15 August, 2007

Celebrating Freedom with Oriya Cuisine

"Where the mind is without fear
and the head is held high;

Where knowledge is free;

Where the world has not been

broken up into fragments by

narrow domestic walls;

Where words come out from

the depth of truth;

Where tireless striving stretches

its arms towards perfection;

Where the clear stream of reason

has not lost its way into the dreary

desert sand of dead habit;

Where the mind is lead forward by thee

into ever-widening thought and action-
into that heaven of freedom, my Father,

let my country awake."
-Rabindranath Tagore from Geetanjali

This is a day to rejoice and celebrate our independence. At the same time take few minutes of your time to pray for the freedom fighters who dreamt of freedom and made their dreams into reality for us. Wishing all proud Indians A Very Happy 60th Year of Independence…
The land India is like a Thali, a platter containing selection of sumptuous dishes in different bowls. Each food tastes different, and does not necessarily mix with the next. Still they belong together on the same plate and complement each other in making the total satisfying meal. The very finest of Indian cuisine is as rich and diverse as its civilization. They say in India the language differs for every two hundred miles travelled and food is no exception.
Lakshmi’s RCI, Regional Cuisines of India, is one event which I look forward to. The instructions are quite simple and straight forward; cook any dish of particular Indian state every month. While browsing through Spice Corner Archives I realised most of the times I have been cooking and posting recipes which I have learned from my Amma, Grandma, MIL or friends and they are very limited to something which I am used to eating since long time. I am not very experimental or adventurous when it comes to cooking and eating different food. RCI is not just a great reason for me to cook completely new recipe from different states of India but also gives me the opportunity to learn little more about the culture, people, food etc of that region. This month lovely Swapna, of beautiful blog called Swad is guest hosting RCI-Oriya Cuisine. And also Anita of A Mad Tea Party is throwing a great Independence Day party to celebrate 60th year of independence. How can I stay away from this mad party where we are asked to bring deep fried Poories with Potato Bhaji. Here I come Anita...

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Panch-Phutana: Fennel, Nigella (Kalonji), Fenugreek, Mustard & Cumin

Orissa or Kalinga, as it was then called, is a eastern Indian state with an ethnic past that is still vibrant. It was here that the famous Battle of Kalinga was fought which made King Ashoka forsake war and to become a follower of Buddhism and spread the spirit of ahimsa and peace. This rich state of architectural splendour and magnificent coastline teaches how simple food cooked using local ingredients can bring out the rich and heavenly flavour. Unlike the fiery spiced curries associated with Indian food, the Oriya food is usually subtle and delicately spiced using Panch-Phutana, a mix of five spices- Cumin, Mustard, Fennel, Fenugreek and Nigella (Kalonji) seeds.

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Chana Dali & Piaj Sag Bhaja with Luchi

After searching the internet for vegetarian dishes from Orissa I ended up making not just one Dish but two. I tweaked recips from Oriya Kitchen which showcases wonderful array of dishes. The simple Chana Dali of Puri Jagannath Temple where the spilt Chana Dal is simmered in lightly spiced creamy coconut gravy tastes as good as it sounds. The creamy dal has got light nutty taste from channa and the tempering of aromatic Chari-Phutna defines the new dimension of taste.


Chana Dali of Puri Jagannath Temple
Prep Time: 10-15 mins (excluding soaking time)
Cooking Time: 30-40 mins
Serves: 3-4

Ingredients:
1½ cups of Chana dal
¼ cup grated Coconut, fresh/frozen
1 inch Cinnamon Stick
4 Green Cardamoms (original recipe called for black cardamom)
3 Cloves
1 tsp Black Pepper seeds
1 tsp Cumin Seeds
1 tsp Coriander Seeds
¼ tsp Turmeric Powder
½ tsp Sugar
Salt to taste

For Tempering:
1 tsp Ghee
1 tsp Chari-Phutana Seeds (Cumin, Mustard, Fennel, Fenugreek)

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Chana Dali of Puri Jagannath Temple
Method:
Wash and clean chana dal in water
Cook this cleaned chana dal in pressure cooker with turmeric, salt and sugar for 10-15 minutes till the it’s cooked well. Cool the pressure cooker till it releases its pressure before opening the lid.
Grind all coconut, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, black pepper, cumin and coriander seeds to smooth paste adding little water at a time.
Add this ground paste and ¼-½ cup of water, if needed, to the cooked dal. Simmer and cook for another 20 minutes till the dal thickens.
Heat ghee in a tadka pan and add chari-phutna. When the spices start to pop and splutter, transfer the tempering to cooked dal and mix well.
Serve this delicious Chana Dali with rice or roties.

