Chef Swati Harsha and Chef Ananya Banerjee are on the quest to make Mumbaikars fall in love with Odia cuisine, and they have curated a special food menu at Mumbai's Hylo for the month of July.
It's not just meant for fans of Odia food. Even people who have barely tasted the food will be left licking their fingers especially after having the comforting Dahi Bara Aloo Dum, Chingudi Bara (spiced deep-fried prawns fritters served mustard sauce), Muri Mansa (a rustic, iconic pairing of puffed rice and mutton curry), Chhatu Bhajjiya (deep-fried mushroom fritters) and Chargrilled Kukuda Bhaja (chicken cooked in the traditional forest-style of Koraput and Kandhamal).
There's also the Odia styled Gupchup (paani-puri), Singada and Segdalu. Dalma (lentil stew with raw papaya, pumpkin and coconut tempering) and Mahura (temple-style vegetable made with raw banana, arum and ridge gourd with a jaggery-mustard gravy) occupy the pride of place on the table.
The desserts will leave you spoilt for choice with its vastness - there's Chenna Poda, Khaja, Rasabali, Chaul Khiri and Manda Pitha.
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Odia cuisine and the influence of Lord Jagannath's Temple in Puri
While describing Odia cuisine, it's impossible not to consider the influence its neighbouring states have on its food.
Highlighting the significance of Orissa's geographical borders, Chef Ananya says, "The borders of West Bengal will have a lot of Bengali influence. The borders of Andhra Pradesh will have Andhra influence and in the middle is the Lord Jagannath Puri temple, which has a very pious, heavenly cuisine.
"In the food prepared at the temple, onion and garlic is not used. In some of the preparations, you'll notice that there are no potatoes, tomatoes or chillies, as all these ingredients are not indigenous to India food."
It is a well-known fact that in Lord Jagannath's temple kitchen, seven pots or handis are placed one over the other, and the food in the pot right on top cooks first. "Even science cannot define what happens there," laughs Chef Ananya, adding that one is truly blessed by Lord Jagannath when they cook Odia food.
"That kitchen never falls short of food. There is enough food for all the devotees, and no one is sent back hungry," explains Chef Swati.
Lesser-known delights of Odia Cuisine that need a special mention
No menu featuring Odia food is complete without Khaja, the extremely popular layered, fried sweet with a flaky texture.
Chef Ananya feels that people walking down the path of the Puri Temple will spot heaps and heaps of Khaja, because in Chef Swati's words, "They are the traditional pillars of that temple."
Khaja is a common sight at the Lord Jagannath Temple and is a part of the Chappan Bhog or 56 offerings.
Another special mention when it comes to the traditional food of Odisha is Mahura, the vegetable dish offered as the Mahaprasad. It's this dish that brought Chef Swati almost to tears.
"The first time I took a bite; I got emotional as it was hard to believe the simple stuff that went into the heartwarming dish that's extremely flavourful."
Odia food being termed as bland
"Bland is not a term you can use for Odia food," protests Chef Ananya. "Having said that, Odia food doesn't use the stuff you'll usually find in a restaurant's kitchen like cream, cashew paste or too much oil."
"It is very homestyle," adds Chef Swati. "That makes it very warm. The recipes are very specific, and you cannot mess with it. Orissa is also a place where you can eat food for a bare minimal sum of money. There are some dishes like Muri Mansa that's served in small portions. It can be eaten quickly and is high on protein, so it will fill you up."
The rasgulla food battle: Who discovered it first?
Food is such a beautiful thing that shouldn't be fought over, especially when one thinks of the battle between Orissa and Bengal over who discovered rasgulla. "Odisha claims that the rasgulla was there since Lord Jagannath was there," reveals Chef Ananya.
"But again, Bengalis say that rasgulla is theirs. Odia has got the GI tag for rasgulla but it is for the pahala rasgulla which is a little brownish in colour. It is equally delicious. West Bengal got the GI tag for putting rasgulla into tins and sending it abroad."
"The art of making chenna was introduced to Bengalis by the Portuguese and these kinds of sweets were never offered to God. Why? Because the milk gets split and something that is spoiled is never given as an offering. Portuguese gave them cheese and Bengalis took it a few notches up making rasgulla and sandesh, which put Bengal on the culinary map," says Chef Ananya.
The Odia food festival is on at Hylo, Fort, Mumbai until July 31.
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