Servings by Roopali Mohanti | Odiya Steamed Savoury Cake Recipe

This sumptuous and beautifully illustrated cookbook attempts to preserve some amazing recipes for future generations and posterity. And today we are sharing the recipe of ‘Odiya Steamed Savoury Cake’ from the book.

Brunches in Odisha are part of regular life. My mom always told me stories of eating complete meals before going to school. Meals could be as simple as rice and dal with vegetables or pithas (Rice cakes/pancakes) of various kinds. Unlike the metros, the day starts late in Odisha. I think it’s a way of life there. There is no pressure of proving the point of being an early riser. Of course, it might simply be the sheer fact that people are content with a slower pace!Growing up outside the state, I never had that experience, but marriage gave me an opportunity to live the Odia life. The nanas or cooks who knew every part of the cuisine would rustle up various pithas on a regular basis, under the supervision of my mother-in-law. She tried hard to make me enjoy this one early morning activity which was learning the making of unique traditional food like the phula badi, the dehydrated flower-shaped wadi or lentil dumpling. However, I was expected to be all dressed up at 7 a.m. in a saree and bindi, only ensuring that I ran away from the task altogether! Kawdhai pitha is one such wholesome brunch dish, a savoury or sweet rice cake, made in many households. This is the one I learnt at my in-laws’, though they do not add vegetables. It is eaten with a boiled dal topped with chopped raw onions and tomatoes and raw mustard oil. Using dehydrated mangoes is also common in Odia cuisine, resulting in really delicious tangy chutneys which are a great accompaniment to any pitha.

KAWDHAI PITHA (Serves 4) (Measuring cup size: 250 ml)

Kawdhai Pitha Batter

• Raw rice: 1 cup • Urad dal: ¼ cup

• Flattened rice (poha)(optional): ¼ cup

•Water: 1½ cups approximately

• Salt: 1 tsp

• Urad dal: ¼ cup

1. Soak rice and urad dal separately in water for 6–8 hours.

2. Soak flattened rice in water for 5 minutes, if using.

3. Strain and grind dal until smooth.

4. Add strained flattened rice if using and grind further.

5. Add strained rice and continue to grind, adding water along the way.

6. Once the batter is smooth, leave it at room temperature overnight.

7. Add salt before using.

Pitha

• Batter: 400 gm• Peas: 75 gm shelled • Beans: 100 gm chopped• Carrots: 100 gm chopped• Cauliflower: 100 gm chopped• Onion: 1 large sliced • Green chillies: 2 chopped fine • Mustard seeds: 1 tsp • Curry leaves: 1 sprig• Coconut: 2 tbsp finely chopped • Sugar: 1–1½ tsp • Ghee: 2–3 tbsp • Fruit salt: ¾ tsp or baking powder: ¾ tsp• Salt: 1 tsp

1. Heat 1 tbsp ghee in a pan. Add sugar and let it dissolve.

2. Add mustard seeds and let them crackle.

3. Add curry leaves.

4. Add sliced onions and green chillies with ½ tsp salt.

5. Cook until onions are translucent and pink.

6. Add all the vegetables and coconut pieces and stir fry.

7. Ensure that vegetables and coconut pieces are cooked through but crunchy.

8. Add the vegetable mixture to the batter and mix well.

9. Add fruit salt/baking powder, ½ tsp salt and aerate with a ladle.

10. Heat a thick-bottomed wok/kadai well greased with ghee.

11. Add the vegetable batter in it and pour a few drops of ghee along the sides.

12. Cover wok/kadai tightly with a lid and cook over a low flame for 20 minutes.

13. Remove from the flame. Gently loosen the pitha from the sides using a spatula.

14. Turn the wok/kadai over to transfer the pitha to a hot tawa to cook the other side.

15. Remove from tawa, cut into slices and serve.

AMBULA RAI (Serves 4)

• Yellow mustard seeds: 1 tbsp • Black mustard seeds: 1 tbsp • Garlic: 2 cloves• Ginger: ½ inch • Green chillies: 2• Coconut: 150 gm grated• Yoghurt: 125 ml • Dried mango kernels: 3 cut and soaked in water• Jaggery: 1 tbsp• Salt: to taste

1. Soak yellow and black mustard seeds, garlic, ginger with green chillies in water for 30 minutes. Strain and grind to a paste with a little water in a mixer.

2. Strain the paste again. Strain dried mango kernels and keep aside.

3. Mix grated coconut, yoghurt, dried mango kernels and jaggery.

4. Add salt and mustard paste and mix well.

Tempering•

Ghee: 1 tsp • Black mustard seeds: ½ tsp• Curry Leaves: a few

1. Heat 1 tsp ghee in a pan.

2. Add ½ tsp black mustard seeds and a few curry leaves. Let them crackle.

3. Pour tempering over the mango kernel mix.

KANCHAA DALI (Serves 4)

• Arhar dal: 275 gm• Water: 600 ml • Salt: 1–1½ tsp • Turmeric powder: ½ tsp• Tomatoes: 2 finely chopped •Onion: 1 large finely chopped• Green chillies: 1–2 finely chopped• Coriander leaves: 1 tbsp finely chopped• Mustard oil: 2 tbsp

1. Soak dal for an hour in 600 ml of water.

2. Heat a pressure cooker.

3. Add dal and water with turmeric powder and salt.

4. Pressure cook for one whistle. Open the cooker once it cools down.

5. To serve dal, top with a mixture of onions, tomatoes, coriander leaves and green chillies.

6. Pour mustard oil on top.

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