Ghanta Tarkari

Today I am writing about a vegetarian recipe which is very popular in Orissa, specially during the festive days. Ghanta tarkari has 2 variations , one with onions & another without onions. We don't use onions as it is made during the puja & also offered to the Gods. Ghanta means mixed in Oriya. So it's a mixed vegetable recipe.

Ingredients:

• 2 medium sized potatoes peeled & cut into large cubes.
• 100gm pumpkin cut into large cubes.
• 50 gm arum(saru) peeled & cut
• 50 gm yam(desi alu) peeled & cut
• 50 gm parwal/potol
• 50 gm brinjal
• 4 french beans
• 4 long beans/jhudanga
• 50 gm lima beans /shimba
• 1 carrot
• 1 cup scrapped coconut
• 1/2 cup sprouted moong
• 1/2 cup soaked & boiled brown channa
• jeera & red chilli powder (roast 2 teaspoon of jeera along with 3 whole red chillies. Then grind it coarsely.)
• grated ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon jeera & 2 whole red chillies
• bay leaves (tej patta)
• salt & turmeric powder & chilly powder as required

Process:

Cut all the vegetables into 1 inch sized cubes.Then wash them properly.Then put a heavy bottomed pan on gas. Add 2 tablespoon oil.
Then add whole jeera & red chillies. Then add all the vegetables along with sprouted moong & brown channa dal.Then add tej patta, salt & turmeric powder & a little chillie powder. Add little water. Cover it & stir occasionally.
When all the vegetables are properly boiled add grated ginger ,roasted jeera & red chilli powder. After 2 minutes add grated coconut & remove from the gas.
Ghanta Tarkkari is ready to serve.Its best accompanied by plain rice & toor dal along with tomato kahjoor khatta.Its a very healthy recipe as it uses less oil & very less spices.

Ghanta tarkari with onion:

Make a paste of onion, ginger , garlic & red chillies.Fry the paste in oil & then add chopped tomatoes or tomato puree. Then add all the vegetables to this masala paste & also add lentils.All the rest processes are same.

Teach India

When last year the Times of India group initiated the "Teach India" campaign, I was excited to join the program. When this year i saw the advertisement i decided to join as i had time.
I registered in their website. The venue for the induction program was The Indus International School. The date was 19Th July 2009. I was given time at 10 am.We started at 9:30 am as the school was mentioned to be in sarajapur from the mail i got from times group.But the school was on Billapur cross , around 15 kms from sarajapur main road.So i got late. I reached the school at 10:20 am.I was feeling bad. i don't like to be late.
The school is a beautiful place far away from the city's pollution. We were told by the security guard to go to the first floor of primary block. When i reached there i found that the times group people has not come yet. I was relaxed. I thought that then i am not late.

There are around 100-150 participants are there & people from two ngos named "Outreach" and "youth for seva" are there. Neither these people nor the school management have any information regarding times group people or when they were going to came. So they decided to start their program. First the secretary of outreach gave a long speech.They are dealing with the children of migrant labourers in Bangalore. From his speech i could only feel that he's there to collect donation for his organisation. Then their director also gave speech .Then one of there teacher demonstrated how they teach those children. She was narrating everything in Kannada. She couldn't speak any other language. Most of the people present there including me doesn't understand Kannada. I felt pity about those migrant children's whose mother tongues are something different. I don't know how they understand her teaching.
When their presentation started getting longer and longer people get bored and told them to come to the point. So they finished rather stopped their presentation.

Then the member of another ngo youth for seva gave their presentation. He was to the point. He said that their organisation was also part of last year's teach India campaign. He then collected participants details. Then they informed us that we'll be contacted by them. He also gave a list of organisations and hospitals with whom they are associated so that you can choose any of them as per your convenience.Then the induction program was finished. To my surprise The times of India people were still hadn't come. Left the place at 1:30 in the afternoon.

So far i have received no response from the organisers. I am also feeling let down by the apathy shown by the TOI representatives. Being the sponsors for this it was their responsibility for showing respect for the people who had turned up. Since it is a nobel cause and I have always wanted to be associated with something like this, I am hoping I can become part of this movement. Hail Teach India!!

