No Odia can imagine a summer without a filling bowl of Pakhala for lunch. Being the soul food of Odisha, Pakhala is made by fermenting rice for about six to eight hours. From the holy temple of Puri to roadside stalls, you’ll find Pakhala everywhere.
Less oily, less spicy, yet more flavourful, that’s the magic Odias bring to their food every day. A bowl of a healthy yet delicious meal is what Odisha’s Pakhala is all about.
However, a Pakhala platter isn’t complete without some typical Odia side dishes. Along with the filling bowl of rice, these side dishes complement the tangy, subtle rice. Although Pakhala is eaten in various forms, the most popular remains Dahi Pakhala which is served with curd and a tempering of mustard seeds, green chillies and curry leaves. We have curated five side dishes that you can add to your Pakhala platter to relish the flavours of Odisha.
In order, to keep the saga of Pakhala love, we Odias celebrate the Pakhala Dibasa (day dedicated to Pakhala) every year on March 20, when the summer takes a sneak peak in Odisha.
I have genuinely prepared few of the thalis with different spreads which you can enjoy over this summer.
Odia badi chura
Dried rice and lentil dumplings are deep-fried then mashed with garlic, green chillies, cumin seeds and chopped onions.
Machha besara:
Most typical Odia dishes are mustard-based and Machha Besara is one of them. A lip-smacking dish, Machha Besara is one of the best mustard dishes you’ll find in Odisha.
Chuin aloo besara (potato and drumsticks fry in a mustard paste odia style) :
If you ever get a chance to visit Odisha, you’ll find a drumstick tree in every backyard. This dish is made by marinating par-boiled drumsticks and potatoes in mustard paste and frying them after.
Fish Fry:
Frying fresh water river fish in mustard oil with some salt turmeric and Chilly powder. Crispy fish fry is a must for PAKHALA.
Aloo Bharta:
That’s everyone’s fav odia side dish , basically it’s just boiled potatoes with the tadka of five spices and dry red Chilly.
Saga Bhaja:
Any leafy greens stir fry with minimal spices and super healthy stuff to have with the pakhala kansa.
Baigana Tomato Poda:
Which is nothing but the chared eggplant and tomato salsa with chopped coriander onions and green chillies.
Pickle:
That’s optional but I like to have pickle with my pakhala platter .
Shallota Lemon Chilly
With some salt for that Extra crunch and hotness so that later on you can enjoy the torani ( which is the rice water with bit of curd and ginger).