Piaj Sag Bhaja or Green/Spring Onion stir fry is another dish I couldn’t resist from trying. This simple stir fry of spring onion with diced potato in a simple tempering of punch-phutana brings out the true tastes of vegetables without any spices overpowering the fresh taste of vegetables.


Piaj Sag Bhaja
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 15-20 mins
Serves: 2-3

Ingredients:
1 bunch Spring Onion (approx 1½ cups)
1 large Potato, peeled and diced into small pieces
1 small Onion, finely chopped
1 Green Chilli, minced
1/2 tsp Panch-Phutana (Cumin, Fenugreek, Nigella(Kalonji), Fennel, Mustard)
1 tbsp Oil
½ tsp Turmeric Powder
½ tsp Coriander Powder
½ tsp Red Chilli Powder
Salt to taste

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Piaj Sag Bhaja
Method:
Wash the spring onion and then cut its green part into 1 inch pieces. Chop the white part into very thin slices and keep them separate.
Heat oil and add panch-phutana seeds and sauté till they start to pop and splutter.
Now add finely chopped onion and spring onion slices and minced green chilli. Sauté these onions till they turn golden brown.
Now add diced potato, turmeric powder, chilli powder, coriander powder, salt and sauté until potato is almost cooked. You can sprinkle little water in between so that the vegetables don’t stick to the bottom of pan.
Then add spring onion and cook for another 5-6 minutes over a medium flame.
Serve hot Piaj Sag Bhaja with rice or any Indian bread.

Here is the recipe for soft and white puffed luchies served with delicious Piaj Sag Bhaja and Chana Dali.


Luchi
Prep Time: 10-15 mins
Cooking Time: 10-15 mins
Serves: 3-4

Ingredients:
2 cups Maida/All Purpose Flour
2 tbsp Oil
Salt to taste(approx ½ tsp)
Oil for deep frying

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Puffed Luchi
Method:
Mix oil and salt with all purpose flour. Add water little at a time to make soft pliable dough. Careful while adding water as maida needs less water and tends to become too soft and sticky if more water is added.
Make small ball and roll it into small roties. Make sure that u doesn’t roll them into very thin roties.
Heat oil in a deep frying pan at medium heat and fry one luchi at a time.
When luchies puffs and cooks well which should not take more than 30-45 seconds transfer them on paper towel.
Serve hot puffed white beauties with any curry of your choice.

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Chana Dali & Piaj Sag Bhaja with Luchi



Lovely Cynthia of Tastes Like Home has kindly given me The Power of Schmooze Award. I feel very humble and grateful and am not sure if I deserve this award. Thank you Cynth for your kind gesture.


The Power of Schmooze Award is for bloggers who “effortlessly weave their way in and out of the blogosphere, leaving friendly trails and smiles, happily making new friends along the way. They don’t limit their visits to only the rich and successful, but spend some time to say hello to new blogs as well. They are the ones who engage others in meaningful conversations, refusing to let it end at a mere hello - all the while fostering a sense of closeness and friendship.”

Given a choice I would gladly send it to all lovely bloggers here and I had great difficulty in choosing few from my long list of buddies. So here I would like to pass this award to lovely friends who aptly deserve this award more than I do. You all are schmoozers :)
Archana of Tried & Tested Recipes
Coffee of The Spice Café
Jyothsna of Curry Bazaar
Latha of Masala Magic
Linda of Out of The Garden
Sandeepa of Bong Mom’s Cookbook
Shn of Kitchen Mishmash
Sra of When my Soup Came Alive
Trupti of The Spice Who Loved Me
Vani of Mysoorian

Update: Time for more bragging;) Baking Fairy Sunita of Sunita's World and thoughtful writer Santi of Writing on the Mirror thinks I rock! Boy! I do feel like I am back in school days on annual day celebration;) Thanks Suni and Santi for this award and right now my cheeks matches the pretty pink of this cute button.


