am writing the authentic style of the KANIKA...Its actually a very easy to make, sweet and delicious recipe.....

Ingredients

Basmati rice -  2 Cups(Soak for 30 min)
Sugar - 1/2-1 Cups
Water - 4 Cups
Kismis/raisins  - 10
Cashew nut - 6
Cardamom - 2-4 (green)

Cloves - 4

Ghee - 6 tbsp

1-2 tsp Sugar (for the colouring)

salt to taste

Method

Wash rice and drain it .

In a Cooker heat ghee, add 1-2 tsp of sugar mentioned for colouring and wait until the sugar has turned into a rich brown syrup.
Now add the rice, cardamoms, cloves, raisins, and cashew  nuts to it and stir fry for 3-4 min..
Then add the 1/2-1 cup sugar with water into it. (Water should be double the amount of rice )
Mix and cook in high flame until 1 whistle, then cook in simmer for 5 minutes more or up to another whistle.

Leave the cooker to cool..Open the lid and take out the delicious Kanika out in a  plate.
Garnish it with Cashew nuts and raisins..
Serve hot or cold with or without any curry...

*Sending this authentic and yummy recipe for Nivedita and Priya's Celebrate Sweets - Sweets With Rice

Mahura

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 arum(saru)
50gm sweet potato(kandamula)
20gm black chickpeas(kala chana)(soaked over night)
100gm brinjal(baigana)
1 cup coconut(coarsely grated)
4 tsp Fennel seeds(saunf)(soaked in water for 1/2 hr)
2 tsp Cumin seeds(jeera)(soaked in water for 1/2 hr)
1" ginger paste

1tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
Salt to taste

1 tsp jaggery powder.
Ghee

For Tempering :-

Ghee
2 tsp mustard seeds(sorisha)
2 red chillies(sukhila lanka)

Method:

Wash and cut all the vegetables in to thick pieces.
Grind the seeds soaked in water  with black pepper into a fine paste.
Take a pan and add the vegetables with the  seeds paste and ginger paste.
Mix well with grated coconut, kala chana, water, turmeric powder and salt.
Cover and cook till all the vegetables are properly done. Add jaggery and mix well.
Take ghee in another pan.
Add the mustard seeds and red chillies for tempering..
Mix the tempering to the curry properly and serve hot...

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..