In an attempt to showcase the vast variety of cuisines of India, The Park is hosting a food fest called ‘Odiya Bhoji’ that would highlight Odiya cuisine hitherto not commonly known to people outside Odisha.
And to keep it authentic, the hotel roped in chef Bibhu Prasad Bhatta of IIHM, Bhubaneshwar and executive chef of The Park, Mandaar Sukhtankar couldn’t have been more pleased with his presence. “I remembered the flavours he had used as subtle, understated and yet memorable takeaways with something remaining distinct and likeable,” says Chef Mandaar about Bibhu.
Odiya Bhoji is the first of its kind exclusive Odia food fest at a hotel that showcases starters, main course and traditional desserts. Let’s start with the starters. They come close to the way Bangalis prepare theirs. The one that stood out is the dahi bara-alum dom . The name essentially describes the dish — it’s plain dahi vada , which is served with non creamy curd and a rich alu dum . It is then sprinkled with bhujia or sev , and chopped onions. The chumgri chop (prawn fritters) and mangsho shop (mutton cutlets) are part of the menu too. The shija manda — the rice dumpling with channa/moong dal-jaggery filling are somewhat close to the Telugus’ traditional poornalu . The main course quickly gets rolled out as a plated thali, containing Dalma , Dahi Maccha , Chattu Rai (mushrooms cooked in mustard paste and dried mango), Kosha mangsho , Kanikaa (rice), Oau (elephant apple) Khatta , Potola Rassa and Janhi Chungri (prawns cooked with ridge gourd).
As far as taste goes, the cuisine is very subtle and light. The Odia equivalent of soup is Patala Ghanta Ambil . Made with coconut milk and mustard paste, it’s a speciality of Sambalpur. This comes with juliennes of bottle gourd and garnished with deep fried bhindi . This could be a meal in itself. While Bengalis use mustard for speciality dishes like bhapa mach or ilish sorsori , Odias use a little mustard paste in almost every dish, explains chef Bhatta.
