Blue Crabs and Feasting at Swosti Chilika

 

 

Do I need to tell you what happened in Swosti Chilika?! 🙀Are the pictures not enough! 😻😽but I must tell you. I am a drama queen sometimes. We were starved after a long drive so as soon as we checked in we hurried to the restaurant. Already expecting fresh fish there. We were on Bharat’s biggest lagoon. Chilika lake is famous for its blue crabs, mullets, prawns and pearl spot. Kankda, khoinga, chingdi and kundal in Odia. We ate all of these in this one meal. There was chicken and mutton too. I got compliments from my co-diner @mycookingcanvas for cleaning out the crab meat like a pro. It took 2 hrs at the table. A non vegetarians freak indulgence totally! 🫠🤯🤘🏽🤘🏽

A Superlative Chenna Poda

A lot had happened a day ago. Sai the saviour came to Puri with a new cab and driver. She was anyways going to join me for the last leg of my journey. Anyways she was constantly guiding me through the solos. Yet I was the happiest to have her with me on that day. I had eaten breakfast but Sai needed her fill so we stopped at this little village stall for a bite on the way to Chilika lake.

The Chenna poda looked really good she said and insisted that I try. My first taste of it was on Puri beach which was more dense. This was way better though slightly more sweeter as is in rural areas. In her element Sai was advising the seller to use ghee for long shelf life and improved taste since he had used oil for it. 

Chhenapoda was invented by Sudarsan Sahu post 1947 after he set up a hotel in the village of Dashapalla and began experimenting with left over cottage cheese. Chhenapoda Dibasa is celebrated as 11 April 2022, the birth anniversary of Sudarsan Sahoo.

That’s our own cheesecake there for you. Baked on wood fire and superlative taste imparted by wood as well as the Sal leaves layered in the baking patela. It is mildly sweet caramelised on the outside and a very sophisticated taste.

Tandoori fish at Lotus Eco Resort

KHAEENGA or Mullet is the most abundant fish in Odisha waters. I enjoyed it several times. In Besaro, fried and tandoori too. After visit to the Sun temple in Konark I was guided by Sai @mycookingcanvas to go to Lotus Eco resort for lunch and promised a stunning view with it. How could I not fall for it?! Let me tell you this story.

I reached this place in the late morning. The kitchen was still prepping after an event last day. I never hesitate to make a request at restaurants. My experience is they never say no unless the request is outlandish. The service boy refused saying we are not yet ready. I called for the manager. Told him I have been recoed this restaurant for its fish. He very graciously offered me a tandoori mullet with salad. He told me after which I could roam around the resort and meanwhile thali would be made ready. I told him that just the tandoori of a whole KHAEENGA pronunced as “Khoinga” would make me stuffed to the gills and that fitted my nutrition plan too. A lime soda would be fantastic to go with it. Lo behold! I had that on my table in 15 mins. 

 

The fish was freshest and fantastic. The location and view were priceless! Coming up on Swachchanda my day trip to Konark. 

P.S: Since I was on the edge of the sea and it had rained in the morning too many flies wanted their share of my fish. 🤣🤣

Chenna Meetha & Shingada on the Puri Beach

The delights of Puri beach! Rasgulla, Madan Mohan, Chenna poda and Shingada the stuff that I gorged on. You will find Kavadis carrying aluminium tapelas and roaming on the beach. Take my word, stop them and let them open a delicious experience to you for just 70₹ if you decide to buy 4-5 varieties. 5 shingada 20₹, Rasagulla 10₹, Madan Mohan ₹10, Chenna poda 30₹. This was recoed by my lovely friend Sai @mycookingcanvas and I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of these treats on the beach. These sellers work on commission for local sweet makers. The cleanliness is noteworthy, tongs are used to serve. The milk quality in Jagannath Puri is extremely good. I must mention that I love the Odia Rasagulla more than the Bengali one. All the Chenna meetha quality and taste is way above anywhere else. Even though I was introduced to a whole range of Chenna sweets by Bengal! 

Shingada are small sized samosas with cubed potato filling unlike Punjabi samosas. These are fried in mustard oil. Flaky and mildly spiced. 

After the beach treats I would have tea in terracotta glasses called bhaar. I am told this is a new trend here but loved it.

Tempted to try these?

On two evenings in Puri I gave dinner a miss after my beach shenanigans.