Nandi Hills

Last Saturday my husband & I visited Nandi hills. Its around 75 kms from our place. The road leading to Devanhalli from our place is scenic and very beautiful. So we decided to go by bike. We started at 6:30 in the morning. We reached Devanhalli in 1 hr. We had a good breakfast at hotel shanthi sagar . Then we started for nandi hills.Its around 25 kms from Devanhalli.
The nandi hills are located at 5970ft above the sea level. As we approached the Nandi Hills the temperature dropped suddenly. Within moments we were lost into this world of greenery. Around 8:30 we reached there. Its an ideal destination to spend your weekend far from the pollution and traffic of Bangalore. Amidst the beauty of nature I felt like being in the laps of mother nature.
We first visited Tippu's summer residence on top of this hill. There is a beautiful big water pond named Amrutha sarovar. There is a beautiful garden and children's play area. There is also a temple.Inside the temple there is also a beautiful well maintained pond. There is also a public guest house named Nehru Nilaya surrounded with beautiful gardens. Here a white stone sculptured Nehru stood in front of the Nilaya. In 1986 the SAARC summit was held here.
Above all, the breathtaking views ignite your senses. The cool breeze lets you unwind. Roaming amidst the tall trees we enjoyed the nature at its best. The lovely surroundings touched us magically. Amongst the chirping of birds, the passing clouds which carassed us, the beautiful weather, the cool breeze everything let us feel how close we were to nature. As the day slowly grows we started to feel the warmth of sun.
There are few restaurants on top of this hill. One is hotel Mayur which is run by KSTDC. The view from the restaurant was great. But in the menu card we didn't find any tea or coffee. Tea & coffees are replaced by many cocktails. So we had to leave that restaurant . Then we went to an open air restaurant in front of that hotel to have some tea.

Patta Chitra

My state Orissa formerly known as Utkal which literally means the best in arts & crafts is the birth place of many antique art forms like "Chandua" & "Patta Chitra". The "Pattachitra", one of the fascinating art form of orissa has a tradition that goes back centuries. It represents puranic cultures & classical romances, with vibrant colors & superb craftsmanship. The term "Pattachitra" has its origin from sanskrit. Patta means bastra & chitra means the painting. The use of thick natural vegetable colors on the textured surface of palm leaf or tussar silk clothes creates a rich elemental look that can not be matched by any of the contemporary oil paintings or portraits.The art depicts a combination of folk & classical elements. This is the art of story telling using visual language. Raghurajpur near Puri is famous destination of these art forms. The "Pattachitra" artists take more than 1 month to complete a single painting. Normally you will find "Pattachitras" telling you the stories of Lord Krishna. Here you have options like Krishna Leela, Lord Krishna's Mathura gaman, Putana badh & many more. But the one which i liked the most & bought is "Krishna Leela".

The Wonder la trip

On our 1st wedding anniversary my husband & I decided to go to Wonder la, the amusement park situated in Bangalore- Mysore highway. It opens at 11 am. It is around 45 km from our place. So we started at 9:30 am & reached there around 11:15 am. :) thanx to traffic of Bangalore. As it was a Tuesday the ticket was priced 450. For weekends & holidays the ticket is priced 570+ 5% entertainment tax.
It's one of the craziest amusement park. With mind-blowing water & land rides, Wonder la has all the ingredients to make you scream for more. Due to weekday there was less rush.
There are around 50 rides. Out of which around 10 are only for kids. Our 1st ride was "Mixer". It's a high thrill ride. It gyrates & moves u in all directions. Then we ride through Wonder la bamba, crazy wagon, crazy cars, merry ghost, termite coaster, drop zone & many more.
But the real high thrill ride was "Y-scream". Eight set of capsules each set holding 4 riders are suspended from a bow like structure from a height around 20 meters. The bow swings & turns like a giant wheel while the capsules themselves turn on their axis, making you scream.
The sky wheel is situated above a 15 storied building. Initially i was little afraid to go there. But later i decided to go. But it was not at all a high thrill ride. It moves very slowly & the boxes are also closed. The friendly fishes are also very nice.
The water rides are also very exciting. We really enjoyed the wave pool, wavy fall, lazy river & boomerang. The rain disco was also very exciting.
There is also a musical fountain & laser show. But that day the show was cancelled. There are 3 restaurants. We tried the vegetarian food. But that was average.
But finally i would like to say it's a nice place for cool hangouts. We really enjoyed it.

Dalma-An Authentic Odiya Recipe

My state Orissa historically known as Utkal / Kalinga is a state located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal . It was established on 1 April 1936. 1 April is therefore celebrated as Utkal Dibas( Orissa Day). Orissa is home to the Hirakud Dam, one of the longest dams in the world. Orissa has several popular tourist destinations. Puri, with the Lord Jagannatha's temple near the sea known for its annual Rath Yatra or Car Festival, and Konark, with the Sun Temple, are visited by thousands of tourists every year. Orissa is blessed with around 500 km long coastline and has some of the most beautiful beaches in the world. Chilika, Asia's largest brackish water lake, not only provides a haven for millions of birds, but is also one of the few places in India where one can view dolphins. Odissi is one of the classical dance forms of India. Orissa is famous for the unique and beautiful applique artwork of Pipili, silver filigree ornamental works from Cuttack, the Patta chitras (palm leaf paintings), famous stone utensils of Nilgiri (Balasore) and various tribal influenced cultures.

