Pakhala

 For people from the state of Odissa in the eastern part of India, Pakhala is a sacred dish. It smells of summer, of gatherings, of lip smacking delicacies to go with it and a much deserved afternoon siesta to be the crowning glory. Close to the tropics and beside the mighty Bay of Bengal, Odissa has very hot and humid summers. Pakhala is the best recourse. It is cooked rice which is left in water overnight which increases its cooling properties. The light fermentation that comes through in the rice leaves the eater refreshed. Something what an ice cold bottle of beer does in modern times. It is accompanied by a variety  of sauteed vegetables like potato, bitter gourd, okra, aubergine. Mashed potatoes, tomato chutney and badi chura which is something akin to crushed papads are worthy accompaniments. An assortment of grilled and fried sea food grace the plates of the non vegeterians. It is a divine fusion of tastes and texture. The Pakhala Diwas was started by the Odia community to relive this connection with the past.

 

But for me, Pakhala is my Maa. My paternal grandma. She was a simple village woman who was astoundingly ahead of her times. She had to come to help my dad raise my sister and me while my mom was posted in another location because of her job. She was with us for a summer. And every single day it was Pakhala for lunch with a wide and wild array of dishes. She used to lay a paper on the floor (she preferred sitting on the floor and eating as is tradition in rural India) and lay our bowls and plates. We used to eat in reverent silence. Every single day eating Pakhala was a sacred ritual.

 

In the UK, it is rare that we get those enervating hot days. But even a temperature of late teens calls for this dish, to celebrate Maa.

  This is my simple plate with mashed potatoes, grilled sea bass, sauteed kale, savoury tomato chutney and papad.