I would like to pass this Rocking Girl Blogger Award to all these gals who surely rocks:) Keep rocking girls;)
ISG of Daily Musings
Kanchana of Married to a Desi
Manjula of Dalitoy
Meena of Memories from my Mom's Kitchen
Musical of Musical's Kitchen
Pooja of My Creative Ideas
Roopa of My Chow Chow Bhath
Richa of As Dear As Salt
Seema of Recipe Junction
Shilpa of Flog & Rosbif
Viji of Vcuisine

92 comments:

  1. At last Oriya cuisine is here!!:D
    Worth the wait Sia, they all lok yummy.Easy and yummy dishes, don't you think to make them,I mean Oriya food in general.Simple and delicious.
    Hey, you are smoozeable!! Enjoy!It does fit you perfectly.I didn't want to choose betn all the foodie bloggers, so I left it alone!
    Have a great day dear girl,hugs:)
    I will post Poori bhaji tomorrow at Aroma, you will love the Bhaji.

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  2. Lovely Oriya thaali, Sia. You deserve the schmooz award. and btw, Happy Independence day to you too.

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  3. Actually I have passed through Oriya many times but never tasted their food before. Got to try your dishes. They look awesome.

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  4. Happy Independence Day to u Dear!
    The thali looks sooooooo delectable! its been ages since i ate puris! I am so hungyr for them now. And both the sabji's look yumm! How about i'll swap the salad for that thali of u're ;-)
    Hugs
    Latha

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  5. Happy Independence Day,Sia...The celebration here is too much this time here in India..:)..Let's be proud!!

    Love the elegant Oriya Thali..:)...Nice question Sia..I had slightly exceeded my portion of that fish..He he :D

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  6. Wish you a very Happy Independence day!
    Lovely spread! All dishes look so tasty. I want to eat that luchi NOW :)

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  7. Oh :-) I was so taken in with the thali and hungry after reading u're thing on the masala, the luchi etc etc that i got so hungry and rushes to heat up my measly lunch of rotis and sabji!
    Thanks so much for the award... never been given one so i am so excited! Thanks for thinking of me hon!
    Hugs Latha

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  8. A very well written post Sia. A very happy independence day to you too. I loved the picture of those spices on spoons. Just perfect. Love the puri bhajis.

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  9. Never cooked with kalonji. Wonder how it tastes.
    Congrats on the The Power of Schmooze Award ! You truly deserve it.

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  10. Oh Sia,
    I absolutely love your pics!Absolutely drool-worthy:-)
    Oriya cuisine is very new to me. You dish looks so,so,so good!
    Congrats on the award!
    Happy I-Day to you too.

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  11. Happy Independence Day to u too!
    the food is ~slurp~ WOW!!! I just want to pick a puri and gobble it with the saag and daal!
    Congrats on the award!! U deserve it babe!

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  12. lovely pics. Happy Independence day!
    they Thali looks beautiful and delicious. I too have the same dal in mind.

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  13. Beautiful pictures sup... very colorful... Happy Independence Day to you, and yep you are indeed a schmoozer... :D Congrats sweetie..

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  14. Congrats on the award...loved the recipes...happy ID

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  15. btw, I forgot to mention... check out my blog...something else is in wait for you there :)

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  16. Hey Sia,
    How is it that your post date on FBD shows the 17th?

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  17. What a beautiful way to celebrate I-day, with RCI... Love yr spoon photo, reminds me of saffron hut :)

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  18. Looking good Sia. Got to try
    the Piaj Sag Bhaja.
    Enjoy the celebrations!

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  19. what a spread!! and congrats on your award. you found five clean spoons in your cutlery drawer to take a pic? that would never happen in our home.

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  20. Liked the first pic a lot :) and also the methaphorical usage of thali .

    Well, you schmooze for sure...whenever I drop a comment inb someone else's blog, U re already there :) Congrats :)

    Shn

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  21. Congratulations sia! U deserve it !! What a feast ?? Im still struggling for the dishes:( All I know is alu posto

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  22. From one schmoozer to another - how did you think up the panch phoran photo - it's so clever, I wish I could have thought of something like that - it's really good. Thanks for the award, Sia!

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  23. WOOOW ! I am sooo honored. Sia, I LOVE the pictures with the spoons. And awesome recipes for sure. The luchi's look delectable.

    Thanks again!

    Kanch

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  24. The temple recipe looks exotic!

    Wonderful food!

