MUDHI MANSA - Puffed Rice with Goat Meat Curry

By Alka Jena @alka_jena
Mudhi  Mansa or puffed Rice with Mutton Curry and Baripada in Mayurbhanj district in Odisha are synonymous with each other. This famous delicacy is served as a main course where goat meat curry or Mansa tarkari is mixed with puffed Rice or Mudhi along with some other side items.  It is a belief with the people of Mayurbhanj that if you consume Mudhi after a meal, it will help in digesting the food you eat. No marriage seems complete in Mayurbhanj if you do not offer the Barajatris or Baratis, Mudhi Mansa.The popularity of Mudhi Mansa among  most of the Odia people speaks the volume about the delectable taste of the dish. It is rightly said , if you have visited Baripada and not tasted the Mudhi Mansa, you have not tasted anything.In coastal parts of Odisha where I am born and brought up, Mudhi or  Puffed rice is generally considered as an ingredient for the evening snacks where it is mainly eaten with mixture . Whereas in Mayurbhanj, it is eaten during lunch and dinner also. It is such an integral part of their life that, Mudhi can be enjoyed with anything and everything.  You name it and they eat it. Mudhi mansa, mudhi aloodum, mudhi tarkari, mudhi machha,singada aloochop mudhi, dahi mudhi, mixture mudhi and even Baigan Poda with Mudhi and list is endless. Try it once and you will fall in love with its taste.

Recipe: OdiaPrep Time: 1 hourCooking Time: 20 to 25 minutesServes:4

Ingredients for the Mansa tarkari: 
  • 500 gms Goat Meat with extra fat
  • 2 large onions
  • 2 medium potatoes cut into halves
  • 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
  • 1 tbsp turmeric powder
  • 1 tbsp red chilli powder
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2-3 cloves
  • 2 to 3 green cardamom
  • 1 inch cinnamon
  • 2 tbsp mustar oil (for the typical taste)
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 tsp garam masala( grind 4 to 5 green cardamom and 1 inch cinnamon stick)
  • Salt to taste

Let's learn How to make the Odia Mansa Tarkari:
  • Marinate the mutton with 1 tsp mustard oil, turmeric powder and red chilli powder for 1 hour minimum.
  • Chop the onions and tomatoes and keep aside. Peel the potatoes and cut into halves and keep aside.
  • Heat Mustard oil in a Pressure cooker to a piping hot mode so that it would remove any strong odours from the oil .Shallow fry the potatoes and set them aside. 
  • In the same oil, add the sugar and let it caramelize. Then add the whole spices (cloves, cinnamon, cardamon and bay leaf).
  • Add the chopped onions and fry till it turns golden brown in clour. Then add your ginger garlic paste and fry till the raw smell of the paste goes away.
  • Now add chopped tomatoes and cook till the oil separates from the spice mixture and then add coriander powder, chilli powder and a little water. Tomatoes are not usually added in the recipes in Odia Mutton curry but it is a personal preference , so I add, you can skip if you do not like.
  • Now add the marinated mutton and coat it evenly with the spices. Keep frying the mutton for a few more minutes on a medium heat. You will notice the fat melting and adding to the richness to the masala. keep sauting on low flame till you see the masalas leaving the sides of the pot.Add potatoes now.
  • Pour 2 cups of boiling water and cover the lid and allow it to cook on medium flame till you have the first whistle of the pressure cooker. Now lower the flame and cook for another 10 to 15 minutes. This would help the mutton fat to gradually melt and add to the richness and flavor of the dish.
  • Let the pressure cooker release all the steams naturally and then open the lid and sprinkle the garam masala over it. 
  • Your delicious Odia mutton curry is ready. There will be a thin layer of oil over the mutton curry, which indicates a good mutton curry.

Ingredients to make Mudhi Mansa:
  • 1 cupMudhi
  • 1 onion finely chopped
  • 1 green chilli finely chopped
  • 2 to 3 tbsp chopped cucumber
  • 1 tbsp chopped tomatoes
  • Fresh sprig of coriander leaves, finely chopped
  • A pinch of Odia jira lanka gunda (roasted cumin seeds and red chillies grind together )
Let's assemble the dish:
  • Mix all the ingredients together and finally add a some mutton curry with a few chunks of meat. Your Mudhi Mansa is ready to be savoured.

This Mudhi Mansa, an exclusive odia delicacy Which remains a niche in its own state made from the  leftover gravy from the mutton curry mixed with onions, green chillies and fresh coriander along with the puffed rice , needs to be brought to the  limelight for the world to know. Hence,this delicacy is going to be part of the #44th Foodie Monday Blog Hop theme of #Indianspices.