No one can deny that Indian cuisine, just like its culture and tradition, is full of diversities. Every part of the country has something unique and different to offer, which takes the country’s food culture on a global platform. While some Indian cuisines are widely popular world-wide, some remain less explored. One such regional cuisine, which still has immense scope of research, is of Odisha. This state from Eastern India has a culinary tradition, which has a history of its own.
Compared to other regional cuisines, the Odia dishes have less usage of oil and spices; however, that doesn’t make the dishes any less flavoursome! Rice is the staple food for the people of Odisha and most of the other dishes are prepared to compliment staple food. One such popular recipe is Badi chura. This authentic dish holds a permanent spot in Odia cuisine.
Badi chura is a constant in an Odia meal
Badi in Odia stands for wadi (sundried lentil dumplings) and chura stands for crushed. Badi chura is basically a coarsely crushed mixture of wadi, onion, salt, mustard oil etc (process of preparation is quite similar of aloo chokha). It is a savoury side dish that is best enjoyed with pakhala a rice dish made with cooked rice washed or overnight fermented in water.
Visit any restaurant serving Odia thali, you will surely find some badi chura served with rice and ghee in the starting. This eating-style will surely remind you of the food habit of Andhra Pradesh, where gunpowder (podi masala) is served with ghee and steam rice in the beginning of the meal.
However, it is very simple to prepare badi chura at home. It needs badi and a few basic ingredients and gets prepared in a jiffy. All one needs to keep in mind is that this dish should be served hot to enjoy the crunch; cooling may turn badii chura soggy. We used masoor dal badi for this particular recipe, but you can use any wadi (of any dal) you want.
Also Read: Where and What to Eat in Odisha (Orissa)
Badi chura is best enjoyed with pakhala (fermented rice dish eaten in summers)Here’s A 3-Step Recipe Of Badi Chura For A Quick And Crunchy Side Dish:
Ingredients:
Masoor dal badi/wadi: 8-10
Onion: 1 (finely chopped)
Green chilli: 2 (finely chopped)
Coriander leaves: 1 teaspoon (finely chopped)
Salt: As per taste
Mustard oil: 2-3 tablespoons
Method:
Step 1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a kadhai and shallow fry the wadis till they are brownish in colour. Make sure you do not over-fry the wadis.
Step 2. Cool them down and grind them in a fry mixer grinder jar.
Step 3. Now, add onion, green chilli, coriander leaves, salt and 1-2 tablespoon mustard oil and mix well with hands.
Variation:
You can dry roast the wadis, instead of shallow frying them in oil.
Instead of grinding in a mixture, you may also crush them in a mortal pestle or grinding stone because some people like the coarser texture of the dish.
If you are preparing this dish with small choco-button-sized wadis, you may also skip the grinding part completely.
You may also add some 2-3 cloves of crushed garlic and some lemon juice to the mixture to enhance the favour.
Badi Chura can also be enjoyed with dal-chawal as a side dish. Some people also have this savoury dish with idli and vada to add some crunch to their meal.
Try this at home and let us know your feedback in the comment section below!
About Somdatta SahaExplorer- this is what Somdatta likes to call herself. Be it in terms of food, people or places, all she craves for is to know the unknown. A simple aglio olio pasta or daal-chawal and a good movie can make her day.