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  25. hehhe...awards are welcome...but it should be accompanied with some gift vouchers too :P :)))))

    Shn

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  26. Happy independence day and Congrats.
    Guess what, I made luchis too for oriya cuisine..

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  27. You truly Rock and you are a Dear :) Hugs to you.

    Wonderful spread and all of this have a Bengali name too and cooked almost the same way. The Piaj Sag Bhaja is in my blog but I did it with only Kalonji

    The Chana Dal we call "Cholar Dal" and is the perfect thing to go with Luchi.

    This makes me so excited :)

    And thanks for the award

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  28. I have these spices in pantry and will definitely try this combo to make some of the dishes. I had seen the spice combo on Sandeepa's blog as well.

    Your food is always so vivid and appetizing.

    You totally deserve all the awards honey. Thank you for being you.

    Happy Independence.

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  29. oriya dishes looks yummy ! i never tried any of this. and i bet luchi must be tempting just a s our poori, right?
    i loved the idea behind schmooz award :) , and you deserve it well.
    thanks for sharing lovely dishes, i m not gonna miss anyone ofyour dishes now :D.
    Happy Independence day !

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  30. Supriya, you are a genius! Happy Independence Day!

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  31. Hey Sia,

    Thank you, sweetie.....i am honored :).

    ooooooh! and may i say again that the loochis are yummy!

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  32. I like the ingredients photo. Good one Sia.
    Congrats on the awards and Happy Independence:)

    Also I like Shn's idea of gift vouchers.

    -Mythili

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  33. you are too cute :) thanks for the award, sia!

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  34. You managed to cook a whole meal Sups! It is looking gr8 especially those Luchis.The picture of the panch phutana in those spoons is looking very nice :)
    Congrats :) for the well deserved awards Sups.Yesterday was my awards day too. Latha (yum blog)gave me and now its you. Very kind of you.I don't think so I deserve them.
    Thanks sweetie for the awards :)

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  35. Thanks Sia for all your kind words.
    Oriya cuisine sounds interesting..

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  36. happy independence day to u too..
    oriya cuisine looks nice.congrats on those awards.

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  37. The puri and subzi is really mouth watering Sia.

    Thanks dear, to make me rock more. Viji

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  38. Hi sia,
    First time hre.
    Hearty congrats for those awards!
    latha.

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  39. wow..delicous and superb looking oriya dishes..i love poories..will try soon..Congrats on the award girl!!!.Happy Independence day...

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  40. Congratulations on the awards! you deserve them all! Thanks for the nice surprise Sups! Girl, you rock! The Oriya spread is awesome! Great pictures as usual. And the opening poem is beautiful :)

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  41. sia..thats a lovely thali...looks very tempting...and bee is so true...that picture with spoons is neat and cool....

    Congrats on your awards....

    Srivalli
    www.cooking4allseasons.blogspot.com

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  42. Happy I-day to you sweetie! What a spread. Looks truly awesome. May I come over?

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  43. hey sia the food rashi yummy kanthu. sorry enage very bad ear infection with a knee sprain ayidu with lot of events even at work place so had been off blogging. will be back once my ear is feeling better. You think I rock? he he thanks for the award girl am blushing :) . i am really missing all these hope to get back soon. :) bye

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  44. Awww geee, I'm so touched.. thanks dear!!! :) Happy Independence Day to you, too! Muaks muaks! How many gals am I supposed to pass this on to? Sorry I've been so out of touch for so long, but I should be cooking new things by next week! (I know this is from another post, but your matar paneer looks annoyingly good!) :)

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  45. @bubbalili
    thank u dear:)

    @ashakka,
    yes. i found them quite easy to make and they were delicious especially channa dali.
    so its poori bhaji for u? i made bhaji and sagu and at last ended up making chapaties instead of poories:)

    @musie,
    thank u my dear:)

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  46. @lata,
    after cooking oriya food at home i am craving to eat authentic thali in india. they r such a simple food. do let me know if u try these:)

    @latha,
    i came yest with the thali to ur place but u were too busy eating that delicious salad to hear me ;)

    @bharathy,
    oh wow! do post abt the celebration if possible dear. we all would love to hear that:)
    LOL...i knew u would have had more share of fish;)

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  47. @richa,
    just luchi?...wait let me get a bowl of chana dali and green onion stir fry... ;)

    @latha,
    u deserve that award more than i do darling:) wear it with pride:)

    @shilpa,
    thanks my dear. hope u r having a gr8 day:)

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  48. @manjula,
    thank u sweetie:) don't forget to pick ur award girl;)

    @tbc,
    thank u dear:) oriya cuisine was very new to me as well. i found them very similar to bengali food.