Then while returning to the hotel I picked Jhal mudi on both these days. Actually on the second day I took a double pack 😁  

Read my post Anchored in Jagannath Puri on Swachchanda

Honey Bee Cafe

I reached the cafe before it opened for service. This quaint little bungalow looked beautiful and as I stood there in the backyard I felt a droplet run down my spine. I touched my back and looked up at the sky. It was dusk and a thunderstorm was building up. I climbed up the steps hurriedly that took me to the kitchen. Was told to look around the place and settle down. Absolutely loved how each room had a different yet relaxed vibe. On the terrace the rain pitter pattered making my heart yearn. The yellow mellow lights would have made young hearts flutter. After a good look around I came down and settled near the menu on display. Ordered a thin crust 3 mushroom pizza or was it 3 cheese? A cappuccino. Picked up 2 cream puffs one for me and one for the driver. Sai recommended the carrot cake which had a fantastic citrusy twist. Moist and delicious. I wouldn’t have imagined this in Jagannath Puri. A wonderful relaxing evening away from the crowds in this little bungalow. That was exactly a month ago same date!

Read about my experiences in Jagannath Puri and Odisha on Swachchanda.

Chaat & Chat

Chaat and Chat time with my girls. Colorful Dahi bada chaat in Bhubaneswar. There was a chill in the air and some warm chaat with all those colours was very good for our soul. The flavours are very balanced in Odisha. It’s its own character different from any other city, not like Mumbai nor Bangalore. Sai treated me to this before I left for my solo sojourn in Jagannath Puri the next day. Have you tasted this chaat in Odisha?

📸 @saswati_gypsytraveller

Lunch at Nimantran, OTDC

A morning climbing Dhauli had made me hungry already. I couldn’t wait to have lunch however I had returned to Bhubaneswar city by late morning itself. That’s the beauty of Bhubaneswar. There is the old world and the new all in close access. The Bhubaneswar modern city itself is very well planned clean, green and beautiful. So I decided to explore the city center a bit. Janpath is great to walk around. I bought shoes as planned for walking and trekking in my travels around Odisha. Then as we were passing by saw Ram Mandir so took darshan. Finally reaching the restaurant just as it opened its doors for the day. 

I took a seat by the large glass wall that gives an unobstructed view of the Janpath. Settled into my chair while the stewardess walked over. She pointed me to the menu for the day and guided me to choose the dishes. I wanted it to be lavish as it was authentic Odia I was told by Sai. 

They don’t serve a thali so every thing had to be ordered A la carte. For a single person that would be a lot! Yet I went all out and ordered a dalma, santula, khata and rice. The lady asked me if my fish should be made in masala style or mustard paste gravy? I jumped up for mustard paste gravy ofcourse. Yes I am adventurous in travel as well as food 😃 Here the fish was Soradi and the style is called besaro. 

I rubbed my hands in glee and ordered sweet lime soda until the wait. As the food was placed in front of me, I felt like a Queen 👸🏾

The food was delicious to say the least. Traditional veggies like pumpkin, raw banana and suran made the santula delectable. The dalma was wholesome with pumpkin and brinjal a medley of veggies in pulses. A huge bowl of rice. I took 1/3 of it. Later I packed all the leftovers and ate for dinner too. 

The khata was the star of the meal. Tomato and whole dates stewed to perfection. Sweet and sour absolutely danced on my palate. 

AND to end this wonderful experience just like an elevated music concert ends with a Bhairavi I ended this Odia meal with Chenna jhili. It is soft balls of chenna creamy, yet spongy soft. More delicate than a gulabjamoon even if it may look deceptively similar. Yet it has its own sorcery on your mind. A warm bite of this deep fried chenna in elaichi spiced sugar syrup is ecstasy! 

Old Town Cafe

My 📸 by @mycookingcanvas 

Did I only visit temples in Odisha? Surely not. Bhubaneswar is a temple town 💯 %. It’s a city that keeps the Sanatan flag flying. Unlike our metros that are so disconnected and consider being secular is a badge of honour. You cannot fill anything where there is emptiness right? 

Darling Sai Priya made sure I got to experience the vibe of this new cafe. This after we returned from Chausath Yogini temple at Hirapur. Go check out that post on @swachchanda and the details on the blog. 

Some places with their decor and setting win your heart. The warm lighting was relaxing. Sadly the lime and honey tea that we ordered was goofed not once but twice! 

Posting this just for the vibe that I loved and the great company of friends I had. @saswati_gypsytraveller was there too.