Ladleful of Spices: Pakhala Utsav 2018!

#ladlefulofspices

Its been a while since I have written anything - precisely a full year! Had been involved in a lot of things in personal and professional lives to find time to write. And so I begin today's blog with one of my most favorite things - Pakhala! (Pronunciation: Pou-kha-lo)

20th March is celebrated as "Pakhala Divas"(Day of Pakhala) by Odias spread all over the globe. Slightly fermented rice in a bowl of water, or Pakhala as it is called by Odias is the most staple summer main course of Odisha that you would find if you happen to visit any Odia household. Not forget the vegetarian and non-vegetarian sides that add a charm to Pakhala and showcase the richness of Odia cuisine.

As for me, I started my Pakhala Utsav almost 10 days early, thanks to the rising temperatures by beginning of March. The most traditional and typical pakhala is made with a mix of fermented rice. While cooking rice, the excess water is not drained off and stored along with some cooked rice for a day(or two depending how much fermentation takes places) in a vessel. The next day, when we cook and serve fresh rice in a bowl with some water, we added a handful of the fermented rice along with its starchy water (popularly known as "Toorani" in Odia) and our Pakhala is ready!

But wait! Pakhala is just not limited to one style and you will come across a number of variations. Read on to see my version of Pakhala and the side dishes. I hope the pictures below and the corresponding description does justice to what Pakhala means to so many of us!

Since I decided to make an impromptu Pakhala, I did not have the privilege of readymade fermented rice and Torani available. Sadly, this is the situation in many homes these days, we hardly find any torani and have to make do with other sour things like lemon or curd. So while the rice is cooking, I start sauteing up badi (dried rice flour dumplings) - this is as traditional as it can get!

Badi - being dry roasted

I would usually heat up the badi in a wok or pan a bit without oil. I have seen this leads to less oil absorption(for those who are oil-conscious). When its roasted just enough to be golden, I move them to a pan with hot oil, just about a couple of spoonfuls. The lightly roasted badi is ready to be used any which way I like.

pan-fried badi - ready to be used

The first and most basic dish ever in Odia cusine that complements a Pakhala is "Saga Bhaja" or "Saga Kharada" or just plain "Saga". Why the most basic? it is also the most easily available green in the countryside and cheapest too. You will be astonished by the amount of spices or masala it needs - nil, well almost! Here is how I prepare it - chop onions and garlic and saute them in a little oil along with mustard seeds, fenugreek and cumin. When translucent(dont wait till goldern color of onion, the caramelized taste spoils it) add Amaranthus leaves(the most common green) to after washing thoroughly and stir for sometime till the "Saga" starts wilting. Time to add salt, and yes no other condiment is needed, cover the wok and let it kind of steam in its own juice till done. Stir occasionally for an even cooking. Now here comes the "Badi" part - you can choose to add the "Badi" at the beginning or at the fag end of cooking. If added in the beginning, the badi will become soggy and acquire a wee bit of flavors from saga and onions and garlic. If added at the end, it remains crispy and and its own oily flavor. Now which one do I like ? Both! I add a handful of badi at the beginning and a few more at the end.

Saga Bhaja/Kharada - Amaranthus greens roasted up

If I keep on writing about the vegetarian dishes that would go well with pakhala, it will never stop! So this paragraph is for a non-vegetarian side and unarguably the most sought after side dish - "Machha Bhaja!"(fish fry). As a tradition, rohu is the standard fish for this, but since I got hold of some King fish, I have used the same. Moreover, I hate fish-bones and so king fish suits me.

Fish and spices - ready for a fry!

The fish slices are smeared with basic spices - salt, turmeric, chilli and cumin powder. Tawa fried in mustard oil and are ready. Were you wondering or waiting for some more steps? They are indeed ready!

being fried up in mustard oil

Meanwhile, the rice is cooked and has cooled down. Yes it is important to cool it down, that is the essence of pakhala. So to make my version of pakhala, I added generous scoops of curd, salt chopped onions as a topping and a bunch of badi that I had fried earlier. yes, badi is something that you can add to almost any dish....almost! the final touch to my version of pakhala is the tempering of green chilli, curry leaves and asafoetida or hing (Hengu in Odia)...ummm...smells heavenly!

Beware! eating pakhala and finally drinking the remaining water or torani (in this case its a mere diluted curd with flavors) will result in a beautiful and heavenly doze of sleep...yes! afternoon siesta!