    @manasi,
    he he... i will cook special meal for u if u can make a trip to UK;) and its a guide's promise:D

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  49. @sharmi,
    i am waiting for ur oriya thali girl... i am sure u will have much more things stored up for us:)

    @sig,
    we all are schmoozers:) u were in top of my list for that award but came to know someone has already given it to u:)

    @sunita,
    thank u my dear:)

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  50. @sunita,
    oh girl!!! thank u for that cute pink award. i am all blushing here:) i will wear that award with pride.

    @tbc,
    i am surprised to see my post showing there on 17th... i have no clue...

    @suganya,
    thank u dear and it is inspired by SH:)

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  51. @ISG,
    thank u lady and don't forget to pick ur award:)

    @bee,
    LOL...these r icecream spoons and 1 spoon was missing. thank god there were only 5 spices to shoot if it was 6 then i would have used something other than spoons;)

    @mishy,
    he he he... i try not to miss any posts;) thank god my boss is not aware of my blog or my obsession with blogging;)

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  52. @dee,
    thanks sweetie. it took me quite sometime to finalise the dishes i wanted to cook. now be a good girl and post that aloo posto recipe. i am dying to try that one.

    @sra,
    he he... u deserve that award babe:) well, for the pic it is inspired by SH's post.

    @kanch,
    i am glad u liked the pics and recipes girl. and u really rock:)

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  53. @kumudha,
    thank u and a warm welcome to spice corner:) chana dali is really delicious with creamy base and nutty taste.

    @mishy,
    LOL... just mail me ur postal address and i will send u the voucher. but keep it secret;) i dont want everyone knocking my door for gift vouchers;) he h ehe...

    @suma,
    same pinch then:) what side dish u cooked to serve these luchies? cant wait to see ur post.

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  54. Lovely spread as always... lovely pics as always... and very well deserved awards.

    I am so happy for you Sia :-) Hugs

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  55. @san,
    i leant there r many similarities bet oriya and bong cooking styles. and more over first time i had seen the panch-phoran in ur blog. thats why i love this RCI event coz it made me cook something which otherwise i would have never done. do u have channa dali recipe in ur blog san? is it same or different from what i have blogged?

    @cynth,
    thank u for ur generosity girl. i will wear that award with pride in my blog:)
    yes, i too first came across panch phoran in sandeepa's blog. orissa and west bengal state share are neighbouring states in east india. so no wonder two states share some common and similar recipes.

    @pooja,
    so good to see u girl:) yes, the preparation and method for making luchi is quite similar to poories excepet luchies use maida.
    so at last u look like ready to blog:) its been quite some time since u posted any recipes rt? have u got adjusted to new place and new people? will mail u sometime soon sweetie:)

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  56. @poonam,
    aww...u r making me blush girl:) happy I-day to u too.

    @musie,
    u rock girl:) u can say all u want sweetie coz u r a scientist and scientists r always right, right? ;) he he he... sorry, i couldn't stop pulling one here;)

    @mythili,
    thanks dear:) LOL...i did tell shn to not tell abt gift voucher idea to anyone;)

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  57. @richa,
    u r always welcome darling:)

    @archu,
    ofcourse u deserve these awards sweetie. or else i wouldn't have given it to u;) u see i am very choosy;) he he he..enjoy ur few mins of glory;)

    @kamini,
    thnak u and a warm welcome to spice corner:)

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  58. @prajusha,
    thank u my dear and a warm welcome to spice corner:)

    @viji,
    thank u lady:) and u always rock:)

    @latha,
    a warm welcome to spice corner latha. and i hope it won't be ur last visit:)

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  59. @mahi,
    thank u and good to see u mahi. these r luchies made using maida and are little different from poories in taste n texture. do let me know if u try them:)

    @jyo,
    u surely schmooze sweetie:) i loved that poem by rabindranath tagore. glad to know u liked it too:)

    @srivalli,
    thanks my dear:) thankfully they r ice-cream spoons so i could find all clean ones;) or else its difficult to get all regular spoons..he he..

