Raja festival is a big festival celebrated in Odisha, India. It’s celebrated for three days. People honour and appreciate the power of mother earth, fertility, and womanhood during these days. Women are given a break from work and treated with special foods and gifts. Below are some of the traditional recipes for the Raja festival.
1.Poda Pitha
Soak rice in water. Drain and grind it to form a paste. Mix the paste with grated coconut, jaggery and salt. Heat oil and pour the batter. Spread evenly and cook until golden brown. Flip it to cook the other side. Once cooked, let it cool and then cut into pieces.
2.Rasabali
Mix chhena with flour and sugar. Knead it and shape it into small, flat rounds. Heat oil and fry the rounds until golden brown. Boil milk, and add cardamom powder and sugar. Add the fried chhena rounds into the milk and let them soak.
3.Khira Gaintha
Boil rice flour dumplings in water. Heat milk. Once the milk simmers, add sugar, cardamom, and saffron. Add the cooked dumplings to the milk and cook. Add fried cashew nuts and cook again until it is thick and creamy.
4.Chenna Jhili
Knead fresh chenna. Add a little bit of maida and cardamom powder. Mix well. Shape it into small, flattened balls. Heat oil. Fry the balls until golden brown. Boil water with sugar and make a syrup. Dip the chenna balls in the warm sugar syrup and let them soak.
5.Dalma
Wash and soak chana dal or toor dal. In a pressure cooker, add the dal, potatoes, pumpkin, brinjal, and papaya. Add turmeric powder and salt to taste. Cook until soft. Heat ghee. Drop mustard seeds, cumin seeds, dry red chillies, and bay leaves. Add hing and pour this tempering over the cooked dal. Stir well.
6.Pakhala Bhata
Cook rice in the usual way and let it cool down. Add the cooked rice in water. Let it soak for a few hours. Add salt, chopped green chillies and curd to the rice and mix.
7.Chingudi Besara
Clean prawns and marinate with turmeric and salt. Grind mustard seeds, garlic, ginger, and green chillies to make a paste. Heat oil and add mustard seeds. Add chopped onions and fry until golden. Add the marinated prawns and cook. Add mustard paste and mix. Pour some water to make a gravy and simmer it. Add salt and turmeric powder. Cook for some time.
8.Mitha Dali
Cook moong dal in water until soft. Heat ghee and add cashews, almonds and raisins. Fry until golden brown. Mix these into the cooked dal. Add sugar and stir well. Cook the mixture on low heat to give it a pudding like consistency.
9.Saga Bhaja
Wash and chop green leaves. Heat oil and add cumin seeds. Add chopped onions. Fry until golden brown. Add ginger and garlic paste. Cook and add the chopped greens. Mix and drop turmeric powder, red chilli powder and salt. Cook the mixture until the leaves are tender.
10.Badi Chura
Soak badi in water. Drain and mash them. Heat oil and add chopped onions, cumin seeds, and mustard seeds. Saute and add garlic-ginger paste. Cook and add tomatoes, turmeric and red chilli powder. Cook this masala until tomatoes are soft. Add the mashed badi and mix well.
11.Aloo Chakta
Peel and chop potatoes into slices. Boil them. Heat oil and add cumin seeds. Add chopped onions. Cook until golden brown. Add ginger-garlic paste and saute. Add chopped onions and cook until soft. Add turmeric powder, cumin powder, coriander, and red chilli powder. Stir and cook. Add the boiled potatoes and mix again. Cook everything.
12.Bel Pana
Peel bel and scoop out the pulp. Place it in a bowl, add water, and mash the pulp to take out the juices. Mix sugar and black salt. Chill the bel pana before serving.
13.Chena Tarkari
Cut chena into small pieces. Heat oil and add chopped onions. Saute until golden brown. Add ginger-garlic paste and cook. Add chopped tomatoes and cook until soft. Add turmeric, cumin, coriander, and garam masala. Stir and add the chena pieces. Pour some water to make the gravy. Let it simmer.
14.Arisa Pitha
Mix rice flour with melted jaggery. Add cardamom and coconut. Mix to get a dough-like consistency. Shape the dough into small round or oval patties. Fry them in oil until golden brown.
15.Chaula Bara
Soak urad and chana dal in water. Grind them to a coarse paste. Add chopped onions, green chillies, ginger, garlic and chopped cilantro to the paste. Mix hing, cumin seeds and salt. Heat oil. Take small portions of the mixture and shape them into flat rounds or patties. Fry the bara until golden brown.
16.Kanika
Wash and soak rice. Drain it. Heat oil or ghee and add cloves, cardamom pods, and cinnamon sticks. Add the soaked rice, and mix well. Add sugar, salt and turmeric powder. Pour water and cook on low flame to make everything tender.
17.Labang Latika
Fry grated coconut, sugar, and cardamom powder until golden brown. Mix all-purpose flour with salt and water. Make a dough. Roll small thin circles of dough and place the coconut mixture at the centre. Fold and seal the edges. Fry the labang latika until golden brown.
18.Khichdi
Wash rice and moong dal. Heat oil or ghee in a pot. Drop cumin seeds, sliced onions, and ginger-garlic paste. Saute and add chopped tomatoes. Cook until the tomatoes are soft. Add the rice and moong dal with turmeric powder, cumin powder, and salt. Stir and mix. Pour water and boil it. Simmer everything until the rice and dal are cooked.
19.Dahi Bara
Soak urad and chana dal in water. Grind them to a paste with ginger, garlic, and green chillies. Add chopped onions, coriander and salt. Mix well. Heat oil. Drop batter into the oil and fry until golden brown. Soak the vadas in warm water and then squeeze out the excess water. Whisk some yogurt with salt, sugar and roasted cumin powder. Pour this yogurt into the vadas.
20.Biri Bara
Soak urad and chana dal in water. Grind it to a paste with ginger, garlic, and green chilies. Add chopped onions, coriander, and salt. Mix well. Heat oil. Make small rounds or patties with a hole at the center using the mixture and fry them until golden brown.
