4 places in Bhubaneswar that serve mouth-watering pakhala

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
 Bhubaneswar, Mar 19:

To celebrate the International Pakhala Dibasa on March 20, some restaurants in Bhubaneswar are busy innovating new mouth-watering dishes to attract pakhala  lovers and celebrate this occasion in a grand style by offering a delectable spread of this authentic Odia food.

Odisha Sun Times brings to you 4 places in Bhubaneswar where you can relish this  exotic and authentic Odia dish:

1.Mayfair

Chefs Prashant Swain and Pushpa Swain of Kanika restaurant, the Odia food corner at Mayfair, Bhubaneswar are very excited about the Pakhala Dibasa. “We are going to serve some new variety of Pakhala which will have an accompaniment of assorted vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes,”said chef Prashant . Keeping the health foodies in mind, brown rice is going to be an addition  in the pakhala category along with the dhenkhi kuta chaula (rice dehusked using the husking paddle). Kanjee is also going to be served as the complimentary drink instead of the regular butter milk. The vegetarian and non-vegetarian side dishes will be prepared in the charcoal grill, roasted and  in patrapodas.

2. Dalma

Dalma, the well-known Odia restaurant has a long list of pakhala delicacies with new delectable side dishes. Kakharu fula bhaja (batter fried squash flower), varied fish fries and chatu raee are some of the favourite dishes.

3. Pett Puja

Slurpy, yummy and filling, the pakhala served in Pett Puja is a pocket-friendly joint in the Odisha capital. For just Rs.50, one can relish a bowlful of pakhala with mashed potatoes, pappad, badee chura, brinjal fry and the quintessential chilli, lemon, salt and sliced onions. And their pakhala menu differs on all the seven days of the week. Sometimes, served with fried pumpkin flowers, stuffed Potala (gourd), deep fried Bhendi (ladies finger), fried prawns, fried Mahurali (a type of sardine fish), fried Chuna Maccha (smelt fish) and fried Rohi.

4. Pakhala

The name says it all. Another restaurant easy on the pocket, Pakhala in Kharvel Nagar, has been in business for the last three years. They serve a wide variety of fried fishes to be eaten with pakhala, such as rohu, dangili, pomphret, prawns and have options for the vegetarians too—like, their special mushroom-leaf fry, mashed and fried tomato/brinjal/potato, saga bhaja, deep-fried veggies and salad. Their pakhala meal price begins at Rs.51.

Pakhala beats the heat in a way that no other food can. It is the most loved dish of Odisha and March 20 will be observed as International Pakhala Dibasa.