Pakhala

Pakhala

Pakhala in Orissa seasoned with Curry leaves, cumin and fried chillies
Origin
Place of origin	India
Region or state	Orissa
Details
Course	Garama (hot) pakhaḷa , Jira (cumin) pakhala, Basi (stale) pakhaḷa
Serving temperature	hot and cold
Main ingredient(s)	Cooked rice

Pakhala with curd,lemon and sauted in cumin

Pakhaḷa (Oriya: ପଖାଳ, Devnagari:पखाळ) is an Oriya term for an Indian food consisting of cooked rice washed or little fermented in water. The liquid part is known as Toraṇi. It is popular in Orissa, Bengal, Assam, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh. The Bengali name for this dish is Panta Bhat. Eating pakhal has been recommended to prevent heat stroke in hot weather. A traditional Oriya dish, it is also prepared with rice, curd, cucumber, Cumin seeds, fried onions and mint leaves. It is popularly served with roasted vegetables as potato, brinjal, Badi & saga bhaja or fried fish.

Etymology

The term Pakhaḷa is derived from Pali word pakhaḷita (Oriya: ପଖାଳିବା) as well as Sanskrit word Prakshāḷaṇa (Sanskrit:प्रक्षाळन) which means washed/to wash and it is made by cooling the rice by adding water and keeping the cooked rice in water and curd.

History

It is unknown when "Pakhaḷa" was first included in the daily diet of Eastern India, but it was included in the recipe of Lord Jagannath Temple of Puri. The Jagannath Temple was built in the tenth Century AD, so "Pakhal" was in existence at that time.

Pakhaḷa 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 of Bhubaneswar included it in their menu and commercialized it to attract the guests, who love to taste Oriental cuisine.

Classifications

• Jeera Pakhala

Jeera Pakhaḷa is made by adding fried cumin with curry leaves with Pakhaḷa.

• Dahi Pakhala

This is made by adding Curd with pakhaḷa.

• Garama Pakhala (Hot Pakhaḷa)

This is generally made by adding water instantly after making rice or with warm rice.

• Basi pakhala (Basi in Oriya means Stale)

This is made by fermenting rice by adding water which is generally kept overnight and eaten in the next day.

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 and salt to taste.
• Serve it with fish fry and spinach.

Traditional way of preparing Pakhaḷa: Pakhaḷa is slightly fermented rice. people cook rice and add water to it along with little bit of old pakhal (something like making curd using milk and old curd). Pakhaḷa tastes best when served after 8 to 12 hrs after preparation. Generally boiled potato and other fried vegetables or fried fish is served with pakhaḷa. Modern day variation is to add curd instead of fermenting it.

External links

• Traditional Oriya dishes
• Oriya cuisines Typical Oriya cuisines
• [1] A debate on Oriya Pakhaḷa
• Pakhaḷa bhata