A few years ago, a cousin of mine lived in Lakshadweep, where pumpkin plants grow on the roadside. On a typical Sunday morning, my cousin’s husband would go out to pluck these plants with his hands. When an islander got curious, he replied, “I am taking these for making a curry eaten in Odia households with steamed rice.” The islander was awestruck that even plants were eaten.
We Odias don’t waste a single part of the pumpkin plant — leaves, seeds, skin and the whole plant are eaten. A variety of dishes are prepared using this beautiful plant. When we steam or grill marinated fish wrapped inside layers of pumpkin leaves, we call it macha paturi , patra poda macha and so on. Probably, with the Odia people not branding their foods, many of their dishes have been claimed by other cuisines.
With pumpkin leaves turning scarce, people use sal or banana leaves to make this dish. But the true essence of
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Mildly spicy
The best part of Odia cuisine is the humble and mild usage of spices. A spoon of mustard, a few cloves of garlic, some raw red chillies, salt, turmeric powder, a few spoons of mustard oil and chopped green chillies and onions (purely optional) are enough to make
When the food is served, remember that pumpkin leaves are edible, so don’t throw them away. Trust me, the leaves taste better than the fish (on a lighter note though). Serve with lime juice and hot steamed rice, though I would prefer it with a large bowl of
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