But above all Orissa is also famous for its authentic cuisines. The kitchen of the famous Jagannath temple in Puri is reputed to be the largest in the world, with a thousand chefs, working around 752 wood-burning clay hearths called chulas, to feed over more than 10,000 people each day producing 56 types of Prasad called “chapan bhog”. Rasagolla & Kheer one of the most popular desserts in India are in fact Oriya invention. Today I am going to write about some delicious authentic Oriya recipes.


Dalma

This is a great recipe which can be used in main course. It’s a very healthy recipe & you can also cook it without putting onions & garlic.
So it can also be used for puja.

Ingredients:
150gm pigeon pea /arhar dal / Toor Dal
50gm pumpkin
50gm of raw banana
100gm of mixed vegetables (Cauli Flower,Carrots, French Beans) (Optional)
50gm striped pear gourd / parwal (Optional)
50gm potato
50gm tomato
3-5 dry red chillies
½ teaspoon mustard (Optional)
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 bay leaves (tej patta)
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
2-teaspoon of any refined cooking oil or desi ghee
1 teaspoon cumin seeds & red chilli powder (First fry the cumin seeds & dry red chillies .Then coarsely grind them.)
salt to taste
coriander leaves for garnishing

Method:

First wash the vegetables. Cut them into medium sized square pieces.Put arhar dal, all vegetables, large chopped tomato , bay leaves, salt as per taste, ½ teaspoon turmeric powder and 3 to 4 cups of water in a Pressure Cooker and put it on medium flame. After 3/4 whistles or when the vegetable or dal has been cooked switch off the gas. A little later as the pressure of the cooker comes down, open the lid. Now heat 2 teaspoon of oil in a frying pan. Add jeera, and 2-3 dry red chilies.(Optional: If you want then you can also add mustard seeds.). Now add the boiled dal and vegetables of the pressure cooker into it and stir well. Add cumin & chili powder. Now cook it further for 2 minutes. Then sprinkle chopped coriander leaves. Your dalma is ready. Tastes best when served hot. May be served with rice or chapati also.

Different types of Dalma:

You can make dalma using different Dals.
It is also made by using moong dal & Channa Dal.

Moong Dal Dalma:

Ingredients:
100gm moong dal
50gm pumpkin
50gm potato
3-5 dry red chillies
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 bay leaves (tej patta)
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
2-teaspoon of any refined cooking oil or desi ghee
1 teaspoon cumin seeds & red chilli powder (First fry the cumin seeds & dry red chillies .Then coarsely grind them.)
salt to taste

Method:
First wash the vegetables. Cut them into medium sized square pieces.Put arhar dal, all vegetables, bay leaves, salt as per taste, ½ teaspoon turmeric powder and 3 to 4 cups of water in a Pressure Cooker and put it on medium flame. After 3/4 whistles or when the vegetable or dal has been cooked switch off the gas. A little later as the pressure of the cooker comes down, open the lid. Now heat 2 teaspoon of oil in a frying pan. Add jeera, and 2-3 dry red chilies. Now add the boiled dal and vegetables of the pressure cooker into it and stir well. Add cumin & chili powder. Now cook it further for 2 minutes. Your dalma is ready. Tastes best when served hot. It is served with rice.

Channa Dal Dalma:
Ingredients:
100gm Channa dal
50gm pumpkin
50gm potato
1-2 dry red chillies
Onion-1
2 teaspoon Ginger Garlic Paste
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 bay leaves (tej patta)
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
2-teaspoon of any refined cooking oil or desi ghee
1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
1 teaspoon Curry powder
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1 tomato chopped
salt to taste
coriander leaves for garnishing

Method:
First make a paste of 1 medium sized onion & 1/2 red chillies with some water. First wash the vegetables. Cut them into medium sized square pieces.Put arhar dal, all vegetables, bay leaves, salt as per taste, ½ teaspoon turmeric powder and 3 to 4 cups of water in a Pressure Cooker and put it on medium flame. After 3/4 whistles or when the vegetable or dal has been cooked switch off the gas. A little later as the pressure of the cooker comes down, open the lid. Now heat 2 teaspoon of oil in a frying pan.Then put that onion & chillie paste. Then add ginger garlic paste.
Then add curry powder & chilli powder.Then add chopped tomato. Instead of chopped tomato you can also add tomato puree. Then when the masala starts leaving oil put the dal & vegetables.
Then add garam masala & cook for 2 more minutes. Then sprinkle chopped coriander leaves. Your dalma is ready. Tastes best when served hot. May be served with rice or chapati also.

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