Janhi - Aloo Posto Curry/ Ridge Gourd and Potatoes cooked with Poppy Seeds

Janhi Aloo Posto is one of my favorite; this is again a very popular dish made in Odisha. There is a variation in way this is made in different places however one thing I can promise is that this a real simple and lip smacking dish. Usually this is served with steamed rice and dal.

Poppy seed is an oilseed obtained from the opium poppy. The tiny kidney-shaped seeds have been harvested from dried seed pods by various civilizations for thousands of years. - Wikipedia

Presenting to you the ingredients required.

A fine paste of poppy seeds makes a big difference to the taste. It should look and feel like cashew nut paste.

Ingredients Required:

Ingredients	Quantity
Ridge Gourd (Fresh)	1 large, cubed
Potato	1 medium, cubed
Poppy Seeds Paste	6 tbsp
Green chilli	2, slit
Onion (Optional- I have not used it in this recipe)	1 small, chopped
Mustard seeds or Kalonji (Kalonji is preferable)	½ tsp
Oil	1 tbsp
Salt	To taste

Turmeric is not added to this recipe however if you are uncomfortable with the same you may add a pinch.

Method of Preparation:

• Dry roast poppy seeds for about 3- 4 minutes on very low heat. Rinse the same in water and drain it to remove impurities. Once it cools down make a fine paste of the same and keep aside.
• In a pan, add oil and when the same is warm put mustard seeds
• Add onions and stir until it becomes translucent
• Now add potatoes and ridge gourd, stir occasionally. Add salt and allow the same to cook. Do cover it with lid. Mkae sure the water from the vegetables evaporates
• Once the vegetables are cooked add green chillies; now you may add poppy seed paste, mix well and cook it further for about 1-2 minutes only and keep it covered
• Janhi Aloo posto is now ready to be served. Have it with rice and dal.

Note: To make a fine paste of poppy seeds; soak poppy seeds( 1/3 cup) in cold water for a minute and place it in the microwave oven then take it out and strain it. Again add some water and place it the microwave for a minute. Let it cool down and then make a fine paste of the same in the mixer

For whatever reason if you do not find fresh ridge gourd you may use potatoes only however increase the quantity of potatoes.

Enjoy cooking!!!!!

Dalma ( An Odia Dish - Split Pigeon Pea Cooked With Specific Vegetables Only)

Today I decided to write about "Dalma" a very popular dish from Odisha. This is mostly cooked on Mondays and Thursdays- strictly vegetarian days:-) ; It's a very nutritious dish loaded with vegetables.

The vegetables are cut into medium size pieces; as demonstrated below:

We can use a variety of vegetables here like potatoes, raw papaya, eggplant, raw plantain, carrots, pointed gourd (Parval), pumpkin, eddoe (Arbi), drumsticks. I have used whatever was available here at my local store however you may be use all the above vegetables if the same is available at your local store. Now lets get started with the ingredients:

Ingredients	Quantity
Split Pigeon Peas/ Toor Dal	¾ Cup
Brinjal/Eggplant	4- 5 pieces
Pointed Gourd (Parval)	5- 6 pieces
Raw Plantain	1 whole, cubed
Raw Papaya	4-5 pieces
Potato	1 medium, cubed
Carrots	7-8 pieces*
Turmeric Powder	½ tsp
Ghee	1 tbsp
Bay Leaf	1
Dry roast Cumin and red Chilli powder	½ tbsp
Salt	To taste
Panch Phoron	1 tsp

* I have used baby carrots here however regular is a better option. The same can be cubed or diced and used.

Method of Preparation:

• In a pressure cooker first add split pigeon peas and 2 cups of water. Allow one whistle.
• Now add all the vegetables and let it cook. One more whistle will let the vegetables cook and it intact too. Make sure the vegetables are not over cooked as it will spoil the taste completely. The above picture should give you a brief idea as to how it looks once its boiled
• Now take a wok, once it is warm enough add 1 tbsp ghee, bay leaf, Panch Phoron and turmeric to it.
• When the panch phoron starts spurting add the lentil and vegetables which are already boiled. Add salt to taste
• Let it boil for 2-3 minutes and then garnish it with dry roast cumin and red chilli powder
• To make it more rich you may add about 1/2 tsp of ghee on the top
• "Dalma" is now ready to be served with white rice

Enjoy cooking!!!!!

Sukhila Jeera Lanka Gunda / Dry Roast Cumin Seeds & Whole Red Chilli Powder

This particular powder comes very handy when done in advance, stored in larger quantity in air tight bottles.

I am sharing this as I will be using the same in some authentic Odia dishes and it can also be used in a variety of chat dishes too.

To make this powder you will need about 1/2 cup of cumin seeds and 7-8 whole red chilies, dry roast them on low to medium heat and stir at regular intervals. Keep doing the same until it becomes medium brown

(do not burn it ) in color and a strong aroma comes from it. Once done keep it aside and allow it to cool completely. 

grind the same coarse and store it in an air tight container.

Your dry roast cumin seeds and whole red chilli powder is ready !!!!!!

Enjoy garnishing this with your choice of chat or any other dish :-)

Mansa Tarkari (An authentic Odia Dish) / Mutton Curry or Goat Meat Curry!!!!!

