Famous Cuisines from State of Odisha

Over the years right from the beginning of the Mughal Raj, the state of Odisha has produced some of the world's best cuisines low in oil but it is saddening to know that such cuisines lack popularity because of lesser marketing and lesser awareness. In my current blog and blogs hereafter I shall introduce you to some of the lesser known cuisines of State of Odisha with a hope to promote the best foods for everyone alike.

1) Chicken Curry Masala - 1

Ingredients:

a) Chicken (Cut and cleaned) - 750 gms
b) Tomato (Sliced) - 2 No.s
c) Onion (Cut) - 5 Nos.
d) Ginger (Cut) - 10 - 15 gms
e) Garlic (Cloves small) - 10 - 12
f) Jeera (Cumin Seeds) - 4 gms
g) Black Peppers - 3 Nos.
h) Red Chillies - 3 Nos. (for those who want it less spicy) and 6 Nos. (for those who want it more spicy)
i) Eliachi (Cardamom) - 5 to 6 pcs (peeled)
j) Dalchini (Cinnamon) - 1 to 2 pcs
k) Red Chilli Powder - As per taste
l) Salt - As per Taste
m) Everest Fish Masala - 1 teaspoon
n) Everest Meat Masala - 1 and 1/2 teaspoons
o) Cooking Oil (Saffola, Doctors' Choice, etc) - 5 tablespoons; (Olive Oil) - 3 tablespoons; Best taste in Mustrad Oil (5 Tablespoons)
p) Turmeric Powder - As per taste
q) Potatoes - 3 nos. (Washed thoroughly and Cut into half) (For those who do not know, potatoes give the chicken a different taste altogether)
r) Coriander Leaves - Cut

Preparation of Masala

Soak the cumin seeds and black pepper along with red chillies in water for around 15 to 20 minutes. Take the onion, ginger, garlic, cardamom and cinnamon along with the soaked cumin seeds, black pepper and  chillies and make a paste in the grinder.

Preparation of the Chicken Curry Masala

1) Put a pressure cooker (this saves your gas consumption) on high heat on the stove and pour oil and allow it to heat. When you feel that the oil is hot, simmer the gas stove

2) Then add the  masala (5 to 6 teaspoons) to the oil along with 1 small teaspoon of turmeric powder and 1 to 2 small teaspoons of red chilli powder (Persons who want it spicy can add more teaspoons) . The add  salt as per taste and mix all the ingredients in the pressure cooker. Then cover the pressure cooker (Do not close the pressure cooker rather just cover it with a lid like you would cover a kadai)

3) Stir the masala at regular intervals of 3 to 4 minutes till 12 minutes till you see the masala change its color. Then add the tomatoes and mix them well with the masala. Keep on stirring the masala on low flame till the tomatoes blend in with the masala which will be approximately another 5 to 6 minutes.

4) Add the chicken and the potatoes to the masala and mix them well. Cover the pressure cooker for 2 minutes and allow the masala to mix well with the chicken. After 2 minutes stir the chicken and then cover it with the lid for another 2 to 3 minutes. Repeat the procedure 8 to 10 times until you feel that the masala has blended well into the chicken.

5) Then add the Everest Fish Masala and Everest Meat Masala and mix them well with the chicken and allow the chicken to simmer for 3 to 4 minutes more.

6) Add water as per requirement (that is if you want curry) and salt as per taste (if the salt you added earlier was not adequate) and then cover the pressure cooker and lock it. Put the gas on high flame

7) Approximately after 5 to 6 whistles (if you are using a 5 Ltr pressure cooker) or 8 to 9 whistles (if you are using a 3 ltr pressure cooker), remove the pressure cooker from the flame and allow the pressure to be released automatically.

8)  Garnish the chicken with cut coriander leaves (if you do not prefer the coriander leaves, you can leave them out)

Serve rice on a plate along with the chicken and enjoy what you have never enjoyed before in any hotels, houses, parties, weddings etc.

Please send a feedback after you have prepared and had the chicken with rice.

Struggles

Struggles start from the moment a child is born. The struggle to breathe is the first hurdle that the child faces on its arrival on this planet. This struggle has become all the more rampant with the rising population and global warming. What had the innocent child done to brave a struggle of an increasing magnitude? Does one blame it on the crimes that the soul had committed in another body prior to envisaging itself in the child or because of some other reason. Parents struggle to keep their child afloat in a society of cut throats, the child on attaining matrurity struggles to keep himself/herself afloat in the same society.

One needs to ask what is this society and preceeding that why is a child born and why does human being die? Everyone carries on the cycle of life pedalling it through troughs and crests till they lie still. Struggle is imminent in each pedal that is being pushed. My question stands out as why? A thought that might evolve is that I sound much like a coward but what is the result of this struggle - say some momentary pleasure in achieving something or may be a satisfaction of a higher degree which is all but construed into a few glorified moments and recognition.

There is no person on this planet who has not struggled, some have succeeded and some have failed while others are in the process of struggling without achieving any kind of concreteness in the output. A human being struggles for a better life whilst he is alive and breathing, struggles for recognition, struggles for monetary gains. What has happened to Thomas Alva Edison or Issac Newton or Albert Einstein ? These great personalities never struggled for themselves but for the betterment of the society. They received recognition and transformed hidden facts of science into great inventions and discoveries. Have the struggles affected or effected the society?

In fact, the numerous and eminent names have been buried in oblivion. Examples of these personalities are being given to provide for motivation. Where do these persons lie after all their struggles? Are they immortal? Did struggle make them immortal? My answer would be "No" because look at yourself, how many times during a day do you remember them or how many times would you remember them and their struggles after the demise of your own soul? One cannot remember one's own struggles then why do we need to struggle? What is the outcome of such meaningless struggles? Just to be able to live through the cycle of life?

It is still a myth that struggles bring in prosperity, it has never brought in any kind of prosperity rather it has jeopardized the very essence of existence. Human beings have become all the more selfish, all the more materialistic and demons in a presentable form. It is much endearing to realize that the struggles are aimed at gaining "power" which is the root cause of all evils. A beautiful creation is being pushed into the darkness of the unknown. Outcome of struggles is poised to be dramatically inconsistent with the passage of time.

How does one end these struggles which poses greater perfidiousity and inconsistency? Struggles will never cease to exist as long as life is prevalent on this planet but hopefully these struggles will be aimed at better outcomes and a planet devoid of destruction.