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  60. @meeta,
    its just 1 n half hrs flight from ur place. so hop into one of the early flights and join me for lunch darling:)

    @roopa,
    oh dear! i am sorry to know abt ur ear infection. gosh, i know how painful it is. hope u get well soon n come bk to blogging. take complete rest till u recover:)

    @raaga,
    awww...stop it girl...i cant feel my feet touching the ground now;)

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  61. Thank you so much Sweetie! And you surely deserve it! No doubt in thaT ! :)

    The panch phoran pic is worth an award!!! And that spread is superb!! The pic is absolutely fanstastic! :)

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  62. The feast looks wonderful! I was eyeing that "chana dali" recipe too. How did it taste? :)

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  63. Sia, thanks for the award, how did I miss it the last time I was here? It must be those awesome Luchis I was drooling over.

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  64. ur puris look awesome!lovely thali!and happy independence day to u too.

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  65. @coffee,
    thank u sweetie. u words are sweeter than ur name(coffee) ;) he he he...

    @nupur,
    chana dali was creamy coz of coconut i used and little nutty coz of channa retains its nuttiness. it was little sweet coz of coconut and sugar. i guess i will skip sugar and add a chilli or two to give it little spiceness. neverthelss it was absolute bliss with luchies:)

    @ISG,
    LOL... u r most welcome dear:)

    @mallugirl,
    thank u girl:)

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  66. Hi sia, saw your comment in my blog.
    It is ok for me to postpone. I will be posting a few before the festival as I am covering all the important tamil festivals.

    May be I will post a minimum no. of recipes.Hope this is fine with you.
    bye for now.

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  67. Wow.. the dishes look so yummy!
    lovely spread.. am planning to try something more from the Oriya cuisine..
    Congrats for the awards.. u truly rock!! :)

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  68. very tempting pics......Great blog dear :-)

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  69. @latha,
    i will surely look forward to ur posts latha and also try to participate in ur event:)

    @arts,
    thank u dear. if it was not for RCI i dont think i would have tries making oriya food @home and i surely would have missed tasting something amazingly delicious:)

    @sirisha,
    thank u and a warm welcome to spice corner:)

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  70. What a great way to celebrate Independence day! Your meal looks super delicious! Congrats on all your awards!

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  71. Lovely spread Sia......and Congratulations*2 for two awards! you rock and are smoozeable! Enjoy! Pics are gr8!

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  72. Hi Sia, I tried your Oriya spread this evening. They were delicious. The only thing I did different was that I added ajwain seeds instead of Kalonji seeds. They were MMMM...good. Thanks for the great recipes!!!

    Sudha

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  73. @tee,
    thank u girl:)

    @lakshmi,
    thankx and u too rock girl:) haven't seen any new posts in ur blog since quite sometime. r u taking some break?

    @sudha,
    its a gr8 feeling when someone tries your recipe and shares how they enjoyed it. i am really glad to know u loved the oriya spread sudha:) i used kalonji coz its one of the panch-phoran. but the beauty of indian cuisine is how easily it adapts to new ingredients. i will add ajwain next time when i cook this:) thank u for letting me know sudha:)

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  74. hey girl!

    thanks so much!!!! this recipe of yours is just what I was looking for!
    I am sorry i havent been in touch...too much on the go my dear!
    will be back to blogging soon.

    lotsa hugs,
    trupti

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  75. Hey Sups

    I don't have a "Cholar Dal" recipe in my blog. While you used grated coconut, the original Bengali recipe calls for tiny coconut pieces but even i use grated cocnut because that is easily available here.
    Rest is same

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  76. @trupti,
    good to see u T. take a break from ur hectic schedule and come to UK girl. i will look after little brats while u n K get sometime for urself. hwz the idea? ;)
    will mail u soon girl. got to tell u so many things.

    @san,
    i checked ur "shrimpy" Piaj Sag Bhaja san. i was not sure as how long i am supposed to cook spring onion as it was not clearly mentioned in that site. so just went by my insticts:)
    so its tiny pieces of coconut is it? i guess it will be same as we have to grind them with other spices to add it to the cooked dal. thanks for letting me know dear:)

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  77. This is looking very delish!.... Excellent recipes...

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  78. Hi sia
    The picture is beautiful!!happy independence day!!(alittle bit late sorry for that).

    The luchis are looking good.They are so puffy!!!
    Congrats for the award.

