The cuisine of Odisha has a distinctive rusticity in it which has not withered with the passage of time. A typical main course consists of rice along with dali( daal), bhajja( Bhajji),tarkari( curry), bharta (mashed vegetables), ambila/sakara (sweet and sour preparation) and Mitha(dessert) that always makes it the most sought after food in any odia household. But unfortunately odia cuisine has not got it’s due share in the limelight as compared to it’s neighboring counterparts. There are plenty of such odia delicacies which needs to be brought forward for the entire world to see. Mustard oil, besara (mustard seeds pounded with garlic), panch phutana (panch phoron) are the three important ingredients in odia cuisine. 
Tarkari is a generic term mostly used in odia homes for vegetables and meat in gravy. The gravy may be thick or thin ,spicy or bland as per the dish cooked. The thinness of the jhola(gravy) makes the dish light on the palate and demands expertise to raise it to a level distinct from water.This is a humble effort on my part to bring to you certain flavorful classic odia dishes in a series of post which will make you understand the rich heritage of odia cuisine. Besara is a typical form of odia cooking which is prepared with mustard paste as the primary ingredient. Chuin -Aloo –Baigan-Badhi- Tarkari is a classic example of this type of cooking.
Drumstick is called sajana chuin in odia, saijan in hindi, murungakkai in tamil, soanjhna in punjabi. There are many way to cook this drumstick and it is a common vegetable which is available in almost throughout the year Drumsticks are rich in vitamins like B, C, K, manganese and protein and is very good for our heart and skin. It also helps to purify our blood and lowers blood sugar label.
Cuisine: OdiaRecipe Source: OwnPrep Time: 10 minutesCooking time:20 minutesServes:4Ingredients: - 2 nos Drumsticks
- 1 large potato
- 1 medium tomato
- 1 Brinjal
- 5 to 6 nos garlic pods
- 1 tbsp mustard seeds
- 2 to 3 green chillies
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- 8 to 10 Badi( Sun dried chunks of batter prepared from black grams)
- 2 nos dried red chilli
- 2 to 3 tsp of mustard oil
- 1 tsp pancha phutana
- salt to taste.
Let's learn how to make this curry:
- Peel off the outer layer of drumstick (chhuin) and cut it into 2 inch pieces. Cut the potato and brinjal in wedges. Cut the tomato into long strips .
- Soak the mustard seeds for 30 minutes and then grind the mustard seeds along with garlic pods and green chillies into a fine paste. Keep aside.
- In a pan, add 2 cups water, salt, turmeric and the ground mustard paste and bring to a boil. Add sliced potatoes first as it takes maximum time to cook and simmer.
- Once the potatoes are half cooked ,add the sliced brinjal and drumstick.Keep a watch on the drumstick so as not to overcook the drumsticks . in the last add the tomatoes. Take out from heart and keep aside.
- In another container, heat oil. Add panch phutan, dry red chilli and as soon as the panch phutan stops crackling, add the boiled vegetables and bring to boil.Take out from heat and before serving add the fried Badi and coriander leaves.
- Serve hot along with steamed rice