Mansa Tarkari or Mutton Curry is loved by people from all across Odisha. I have mastered this dish only because my hubby is a big fan of "Mansa Tarkari". It is a dish popularly made on Sundays or when you have your closest relatives and friends at home. In Odisha usually the male member of the house would go to market early to get their hands on the best meat available in the shop. Mutton is expensive hence is also considered a status symbol; people invariably remember about a marriage if mutton curry was served as one of the dish. When you know that guests are coming to your place, during their stay one day is definitely reserved for making mutton curry.
It is imperative to know that mutton is red meat hence consuming this in large quantity is definitely not healthy however in moderation everything is believed to be good.
Now without any further delay let's get started :-)

Ingredients Required:

Ingredients	Quantity
Mutton/ Goat Meat	500 grams
Onion	1 Large        ( ½ chopped fine + ½ Onion paste)
Yogurt	2 tbsp
Ginger paste	1 tbsp
Garlic paste	1 tbsp
Bay leaf	1
Cinnamon stick	1 inch
Turmeric Powder	½ tsp + ½ tsp
Chilli Powder	1 tsp
Cumin Powder	1 tsp
Coriander Powder	1 tsp
Nutmeg Powder	½ tsp
Garam Masala Powder	½ tsp
Cardamom green	2
Mustard Oil*	4 tbsp
Coriander Fresh	For garnishing

*If you are not comfortable using mustard oil you may use vegetable or canola oil.
Useful Tip: 
1) If for some reason the store bought is not tender you can add 2 tbsp full grated raw papaya while cooking to make the meat softer
2) If you want to add potatoes to the curry, you may cut the same into big cubes and add it to the curry before closing to cooker.

Marination Process:

Add yogurt, turmeric and salt to the meat; mix thoroughly and set it aside for good 3- 4 hours.

Method of Preparation:

• In a pressure pan cooker add oil, once it is warm enough add bay leaf, cinnamon stick and cardamom
• Now add chopped onions to it and fry until it becomes light brown in color. You can now add ginger and garlic paste to it and saute it until oil separates from the masala/paste completely
• Add all the dry powder and mix it really well
• We can add the marinated meat to it and saute it really well at regular intervals for 3-5 minutes at low to medium heat
• Now add 2 cups of water to it ( you may reduce or increase the quantity of water depending on the consistency of gravy you want)
• Now cover the cooker; cook it on low to medium heat and allow 2 whistles for the meat to cook completely
• Allow atleast 30 minutes before you can remove the mutton curry from the cooker into a serving bowl and garnish the same with fresh coriander
• Now the Mutton curry is ready to be devour :-)

Enjoy cooking!!!!

Fish Cooked in Tomato Gravy

I am personally very fond of fish. This post is for all the fish lovers out there. Rohu/Rohi fish is very popular in Odisha; this being a fresh water fish tastes really good. Today I am gonna share a very simple and quick recipe of rohu fish in tomato gravy. It does not consume much time and goes very well with hot steamed rice.
So fish lovers let's get started with lean meat for lunch.

Ingredients required:

Ingredients	Quantity
Rohu Fish	2 large pieces or 4 medium pieces
Tomato	1 medium, chopped
Green chillies	2 sliced
Garlic	2-3 shallots
Cumin seeds	1 tbsp
Coriander/Cilantro fresh	chopped
Turmeric	½ tbsp
Oil	2 tbsp (for frying); 2 tbsp (for curry)
Salt	To taste
Sugar (Optional)	½ tsp
Water	1 cup

Marination Process:
Rub 1/2 tbsp turmeric & 1/2 tbsp salt to the fish evenly; set aside for 10 minutes.

Method of preparation for Curry:

• In a non stick pan, pour oil and shallow fry the fish pieces until they are medium brown in color on both sides
• Soak cumin seeds for 10 minutes and then blend it together with garlic until smooth
• Pour oil to the pan, once it becomes warn enough add chopped tomatoes and keep stirring at regular intervals for about 5 minutes
• Add the garlic and cumin paste to the tomatoes; allow it to cook until you see that the oil has separated from the paste
• Add turmeric, salt, sugar (Sugar is usually added if people don't prefer the curry to be too tangy; however this depends completely on individual's taste); Stir well and add water. Cover the pan.
• When the grave stars to boil; add fried fish pieces and green chillies. Cover and let it boil for 3 - 4 minutes
• Remove the curry from fire; garnish with fresh coriander/cilantro leaves.
• Fish in tomato gravy is now ready to be served with warm white or brown rice.

Enjoy Cooking!!!!

Panch Putana/ Panch Phoron- It's a mix of 5 whole spices

Panch Putana is a whole spice blend used primarily in Eastern India like Odisha, Assam, Bengal and Bihar.
This blend of spice includes seeds like mustard, fenugreek, fennel, cumin and kalonji or nigella seeds. All of them are mixed in equal proportions. They are readily available in the market however it can be easily made at home.

This is used with vegetables, santula or shukto, fish curry, lentils, pickles.
As I will be using panch poron in some of the dishes I intend to share here; thought it will be a good idea to share some of the spices used here. I shall keep posting spices which will be used often in my dishes; keep reading :-)

Enjoy cooking!!