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  79. Sia,

    Such a beautiful pic and mouthwatering recipes, did not know that panch pooran is a native of Orissa, always thought it was used by bengalis.
    And congratulations on your award, you always have a way to keep the readers engaged with your words,recipes and pictures.
    lots of hugs

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  80. Beautiful pix, as always, Sup! Hey, your hall of fame is getting big! Congratulations, Sup! Of course, you rock! And of course, you're a big schmoozer too! And oh so sweet for thinking of me even though I haven;t been schmmozing that much these days! Thank you, sweetheart!
    Never tried Oriya cuisine. I hadn't even thought of Oriya cuisine until the RCI event. Am bookmarking this post so I get to try the curries soon.

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  81. Very nice dish you present. Chana dali is very simple but delicious dish and any time option if we have no vegetable.

    Piaj Sag Bhaja photo says it is really mouth-watering dish.

    Luchi is puff......hot luchi with this above two dish is feel like heaven.:)

    Congratulations for awards!

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  82. Absolutely gorgeous pictures sia.
    Am drooling over.

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  83. Hah ! I could smell the spread from here. Amazing girl ! Couldn't wait to comment after seeing the channa dhalia and pooris... going back to read the entire post now. Take care !

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  84. Hey Sweetie.. Just finished reading the post. Loved the Indian flag picture and the spices in the spoon. CLEVER photography.

    AWARD for me.. WOW I am greatly honored. Thanks Sia !

    And talking about schmoozing... You are the right person to own that award. You have been unanimously voted as the schmoozer girl ! CONGRATS ! Oh ! almost forgot ! I tried Mutter Paneer from you previous post yesterday. God its delicious ! Thanks for the yummo recipe. Hoping to see more of those. I know I know.. I am stopping now before I fill the entire comment page :)

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  85. A truly beautiful spread showcasing another wonderful State of our country! Thanks for participating, Sia.

    Congratulations for the awards too.

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  86. Beautiful spread with great looking Luchi's..Loved your poem and Congratulations on those awards, Sia

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  87. A lovely spread Sia... your pics have come out so gud...

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  88. Hello, dear Supriya! I have lots of catching up to do here, but your Oriya Independence celebration looks simply fabulous! Whenever I am looking at your pics I just want to grab a bite!!

    Thank you so much for your kind thoughts passing along the blog award -- you really made me smile :):)

    Hugs
    Linda

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  89. "Orissa or Kalinga, as it was then called, is a western Indian state with an ethnic past that is still vibrant."

    1. Orissa is not a western Indian state it's in the east.Please make that correction.

    2. No blog about Oriya dishes is complete without "dalma" and "Chinguri Tarkari". Please post these recipes.

    Thanks for writing about Oriya food.

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  90. @sukanya & swapna,
    thank u girls:)

    @sreelu,
    even i was not aware that panch phoran is used in oriya cuisine. i am amazed with the similarities bengali and oriya cuisne have and came to know rasgulla is actually from orissa.

    @vani,
    thanks my dear. this was the first time i tried cooking oriya food and fell in love with it. its pity that we dont have enough recipes online or cookbooks on oriya food.

    @kajal & seeC,
    thank u ladies and u r right kajal abt making channa dali when we r short of veggies. it was absolutely delicious.

    @meena,
    oh girl, stop it:) u r too generous with compliments:)
    i am glad that u enjoyed matar paneer. looks like u r busy these days. haven't seen any new posts recently. tc girl:)

    @anita,
    i enjoyed participating for ue event girl:)

    @padma & priyanka,
    thank u girls:)

    @linda,
    u r always welcome to our home dear:) and u rightly deserve this award lady.

    @greenphil,
    thanks for pointing out the mistake. i have made changes in my post.
    it was quite difficult to find oriya recipes online and i dont own any cookbooks which features oriya food. i will do little more research on dalma and Chinguri Tarkari and cook n post the recipes .

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  91. Dear Sia, I was browsing ur wonderful space and now I had to stop here dear.U really made me nostalgic since I am from Orissa and channa dali from Puri is divine.The onion bhaji is too delish and goes really well with Puri. Oh great !!!!!!! with lovely pictures.
    I just enjoyed it , Thanks

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Namaste! I am Sia and welcome to Monsoon Spice, my virtual home. Thank you for all your comments, inputs and feedback. I really appreciate the valuable time you spent browsing through my recipe repertoire.

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