- Pakhal
Pakhal is an
Oriya word of anIndia n food consisting of cookedrice soaked in water. It is popular inOrissa ,Bengal ,Assam ,Jharkhand andChhattisgarh . The Bengali name for this dish isPanta Bhat .Eating pakhal has been recommended to preventheat stroke in hot weather. In its heyday, the Hotel Jagabandhu inCuttack ,Orissa was famous for its Pakhal and people from different parts of the state used to pay a visit to the hotel. A traditional Oriya dish, it is also prepared withrice ,curd ,cucumber , friedonions and mint leaves. It is popularly served with friedfish .History
It is unknown when "Pakhal" was first included in the daily diet of Eastern India, but it was included in the recipe of Lord Jagannath Temple of
Pur i. The Jagannath Temple was built in the tenth Century AD, so "Pakhal" was in existence at that time.Pakhal is widely eaten in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent (including Nepal, Bangladesh and some part of Myanmar) among common people. Later the Five Star Hotels ofBhubaneswar included it in their menu and commercialised it to attract the guests, who love to taste Oriental cuisine.Pakhal in different languages
In
Bangladesh andWest Bengal it is known asPanta Bhat or "Pani Bhat", inChhatisgarh it is Pakhal bhat or "Bore Bhat", inJharkhand it is called Pakhal, and inAssam it is Poita Bhaat. Historically, pakhal was the staple food only for the poor people so, in some areas ofBengal , its inclusion in the local cuisine is regarded as embarrassing. But recently, the Modern Tourism Concept of Five Stars Hotels ofOrissa has developed this ethnic food as part of the area's heritage.Recipe
Cook rice and allow it to cool (do not freeze).
Fry some cumin seed and grind it to fine powder.
Add
curd and fried cumin seed powder, coriander leaves andsalt to taste.Serve it with
fish fry andspinach .External links
* [http://oriyanari.com/id2.html] -Traditional Oriya dishes
* [http://oriyafood.blogspot.com/] -Oriya food and recipes
* [http://www.websitetoolbox.com/tool/post/oriyanari/vpost?id=1663632] -A debate on Oriya Pakhal
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
