Odisha Celebrates Pakhala Divas

Jajpur, March 20: Writer Engnieer Taraprasad Mishra Said  ‘Pakhala Divas’ is celebrated every year on March 20. This day is celebrated to enjoy the Odia dish ‘Pakhaḷa’. The item is considered good to beat the summer heat and to promote the dish. Pakhala is the Odia term for an Indian dish consisting of cooked rice that is washed or lightly fermented in water. The water of the dish is known as ‘Torani’.  In order to make the traditional Odia dish more delicious curd,cucumber,cumin seeds, fried onions and curry leaves are added along with the fermented rice. It is mostly served with fried potato (aloo bhaja), fried brinjal (baigana bhaja), fried badi (badi churaa), saga bhajaa, fish fry (maaccha bhaja) pumpkin flower fry (kakharu phula bhaja). There are many classifications of this dish such as Jeera Pakhala, Dahi Pakhala, Garama Pakhala and Basi Pakhala. It is popular in Odisha, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Assam, Chhattisgarh, and Tamil Nadu. In Tamil Nadu it is called Pazhaiya Sadam. The Bengali name for this dish is Panta Bhat, in Chhattisgarh it’s called Bore Bhat, in Jharkhand linguistic communities use names like paani bhat, paakhaal or pakhala, and in Assam it’s called Poita Bhat. Internationally acclaimed sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik created a sand sculpture on Puri beach to mark the occasion.Engnieer Arun Pattnaik Said Pakhala is the favorite food for the people of Odisha. and why should not it be? It is the sweetest and most preferable food on summer lunch. Pakhala or Pakhal is a dish of rice mixed with water. Pakhala can be prepared by mixing with curd and mint leaves. It can be served with fried foods like Badi, potato, tomato, brinjal, and nonveg items like fish, egg, and even chicken. Salad or onions also goes well with Pakhala. It is popular in the states Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Assam. Pakhal is the food of summer and it is healthy as it has full of energy and keeps you hydrated which can prevent heatstroke in summer.